How to Win at Travel Book Review (With Travel Tips)

How to Win at Travel Book Review

Pros and Cons

When I heard the author of How to Win at Travel speak about the book on a podcast, I added it to my list before the episode ended. My mind was blown by the tips he was sharing!

I have long been aware of author Brian Kelly and The Points Guy blog, which he founded many years ago. He’s known for mastering the complex world of travel points and rewards to earn the most value in return through free trips and other perks.

Since my husband has been traveling much more for work, I wanted to dig in and take a closer look at how to travel better.

This book is so jam-packed with tips and tricks that I used two highlighters reading it! It covers everything from earning and redeeming points to getting travel upgrades and what to do when encountering travel problems, all from a pro who has mastered every element of travel. And he does not hold back!

That said, this is a book you need to commit to working on beyond the pages. Reading it is only the first step. You need not spend a lot of time to get value, but you do need to spend some time. In other words, it’s not “just” for gurus who dedicate their lives to points. Those who want to be lazy about points can still gain significant value from the book.

After reading How to Win at Travel, I wrote out my notes and started applying them in real life, such as signing up for new credit cards that matched my needs. Luckily, much of this was a one-time job on a Sunday afternoon, and now, I can sit back, relax, and earn free travel! That’s what I call one great benefit of reading.

Helpful Reading Recommendations

10 Helpful Travel Tips You’ll “Win” With

I wanted to get you started with winning at travel by sharing some of my favorite travel hacks from both my personal experiences and from the author, weaving his tips with what I’ve learned on my own that supports his advice. Get much more detail (and on many more topics) in How to Win at Travel.

Earn points and rewards through loyalty cards.

The easiest way to earn points towards free travel (or other rewards, like statement credit) is by signing up for free loyalty cards from your favorite providers. We use American Airlines AAdvantage and Marriott Bonvoy and link our loyalty numbers to all our travel purchases from these companies.

Other popular loyalty programs are Delta SkyMiles and World of Hyatt.

It’s a no-brainer!

Earn points and rewards through credit cards.

The next step in earning more points and rewards related to travel is to strategically maximize your credit card rewards based on your spending habits. You should aim for a mix of cards that give you at least 2% on all spending categories. The more the better, especially for categories you spend a lot!

I’ve done a significant amount of research on credit cards, and while it truly does depend on the person, here are a few I like for non-travel purchases:

• Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards: I get 3% cash back on most of my online shopping each quarter.
• Barclay View Mastercard: I use this card for 3X points on dining and 2X points on groceries.
• TD Bank Credit Cards: This bank has some cards with 2% cash back on all purchases.

Here are a few I like for travel purchases:

American AAdvantage Mastercard: Our local airport is an American Airlines hub, so this is the airline by which we usually fly. The biggest benefits of this card are priority boarding, your first checked bag is free, and 2X miles on American Airlines airfare. The annual fee of $95 pays for itself very quickly if you fly American even a few times per year.

Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards: There are several credit card options, both free and with an annual fee, that offer added points and perks at Marriott, where my husband typically stays when he travels for work (which is a lot). I recommend that each person review the options to see which, if any, may provide value to them for a few reasons, including that some perks aren’t tied to dollars but to “intangibles” like late checkout.

Chase Sapphire Reserve: This is an elite travel card that was unparalleled in my research if you are a frequent traveler and/or want to maximize your travel rewards. The $550 annual fee gets you, in part: $300 annual travel credit; credit towards your TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fees (to skip the lines at the airport); lounge access to eat, drink, and relax for free and exclusive airport lounges, 3-10X points on travel purchases, extra 50% back in points when you redeed through their travel booking portal (which can also be cheaper than booking direct or through an online travel agency); a DoorDash pass and monthly credits; and a massive suit of insurance and other protections on your purchases (primary rental car coverage, lost or delayed baggage insurance, trip insurance, trip medical insurance, and more). If you travel a few times a year or more, it can’t be beaten for these types of rewards.

Earn points and rewards through shopping portals.

I’ve been earning rewards through shopping portals for over a decade, and I have earned thousands in cash back. All you have to do is shop through a special link to earn money on what you’re already buying. Google Chrome extensions make it extra easy to do this.

American Airlines AAdvantage shopping portal works similarly, but for miles.

All it takes is an extra click while you shop!

Save on travel purchases through associations and memberships.

Various associations and memberships are known for offering good travel deals. We belong to AAA and AARP (you do not need to be retired to join, and there are a massive amount of benefits), so I always double-check there for a better deal before I book travel. My in-laws love to book through Costco Travel!

Save on airfare by booking at the right time.

Generally speaking, I’ve found through personal experience and research that 6 weeks in advance is the ideal time to book a domestic flight, financially speaking. In How to Win at Travel, Kelly further recommends that international flights be booked 3-6 months in advance.

I have always liked to do my research on Google flights because it shows you data on pricing trends, and you can set alerts.

Book hotels directly versus online travel agencies.

I’ve found online travel agencies a pain to deal with when you experience travel hiccups, and Kelly agrees. When you book directly through a hotel or airline, you get their customer service when things go wrong. They can’t help you when you didn’t book through them!

The perks are also generally better and may include room upgrades, loyalty points, free breakfast, price-matching, and more flexible cancellation policies.

Skip lines at the airport with advanced security screenings.

One of the best things we did as travelers was obtain TSA PreCheck status. This allows us to bypass the “regular” security line and go to a special line that is usually much shorter and faster. We rarely spend more than five or ten minutes in security these days, and it’s reduced so much stress at the airport!

For international travel, you can obtain Global Entry. Both are “perks” offered by some travel credit cards, saving you fees as well.

Save on airport spending with lounge access.

Exclusive lounges are fairly new to me, but I’ve been interested in them because my husband travels so much for work that I want to improve his experiences.

You can access these private areas in the airport to eat, drink, and relax (for free or a set fee per visit) through various means, such as credit card perks. Many elite travel credit cards offer Priority Pass, a network of lounges worldwide. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card (detailed above) provides this plus access to their own lounges, which are exclusive indeed. The new Philly location even offers a craft cocktail bar, facials, private shower rooms, and an arcade!

However, my understanding is that the offerings vary greatly. My husband recently went to a lounge with only snacks and a few drink options. I recommend you research what lounges are best at your local airport, how to access them, and whether it’s worth it for you.

Make sure your travel purchases are properly insured.

Insurance is often the last thing we think about when it comes to travel, but it can be the most valuable. For example, your U.S. medical insurance may not cover you abroad! Additionally, sometimes you can avoid paying for extra coverage if you are already covered through your personal insurance policies or credit cards. (I discussed some credit card coverages above.)

I recommend knowing what protections you already have and then supplementing them with what you need. Frequent travelers who need good supplementation may want to look into a yearly policy, such as those at InsureMyTrip.

Know your legal rights.

Lastly, you can win at travel by knowing your rights. We’ve all been stuck in a crowded, delay-ridden airport with customer service lines, wondering how to get where we need to go without losing money.

In the United States, check Aviation Consumer Protection, and in the EU, check your Air Passenger Rights. The Points Guy breaks down EU261 compensation, which is significantly more than in the U.S.

(Read More: Tips for Traveling to Europe for the First Time)

I’ve found that doing everything I can on my own to rebook myself and then figuring out how to get my money back has worked best for me since, in these situations, so many people are trying to get to the same place at the same time.

Recap

This How to Win at Travel book review concludes that this book is the modern encyclopedia of travel tips for any and every traveler who wants to make the most of travel rewards and is willing to put a bit of time into applying the tips shared.