How To Keep Earning

Summary

Once you've got the basics of earning and redeeming travel points down, it’s time to level up. This video covers intermediate and advanced strategies for earning even more points—beyond just welcome offers. From optimizing your card lineup to using shopping and dining portals, there are tons of ways to keep your points balance growing long after you've opened your first card.

Transferable points remain the core of a strong travel rewards strategy. By focusing your efforts on earning with flexible points currencies (like Chase, Amex, or Capital One), you unlock more redemption options across a wider range of airlines and hotels. This ensures you're not locked into just one program and can pivot based on availability, pricing, or promotions.

While welcome offers are your fast track to a large chunk of points, ongoing earnings come from a smart long-term setup. That means strategically picking compatible cards, taking advantage of spending multipliers, and layering in other point-boosting methods like referral bonuses and portal earnings.

Bonus opportunities like referral points (often 5,000–20,000 per referral) and card-linked offers can further stretch your earning potential—especially if you're in “two-player mode” and coordinating with a partner or family member.

Who Can Benefit?

This is perfect for travelers who’ve already opened a travel card (or two) and want to know what comes next. If you’re wondering how to build a long-term points-earning ecosystem—or how to make the most of your everyday spending—this guide will help you think strategically, not just opportunistically.

Who Should Wait Before Diving In?

If you haven’t yet opened your first travel card or don’t fully understand how points transfers work, take a step back. Focus first on earning a solid welcome offer and redeeming points for your first trip. Then return to these strategies once you’re ready to expand your toolkit.

Building a Foundation for Smarter Redemptions

Some of the most overlooked ways to earn more points are also the easiest:

• Card-linked offers: Check your account for offers tied to specific merchants.
• Dining portals: Earn extra airline or hotel points when dining at participating restaurants.
• Shopping portals: Use platforms like Rakuten or Capital One Shopping to earn extra points or cashback on online purchases.
• Spending categories: Use the right cards for your most common expenses (e.g., groceries, travel, dining) to earn bonus points every day.

These tools help you passively accumulate points just by using your cards more intentionally.

Final Thought

You don’t need a dozen cards to earn a lot of points—you just need a smart system. Stack bonuses, leverage portals, and focus on flexible points, and you’ll be on your way to more free travel in no time. And remember: earning points is an ongoing journey. Stay tuned to the Daily Drop newsletter for the latest deals, tips, and tricks to keep your strategy sharp.

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