Airline miles and points can feel unnecessarily difficult to navigate, and I say that as a seasoned traveler with airline status — one who’s spent more time than I’d like to admit squinting at award charts and fine print. I’m constantly inundated with social media posts from people claiming they’ve booked flights to Europe for something like 3,000 miles, while I’m left wondering what algorithm they’ve managed to crack that I haven’t. So if you’re just beginning to dip your toes into the points pool, or you only travel a handful of times a year, it’s easy to understand how the entire system might feel wildly inaccessible.
In other words, this isn’t just confusing for beginners: it’s confusing for almost everyone who isn’t treating points like a part-time job.
Thankfully, there’s no shortage of experts working to demystify the process. One of them is Luis Lan, a travel rewards expert and the creator of Better Than Points, where he teaches people how to book luxury flights and hotels using credit card points.
Below, Lan shares his best advice for earning and using points more strategically in 2026.
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Everything you need to know about the three major airline alliances and which one you should be flyingInsideHook: For someone who’s always assumed miles and points are “too complicated,” where should they start?
Luis Lan: Everyone’s journey is going to be different. The easiest place to start is by looking to see where you’re spending the most money. From there, you can decide which card that has transferable points makes the most sense for you. It’s not going to be the same card for everyone, given people’s lifestyles and spending habits are different.
What’s the most common mistake you see people make when trying to earn airline miles?
This one hurts me to say, but I have a lot of people who are excited to work with me, and when they jump on the call, they tell me that they applied for an airline-specific credit card or that’s the card they use the most because they like that airline. Unfortunately, that’s the biggest mistake. You don’t need a co-brand card. The only thing that’s doing for you is locking you into their ecosystem and not giving you options, when that’s what most people need.
Credit card bonuses get a lot of hype — but what’s a quieter, more underrated way to rack up miles?
Bilt just came out with three new credit cards that are essentially changing the way people earn and redeem credit card points. Rather than having really high intro bonuses, you’re able to earn points on something a lot of people are spending on monthly, and that’s rent and mortgage. So, one of people’s big monthly expenses is now a new way to start earning points, which is really exciting in the points and miles game. But, along with that, having a card that earns you 1.5x or 2x points back on everything. It’s an easy card, something you don’t have to think about and just use regularly and over time rack up those points.
Is airline loyalty still worth it in 2026, or are travelers better off spreading their points around?
I myself have no loyalty to any airline. I’m flying based on the deal, and I suggest most people do the same. There is that slight minority that has to take a weekly flight on a specific airline. This isn’t the case for you, but for everyone else, I would say think of it as an afterthought, given that airline loyalty is getting harder and harder to come by, and the perks aren’t as beneficial as they were even a decade ago.
When you’re redeeming miles, how can you tell the difference between a good deal and a great one?
For me, a good rule of thumb is, for business class flights, you should be paying around 10,000 miles or points per hour. So for an eight hour flight, anything below 80,000 miles, I would consider a decent deal. But you are able to fly from the East Coast to Europe for as low as around 30,000 points in business class so it does vary. But it’s an easy way, nonetheless to know in seconds if it’s a good deal or not.
Are there certain trips where miles tend to go further than people expect?
Given the higher cost of business and first class flights, your points stretch further and are worth more when you’re booking those flights, particularly international. For example, an economy flight might cost you 30,000 points. Where the business class flight might cost you 90,000 points. But in terms of cash, the business class flight could be five to 10 times more. But if that’s not something that you’re aspiring for, I always tell people that points are best used for whatever you need them for, rather than paying cash. If they save you some money, then you’re winning.
What’s one myth about airline points you wish would finally die?
That you constantly need to be opening cards to be able to travel with points. A lot of people have the points, but they just don’t have the right knowledge to know where to transfer them. Airlines make this a little harder than it has to be, so that people take the easiest way to use their points rather than getting the max value they want from them.
Points and miles are big business for airlines, so much so that they determine profitability for some of them. They need points and miles to survive. They’re not going anywhere. Learning how to use them the right way can save you so much money without putting in that much effort.
How should someone who only flies a few times a year think about miles differently than a frequent flyer?
From a frequent flyer standpoint, they want to accumulate different types of points from different credit card companies, so that gives them options whenever they need to fly somewhere specifically. But for the people that are only taking a couple of trips a year, you probably know where you’re going as well as what airline you’re taking. So just focus on earning points for that specific airline. Don’t get that co-branded credit card, but focus on credit cards that transfer to those airlines.
American Express points transfers to Delta if you need to, as well as you’re able to use some of their partners to book Delta flights. Chase points transfer over to United, but you can also use some of their other partners like Air Canada to book United flights. Alaska allows you to book American Airlines flights, so finding a credit card that transfers over to Alaska to give you the ability to book with Alaska as well as American Airlines is something that you might have to look into. Just give yourself options if you know where you’re going.
With programs changing all the time, how can travelers avoid seeing their points lose value?
The easiest way is to earn and burn. Don’t let your points sit in your account. They’re the opposite of gold. The longer that you hold them, the less value that they have. I’ve talked to someone who has had over 10 million points waiting to use them in his retirement. Those 10 million points could have gotten him twice the number of flights as they can now.
The longer that you hold points, the higher chances that airlines and hotels increase prices, and the more points it takes to redeem those same trips. So as soon as you earn them, look to see how you can redeem them or if you have a flight in mind, know how many points you need. That way, by the time that you have them, you’re able to take that flight.
If you had to give one simple rule for using miles smarter, what would it be?
Just start! You aren’t going to book the best flights from the beginning, but the more that you do it, the more comfortable you’re going to feel booking flights, hotels, and travel with points, and the better that you will get. While it won’t be the best points redemption, you’re still putting in the reps to do it, and in points and miles, something that you might be able to book today might not be possible in a year or two because the travel world is always changing. Flights, hotels, close and open, as well as mergers happen, so you never know if the destination that you could use points for will be available in the future. So just get started, learn from those mistakes and keep learning gradually. And make those memories!
Luis Lan is also the author of The 5 Step Guide to Booking Luxury Travel With Points. You can read the first chapter for free here.
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