Guides
Where the points actually come from
Every trip report on this site starts with points that came from somewhere. Mostly, that's these two habits.
Sign-up bonuses
The single biggest lever most people have
A good transferable-points card bonus can fund most of a trip's flights on its own. Offers change monthly — treat everything below as a starting point, not a live number. Last checked: July 2026.
Amex Membership Rewards
Regularly carries some of the largest public sign-up offers of any transferable-points card. Check the current public offer before applying — these move often, and the best offers aren't always the ones advertised on the application page.
Chase Sapphire Reserve / Preferred
The most flexible starting point for a first transferable-points card. Watch for periodic elevated public offers — Chase runs these a few times a year, well above the standard bonus.
Capital One Venture X
A strong flat-rate earner with transfer partners that overlap Amex and Chase in places and diverge in others — useful for not having every point tied to a single bank's rules.
Shopping portals
Miles for purchases you were already making
Before any online purchase, check whether an airline, hotel, or cash-back portal pays extra for the same purchase — at no added cost to you.
Airline & hotel portals
Most major airline and hotel programs run their own shopping portal (AAdvantage eShopping, MileagePlus Shopping, the World of Hyatt portal, and similar). Rates vary by retailer and change without notice — check before a big purchase.
Rakuten
A straightforward cash-back portal that sometimes stacks with a card's own portal bonus. Worth a quick check on any purchase over $50 or so before checking out.
Compare before you buy
The actual habit that matters more than any single portal: pausing before checkout to compare two or three portals' current rates. Takes 30 seconds, and the best portal for a given retailer changes constantly.
Easy Award may earn a commission if you sign up for a card through a link on this page. That never decides which cards get covered — I won't recommend a card unless it has a genuinely compelling value proposition and is one frequently used by either me or a reader.