There are two main reasons to check out Rocketmiles. The first reason is that Rocketmiles allows you to earn miles (in a variety of airline loyalty programs) when you book your hotel stays through them – this may or may not be better than earning hotel points or using an online travel agency that offers cashback or some other reward.
The second reason is that Rocketmiles is occasionally “travel hack-able”. Not so much lately, but a few readers might have multiple Rocketmiles accounts that were only used once… 😉
In any event, there currently appears to be a glitch – or unpromoted promotion – that allows you to pick up 5,000 bonus miles on certain hotel bookings. This travel hack is a bit complicated though…
Step 1 – PointsHound.com
The first step is visiting www.pointshound.com – yes… the OTA that doesn’t exist any more…
After 10-15 seconds, you will be redirected to Rocketmiles.
Step 2 – Search for a Hotel
Once you have been redirected to Rocketmiles, you can search for a hotel stay after choosing your desired reward program. This travel hack is definitely working for:
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- American Airlines AAdvantage
- United Airlines Mileage Plus
It is also working for other loyalty programs, but seemingly not for the cheapest hotels.
If you see this banner, you are on the right track…
Step 3 – Choose Your Hotel
Clearly it is preferable to book a hotel you actually want to stay at…
But you can also find the 5,000 mile bonus attached to a few cheap hotel options.
I didn’t want to spend all morning looking for a hotel I actually would stay at, so instead I booked a prepaid, non-refundable rate at the cheapest hotel – one that offered a 5,000 mile bonus – I could find.
In my experience, it doesn’t matter if I show up to the hotel or not – I will still receive my AAdvantage miles from Rocketmiles (as long as I prepay).
Bottom Line
If you are in the market for some really cheap American Airlines Loyalty Points – click here to be reminded why – then you might want to look for the cheapest hotel you can find.
Alternatively, you can earn 5,000 bonus miles on your next hotel stay booked with Rocketmiles. Just don’t forget to visit PointsHound first…
I’m not finding any non-refundable and prepaid hotel with 5,500 miles bonus. Which one did you find?
I tend to look around Southeast Asia – Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Bali, etc.
I did, all hotels with 5,500 are marked with “Reserve now, pay later”