Your kid is going to college. This changes everything — for your credit card miles game.
As a mom, I was excited when my daughters got accepted to college. One daughter would be flying from California to the University of Wisconsin. The other would go to the University of California Santa Cruz in the car.
But as a miles and points expert, I had an extra reason to be excited: The transition to college presents new opportunities to earn and use credit card points and airline miles! Thousands of points and miles later, my oldest has graduated — and I have accrued these tips on using and earning miles and points during the college years.
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How parents of college-bound kids can rack up — and use — miles and points
Parents have new opportunities to earn and use miles and points through the whole college experience. Applications, college tours, moving in and the four years at school all present different earning opportunities.
Before your student gets accepted to college
- Make your student an authorized user on your credit card. It doesn’t matter whether you let them use this card or not. You can give it to your student for emergencies, or you can put it in a drawer. Either way, being an authorized user on an account in good standing helps them build their own credit score, so they can get their own credit card when they’re ready.
- Many college application expenses can be paid with credit cards with no extra fees. We earned points on testing fees, application fees and housing deposits.
- College tours can be a big opportunity for both earning and using points. Make sure you get rewarded — or use rewards — for every flight and hotel stay.
If your student will fly to college
- Find out what airlines are best for flying to that destination. Enroll yourself and your student in that airline’s loyalty program.
- Look into the benefits of that airline’s credit card. You may be able to earn a sign-up bonus that covers your first flight or two. Many airline credit cards now also have baggage benefits, which are helpful for schlepping students’ stuff to and from college. For instance, all the Southwest credit cards give you one free checked bag per flight.
- Consider getting a credit card that offers free TSA precheck/Global Entry membership. Even if the card is in your name, you can be reimbursed for your student’s sign-up fee (usually up to $120).
- Consider a card that offers travel protection. Even if you are booking the flight with miles, if you pay the taxes and fees with the credit card, your student’s trip will be protected. I always use my Chase Sapphire Preferred card when booking my students’ travel because it provides trip cancellation insurance.
- If your student is located near a Southwest Airlines destination, consider earning a Southwest Companion Pass. The Companion Pass allows you to bring a free companion every time you fly. This BOGO deal can cut the cost of college drop-offs and pickups, or help you and your spouse or a sibling fly to visit college together.
If your student will be driving to college
- Think about where you’ll be stopping for gas on college pickup and drop-off trips. (I organize my daughter’s pickups from UC Santa Cruz around a Costco stop so I can use my Costco credit card to get 5% cash back on gas.)
If you will be staying overnight when dropping off or visiting your student
- Look at the local hotel options. Consider getting a hotel credit card that aligns with them.
If your student will be renting
- Have them apply for a Bilt credit card. Bilt rewards rent payments with points you can transfer to airline and hotel partners. Make sure your student always has their rent money in their checking account before the card due date.
When it’s time to shop for the dorm, get rewarded for any online purchases
- I have the Amazon Prime Visa. With a Prime membership, this card pays 5% cash back on anything spent on Amazon.
- When ordering through other stores, I try to click through an airline shopping portal, like the Southwest Rapid Rewards store.
When your student is ready for their own rewards card
- If you already have the brand of card the student wants, make sure to send them a referral sign-up link, so you can get rewarded too.
- Make sure your student understands that credit card rewards are only worth it if they pay their full balance each month. Finance charges cost a lot more than the value of any rewards earned!
- If your student is studying abroad, make sure they bring a credit card and an ATM card! Some families do prepaid debit cards; I think a credit card is the best way for your kid to spend money while traveling internationally.
When sending gifts
- There are several ways to earn miles and points for buying gift cards. One is United MileagePlus eGift Cards. I used this portal to order a $100 Door Dash card for my daughter. I received 100 United miles for buying it through this portal, plus 100 Chase Ultimate Rewards points for paying with my Chase Sapphire card.
Frequently asked questions about credit card points and college
Q: Can you pay tuition using a credit card and rack up a ton of points?
A: With most schools, you can pay with a credit card and get rewards points. The question is whether you should.
Unfortunately, your student’s school probably adds a fee if you charge tuition. My kids’ schools charge 2.95%. Since credit card points are worth around 1 to 1.5 points, the fee is roughly double the points value I would get by charging tuition. So it’s usually not worth it to charge tuition.
One exception: You may find it worthwhile to charge tuition if you are trying to earn a signup bonus as quickly as possible. For instance, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card rewards you with 150,000 points after you spend $20,000 in your first 3 months with the card. Those bonus points are worth at least $2,000. If you want to book a trip asap and need those points, you could charge $20,000 worth of tuition, pay the fee ($590), and consider it the cost of doing business.
Another possible exception: With Bank of America’s Customized Cash Rewards, you can choose a category in which to receive 6% cash back in the first year. One category is “online shopping/cable/streaming/internet/phone plan.” If you pay tuition online, would it qualify as online shopping? Online sources say that BofA excludes colleges from the online shopping bonus rate. However, at least one person on Reddit said it worked for them. So … try it?
Q: Does your student need their own miles to get a free flight?
A: No. You can book a flight for your student using your miles. You don’t need to transfer miles to their account — just log into your own airline account, purchase a ticket in their name, and pay with your own miles.
Q: If my student will only fly twice a year, is it worth signing up for a frequent flyer account?
A: Yes! Make sure to have them sign up for an account before the first flight. Even a small number of miles can build up to a free flight over time. And for most airlines, as long as you earn or use miles every couple of years, they won’t expire.
Q: Is it worth it to charge purchases you can’t afford, or carry a balance on the card, in order to earn miles?
A: No! The airline miles/credit card game only works if you pay off your balance in full every month. Especially if your student gets their own card, it’s important for them to understand that they’ll never come out ahead if they get into credit card debt.