The 5 Biggest Travel Points Mistakes That Are Costing Families Thousands Every Year (And the One Simple Shift That Makes Your Miles Go So Much Further)

Most women are accidentally wasting hundreds—if not thousands—of dollars in travel every single year.

And it’s not because they don’t have enough points.

It’s because they’re not using them strategically.

Most families waste travel points because they earn and redeem them without a strategy. The biggest mistakes include earning points passively, booking cash flights instead of award travel, and using points for low-value redemptions. By shifting how points are earned, searched, and redeemed, families can book real vacations without increasing their budget or opening more credit cards.

Today, I’m breaking down the five biggest mistakes I see families make with travel points—and the one simple mindset shift that makes family vacations possible without increasing your budget.

Most women are 

Hi, I’m Lisa 👋

I’m a mom of four, and my family of six has traveled extensively using credit card rewards—without increasing our monthly spending.

In the last 18 months alone, we’ve:

• Traveled to France, Mexico and Switzerland and domestic trips to Santa Fe, Phoenix, Las Vegas (twice) and Hawaii

• Booked flights to London, New York and Scotland

• Paid little to nothing out of pocket for flights

Once you fix the mistakes below, your points will stretch dramatically further—even if you don’t earn more points each year.

Let’s get into it.

Mistake #1: Earning Travel Points Without A Strategy

This is the most common mistake I see.

Most women earn points the same way they earn receipts:
Target runs, grocery shopping, errands… and the points just accumulate in the background.

There’s no strategy.

And when you earn points passively, they build slowly—sometimes taking years to cover even one family trip.

This is why so many families believe:

“Points don’t work for us.”

The Fix: Optimize Your Existing Budget

You don’t need to spend more—you need to spend smarter.

Many travel credit cards offer:

• 3–5x points on groceries

• Bonus points on dining and takeout

• Extra rewards in everyday categories

By routing your existing grocery and dining budget through the right card—and paying it off monthly like a debit card—you can dramatically increase your annual points without paying interest.

That single shift alone can change how quickly your next trip becomes possible.

(In an upcoming resource, I’ll also show you how to earn even more points using Rakuten—without opening any new credit cards.)

Mistake #2: Booking Cash Flights Because Award Travel Feels “Too Complicated”

This is the biggest mental block for most women.

Award travel feels overwhelming—so instead of starting, families default to booking cash flights… even when award seats are available for almost free.

The Truth

You don’t need complicated systems or paid software to start.

Two of my favorite free or low-cost tools:

• Point.me

• Seats.aero

These tools instantly show you where award flights exist—without guessing.

The Fix

Always check award availability first, then decide whether cash or points makes sense.

I personally use a simple reward calculator that tells me:

• Whether a redemption is “good”

• Or if I should just pay cash

Most of the time, I can find flights for nothing more than taxes. If you need help deciding what deals are good and which to skip, I created the Reward Calculator for you. Just plug and play, find the deal, and use it for every trip from here on out.

Mistake #3: Using Points for Low-Value Redemptions

This one drives me absolutely crazy.

After families finally accumulate points… they use them for:

• In-flight snacks and drinks

• Gift cards

• Statement credits

Let’s break this down with a $500 example.

Option A: Cashing Out Points

• $500 cash back

• Costs ~50,000–80,000 points

• Value: ~1¢ per point (or less)

Option B: Gift Cards or In-Flight Purchases

• Often even worse value

• ~0.6–0.8¢ per point

Option C: Transferring Points for Flights

• That same ~60,000 points could book:

  • Two international round-trip flights

  • Or multiple one-way tickets

I’ve booked London flights for my family of six for just 36,000 points total—that’s 6,000 points per person.

Same points. Completely different outcome.

The trick: Use points where they’re worth the most, not where it’s most convenient.

Mistake #4: Searching for Award Flights the Wrong Way

Most families start with:

• Google Flights

• Expedia

• Airline websites

Then they try to reverse-engineer points.

But award pricing does not follow cash pricing rules.

Real Example

• Cash price: $500

• Airline A: 120,000 points

• Partner airline: 22,000 points

Exact same flight.

I’ve done this personally on trips to Paris and beyond.

The Fix

Start your search with award search engines like:

• Seats.aero

• Point.me

Then work backward.

Never assume the airline you’re flying is the cheapest place to redeem.

Mistake #5: Thinking You Need Tons of Cards (and Bad Credit) to Start

So many families believe they need to:

• Open a dozen credit cards

• Carry balances

• Damage their credit

This simply isn’t true.

You can get incredible travel value by strategically using 1–3 cards total.

The Fix

• Start with one- two cards that fits your spending

• Pay it off monthly

• Learn how to maximize it fully

• Only add another card if it truly makes sense

Slow, intentional strategy beats chaotic card-churning every time.

(I’ll show you how to earn massive points without opening new cards in an upcoming resource.)

The Real Problem (and the Simple Shift That Fixes Everything)

When you:

• Earn points accidentally

• Redeem them poorly

• Search the wrong way

• Feel overwhelmed

Points evaporate.

Families lose thousands of dollars in free travel.

The Shift That Changes Everything

Stop thinking:

“I have points. What can I buy?”

Start thinking:

“I have points. Where can they get the most value today?”

That shift alone unlocks family vacations—without increasing your budget, your spending, or your stress.

Want Help Putting This All Together?

I created The Reward Travel Starter System to make this easy.

It includes:

• Simple strategies

• Spreadsheets & calculators

• Step-by-step guidance I personally use to fly my family of six around the world

And we’re just getting started.

👉 In the next video, I’ll share:

• One simple shift that makes traveling this year easier

• A quick tip that can 10x the rewards you’re already earning

Stick around—you don’t want to miss it.