Earn Travel Rewards From More Than Just Flights
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Written by
Jasmin Baron, CCC™
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Edited by
Antonio Ruiz-Camacho
When you think about earning travel rewards, airfare is probably one of the first expenses that comes to mind. But a trip involves much more than getting from one airport to another.
There are hotel rooms, rental cars, train tickets, taxis, parking, cruise fares and other expenses that add up quickly. If your credit card rewards only airfare, you could be leaving plenty of points on the table.
A versatile travel credit card like the Navy Federal Credit Union Flagship Premier Visa Signature® Credit Card , which earns bonus rewards on a broad range of travel purchases, can help you earn more points throughout your trip — not just when you’re booking the flight.
Your Trip Starts Before You Board the Plane
Let’s think about all the expenses on a typical trip. You could pay to park at the airport, book accommodations, take a taxi or rideshare to your hotel, rent a car, or hop on public transportation. Depending on your destination, you might also spend on cruise, train or bus tickets.
Those purchases may all fall under the broad category of travel, but not every credit card treats them the same way. For example, the Flagship Premier Card earns 4x points on eligible travel purchases, and you don’t have to book through a specific travel portal to earn the bonus rate.1
Eligible travel purchases generally include:
- Airlines
- Hotels
- Car rentals
- Cruises
- Transit (including rideshares)
- Taxis
- Bus lines
- Parking
- Timeshares
That broad definition gives you more opportunities to earn extra rewards across different parts of a trip, rather than keeping track of which travel expenses qualify for bonus points on different cards.
A Hotel Stay Can Be Just as Important as the Flight
For many travelers, the hotel can be one of the largest expenses of a trip. If you’re spending $1,000 on a hotel stay, for example, earning 4x points would mean 4,000 points. A $500 rental car would generate another 2,000 points at the same rate, assuming both purchases are eligible and correctly coded.
That’s where a broad travel rewards category can come in clutch. You don’t have to wait for your next airfare purchase to earn a meaningful number of points. Of course, your actual rewards depend on your spending and how purchases are coded. But the principle is pretty straightforward: The more of your travel spending that qualifies for a bonus category, the more opportunities you have to earn rewards.
You Don’t Have To Change How You Book Travel
One potential drawback of some travel rewards cards is that you may need to book through the card issuer’s travel portal to earn the highest rewards rate or unlock certain benefits.
That isn’t the case with the Flagship Premier’s 4x travel earning structure. Eligible travel purchases can earn 4x points without requiring you to use a particular booking platform.1 That means you can book directly with an airline or hotel, use a third-party booking site or make other eligible travel purchases without having to build your trip around a rewards portal. If you already have preferred airlines, hotels or booking methods, that flexibility can be especially valuable.
Don’t Forget the Expenses Between Destinations
Some travel expenses are easy to overlook when you’re thinking about rewards. Think about airport parking, a taxi from the train station, a rental car for a weekend or public transportation in a new city. Even these smaller purchases can contribute to your rewards balance when they qualify as travel purchases.
Bonus rewards can kick in whether you’re traveling or sticking close to home. The Flagship Premier Card earns 3x points on eligible dining purchases, so dining can provide another way to earn rewards whether you’re grabbing a gelato in Italy, treating yourself to deep-dish pizza in Chicago, or running through a drive-thru with the kids on a busy weeknight. Other eligible purchases earn 1x points.1
The card also has no cap on the rewards you can earn, and your points don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
Your Rewards Don’t Have To Stay in the Travel World
Travel rewards are most useful when you can actually use them. With the Flagship Premier Card, you can redeem points for cash back, travel, gift cards and more. You don’t have to commit to a particular airline or hotel loyalty program, and you aren’t locked into using your rewards only for future trips.
New cardholders can also earn a limited-time welcome offer. You can earn 50k points when you spend $4,000 within the first 90 days of opening. Offer valid for accounts applied for between 10/1/2026 and 01/03/2027.2 This welcome offer can give your rewards balance an early boost, but the card’s ongoing earning structure is what matters after the introductory period ends.
Look Beyond Airfare When Choosing a Travel Card
A travel credit card doesn’t have to live in your sock drawer until you’re ready to book a flight. If you regularly spend on hotels, rental cars, cruises, transit, parking and other travel expenses, a card that rewards a broad range of travel purchases can give you more opportunities to earn throughout the year.
That’s especially handy if you prefer to book travel your own way rather than routing your bookings through a credit card issuer’s portal — which can sometimes mean you won’t earn loyalty points or have your elite status recognized, depending on the loyalty program and booking channel. The best travel rewards strategy isn’t necessarily about squeezing every last point out of every purchase. Sometimes, it’s simply about choosing a card that rewards the way you already spend — whether you’re at home or on the road.
1Flagship Premier Visa Signature® Credit Cards earn 4 points for every $1 of eligible purchases made on travel, 3 points for every $1 of eligible purchases made at restaurants (dining), and 1 point for every $1 of other eligible purchases. Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services, minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do not include fees, interest charges, balance transfers, gambling, convenience checks, cash advances, or other cash-equivalents (e.g., money orders, gift cards, prepaid cards). Merchants are assigned codes by payment networks based on what they primarily sell. We rely on this information to identify travel and restaurant purchases. Travel is typically coded as airline, hotel, car rental, bus lines, taxis, cruise lines, time shares, parking, rideshare, and transit. A travel or restaurant purchase may only earn 1 point per dollar spent, depending on the code used to process the transaction. If the purchase is not identified as a travel or restaurant purchase, it will receive 1 point per dollar spent. For example, purchases made at restaurants within another establishment (e.g., casino, grocery store, event venue) may not be assigned a restaurant code, which means they will only receive 1 point per dollar spent. For more information, view the Program Description for the Flagship Premier Card.
2Offer valid for members who apply for a new Flagship Premier account between 10/1/2026 and 01/03/2027 and are approved. To earn the 50k bonus points, you must make at least $4k in eligible purchases within 90 days of account opening. Eligible purchases include purchases of goods and services, minus returns and credits, and exclude fees, interest, balance transfers, gambling, convenience checks, cash advances, and cash equivalent transactions (e.g., money orders, gift cards, prepaid cards, person to person money transfers). Bonus points will post within eight weeks after the 90 day period. Your account must be open and not in default at the time the bonus points are scheduled to post. Limit of one promotional offer at account opening. Offer may change or end without notice.
