“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible. “

Tony Robbins

What are your travel goals for the next 12-24 months? It may seem weird to think that far out, but having a good plan is very important when it comes to Travel Rewards. If you know where and when you want to travel, it will help you plan in advance how to earn the points needed to minimize your out-of-pocket costs.

Let’s talk airlines first. Most airlines will charge a certain number of points for one-way tickets. For example, American Airlines will normally charge 12,500 miles for a one-way ticket (to help see the value of these points, the AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard usually offers up to 50,000 bonus points for reaching your minimum spend). They say they have no blackout dates, but at the same time, they only offer a certain number of these low point tickets before the amount of points needed will increase. For the most part, it is the same for prices of flights. The longer you wait, the more expensive the tickets will become. Therefore, it is best to book your airfare as soon as you know where/when you want to travel.
Extra Tip: Most airlines will open their booking schedule 11 months out from today’s date.
Double Extra Tip: If you book early on Southwest Airlines and the flight price (or miles needed) decreases anytime before the actual flight, you can request a credit for the difference so that you’re always paying the lowest price.

Now hotels are a little different. Most hotel reward programs simply charge a flat number of points per night, no matter how far in advance you book. For example, Marriott uses categories 1-8 to describe all their hotel properties. A “Category 1” hotel is usually 7,500 points for a night whereas a “Category 8” hotel will set you back as many as 85,000 points (to help see the value of these points, the Marriott Rewards Credit Card usually offers at least 75,000 bonus points for reaching your minimum spend). Until the hotel is sold out for the time period you are traveling, the point value will remain the same.
Extra Tip: If you don’t have enough points to book your flights and hotels at the same time, book your airlines first since the price of hotels won’t increase while you earn more points.

So as you can see, goals are important to set. There is no doubt that you can have your flights and your hotels covered in points if you plan far enough in advance. Need help figuring out a certain trip or want a personalized travel reward plan? Leave your question in the comments below and get help from our community.