Who This Is For
If you’re active duty, separating, or a veteran — and you’ve got credit card points sitting in an account you haven’t touched in months — you’re in the right place.
This isn’t about earning more. It’s about stopping the bleeding on what you’ve already earned. Most military families leave hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars in travel value sitting unused every year. Not because they don’t care. Because nobody ever showed them how to use it.
That’s what Traveling Veteran is for.
Here’s What’s Possible
My wife and I flew first class to New York City for our anniversary. Round trip. The flights would have cost $2,400. The hotel would have run another $1,800. We paid taxes only — a few dollars per ticket — using Amex Hilton points and Delta miles transferred through Amex.
$4,200 in travel. Out of pocket: almost nothing.
That’s not a hack. That’s not a loophole. That’s what happens when you learn how to actually use the points you’ve already earned.
Where to Start
Depending on where you are right now, one of these fits:
If you have points but no plan — start with the blog. The first post walks through exactly how I redeemed points for that NYC trip, step by step, so you can see how the transfer process actually works before you touch anything in your own account.
If you’re active duty — read about MLA and SCRA fee waivers first. The Chase Sapphire Preferred, Amex Platinum, and several other premium cards waive their annual fees entirely for active duty service members. You may already qualify for cards you assumed were out of reach.
If you’re separating or recently separated — your MLA protections are about to expire or already have. The window to lock in fee waivers on premium cards before you lose that status is short. Don’t wait.
Get the Free Guide
The best first move is the free guide. It covers the cards I actually use, what I earn on each one, and how I redeemed points for that NYC trip. Eight pages. No fluff.
Your first redemption walkthrough, three actions to take this week, and how to stop wasting the points you've already earned. Download free.
Keep Reading
When you’re ready to go deeper, start here: