How I Save Hundreds of Dollars a Year With Points Programs and Other Travel Subscriptions

At the start of each year, I like to fire up some browser tabs and take a look at all my frequent-flier programs and loyalty subscriptions. It’s more than just a New Year ritual: last year, I managed to notch more than $1,000 in savings and perks thanks to memberships in programs — many of them free — that are designed to make travel easier and better. 

While I am admittedly something of a points enthusiast, the best practices I’ve learned over the years can help even casual travelers maximize not only savings but also the value of every trip they take.

I’ll start with three non-negotiables: Clear, Global Entry, and TSA PreCheck. They all cost money but I justify the expense by considering the time I save. Global Entry lasts for five years — and includes free enrollment in PreCheck, which also lasts five years. Clear, meanwhile, needs an annual renewal.

I also find one high-end travel card to be worth the price: Chase Sapphire Reserve, which has a $550 annual fee. Holders of the card can recoup more than half that amount with a yearly statement credit of up to $300 for any number of travel expenses, including airfare, hotel stays, rental cars, and cruises. What’s more, the card offers fine-print benefits such as cell phone replacement insurance; lost-luggage reimbursement; discounts on car rentals with Avis, Hertz, and National; and complimentary enrollment in Lyft’s paid-membership program Pink, which nets users discounted rides and priority pickups. 

Airport lounges are another money-saver hidden in plain sight. Some credit card issuers are building their own lounge networks, but the annual fee for top-tier cards will often include a subscription to Priority Pass, a global network of 1,600 lounges. This has been a game changer for me, given the fact that prices at airport food-and-beverage outlets have shot up in recent years. 

Free-to-join programs can also offer great benefits. The SkyMiles program from Delta Air Lines, for example, affords me free in-flight Wi-Fi and, because I’ve linked it to my Starbucks Rewards account, bonus rewards on coffee on days that I’m flying with the carrier. (Starbucks also has a partnership with Marriott Bonvoy, the biggest hotel loyalty program — enrollment in which nets guests preferential rates and free on-property Wi-Fi.) Another example: because I have Premier Gold status with United Airlines’ MileagePlus program, I automatically get preferential treatment through Avis Preferred.

One other freebie I enjoy is borrowing e-books, audiobooks, and magazines from my public library by using the app Libby. I recently used it to download the audiobook version of Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, by Alfred Lansing, which I listened to on a voyage of my own. To Atlanta.

A Free Alternative to Global Entry

U.S. Customs and Border Protection offers a free service, Mobile Passport Control, that can often help U.S. travelers skip long lines when returning from overseas. Once a well-kept secret, the app has grown in popularity to the point that arrival queues can be significant — though still preferable to standing in the main scrum. Mobile Passport Control is also a nice hack if you’re a Global Entry holder but traveling with a companion who’s not: have them download it.

A version of this story first appeared in the February 2025 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline “How to Maximize Your Loyalty Perks.”