Signup bonuses are a crucial part of the points and miles puzzle, but they’re not the only way of banking a substantial balance of rewards points. Other methods include signing up to regular promotions offered by credit card providers and loyalty programs, taking advantage of generous referral bonuses which can bring in upwards of 50K points per year, and on select credit cards, scoring bonus points for adding an authorized user to your account.

While JetBlue lacks the network depth of legacy airline competitors, its TrueBlue frequent flyer program offers great value for a revenue-based loyalty plan. You can redeem TrueBlue points on any JetBlue flight with paid seats available, and achieve a steady 1.3/1.6¢ return for your points every day of the week. Redeeming your TrueBlue points is easy when compared to the majority of US airline programs where award availability is often the biggest issue.

Earn 5% cashback from October 1 through December 31, 2017, with Discover at Amazon and Target. This is great news for Target shoppers who are not on the Chase Freedom list for earning 5% cashback at department stores in Q4 2017.

As credit card application restrictions evolve and bonuses become harder to come by, it’s essential we look past the most common methods of applying for cards to secure the best deals. An often overlooked technique is to position yourself for targeted credit card offers. It isn’t as hard as you think; just be prepared for a little “junk mail.”

You might think the best credit card to use when purchasing airfare is one that has your airline’s logo; unfortunately, in many cases, you’d be wrong. Remember, flexible/transferable points currencies provide great value and often times their associated cards earn more per dollar than airline co-branded credit cards.

Reviews of loyalty programs or co-branded cards typically cover more than just the basic points earning strategies like credit card spend or hotel stays. But, often, they only touch lightly on reciprocal agreements between airlines, hotels, and car rental companies….