Just in time for the holidays, Rocketmiles has added a new feature that enables you to earn Amazon gift cards — rather than frequent flyer miles — when you book your hotel through them. (Hat tip to LoyaltyLobby)
Rocketmiles and its competitor, PointsHound, are two services that enable you to earn frequent flyer miles when booking hotel stays. This can be advantageous for a few reasons:
Some people are not loyal to specific hotel brands, so they may also consider it more valuable to add to an existing balance of airline miles rather than accumulate miles and points in multiple accounts.
In general, hotels booked through online travel agencies do not earn credit toward elite status or hotel points. With Rocketmiles and PointsHound, at least you’re earning some airline miles.
The number of miles earned for some stays can be quite high. Rocketmiles promises a minimum of 1,000 miles per stay and often offers much more, though there is a curated selection of hotels. PointsHound doesn’t earn quite as much but provides more options to book.
You can book stays for other people, and they can pay the bill. You’ll still earn the bonus miles. This is great if you are booking travel for a group or as an executive assistant, etc.
The ability to earn Amazon gift cards is a great substitute for airline miles if you’re the kind of person who finds miles difficult to redeem. In fact, I’m surprised that Rocketmiles didn’t try this sooner. The kind of person who finds hotel loyalty programs frustrating might also be frustrated by airline loyalty programs. As anyone who shops online can tell you, Amazon gift cards are almost as good as cash.
Rocketmiles isn’t actually the first to try this. PointsHound added the ability to earn Bitcoin over a year ago, but that can be more difficult for some people to use if they aren’t tech savvy. Whichever your preference, keep Rocketmiles and PointsHound in mind when booking holiday travel this fall.
First-time customers to either Rocketmiles or PointsHound can earn a bonus when they sign up with my referral link. Earn 1,000 miles when you join Rocketmiles or 1,000 miles when you join PointsHound and complete your first stay.
