When you book a flight, hotel, or rental car with your business travel credit card, you typically earn points once. What many business owners donât realize is that you can earn more than one type of reward on each of these travel purchases with a strategy called reward stacking.
Here, we explain what reward stacking is and provide strategies for how you can start maximizing your travel rewards.
What is reward stacking?
Reward stacking is when you earn multiple rewards on a single purchase. For example, if you’re booking an international flight to attend a conference or a business meeting, you can earn more points by paying with your credit card and adding in your loyalty number, such as your Aeroplan number. In many cases, this allows you to earn two separate streams of rewards on one flight.
The same applies when booking a hotel or a car. You may earn points through your credit card and through a loyalty program when you book directly with the airline or hotel provider. Over time, this can help to accelerate your reward earnings.
How to start stacking rewards
Choose the right credit card
Start by choosing the right credit card for your spending habits. Consider how often you travel, how you travel, and if you tend to book with the same airline or hotel brand. Then find the business travel credit card that matches your needs. Your credit card acts as the foundational layer of your rewards stacking strategy, so finding the right card can help to increase your total rewards without changing your spending habits.
Add a travel loyalty program
Next, consider joining a travel loyalty program. Airlines, hotels, and rental car companies often have their own rewards programs. By enrolling, you can include your loyalty program number when you book a flight, hotel room, or car, and earn a second layer of rewards.
Review booking methods
Before you book a flight or hotel, compare booking methods for each purchase to see where you can earn the highest rewards. In some cases, booking through your credit cardâs travel portal might help you earn a better rate or additional rewards.
And while booking through a portal can increase your credit card rewards, some airline and hotel loyalty programs donât award loyalty points on these bookings, so itâs important to carefully compare your options.
Take advantage of bonus offers
Credit cards, airlines, and hotel loyalty programs often run limited-time bonus offers or promotions. For example, you might earn additional points when you use your credit card to book travel within a certain time or if you spend in select categories. Taking advantage of these offers can significantly increase your total rewards.
Another way to stack rewards
Another approach is to use more than one credit card to take advantage of the different benefits they offer over time. Unlike stacking rewards on a single purchase, this strategy allows you to combine the value of multiple cards across your overall spending and travel plans.
For example, if you have a large international conference coming up, you might plan ahead by applying for a business credit card with a strong welcome bonus to help cover your flight. Over time, you might add an additional card that offers benefits like comprehensive travel insurance or higher earn rates in relevant spending categories.
This approach allows you to combine welcome bonuses, earning rates, and card benefits to increase your total travel rewards. But you need to be strategic. Applying for multiple cards in a short period of time can impact your credit score due to hard inquiries. Managing multiple cards also requires discipline to avoid missed payments or unnecessary debt.
Avoid common mistakes
While credit card stacking can help you earn more rewards, overcomplicating your approach can create problems. Having too many credit cards can become difficult to manage, so itâs often best to stick with one or two key cards to keep it simple. You should also avoid overspending just to earn more points. Stacking should support your regular spending habits, not encourage additional spending.
Finally, plan to pay your balance in full each month to avoid interest payments. High interest payments can begin to reduce the value of the rewards youâve worked so hard to earn.
Start stacking your next business trip
Reward stacking isnât complicated. Start by choosing the credit card that aligns with your spending, then look for opportunities to add a loyalty program, earn higher points through your credit card travel portal, or take advantage of bonus offers. Keep it simple by sticking to one or two credit cards and always aim to pay your balance in full. Youâll be earning multiple tiers of rewards in no time.
Media Contact Information
Name: Sonakshi Murze
Job Title: Manager
Email: sonakshi.murze@iquanti.com   Â
