Ep 008 – Earning Points with Your Plus One

/ Podcast / Ep 008 – Earning Points with Your Plus One

Maximizing Miles: Strategies for Earning Points with Your Plus One

In Episode 8 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Josh, Danny, and Quentin discuss navigating the world of miles and points while focusing on strategies for earning and redeeming points with a partner or as a household.

The Frugal Flyer team covers several key topics about earning points with a plus one, including the power of adding another person to this hobby, strategies for working with a player two who might not be as comfortable with miles and points, and collecting points through optimal credit card referrals. 

They also discuss the intricacies of hotel loyalty programs and status benefits, as well as effective ways to combine points across various programs like Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, and World of Hyatt. Additional insights include leveraging U.S. credit card programs such as American Express and Chase, and tips for when to use authorized user cards versus signing up for separate credit cards.

The episode concludes with a listener question about finding partner award space on Air Canada Aeroplan for a trip to Munich.

(00:29) Danny’s SAS Millionaire Promotion Journey So Far

At the time of recording, Danny was mid-way through taking on the SAS Millionaire Promotion, where he can earn 1,000,000 SAS miles by flying 15 different SkyTeam airlines by the end of the year.

(02:38) Guess That Card!

Danny shares hints about a certain credit card while the rest of the team attempts to guess the card that he is thinking of.

(06:31) Keeping You Miles Ahead: Miles & Points News

A number of new opportunities have developed in the world of travel, miles, and points that are worth discussing:

  • WestJet Rewards will be increasing their spending requirements for elite status within their loyalty program as of January 1st, 2025.
  • Singapore Airlines is retrofitting A350 cabins to include new business and first class seats with a target date of 2026 for the first completions, and 2030 for all retrofits.

(11:21) Main Event: Learn to Get Miles Ahead by Earning Points with Your Plus One

The team shares their stories about how they got their partners interested in participating in the world of miles and points.

(17:05) Player Two: Strategies and Tips

Earning miles and points with a “Player Two” brings additional complexities, especially when the other person isn’t as invested in the hobby. The Frugal Flyer team has a few different strategies they like to implement to make it easier for our Player Twos to navigate certain parts of the hobby.

(24:13) The Power of Credit Card Referrals

Credit card referrals can be a strong way to earn extra bonus points, and they are even easier to benefit from when you are referring family members.

(30:19) Navigating Taxation on Referral Points in the United States

If you are earning points from credit card referrals in the United States, you will receive a tax slip as earning referral bonus points are considered taxable. If you are earning points this way in the United States, be aware that you will need to file and pay taxes to remain compliant.

(32:24) Combining Hotel Loyalty Program Points Across Multiple Accounts

Certain loyalty programs allow you to transfer and combine points with other members, which is advantageous when earning points with a partner or family member as you work towards your next redemption.

(38:10) Airline Family Sharing Programs

A few frequent flyer programs offer family sharing or household accounts, which can be used to pool points when earning and redeeming.

(45:28) Strategizing Hotel Status with Your Player Two

Being strategic with your hotel status can mean that you focus on earning status for one person only, but sometimes, it can also make sense for a couple to hold the same credit card for the benefits and free nights that can be included.

(52:46) Authorized Users vs. Separate Cards

It can sometimes make sense to add a partner as an authorized user instead of getting them their own credit card, depending on your miles and points earning strategies.

(57:30) Listener Question: Finding Partner Award Space

Gabriel asks about the team’s strategies for finding partner award space on Lufthansa via Air Canada Aeroplan.

(1:00:47) Conclusion

If you have any episode-specific questions, leave a comment below. If you have any questions you would like us to answer on Miles Ahead, submit them here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a like or a review on your favorite podcast platform.

Join us for the next episode, where we will be discussing everything you need to know about airport lounges and how you can access them for free.

Listen to Miles Ahead: Episode 9 – How to Lounge in Airport Luxury.

Leave a Comment


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. For complete and current information, please consult the entity's website.