How to Earn Airline Points without Opening a Credit Card

There are many programs in place that allow you to earn airline points or hotel points on purchases you’re already making without having to open up a new credit card. 

These programs are also great ways to keep your accounts active. Some programs have expirations on your points. So, if you aren’t a frequent flier or hotel visitor your points may be forfeit if you haven’t used them in a while. These programs offer you a way to add points and keeping your account active without having to book a flight or a hotel.

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Earn Airline Points and Hotel Points with Rideshares

Whether you regularly use rideshare programs like Uber and Lyft, or only use them once in a while, you can and should register for their rewards programs.  Both rideshare companies have different airlines and hotels that they are associated with.  You can only be linked to one hotel or airline program with each rideshare company.

While you have the option to choose between airline and hotel miles, I personally think that airline miles are a better value.  Both Hilton and Marriott have very high points per night thresholds.  With booking award flights, you can often get really great one way ticket values, even on other airlines that are part of their loyalty program network.

Uber

As of 2025, Delta moved their partnership from Lyft to Uber. You can link your accounts to earn Skymiles. The amount of points varies based on the type of ride you book.  Points vary from 1-3X per dollar.  UberEats orders over $40 will also earn 1 mile per dollar. 

There is also currently a special promotion that now expands the rewards to include rides and food orders outside of the US.  This includes Canada, Australia and select countries in Europe.  Learn more about the partnership here.

Marriott Bonvoy members can link their Uber account with their Bonvoy membership.  With every ride (or Uber Eats order) you will earn Marriott points.  These can be used for hotel stays, or transferred to an airline partner. If you have an existing account, then you can link it here. 

If you are located in Canada you can link your Air Canada Aeroplan account with Uber to earn miles.  However, miles are only earned on rides and eats orders made within Canada.  If you have an existing account, then you can link it here. 

In the UK you can link your British Air account to earn Avios miles, which is one of the most flexible travel programs around.  This allows you to earn point from Uber and train travel.  If you have an existing account, then you can link it here. 

Lyft

Through Lyft you can earn airline points, or hotel points, with Atmos Rewards (Alaska/Hawaiian), Hilton or Bilt. Points and bonuses vary per partnership.  You can also only link one partner per account.  Find partner information here. 

Shop and Earn Miles Through Shopping Portals

Like the dining programs, most large US airlines also have shopping portals.  The way these portals work, you go into the website, find the online store you want to use, then when you click on the link it will direct you to that site.  As long as you reach the site through the online portal, you will receive your bonus miles simply by shopping as you would if you had gone directly through the site to begin with.  This is helpful because you earn bonus miles on purchases you would already be making. 

If you have an airline branded credit card, this will also typically provide additional miles on top of what you get just through the portal. 

• Alaska Mileage Plan Shopping: Login here
• American AAdvantage eshopping: Login here
• Delta Skymiles Shopping: Login here 
• Jetblue TrueBlue Shopping: Login here
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping: Login here
• United MileagePlus Shopping: Login here

If you use multiple airlines, you can maximize your airline points by checking which site has the best current offers for any given store.  I use Cashback Monitor, which you can easily search to find the best offers. 

If you have a card that has monthly shopping “offers” be sure to check those regularly and add to your card. These offers can include gas, groceries, hotels, and even cash back for tax filing services. After you add the card you don’t have to do anything else other than use that card for the vendor and you’ll automatically get the points added to your account.

There is an app called Cardpointers where you link your existing credit cards. When you go on your credit card website or app, it gives you the option to accept and load all available card offers. You can use Cardpointers to check which card to use before making purchases. It also has a way to track other rewards, like hotel, rideshare and Resy credits to make sure you get the most value out of your annual fees.

Earn Points with Dining Programs

Many credit cards offer bonus points or cashback for dining in restaurants.  You can also earn additional points by setting up a dining program account with your preferred airline.  In order to do this, you must open a dining program account, separate from your mileage program account.

When you open an account, there will likely be a 500 mileage bonus if you spend $25-30 (depending on the airline) on a qualifying meal within the first 30 days. However, not all restaurants earn airline points, they have to be part of the dining program. 

You can have multiple accounts open, but you can only link each credit card to one account. 

• Alaska Mileage Plan Dining: Register here
• American AAdvantage Dining: Register here
• Delta Skymiles Dining: Register here 
• Jetblue TrueBlue Dining: Register here
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining: Register here
• United MileagePlus Dining: Register here
• Marriot Eat Around Town: Register here
• Bilt Dining:Register here

Get Extra Delta Miles from Starbucks

Delta and Starbucks have brought back their partnership to earn Skymiles with each Starbucks purchase.  The program was on pause for a while, but as of August 5, 2026 it is back again.  You can earn 1 mile for every dollar you spend on “qualifying” purchases.  You also get 2x the points when you visit Starbucks on travel days. 

What is a qualifying purchase? A qualifying purchase is any drink, snack or merch, excluding taxes and gratuities. Alcoholic beverages do not count.  Gift cards, or reloading a card is also not eligible, but any purchase made with the gift card (that is “qualifying”) will count.  

If you had previously linked your accounts, you’re all set, no need to relink. 

You can find more information about linking your Delta and Starbucks accounts here.  

Earn Delta Miles through Airbnb

You can link your Delta Skymiles account to Airbnb and earn points with your Airbnb reservations. However, this is not automatic like with Uber or the dining programs. You have to use this link (which will redirect you) to book your Airbnb otherwise you will not receive the credit to your account. If you book directly on the app you will not earn points.

One major caveat with this program is that you have to go to the deltaairbnb.com link on every single booking. This is not like Uber or Starbucks, where once you register it will automatically apply your miles. If you do not use the link you will not get credit.

Book Through Airline Travel Portals to Earn Miles 

Like the dining and shopping portals, most major US airlines also have their own travel portals where you can book hotels and rental cars. 

Some airlines like American Airlines and Alaska will also give loyalty points for their status program with each booking through their portal.  The Delta Cars and Stays portal earns miles only.  Sometimes however, they do have promotions where bookings will get bonus miles, or they may get MQDs (Medallion Qualifying Miles) for a limited time that count towards their status. 

Bilt travel offers hotels, flights, Blade helicopter service, and even car service bookings.  They also have a large selection of luxury hotels and resorts through their “Home Away From Home” collection.  If you have Bilt Gold Status or higher, you also unlock additional benefits, which can include property credit, free breakfasts, upgrades and extended check in/out times. 

Some of these programs also allow you to pay for your travel with points.  I often find that this is not the best redemption compared to transferring to an airline partner, but if it saves you money on your trip it can still be a great value. 

• Atmos Rewards Stays: Book travel here 
• Atmos Rewards Car Rentals: Book travel here 
• American AAdvantage Hotels: Book travel here 
• Delta Cars and Stays: Book travel here
• Jetblue TrueBlue Travel: Book travel here 
• Southwest Hotels: Book travel here 
• United Hotels: Book travel here 
• Bilt Travel: Book travel here

Earn Atmos Rewards Miles Through Bilt 

Bilt is kind of an anomaly.  Bilt technically is a credit card, so it has a lot of the same features that airlines and other credit cards like Chase, Amex or Capital One have to earn points.  But, the difference with Bilt is you can have a Bilt account and earn points without a credit card.

With Bilt you can earn points on dining and through the travel portal, but they also have a few special ways you can earn.  Bilt is partnered with Lyft, so when you connect Bilt with your Lyft account you earn 2 points for each dollar spent.  

They are also partnered with Walgreens.  For every prescription refill you earn 100 points, and you’ll earn additional points with each regular purchase.  In order to earn these points you just need to add any existing credit cards to your free Bilt account, and once the purchase goes through, it will flag it and credit your account. 

If Bilt isn’t an airline then how do you get airline miles?

Bilt has the same system as all the other major credit cards which means you can transfer your points to your airline of choice.  They have 20 transfer partners, and on the first of the month (Bilt Day) they have special rewards which often include a transfer bonus for a specific airline.  

The real reason you want to earn Bilt miles is because they are the only transfer partner for the Atmos Rewards program (Alaska Airlines / Hawaiian Airlines).  Since Alaska is part of OneWorld, they have a lot of really great deals on award flights with their partner airlines. So even if you don’t fly Alaska or Hawaiian regularly, or ever, you can get a lot of benefit out of their miles 

Final Thoughts

If you aren’t using at least a few of these programs you’re really missing out.  Ones like Lyft and Uber are no brainers.  It doesn’t even matter if you fly Alaska, Delta, or United, if you have a chance to earn points do it.  I never fly United.  Ever.  But I needed United miles earlier this year for a flight between Krakow and Vienna.  I could book this one way flight for over $200 on Austrian Air, or 6000 points on United.  If we’re going 100:1 6000 points is equal to $60 in cashback.  So this is obviously a huge savings.  

You never know when you might need points on an airline you never fly (or never even knew existed).  If a program has a way to earn points from something you’re already doing (dining, shopping, drinking Starbucks, etc.) and you aren’t connecting your accounts, you’re leaving money on the table.

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