Comprehensive glossary of travel hacking terms, credit card rules, and loyalty program jargon. 60+ terms defined.
- 5/24
- Chase rule automatically denying credit card applications if you've opened 5 or more personal cards from any bank in the past 24 months.
- Alliance
- Group of airlines that share award space and elite benefits (Star Alliance, Oneworld, SkyTeam).
- Authorized User
- Person added to your credit card who can make purchases; may count toward their 5/24 status.
- Award Availability
- Number of seats an airline releases for redemption with miles; separate from cash seat availability.
- Award Chart
- Fixed pricing table showing how many points or miles are required for specific flights or hotel stays.
- Award Space
- Seats available for booking with points/miles (can be zero even if flight has empty seats).
- Award Ticket
- Flight or hotel stay booked using points or miles instead of cash.
- Blackout Dates
- Dates when awards cannot be redeemed; most programs have eliminated these in favor of dynamic pricing.
- Business Card
- Credit card designed for business expenses; doesn't count toward 5/24 (except Capital One).
- Cash + Points
- Redemption option combining cash payment and points to reduce total points needed.
- Category Bonus
- Extra points earned in specific spending categories (e.g., Amex Gold earns 4x on groceries).
- Cents Per Point (CPP)
- Value calculation: divide cash price by points cost to determine redemption value (e.g., $500 ÷ 40,000 points = 1.25¢ per point).
- Churning
- Opening credit cards for welcome bonuses, closing them after year 1, and repeating (issuers penalize this).
- Clawback
- Issuer removing bonus points after detecting manufactured spending, bonus abuse, or rule violations.
- Close-in Fee
- Extra charge for booking award within 21 days of departure (varies by airline).
- Co-brand Card
- Credit card tied to one airline or hotel (United, Hyatt, Marriott) earning only that program's currency.
- Companion Pass
- Southwest benefit letting one person fly free on every flight with you through calendar year after earning.
- Devaluation
- When programs increase points required for awards or reduce transfer values; happens every 1-3 years.
- Dining Program
- Loyalty program paying bonus points for dining at enrolled restaurants (Chase Dining, United Dining).
- Downgrade
- Converting a credit card to a no-annual-fee version (e.g., Sapphire Preferred → Freedom) to avoid fees while keeping account open.
- Dynamic Pricing
- Award pricing that changes based on demand, similar to cash tickets (opposite of award chart).
- EIN
- Employer Identification Number; tax ID for businesses; not required for sole proprietors (use SSN instead).
- Elite Status
- Tier in airline/hotel loyalty program offering upgrades, bonus points, lounge access, earned via stays/flights or credit cards.
- Everyday Award
- United's higher-priced award tier with more availability but worse value than saver awards.
- Expiration
- When points become worthless due to inactivity; varies by program (18-24 months typical).
- FICO Score
- Credit score used by most lenders ranging 300-850; 700+ needed for travel cards.
- Flexible Points
- Credit card points that transfer to multiple airlines/hotels (Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One miles).
- Foreign Transaction Fee
- 2-3% fee on purchases made outside U.S.; travel cards typically waive this.
- Fuel Surcharge
- Extra fee (sometimes $100-500) added by some airlines on award tickets; varies by carrier and route.
- Hard Pull / Hard Inquiry
- Credit check performed when you apply for credit; drops score 5-10 points temporarily and stays on report 2 years.
- Hub
- Major airport with many flight options and better award availability (JFK, SFO, ORD, LAX).
- Lounge Access
- Access to airport lounges offering food, drinks, wifi; included with premium cards or earned via elite status.
- Manufactured Spending (MS)
- Artificially creating credit card spending to meet minimum spend or earn points (buying gift cards, loading prepaid cards); risky and can result in bonus clawback.
- Mileage Run
- Taking a flight solely to earn elite-qualifying miles or status credits.
- Minimum Spend Requirement (MSR)
- Dollar amount you must spend in first 3-6 months to earn credit card welcome bonus.
- Off-Peak Pricing
- Lower award pricing during non-peak travel seasons (some programs like Air Canada Aeroplan).
- Open Jaw
- Booking where you fly into one city and return from another (e.g., fly to London, return from Paris); usually priced as one round-trip.
- Partner Airline
- Airline whose flights you can book using another airline's miles (e.g., booking Lufthansa with United miles).
- Portal
- Credit card issuer's travel booking site offering fixed-value point redemptions (Chase portal pays 1.25¢/point with Sapphire Preferred).
- Positioning Flight
- Separate flight to reach a hub city with better award availability or pricing.
- Product Change
- Converting one credit card to another from same issuer without new application (e.g., Sapphire Preferred upgrade to Reserve).
- Recon Call
- Phone call to credit card reconsideration line requesting manual review after denial.
- Referral Bonus
- Points earned when someone applies for a card using your referral link and gets approved (10,000-30,000 points per referral).
- Retention Offer
- Points or statement credit offered by issuer when you threaten to cancel card.
- Revenue Ticket
- Flight or hotel paid with cash (opposite of award ticket).
- Saver Award
- Lowest fixed-price award ticket tier with limited availability; best value redemption.
- Shopping Portal
- Website paying bonus points for online purchases made through their links (Chase Shopping, Rakuten).
- Soft Pull
- Credit check that doesn't affect score (pre-qualification, checking your own score).
- Sole Proprietor
- One-person business requiring no formal registration; qualifies for business credit cards.
- Standard Award
- Higher-priced award tier with more availability; worse value than saver.
- Statement Credit
- Cash credit applied to card balance; some cards offer annual travel credits.
- Stopover
- Layover lasting 24+ hours, allowing you to visit a second city on the same award ticket; some airlines allow free stopovers.
- Suite Night Award (SNA)
- Marriott benefit allowing free suite upgrade redemption.
- Targeted Offer
- Higher welcome bonus sent to specific customers via email or mail (often better than public offer).
- Transfer Bonus
- Temporary promotion offering 15-50% extra miles when transferring credit card points to specific partner (e.g., transfer 50,000 Amex points, receive 65,000 Virgin miles with 30% bonus).
- Transfer Partner
- Airline or hotel that accepts 1:1 point transfers from flexible credit card programs.
- Two-Player Mode
- Coordinating credit card applications with a partner to maximize household points earning.
- Ultimate Rewards (UR)
- Chase's flexible points currency; transfers 1:1 to United, Southwest, Hyatt, and 10+ partners.
- Utilization
- Credit card balances ÷ total credit limits; keep under 30% (ideally under 10%) for good credit score.
- Velocity
- How fast you apply for credit cards; applying too quickly triggers denials even if you meet published requirements.
- Welcome Bonus
- Large signup bonus (50,000-175,000 points) earned after meeting minimum spend requirement; primary source of travel hacking value.
Last updated: Oct 16, 2026 | 60 terms defined