Expert Q&A Sessions, Travel, Part 6: Points travel is very popular and can save a lot of money on flights and hotels. What cards and loyalty programs do you use personally?

Question: Points travel is very popular and can save a lot of money on flights and hotels. What cards and loyalty programs do you use personally?
Serra: I don't have as many credit cards as most travel enthusiasts, but I have the ones that work for me. I pay a fair amount in annual fees and I'm completely okay with that. The perks and benefits more than make up for it. My current cards are the Citi Strata Elite, Amex Platinum, Capital One Venture X, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Amex Hilton, IHG One Premier, United Explorer, and Barclays American Airlines (which has since become Citi).

Question: Do you have a strategy for which card you use for everyday purchases to maximize your points, or do you mainly use them for booking travel?
Serra: I do pay attention to rotating bonuses. My Chase Sapphire runs promotions where you earn extra points in certain categories. Recently there was one for gas and restaurants where you'd earn an extra 5% by activating the offer. I use that card specifically during those windows. My Capital One gives me 2x back across the board, which isn't huge, but it's better than earning nothing when I don't have a stronger offer active elsewhere. I also keep an eye on Citi Strata Elite, which runs cashback deals on top of regular points earning. The key is just remembering to check for active offers before you buy or book anything. Overall, my Chase cards are my primary go-to.

Question: There are so many travel aggregator sites out there like Expedia and Kayak. Are there sites that consistently surface deals others miss, or is the real edge somewhere else entirely?
Serra: Google Flights is a great place to start. After entering your destinations and dates, it pulls up airfares across multiple booking sources so you can quickly see where prices are lowest. That said, always book through reputable, well-known sites. The savings aren't worth the risk if something goes wrong with your reservation.

Question: What are your best tips for finding good hotel deals? Let's say you've already booked your flights. Where do you start and what do you look for?
Serra: Timing is everything. The best hotel deals tend to surface around Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Travel Tuesday. If I can hold off booking until that window, I will, while keeping an eye out for deals in the meantime. If I can't wait, I look ahead to the next major holiday for promos. Outside of timing, I always check for coupon codes on OTAs and cross-reference a specific hotel across multiple booking platforms before committing.

Question: Is there actually an optimal time to book, a certain number of weeks out or a specific day of the week, or has that conventional wisdom been disrupted by dynamic pricing algorithms?
Serra: Fares can change in an instant or disappear when a sale expires, so there's no perfect formula. Generally speaking, for domestic travel I'd aim to book two to four months out, and for international about four to six months out. As for when to fly, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and some Saturdays tend to have the lowest fares.

Question: Budget carriers like Spirit or Frontier advertise rock-bottom base fares, but fees can pile up fast. How do you evaluate whether a budget airline deal is actually a deal?
Serra: Personally, I wouldn't take a budget carrier for a long-haul flight. They're fine for short trips, up to about an hour and a half. Most budget carriers only allow a personal item that fits under the seat, with no carry-on included. So I compare their fare to what a major airline would charge, factoring in what I'm bringing and how long the flight is, and then decide if it still makes sense. Once you add bag fees and other charges, the "deal" often narrows significantly.