The Player 2 Strategy Explained: Double your Family’s Points
I don’t need to tell you how expensive family travel can be. The thought of paying for flights, hotels, food, and activities for families can make your vacation seem out of reach. You want to create those memories with your family, but need help finding ways to make it more affordable. That is why one of the best beginner-friendly tips I teach when using points and miles for travel is the Player 2 Strategy for points and miles.
This simple extra step can double your family’s points and allows you to get more points to cover more of your travel needs. You won’t need to spend extra money to get there. We will still be using your normal everyday expenses to get there. If you need help learning the basics of how award travel works for families, go ahead and start there to learn some basics before you pick up the player 2 strategy.
Sounds too good to be true? This was a new strategy I implemented as well in the early stages, and it allowed our family to double our travel rewards! Allow me to walk you through it step by step.
What is the Player 2 Strategy
When explaining how this works, we will use the terminology player 1 and player 2. For example, I am player 1 and my husband is player 2. The player 2 strategy is when there are 2 players who work together to maximize credit card travel rewards. Typically, people open a card and make their spouse an authorized user. You won’t want to do this when doing the player 2 strategy. Instead, you will take turns opening the same card, earning the welcome bonuses, and referring each other.
Here is what will change when you do the player 2 strategy:
- Double the welcome bonuses
- Many of the credit cards offer referral bonuses, so you will get extra points for referring your spouse
- This will also help give your credit score a break while your spouse opens the card, helping to keep your credit score high
- Earn points at a faster rate, allowing you to have more points to save money on your family’s travel
Want to learn more about the foundations of points and miles? Don’t forget to check out The Ultimate Guide for Points and Miles to get a full picture of how to earn points for travel savings.
Step 1: Player 1 Opens a Travel Rewards Credit Card
The first person applying for the credit card will be player 1, and they will open one of the beginner-friendly travel credit cards. I have a list of beginner-friendly travel cards all ready for you to check out. If you ever need help, please feel free to reach out. I usually recommend starting with my favorite beginner card, but if you already have that in your wallet, check out the list and see what will help you reach your family goals.
Tips for beginner-friendly travel credit cards
- Ideally, you want to earn flexible points- this gives you more options in how you can use them
- No need to start with the high annual fee cards- my beginner travel credit cards list helps you ease into learning without the high cost of annual fees.
- Go with Elevated Offers- When choosing between flexible cards, if one is elevated, I would lean into that card first to earn you more points.
I keep an updated list of the best travel credit card offers for families. Using my links is completely free for you, but as an affiliate, I may earn a commission on some links. Thank you for supporting Travel Momma Co so I can keep creating content to help you travel more.
After player 1 applies for the travel credit card and is approved, they would add it to their Travel Freely App. This allows you to keep track of your cards and your player 2 cards all in one place. No personal card info needed.
Travel Freely helps you:
- Reminders of welcome bonus deadlines
- Card Genie helps you see top card offers for your next steps
- Reminders of annual fees coming up
- Tracks 5/24- learn about that very important rule through this blog
Player 1 meets the minimum spending requirement, and they will earn the welcome bonus. Once you have met the spending requirement and see the welcome bonus is pending in your account, you can move to step 2.
Step 2: Player 1 refers to Player 2
I love this little tip! Most banks offer referral bonuses after you have their credit card. So whether you share your referral bonus with your spouse, friends, or other family members, you can get a little reward too.
You can usually find your referral link when you log into your credit card account, like you would when paying the balance off every month. There will be a special link you can copy and paste.
Here is the magical point moment! When your player 2 applies for the credit card using your referral link. Player 1 now gets a referral bonus, and player 2 gets to earn the welcome bonus just like player 1!
Double the bonuses and a referral bonus!
Step 3: Player 2 Works on Their Bonus
Now, player 2 earns their welcome bonus using the same everyday spending on their card to earn the bonus. Remember, everyday spending like groceries, gas, kids’ activities, eating out, etc.
Need help getting organized with your everyday spending? Grab my free Starter Kit that has a budget organizer and login organizer to help you have all the information in one place, making the switch from player 1 to player 2 a breeze.
Example of The Player 2 Strategy
- Player 1 earns a welcome bonus of 60,000 points
- Player 1 refers to player 2 and earns 10,000 points as a referral bonus (referral amount varies on cards, and some cards don’t have referral bonuses)
- Player 2 earns the welcome bonus of 60,000 points
- A total of 130,000 points, which is a minimum value of $1,300. The value varies depending on how you use your points. Who wouldn’t want to save at least $1,300?
Why the Player 2 Strategy Works for Families
Families wanting to travel have much higher expenses than a solo traveler. When you need to buy more flights, bigger rooms, and more food, it helps to earn more points to cover those costs that come with families. This doubling strategy will help you reach goals like this faster:
- Flying the family to Disney World or Hawaii
- Booking a Family-Friendly All-Inclusive Resort
- Taking that long-awaited family Europe trip
Curious about how to use points to cover theme park tickets? Don’t miss out on my Free Ticket Slasher Guide where I walk you through exactly what cards you need to earn those points to cover theme park tickets. Let points cover your next trip to Universal, Disney, SeaWorld, or other theme park adventure.
Tips to Maximize the Player 2 Strategy
- Space Out Applications- By switching opening cards, you are taking turns on those hard credit pulls, allowing you to keep your credit score high while earning travel rewards
- Keep Track of Spending- Don’t overspend and be responsible. Make sure you can always pay your card off in full. Use my organizational materials in the free Starter Kit to help you.
- Don’t put each other as authorized users- By putting your spouse as an authorized user, the card is taking up one of their valuable 5/24 slots. They can still apply for the welcome bonus while being an authorized user
Keep in Mind while Doubling Your Family’s Points with Player 2
The Player 2 strategy is the easiest, fastest, and simplest switch to double your points and save money on travel expenses. By working as a team, you will make faster point gains and also stretch your points further.
How to Take the First Steps
- Player 1 applies for a credit card from my best offers list. Thanks for using my link when applying the first time: )
- Player 1 earns a welcome offer
- Player 1 refers to Player 2
- Player 2 applies for a card and meets the welcome bonus
Want all the beginner resources in one place? Check out Points and Miles 101 to find all your beginner strategies, tips, and help all in one place.
Need some support from fellow point travel families? Join our Facebook community. We would love you to join our Travel Momma Co group, where we celebrate wins, share tips, and ask questions.
You have got this! I can’t wait to hear where your travel takes you and how you are able to use these strategies to save your family money.