How to Triple Dip Hotel and Airline Loyalty Points Earned on Small Business Travel

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A smiling young woman with dark hair in a gray blouse and sunglasses holds a black strap that hangs over her shoulder while standing in front of an airplane fuselage with two other people, both facing away from the camera.
Boarding a plane. Photo credit: Kim Orlando

If you’re a small business owner, you understand how valuable it is to make every penny of your travel budget count. Here’s the secret to that: Maximize the rewards and loyalty points you can earn along the way. Hotel and airline loyalty programs, including those of American Airlines, Delta, United, Hilton, Marriott, and IHG, offer opportunities for small businesses to “triple dip” on loyalty points by using rewards credit cards, booking business travel, and earning points both for the company and the employee doing the traveling.

Here, we break down how you can leverage these programs to get the most out of your small business travel.

A woman with blond hair tied up on her head, wearing black shirt and pants, blue tennis shoes and a red scarf and a blue crossbody bag stands at the bottom of the stairs of a small jet plane on the tarmac, while holding a green sweatshirt over her arm and a white bag.
Deplaning a small jet aircraft. Photo credit: Kim Orlando
A smiling young woman with dark hair in a gray blouse and sunglasses holds a black strap that hangs over her shoulder while standing in front of an airplane fuselage with two other people, both facing away from the camera.
Boarding a plane. Photo credit: Kim Orlando

The Triple Dip: Earning Points for the Company, the Cardholder, and the Traveler

Here’s how the “triple dip” works:

  • The Credit Card Holder: When you use a rewards business credit card to pay for travel, you earn points on every purchase, from paper clips to airline tickets. I use an American Express card and earn points that can be transferred to airline and hotel companies. But you also can choose a brand-specific card. For example, if you book flights through United’s business program using the United Business credit card, the company can accrue MileagePlus points, which can be used for future travel on United Airlines for any employee.
  • The Employee: The traveler – your employee who is going on the business trip – will also earn frequent flyer miles or hotel points for their personal loyalty accounts when they fly  or stay at the hotel. For instance, if your employee stays at a Hilton property during the business trip, they will earn Hilton Honors points, which they can later use for personal stays or upgrades.
  • The Company: Finally, you – the business owner – earns loyalty points for booking the travel. This requires you to join each company’s program for business owners and booking through that portal. The point go into your company’s credit card account, giving you additional rewards that can be used for future travel – anything from business trips to personal vacations.

Maximizing Points on Hotel Loyalty Programs

Hotel loyalty programs like Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, and IHG Rewards have loyalty programs specifically for businesses of all sizes, allowing both employers and employees to earn points on the same booking, when they book through the business program. Plus, many of these programs offer exclusive discounts, streamlined booking options, and even dedicated customer support, all of which can simplify the travel management process.

Hilton for Business allows companies to earn Hilton Honors points for employee stays at participating hotels. The program provides centralized dashboards, making it easy to manage spending, points, discounts and adding and removing participants. Hilton for Business is free to join but it does require all participants to enroll in Hilton Honors.

Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy is designed for small to medium businesses, but the application process was frustrating. When I tried to sign up, my work email was rejected, and when I clicked on support, it only showed an “undefined” email address. I called Business Access customer support at 800-850-4314. The agent signed me up and confirmed that the online process has issues.  

IHG Business Edge members can earn points when booking stays at IHG properties like Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, and InterContinental hotels. The program application process was much smoother. It took just two minutes, but there’s a five-day wait for approval. So, remember that membership isn’t instantaneous.  

Maximizing Points on Airline Loyalty Programs

A blond woman in black pants, a white blouse and gray crossbody bag walks while looking behind her, while carrying a white backpack with one hand. She is walking through what appears to be an airport with white tile and a pedestrian walkway.
The author at the airport. Photo courtesy of Kim Orlando

If your employee is traveling on behalf of the business, you can both earn points in your own frequent flyer or hotel loyalty account. For instance, if the employee books a flight with American Airlines using the company’s business credit card, the employee flying can still accumulate frequent flyer miles in their own AAdvantage account, which they can redeem for personal rewards like upgrades, free flights, or hotel stays.

Each of the major airline programs – American Airlines, Delta, and United – has specific benefits for small businesses that help you maximize your travel rewards.

  • American Airlines: With American’s AAdvantage for Business, companies can earn AAdvantage miles for eligible flights booked on American Airlines and partner airlines. On top of that, employees can continue to accumulate miles in their personal AAdvantage accounts. To double down, American Airlines also offers special bonuses on select routes, meaning you can earn extra miles when traveling to certain destinations.
  • Delta: Delta offers the SkyMiles for Business program, which rewards businesses for booking flights for employees. Companies can earn up to 10 miles per dollar spent on flights and redeem those points toward future flights, upgrades, or other rewards. Employees can earn their SkyMiles on individual flights as well.
  • United: United’s MileagePlus Business Program has three different options focused on cost savings or elevated travel experiences.

Strategy for Maximizing Triple Dipping

To really maximize these benefits, it’s important to integrate your loyalty programs strategically. Here are some tips:

  • Consolidate Travel Arrangements: Use a central platform for booking flights and hotels (many credit card companies and travel agencies offer tools to book both types of travel). This ensures you don’t miss out on opportunities to earn points for both the company and employees.
  • Track Employee Travel: Encourage employees to set up personal loyalty accounts and make sure they add their personal loyalty numbers to each booking, so they get credited with the miles or points they’re entitled to in addition to your company earning points.
  • Review Your Credit Card Benefits: The foundation of any loyalty program is how you accumulate points. For most small businesses, a key strategy is to book travel through the company’s rewards credit card. These cards often come with benefits that align perfectly with your goals, such as bonus points for business-related purchases like travel, dining, and office supplies. Many business credit cards offer category bonuses (such as 2x or 3x points on travel or dining) or additional perks for large spenders. Make sure you’re leveraging these benefits by using your card for eligible purchases, and look out for special promotions that can boost your rewards.
Kim Orlando, founder of SheBuysTravel, is a lifelong traveler, an entrepreneur and a sought-after social media and marketing consultant. She has made hundreds of appearances on TV and in digital and print media, sharing advice and tips built on decades of travel experiences. Hailing from the hills of Kentucky and taking her story to New York, Los Angeles, and beyond, Kim built an online platform, the original TravelingMom, that has reached millions of moms and empowered them to explore the world with their families. Today, TravelingMom has evolved into SheBuysTravel. Kim has been featured on “News Nation,” “Today,” “Good Morning America” and on numerous satellite media tours. She has contributed travel guidance to outlets including The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal and more. (Read more about Kim’s media appearances here) Her travel mantra is simple: All travel counts. “You don’t have to go far. Leaving your home is travel,” Kim says. “Wherever you go, even just to the next town over, you can learn something new, see someone and something you haven’t seen before. “It’s good for the brain and good for the soul.” An epiphany in early parenthood started Kim on the journey that led to SheBuysTravel. She’d been a fan of a newsletter for women travelers, and she saw an opportunity. “I thought something like that for moms could be extraordinarily helpful,” she said. “I was traveling for work, traveling for fun, and I was looking for support.” That seed grew into the award-winning website TravelingMom, created as a resource for traveling families of all stripes. Today, TravelingMom has evolved into SheBuysTravel, with an expanded mission to serve women travelers at any stage of life. Millions of readers have visited the site for trip planning help, travel secrets, destination information and gear recommendations. What sets SheBuysTravel’s content apart, Kim says, is its foundation in real-world experience. “Our writers and editors have actually gone out there and done this stuff,” she says. “They’ve booked the flights, tried the tour, tested travel clothing, visited that new hot spot to see if it’s worth the hype. It’s all real.” Memorable Adventures A 2022 tour Kim guided to Bhutan was a particularly standout experience. “Bhutan sounds so exotic, of course,” she said. “But the part where my heart just glows and warms is thinking of the people we met – amazing women doing amazing things in Bhutan.” Their ranks included a former police officer whose ventures into food science helped mitigate food insecurity for residents of Bhutan’s highlands. Top Tips Planning for travel can be daunting, Kim acknowledges. “I always say: Go anyway. No trip is going to be perfect. There’s always going to be something you didn’t expect, something that doesn’t go the way you pictured or planned it. And that something is what’s going to make it a great trip.” And on a practical note: “Go early! Getting to the airport or hitting the road just an hour earlier relieves so much stress.” Kim’s Background Kim, a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, holds degrees in finance and entrepreneurship and has deep experience in developing and running businesses. Her previous work includes developing and running communications workshops and overseeing document management for corporations. SheBuysTravel hits a sweet spot where Kim’s two loves of travel and entrepreneurship meet. “The longer I work in this field, I only want to do more,” she says. “I find the travel world so exciting – not just the trips, but the whole online world of travel. There are still so many opportunities.” The World Awaits “The ‘best trip ever’ probably won’t be the same for an empty-nester or mom of three versus a single woman celebrating a bachelorette party with her friends,” Kim says. “We want to keep it real for traveling women, no matter what their age, life stage, where they came from or where they’re going. “We want to inspire women to travel in any shape or form.” In her free time, Kim enjoys visiting her adult kids, creating trips and traveling with her BFFs to explore the world. Her most recent adventures can be found on InstagramFacebook and LinkedIn.
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