When it comes to points and miles, it pays to have an abundance mindset. No matter where your points balance is at the beginning of 2025, you could earn thousands or even hundreds of thousands of points this year.
Sound too good to be true? Don’t worry. We’re here to help you make a plan to get the points and miles you need to book your next dream vacation, whatever it may be.
Here are our top tips for racking up some major miles this year.
Earn points and miles
welcome bonus
The easiest way to earn a lot of points or miles is to earn a welcome bonus with a new card. Typically, you can earn over 100,000 points with just one welcome bonus.
Now, for example, with Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Cardyou can earn 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points when you spend $3,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of card membership.
Or, if you want to rack up some airline miles first, you can purchase the United Club℠ Unlimited Card and enjoy a welcome offer of 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening. Both offers are great ways to get a significant points boost in the spring.
Of course, you’re not limited to just one welcome bonus a year. If you open two or three new cards and meet their welcome bonuses, you’ll have plenty of rewards to draw from.
For some ideas, check out our list of the best welcome deals this month.
expenditure
In addition to earning a welcome bonus, using your credit card strategically can allow you to earn thousands of points throughout the year. We recommend purchasing with a rewards credit card whenever possible so you can earn money whenever you spend.
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Most credit cards earn at least 1 point per $1 spent on all purchases. This means that if you put $25,000 on your credit card this year, you should earn at least 25,000 points.
Additionally, you will gain more if you have a few cards in your strategy that allow you to maximize your payouts. For example, if you include groceries and dining expenses American Express® Gold Cardyou’ll earn 4 points for every dollar you spend on these purchases (1 point per dollar when you spend $25,000 or more at U.S. supermarkets and $50,000 or more at restaurants worldwide).
Earn 3 points for every $1 when you deposit your travel expenses into the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Additionally, if you use a card with a strong and stable earn rate for your non-rewards purchases (such as the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card), you can earn more than 1 mile per dollar on those other purchases, too.
If you spread $25,000 in spending among these three cards, you could earn 50,000 to 100,000 points over the course of a year.
Obviously, the exact number of points you earn on purchases throughout the year will vary greatly based on your spending habits, but having a strategy to maximize your spending can set you up for amazing rewards this year.
shopping portal
Shopping portals aren’t as glamorous as big, shiny welcome bonuses, but using them is an easy way to increase your rewards income this year. When you shop online through shopping portals, you can earn additional rewards on top of the money you earn by paying with your credit card.
One of our favorite portals, Rakuten, allows you to earn rewards in the form of cash back or American Express Membership Rewards points. Typically, you’ll get an additional 2% cash back (or 2 points per dollar) on your purchase, but you’ll find that the cash back rates vary from store to store on a daily basis. During Black Friday, in addition to the rewards I get through my credit card, I can earn up to 15 Membership Rewards points per $1 spent at some stores.
If you spend $5,000 online through a shopping portal this year, you could earn an additional 5,000 to 75,000 points by the time 2026 rings in.
Related: How to Maximize Your Shopping Portal
set your goals
Determine the type of reward you want
Of course, it helps to have a plan in place before you start earning hundreds of thousands of points this year. Keep in mind that reward currencies have different values, so the type of reward you receive is just as important as the number of points in your balance. For example, 130,000 Hilton Honors points are worth $780, while 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth $1,230, according to TPG’s January 2025 valuations.
Take some time to think about your rewards goals for this year. If you want to take a specific trip, choose the type of reward you want to earn to make that trip a reality, and use that goal to drive your plans. However, if you just want some rewards to take with you on your trip in case you need to travel, focus on earning transferable rewards for maximum flexibility.
Develop a credit card strategy that fits your goals
Once you’ve identified your goals, it’s time to make a plan. Look at your current credit card portfolio and identify any holes that can be filled with your next credit card. For example, if you already have a hotel co-branded credit card, you might next want a card that earns transferable rewards. Or, if you have a card with a solid, fixed earn rate that you can use for general purchases, you might want to get a card that earns bonus points in one of your highest spending categories.
Focus on the card you want to get next, and jot down some ideas you might want to add later this year. If you add a transferable rewards card first, you might want to score a good welcome offer on a co-branded airline or restaurant card later in the year. (Don’t worry—we’ll keep you posted.)
treat yourself
Of course, earning credit card rewards is only fun if you can turn them into something you want.
Whether your next trip is to the Maldives or Walt Disney World, you can use rewards to make your travel dreams come true.
bottom line
With the right strategy, you can easily earn hundreds of thousands of points in 2025. If you handle it right, 2025 could be your most rewarding year yet.
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