Quick Points: Earn bonus points and miles by booking group travel
Trips with family and friends can be a blast for everyone involved — and a great opportunity for you to even earn extra points and miles. You can easily rack up bonus points or miles when you decide to book part or all of the travel for your entire group. Then, simply have your travel companions reimburse you for their shares.
I’ve planned several group outings, from girls weekends to multigenerational family trips, and stacked up tens of thousands of points and miles in the process. Here are some tips I’ve learned to maximize your rewards on group travel.
Related: Earn points and miles for referring friends to loyalty programs and credit cards
Set expectations with a travel budget
Before you start planning your big adventure, discuss options and set goals with the group. Where do you want to go? What kind of trip are you looking for? What’s the budget?
Once the group has agreed on a rough plan, you can start the fun part: researching flights, hotels and excursions. Personally, I’ve found it’s easier to organize group travel when one person is in charge; plus, most of my loved ones are happy not to be that person.
Shop around for travel discounts and deals
Just as you would when booking travel for yourself, be sure to check multiple avenues — including travel portals — to make sure you’re getting the best price and the most points. Also, consider what type of rewards you’ll earn (airline miles, hotel points or transferable points) and how valuable they are to you.
For example, since many of my relatives are traveling to Colorado in October for my wedding, I offered to book hotel rooms for everyone. I found an affordable hotel near the wedding venue on the Chase Travel℠ portal, where I earned a whopping 10 points per dollar spent thanks to the double-points welcome offer on my Chase Freedom Unlimited® (offer no longer available).
The Chase Freedom Unlimited is currently offering an extra 1.5% on all purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. Therefore, you’ll earn 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.
As a result, I’m earning roughly 40,000 Ultimate Rewards points on a two-night hotel stay. These points are worth 2.05 cents each, according to TPG’s July 2024 valuations, and I know I can maximize my points by transferring them to travel partners to book future trips.
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Related: No-annual-fee credit cards that earn transferable points
Stay organized when planning travel
Travel planning can be stressful when you add more people to the mix, so staying organized and communicating is critical.
When my fiance and I planned a family cruise, we saved all relevant emails in a designated folder and tracked confirmation numbers and costs in a spreadsheet. Then, we forwarded the necessary information to each relative so they’d have everything they needed to meet us at the port.
As a result, the trip went smoothly for everyone — and we netted around 65,000 United Airlines miles by booking everyone’s cabin through United’s cruise portal.
Related: The best cruise lines for families
Bottom line
Booking a trip for a large group takes a little extra work, but it can pay off major dividends in the form of points and miles.
Think of it as a reward for putting in the work to ensure other people have a smooth vacation.
I’ve found booking trips for my friends and family fun, and most people are grateful to have someone else do the heavy lifting. Best of all, you’ll share your love of travel with the people you love.
