The 2024 summer travel season is well underway -- but even if you haven't booked a summer vacation yet, it's not too late. Affordable summer travel is well within your reach if you use the best travel rewards credit cards.
Let's look at a few ways that travel credit cards can help you book cheap summer travel in 2024 -- or any time of year.
Redeem credit card points for cheap travel
The best travel credit cards let you spend, or "redeem," your credit card reward points for travel. One of the best ways to do this is to book travel directly through your credit card company's travel portal.
Chase Sapphire credit cards, American Express cards, and Capital One Venture cards each have their own in-house travel booking sites where credit card customers can redeem reward points for travel. For example, if you have 50,000 reward points, this might be enough to book a round-trip domestic flight, or several nights of free hotel stays.
The exact deals available to you will be shown within the travel portal for your credit card. Be aware that not every cheap flight or hotel deal might be possible through your travel rewards credit card's booking portal -- sometimes you may find a better deal on Priceline, Google Flights, Kayak, or other travel search websites. Compare prices to see if it's a better deal to book travel with cash or points.
Transfer credit card points to hotel and airline programs
Some of the best travel rewards credit card companies, like American Express, Chase, and Capital One, will let you transfer your credit card points to travel partners. This can help you get an even better deal on redeeming your points for travel.
Each of these credit card companies has special partnerships with airline frequent flyer programs and hotel loyalty programs. For example, the Chase Sapphire transfer partners include United MileagePlus®, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®, and World of Hyatt®.
If you have 50,000 points on your Chase Sapphire card, you can either use those points to book flights and hotels directly through Chase, or you can transfer those points to an airline or hotel program in case those partners offer you a better deal.
I recently booked a flight on Southwest Airlines that only cost 33,000 Rapid Rewards points (worth about $330), that would have cost me $500 in cash. Because I was able to transfer my points from my Chase Sapphire card, I got a much better deal on booking cheap travel.
Use credit cards to upgrade your travel experience
What if you want to have a more luxurious travel experience this summer, without spending extra money? Travel rewards credit cards can help with that too!
Many of the best travel rewards credit cards make it easy to upgrade your travel experience, whether it's free airport lounge access, statement credits for luxury hotels, or using points and miles to upgrade your airline ticket for more legroom on your flight. Check the fine print on your travel credit card to see what special benefits and upgrade opportunities you might be missing.
Bottom line
Summer travel season doesn't have to be expensive, especially when you have the best travel credit cards. By redeeming credit card points for travel bookings, transferring points to travel partners, and upgrading your experience with a touch of luxury, you can have the affordable summer vacation of your dreams.