So you’re into travel credit cards and you’ve been accumulating points and miles. As the savvy traveler that you clearly are, you’re always strategizing how to get the most bang for your buck. Enter: Player 2 Mode!
Player 2 is like opting for the double kayak rather than going at it solo. It’s a second friend who is also paddling in the waves; they’re not only an emotional support 🥹 but they also increase the power of your stroke, propelling you forward at lightning speed! He/She/They are the reason you may be able to outrun the oncoming storm and get you over the finish line! We’ll call this buddy P2 👊 and they are invaluable to you and your points/miles strategy.
Ok, so now that you’ve identified the Robin to your Batman ie: your spouse, adult child, or friend, it’s time to maximize the benefits of all the hard work you’ve been doing and there are several key things to keep in mind.
One of the main reasons to have a P2 is to pool your points together when booking flights and hotel accommodations. Of note, it is important to understand that different banks and loyalty programs have their own rules about pooling points together. Chase, for example, allows for members of the same household to transfer points to each other free of charge. This is a great option when you’re traveling as a couple or a family and need to combine points. In this example, if I wanted to book four tickets on British Air for my family, I would transfer my husband’s points from his Chase account to my Chase account. From there, I would transfer the combined points to my BA loyalty account and then book all of the airfare.
In another example, I know that Flying Blue, the loyalty program for AirFrance/KLM, allows you to transfer points straight from the account of a spouse/domestic partner into your loyalty account.
Remember, there are other loyalty programs who will accept outside points but charge a fee, so always familiarize yourself with the rules before making a plan.
The other HUGE benefit to having a P2 in your life is for credit card referrals. You can gain a lot of added points by referring your cards to others. Those points certainly add up and especially increase your pot when it comes to referring business cards as they offer up to 40,000pts/referral. There are some programs that allow you to refer to different cards within their arsenal ie Southwest allowing you to diversify the perks and share on all the different card program benefits.
Regardless of who your P2 is, there are a lot of benefits when enlisting a spouse, family member or friend. By sharing points, credit card benefits like elite hotel status or lounge access, and using each other for credit card referrals, you can maximize your travel experience!
