If you have a significant other and they are not passionate about collecting miles & points, you should convince them how incredible it is to fly in First and Business Class around the world for a fraction of the cost – so they too, can collect miles and points. Many families only collect miles and points in one account – usually the head of household and then perhaps everyone has their individual airline accounts where miles are earned for flights – however, generally, the head of household has the credit cards opened and then their significant other is an authorized user.
While the above is better than not having miles and points credit cards open, it does not maximize your earning potential. If only you are collecting points through credit cards and other means and your significant other is not, please be sure to talk to them about how important it is for them to also open their own cards (and collect miles and points for their own flights).
does your family participate in the miles and points two-player mode?
Why Miles & Points Two-Player Mode Is Important
In our miles and points world, “two player” mode refers to the idea that both you and your significant other are collecting miles, opening credit cards to earn points, each have their own airline accounts, etc. The main reason why this is so important is that you can each earn sign-up bonuses on credit cads, for example, which will double your points. All of this goes much further – everyone should have their own airline account, hotel account, etc. – and you should always try to collect every mile and point possible.
Two-Player mode allows both you and your spouse/partner to have the same credit card and each of you can earn the bonus for opening the card. Down the road, it may make sense for one of you to close the card and simply be an authorized user on the other person’s account. That being said, at the beginning, just the sign-up bonus alone is usually worth opening up the card for each of you and paying the annual fee – you would then each have your own set of points.
Two-Player Credit Card Strategies
If you have decided that both of you will be opening up credit cards, there are a few key points to keep in mind:
- do you both want to open up the same card at the same time?
- is there a limited time sign-up bonus?
- will your travel benefits overlap?
- what points do you need for your next trip?
Sometimes it may make sense to open up the same type of credit card for both of you at the same time and other times it may not. For example, if there is a very high, limited time sign-up bonus on a credit card that neither of you have had, then it might absolutely make sense for both of you to open the same card at the same time.
Other times, when the sign-up bonus is standard and the annual fee high, then perhaps one of you should only open this specific card for the time being and the other person might want to consider opening up a different card so each of you can have different types of points (for the time being). Later down the road, each of you would then open the card that you don’t have in order to build up your points balances.
If you are applying for a credit card with a high annual fee and lots of travel benefits, look at all of the perks and see if they also apply to guests. For example, if you are opening a travel card with lounge access, can the primary cardholder bring in guests to the lounge for no fee? When annual fees are high and travel benefits can be shared, it could be better to only open the card for one of you now and then later, for the other person. It is totally okay to have a different strategy than your friends.
What Miles/Points Will You Need?
What miles and points will you need for your next trip? As always, it is best to collect flexible and transferable points in a bank program that can be moved to several airlines and hotels, as needed. Do not collect miles with one airline as you would then be stuck and forced to book with them. Roughly estimate how many points you will need for your next trip and what accounts they should be in.
It is important to diversify your points – do not just have a huge amount of points in one account, but rather spread out your points balances over different banks, if possible. This will give you access to more airlines and greater flexibility.
Based on what points you will need, have a look at what cards the both of you can open and then decide if you should both open the cards or if only one of you should. Remember that bonuses on cards change frequently and it is very possible that the same card will have a different bonus in a few months. If you already have a lot of points in bank A, consider applying for a card from bank B or bank C, to diversify your portfolio.
two-player mode will allow you to travel more
All in All
Two-Player mode in the miles and points world is very important because it not only allows you to be flexible, but also allows you to collect points in more places and have a bigger balance of points. You also then have the flexibility of opening up the same cards either at the same time or at different times – pending bonuses and offers. One of the most important things you can do is to make sure each of you are collecting miles for flights you take, in your own accounts and the same applies for hotel stays – remember that collecting these points is free so you should never give up any points because you don’t think they will be used later – you never know!
If your family isn’t participating in this strategy and you are the only one collecting miles and points for everyone, make sure to talk to everyone who is eligible to open up cards and explain the importance of collecting more miles and points – this will only lead to more trips for everyone and greater flexibility when it comes time to book. The more booking options you have, the better, as award availability changes constantly and flexibility is key in the miles and points world.