✈️ The Most Common Mistakes to Avoid

Good morning ☀️ from Booked It On Points: A curated collection of travel tips and personal stories by me, Allie→ because you’re meant to experience meaningful travel no matter life’s constraints 👊🏽

We’re back ‘home’ from our whirlwind trip to Morocco- wow was it intense and beautiful. We’re so happy to have had such an experience, especially with the kiddos- And we’re happy to have landed back safe and sound to our little life in Spain.

Let’s dive in.

Here’s what’s on today—

📉 RUN (or click over) to JetBlue.com, select ‘Book’→ ‘Best Fare Finder’→ and search by region. I am finding A TON of amazing deals in cash AND points- you choose. And don’t forget, these points transfer to Jet Blue! So get to planning those spring break trips! And when you do, make sure to tell me about them!

✈︎ Points + Miles

TOP STORY: Don’t Do That!

Booking flights with points sounds like a dream, right?

And it is. It’s the only way our family has been able to travel as much as we. We don’t have extra cash to plan luxurious trips, but we do have lots of points to book said trips!

Booking flights in cash costs thousands of dollars these days and would completely ruin our travel budget.

But just because I have the points to book our airfare using credit card miles, doesn’t mean I also don’t have to get the best deals around to keep things reasonable within our “points” budget as well!

Let’s chat about some of the biggest mistakes people make—and how to avoid them!

1. Being Too Picky with Dates & Destinations

This can be harder if you have a set schedule, say a kids school schedule you have to stick to. If you are only searching one specific day OR one specific destination, you may find NO good deals. Plain and simple.

Being flexible—like flying a day earlier or choosing a different airport—can save you tons of points. Always search from bigger airports and then use cash to buy your “positioning” flight to get to that airport.

• Example: We flew out of JFK when we went to Japan. It’s not our home airport, so I booked train tickets to get there, saving us TONS of points.

2. Waiting Too Long to Book

Good award seats disappear FAST. If you see a great deal, book it. Waiting even a day can mean losing that perfect flight!

A year in advance feels like an eternity to me in travel, but it is optimal for booking tickets using points + miles. Trust me, I like to make those decisions way more last minute. But by waiting, it doesn’t always work out for me and I loose out on great deals.

Also, most of the time when using points you can get refunded. The only thing is- those points go back into your loyalty account.

• Example: I just canceled our flights to Bali (AGAIN) and now have those points siting in KLM/AirFrance. They’ll get used, but it’s not ideal.

3. Only Checking One Airline

Most airlines have partner airlines, and sometimes the best deals are hiding there. If you're only searching one airline, you're missing out. This feels confusing to most people.

The power in those points is using airline partners to find the best deals

• Example: Don’t go to Delta.com to book, rather, search Virginatlantic.com- they often list delta flights at a fraction of the cost!

4. Not Using Transferable Points

If you have Chase, MR points, Capital One reward points or another flexible points program, you can transfer points to different airlines.

This is SO different than having an airline co-branded card for example.

• Example: I use points primarily from my favorite card here- it gives us 2x points on every purchase AND gets us into thousands of airport lounges around the world. PLUS I can transfer these points to DOZENS of airlines leaving me with so many options to find the best flight deal.

5. Not Checking How Much Your Points Are Worth

Not all points are equal! This is huge and just because you have the points, doesn’t mean using them is the best deal. Sometimes a flight costs way too many points and isn’t worth it. Always check the value before booking—sometimes paying cash is actually the better deal.

How to know? A simple math equation-

6. Transferring Points Without Checking Availability

Once you transfer points to an airline, you CAN NOT move them back.

Always, always check that the flight you want is actually available before you transfer. That means seeing it listed on the airline’s website just before you transfer your points to that loyalty account.

7. Forgetting About Taxes & Fees

Some award flights come with crazy high taxes and fees—like $500+! Always check before booking so you don’t get surprised.

In general, taxes/fees that high are never a good deal (unless you’re talking business class, long haul flights)- and even that is pushing it.

8. Missing the Minimum Spend for a Sign-Up Bonus

Looking to apply for a new travel credit card? Make sure you have a plan to hit that spending goal. Missing out on the welcome points is a painful, painful mistake.

If you see a travel credit card that looks like the right fit for you, make sure the. minimum required spend is within your budget (no overspending just for points)!

9. Hoarding Points Forever

Holding onto points for too long isn’t a great idea. Airlines and hotels change their rules, and your points are regularly loosing value.

Yes, we have a “bank” of points simply because we don’t have a ton of travel at the current moment- but I am also not applying for new credit cards currently for the same reason.

Points are meant to be used, so book that trip!

The bottom line? A little planning goes a long way. Be flexible, check your options, and don’t wait too long to book. Then, sit back and enjoy your trip—because there’s nothing better than traveling for (almost) free!

✈︎ Travel News

Quick Hits

• Geo’s covered exactly what you need to pack for ONE bag travel, no matter the trip

• My favorite (and FREE!) way to stay points + miles organized

• Did you see the name change on Google Maps? 🙄

• Southwest’s Companion Pass offer with just 1 credit card

• We just got back and #1 is absolutely true

• Traveling with toddlers? Here are the hacks to survive 

• The ultimate in travel tips: 50 years worth

Let me support your travels. Just reach out

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Thanks for being here and have a great Tuesday!

Allie