If you’re someone who loves traveling but wants to explore the world without spending a fortune, then you’ve probably heard of points and miles or award travel.
With some strategy, you can accumulate airline miles, hotel points, and credit card rewards to make travel more affordable. And, when it comes to award travel, having the right set of tools is essential.
I’ve been on a mission to find ways to travel more for less and award travel has saved me thousands of dollars. But I’ve learned that if you want to be successful, you need to be organized. Otherwise, you’ll just get stressed out and give up on all this budget travel stuff.
That’s why in this post, I’m bringing you 7 FREE award travel apps to help keep your stuff in order, find the best deals, and earn more rewards.
So, if you’re ready to take your award travel game to the next level (or get started), it’s time to download these apps and start exploring the world without breaking the bank!
Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links, meaning that at no cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Why Award Travel Apps Are Essential for Savvy Travelers
- Stay organized and up to date on your offers – Earning points and miles can be overwhelming with so many different programs and promotions to keep track of. However, having the right apps can make it easy to stay organized and up-to-date on your offers. They provide a dashboard to track your rewards, expiration dates, and redemption options in one place.
- Find the best award redemptions for flights – Looking for the best award redemptions for flights can be time-consuming and confusing. Fortunately, there are sites that can help you quickly find the best deals and maximize your rewards. You can search for award redemptions across multiple airlines and programs, compare redemption options, and identify the best value for your rewards points.
- Earn more rewards – Maximizing your rewards is a key and these apps and sites can help you earn even more rewards on your purchases.
Experian Boost App
Before getting started, make sure your financial situation is in good shape. One way to do this is using apps to track your credit score.
Experian Boost is a free financial tool that can help you increase your credit score by adding positive payment history to your credit report.
Using Experian Boost is easy. By linking your bank accounts and bills to your Experian credit report, Experian Boost takes into account your payment history for phone, utility, and streaming services bills, and adds this information to your credit report. This can help you establish a more robust credit history and demonstrate your creditworthiness to lenders.
Even if you think you’re on top of your finances, it’s always a good idea to keep tabs on your credit score, and Experian Boost makes it easy to do that. With this app, you can potentially improve your credit score and unlock better rewards and benefits for travel.
Credit Karma App
Another favorite free personal finance tool is Credit Karma which gives you access to your credit scores and reports. It’s designed to help you understand your credit and improve your financial standing.
With Credit Karma, you can track your credit score and monitor changes in your credit report. You can also receive personalized recommendations for credit cards and loans based on your credit profile. Credit Karma’s platform also offers educational resources and tools to help you understand credit and make informed financial decisions.
Credit Karma also offers credit monitoring services that alert you to changes in your credit report, which can be helpful in detecting fraud or identity theft.
Having both Credit Karma and Experian Boost is a smart move. Both apps are free and offer different features that focus on improving your credit score. Credit Karma provides access to your credit scores and reports, giving you a better understanding of your financial standing. Experian Boost can help you increase your credit score by adding positive payment history to your credit report.
Travel Freely App
When you’ve got your finances sorted and you’re ready to start racking up those credit card rewards, you need a way to keep everything in one place.
That’s where Travel Freely comes in. It’s a free app that lets you track your credit cards, annual fees, and bonus points, and even tells you when it’s time to get a new credit card.
One of the main benefits of using Travel Freely is that it is free to use. You don’t need to pay for access to the app or any features. Plus, it’s super easy to navigate.
Want to learn how to use Points and Miles for “FREE” Travel?
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The Points Guy App
I love the Travel Freely app, but The Points Guy app is another free if want to stay on top of the latest travel news, deals, and rewards programs. This app is designed to help you maximize your travel rewards and make the most of your trips by providing a wealth of information and resources.
What I like about The Points Guy app is the ability to track and manage travel rewards. You connect all of your accounts and the app will track your purchases and give you a summary of all your earnings.
My favorite feature is that it gives you a report about any missed points. The app will display the card you used for a purchase and the points you earned. It shows a side-by-side comparison of the card you have that could have earned you more points for that purchase, and the number of points you missed out on by not using that card.
I will say that I’ve noticed that this feature can be slightly off at times, so it’s still important to know your cards but overall it’s been a great tool for me.
If you’ve heard of The Points Guy, you know it’s an amazing resource from beginners to experts. So of course the app will give you access to their travel advice articles and other features to enhance your travel experience.
Rakuten
Rakuten, formerly known as Ebates, is a free cashback website and app that lets you earn cashback on your online purchases. They’ve partnered with thousands of retailers, which means you can earn cashback on a wide range of products and services, including travel bookings.
Why we love it? You can earn cashback on flights and hotels too! Rakuten works with popular travel booking websites like Expedia, Viator, Marriott, Hilton, VRBO, and many more. This means you can earn cashback on top of your credit card rewards and loyalty program points.
But wait, there’s more! You can also convert your cashback into American Express Membership Rewards points for even more rewards. Rakuten is super easy to use too – just sign up for a free account on their website or app and start shopping. I also love using their Chrome extension to make sure I never miss a cash back opportunity.
CardPointers App
The CardPointers App is a free and a great tool for anyone who wants to maximize their credit card rewards.
One of the biggest challenges that many face is keeping track of their rewards and making sure they are using them before they expire. The CardPointers app helps solve this problem by keeping track of your rewards and letting you know when they are about to expire.
In addition to tracking your rewards, the app also helps you keep track of your annual fees. Annual fees can add up quickly, so it’s important to know how much value you’re getting from your credit cards.
One of the best features of the app is the ability to automatically add bonus offers to your credit cards. Many credit cards offer bonus rewards for specific purchases, but it can be time-consuming to manually add these offers to your account. With CardPointers, you can easily add these offers with just a few clicks. This can save you time and help you earn more rewards.
Bilt Rewards App
Have you ever wished that you could earn travel rewards when paying your rent?
You can!
The Bilt Rewards App is free and will help you earn rewards for paying your rent, and put that money towards your travel goals.
To use the Bilt Rewards App, you simply follow the instructions in the app and start earning rewards. You can earn points for every dollar you spend on rent, and these points can be redeemed for a variety of rewards, including travel, dining, and shopping.
One of the key benefits of the Bilt Rewards App is that it offers a variety of redemption options. You can redeem points to book travel, including flights, hotels, and car rentals. They have a large number of transfer travel partners as well.
Bilt also offers promotions with other major loyalty programs to give you access to accelerated elite status, bonus transfers, and more! These promotions do not require that you have their credit card which is a nice perk.
This app is perfect for anyone looking to maximize their rewards and earn something back for paying rent. It’s a great way to turn a monthly expense into a vacation!
Want a bonus?
In this post, we’ve talked about 7 great award travel apps that you can download today and get you on the right track. But as a bonus, I would like to introduce you to two websites that can help take your skills to the next level.
Roame
Roame is a website and app that helps you find the best award redemptions for flights. It’s great for those looking to maximize their rewards points and get the most value out of their travel. And it is completely free!
With Roame, you can easily search for possible award redemptions across multiple airlines and alliances. This makes it easy to find the best flights and award redemptions in one place. It doesn’t guarantee that there will be availability but it’s a great place to start with your research.
RocketMiles
RocketMiles is a travel booking website that allows users to earn miles and points with various loyalty programs when they book hotel stays.
Rocketmiles offers a unique benefit by allowing travelers to book a hotel and earn bonus rewards through a loyalty program of their choice. For instance, if you’re booking a Marriott hotel but don’t value Marriott Bonvoy points or status, but rather fly frequently with Southwest, you can choose to book through Rocketmiles and earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points instead.
This flexibility allows you to maximize your rewards and choose the program that aligns with your travel goals, rather than being limited to the rewards offered by the hotel’s loyalty program.
As a savvy budget traveler, you know the importance of making the most of your rewards and everyday purchases. By using the right apps and resources, you can earn more rewards, find the best award redemptions, and stay organized and up to date on your offers.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced, these apps and sites can help you make the most of your travel rewards. So, start downloading these apps and travel smarter, not harder!
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