Travel Hacking Glossary: Must-Know Terms to Maximize Your Points & Miles
Welcome to the world of travel hacking—where flights get cheaper, hotel stays get sweeter, and your wallet stays fuller.
But before you dive into award charts and sweet spots, let’s clear up the jargon. This travel hacking glossary breaks down all the key terms you’ll see on Miles with Mary and across the points-and-miles world.
Bookmark this post or save it for later—it’ll be your go-to cheat sheet.
🛫 Airline & Travel Programs
Frequent Flyer Program (FFP): A loyalty program offered by airlines where you earn miles or points for flights. Examples: Delta SkyMiles, United MileagePlus.
Award Flight: A flight booked using miles or points instead of cash.
Airline Alliance: A partnership between multiple airlines that lets you use miles from one airline to book flights on another. The three main alliances are Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam.
Partner Booking: Using points from one airline to book a flight operated by a partner airline.
Saver Award: A lower-priced award ticket that requires fewer points/miles—but often limited in availability.
Fuel Surcharge: Extra fees (sometimes hundreds of dollars) added to award bookings. Some programs waive them, others don’t.
💳 Credit Cards & Points
Sign-Up Bonus (SUB): A large chunk of points/miles you get for opening a new credit card and meeting a minimum spend.
Minimum Spend Requirement (MSR): The amount you must spend within a set time to earn the sign-up bonus.
Statement Credit: A credit applied to your card account—essentially a rebate on purchases.
Authorized User: Someone you add to your credit card account. They get a card, and you earn their points.
Category Bonus: Extra points earned for spending in specific categories like dining, groceries, or travel.
Transferable Points: Points that can be moved to airline or hotel programs. Examples: Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Credit Pull: When a bank checks your credit score to approve a new card. Hard pulls may slightly affect your score.
🏨 Hotels & Accommodations
Hotel Loyalty Program: Hotel brands’ points systems—like Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, and World of Hyatt.
Free Night Certificate: A reward for cardholders or elite members that lets you book a night without using points or cash.
Award Night: A hotel night booked using points instead of money.
Dynamic Pricing: When award prices fluctuate based on demand—more common now than fixed award charts.
Fifth Night Free: A perk from programs like Hilton or Marriott—book four nights with points, get the fifth free.
🔄 Transfers & Redemptions
Point Transfer: Moving points from a flexible currency (like Chase) to an airline or hotel program.
Transfer Bonus: A promo where you get extra miles when transferring points to a partner (like 30% more Virgin points from Amex).
Redemption Value: The dollar value you get per point when booking something with points. Aim for 1.5–2+ cents per point for good redemptions.
Sweet Spot: A particularly good-value redemption in an award chart—like flying to Hawaii with Turkish Airlines miles.
🧠 Strategy & Slang
Travel Hacking: The art of earning and using points/miles to travel for less—or free.
Churning: Opening and closing cards repeatedly to earn bonuses. Risky—some banks ban it.
MS (Manufactured Spending): Earning points by simulating purchases—like buying gift cards. Often against card terms.
Double Dip: Earning rewards twice on the same purchase (e.g., using a shopping portal and a points-earning card).
Stacking: Combining multiple offers or perks to maximize rewards.
Devaluation: When a program raises the number of points needed for a redemption—essentially reducing the value of your stash.
Final Tip 💡
Understanding these terms is the first step in mastering points and miles. The more you know, the more value you’ll squeeze out of every swipe and flight.
📌 Save this glossary and refer back any time the travel hacking world starts speaking another language.
If you haven’t already, check out these other beginner posts: