Flying in a Different Direction: Why I’m Questioning an Old Belief

Airline Miles or Hotel Points

Do you prefer earning airline miles or hotel points? Many, including this author, would initially say, “Neither one nor the other – I’d rather get bank points and/or cashback instead.” Another group, perhaps with some affiliation to the first, might also say, “That’s it! I’ll earn everything I can.” But today, I’m taking bank points and cashback out of the equation. What do I prefer to earn Air Miles or Hotel Points? It has been a longstanding belief of mine that I choose hotel points first. But I’m starting to doubt it. What makes me chase extra airline miles by avoiding hotel points? Here are the main factors right now.

We use more airline miles

My wife and I have historically accumulated many airline miles for years to come. But one of my decisions for 2023 is to start enjoying air travel again. To this end, I buy more flights, and sometimes spend money on premium classes rather than economy classes. I am making a huge profit from these miles when I reach my goals and I would like to top up my balance a bit. We are far from running out of airline currency, but we would like to have enough funds for everything we want to do for many years to come.

We’re drowning in hotel scores

At the same time, the balance of points in hotels continues to grow steadily or remain at the same level, depending on the network. But now we also stay in hotels more often. How is this possible? The generosity of the hobby with free nightly certificates is a major factor. The other is the Fine Hotels & Resorts Amex Platinum loan. In our current season, my family and I are not very active travelers. Right now, our travels are mostly limited to using our Free Night Passes and FHR Credits. We rarely bother to significantly affect our hotel items.

american airlines

For some of us, myself included, American Airlines has single-handedly made earning miles a fun thing to do again. Their development of the Loyalty Points program, including many ways to earn miles other than credit cards, made the game even more attractive. What was once just an air mile is now an air mile and a (small) step towards elite status, which I cautiously, infrequently aspire to.

The more knowledge, the more value

In the 22 or so years I’ve been involved with our hobby, the only thing I’ve probably enjoyed least was booking award flights. It’s just not how I wanted to spend my time. It is no coincidence that I learned relatively little about it. Returning to my decision to air travel, I am surprised at how much I enjoy the process of preparing for it. Learning is fun, to some extent. Those minimal skills that I acquired brought more benefits.

I definitely don’t want to exaggerate this though. I still have blind spots, of course, primarily because I’m not interested in some of the more advanced stuff. For example, I have almost zero interest in the little things and extra work to maximize affiliate rewards. But overall, I’m taking small steps in the right direction.

Mailbox

Many of us continue to get great deals on airline credit cards. My wife just received an Amex Delta Gold boosted welcome offer via snail mail which, most importantly, has no lifetime language diversity. Many of you have received similar offers. Why would we give up those easy miles?

More innovation

Banks and airlines offer us even more attractive perspectives. For example, Delta recently introduced a 15 off benefit that gives Amex Delta cardholders a 15% discount on award flights. Inevitably there will be other innovations, and I look forward to them. Of course, with all these supposed improvements, we need to be vigilant about any future devaluations. But I prefer to be simultaneously optimistic about the new opportunities created by airlines and banks.

I know John Ryan

If you don’t already know who John Ryan is, you should know this. I recently learned from this 15-year-old point-and-mile scientist more than perhaps anyone else about airfare exchanges. In general, I encourage you to use your network of friends and family to learn more about maximizing airline miles, as well as other aspects of the hobby. I can always learn more, and often do so unexpectedly.

Conclusion

Other things being equal, I’d rather earn more hotel points than air miles. But things are rarely equal, at least in my situation. And right now, my needs are worth more airline miles than hotel points. I encourage you to take a hit and reevaluate your goals. What is better for you now: more air miles or hotel points? Share in the comments section!