60 BEST FLY FREE* FROM NEW YORK BY USING CREDIT CARDS TO PAY FOR HOTELS AND OTHER TRAVEL EXPENSES
In our blog “Fly Free* by using one of the 7 best credit cards to pay for hotels and other travel expenses", we explored how you can pay for your hotel and other travel expenses using the best credit cards to earn enough points and miles to fly to your dream holiday for free*, even in business class!
With the best credit cards, you can earn up to 12 credit card points/miles for every $ spent on hotels and other travel bookings. You can then transfer these points/miles to airline loyalty programs and use them to fly free*!

HOW DO I SPEND THE LEAST AMOUNT POSSIBLE ON THESE CREDIT CARDS TO FLY FREE*?
By paying for hotels and other travel expenses using one of the 7 best credit cards, and by paying the fewest number of points/miles for your flights, you can fly free* return by spending less than ever before.
By using the worst credit cards and the worst airline loyalty programs, you can easily spend 10x that much to take the exact same flights.
To spend the least amount possible on your credit cards, follow these 5 steps:
- 1. Use one or more of the 7 best credit cards.
- 2. Book your hotels and other travel expenses through their travel service
- 3. Earn 8-12 credit card points/miles for every $ spent
- 4. Transfer these credit card points/miles to airline loyalty programs, each time using the airline loyalty program requiring the fewest number of points/miles for your flight
- 5. Use the airline loyalty program’s point/miles to book your flight and fly free, paying only any taxes, fees and surcharges
HOW DOES POINTRS HELP ME SPEND THE LEAST AMOUNT POSSIBLE ON CREDIT CARDS FOR FREE* FLIGHTS
Under “Flights”, every “Spend Less” Pointr will tell you the least amount you’ll need to spend on credit cards to take the flights for that Pointr, along with the credit card you need to use.
Each Pointr will also tell you how much you need to spend on every credit card you can use for that Pointr, including spend on each spending category, giving you the complete picture so you can make the best decisions to spend the least amount possible for your flights.
View your credit card for ways to spend less and to see how your credit card compares against others.
60 BEST FLY FREE* FROM NEW YORK BY USING CREDIT CARDS TO PAY FOR HOTELS AND OTHER TRAVEL EXPENSES
Planning to fly from New York? You can fly free* return in economy by spending as little as $1,250 on your credit cards. And you can fly free* return in business and first by spending as little as $2,500.
All you need is the best combination of airline loyalty program, airline and credit card. You can see these in each and every “Spend Less” Pointr.
For New York, here’s our 60 Best Fly Free From New York By Using Credit Cards To Pay For Hotels And Other Travel Expenses. These show you the lowest credit card spend required for different destinations and what you need to do to spend only this amount.
From New York, sorted by Spend:
Pointr # |
Return To |
In |
Using This Airline Loyalty Program |
Flying This Airline |
Paying For Hotels And Other Travel Expenses Using This Card |
Spending Only This Much On The Card |
Los Angeles |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$1,250 |
|
San Francisco |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$1,250 |
|
Cancun |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$1,666 |
|
Honolulu |
Economy |
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
$1,666 |
|
Mexico City |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$1,666 |
|
Amsterdam |
Economy |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
KLM (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$2,000 |
|
Paris |
Economy |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Air France (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$2,000 |
|
London |
Economy |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$2,500 |
|
Los Angeles |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$2,500 |
|
Los Angeles |
First |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$2,500 |
|
San Francisco |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$2,500 |
|
San Francisco |
First |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$2,500 |
|
Cancun |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$3,334 |
|
Honolulu |
First |
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
$3,334 |
|
Lima |
Economy |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$3,334 |
|
Mexico City |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$3,334 |
|
Barcelona |
Economy |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$3,458 |
|
Milan |
Economy |
Emirates Skywards |
Emirates (non-stop) |
Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
$3,500 |
|
Frankfurt |
Economy |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer |
Singapore Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$4,166 |
|
Rome |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$4,166 |
|
Buenos Aires |
Economy |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$4,292 |
|
Santiago |
Economy |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
Latam Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$4,292 |
|
Sao Paulo |
Economy |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$4,292 |
|
Tokyo |
Economy |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
ANA (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$5,416 |
|
Doha |
Economy |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
Qatar Airways (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$5,834 |
|
Lima |
Business |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$5,834 |
|
Dubai |
Economy |
Emirates Skywards |
Emirates (non-stop) |
Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
$6,000 |
|
Denpasar |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$6,250 |
|
Hong Kong |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Cathay Pacific (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$6,250 |
|
Sydney |
Economy |
Cathay Pacific Cathay |
Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$6,334 |
|
Auckland |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Qantas (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$6,666 |
|
Johannesburg |
Economy |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$6,666 |
|
Male |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Qatar Airways (via Doha) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$6,666 |
|
New Delhi |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$6,666 |
|
Singapore |
Economy |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer |
Singapore Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,334 |
|
Amsterdam |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,916 |
|
Barcelona |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,916 |
|
Frankfurt |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,916 |
|
London |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,916 |
|
Milan |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,916 |
|
Paris |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,916 |
|
Rome |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,916 |
|
Sao Paulo |
Business |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$9,167 |
|
Abu Dhabi |
Economy |
Etihad Airways Etihad Guest |
Etihad Airways (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$10,000 |
|
Tokyo |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
ANA (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$10,000 |
|
London |
First |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
British Airways (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$11,332 |
|
Denpasar |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$11,666 |
|
Doha |
Business |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
Qatar Airways (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$11,666 |
|
Hong Kong |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Cathay Pacific (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$11,666 |
|
Male |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Qatar Airways (via Doha) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$11,666 |
|
New Delhi |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$11,666 |
|
Buenos Aires |
Business |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$12,874 |
|
Santiago |
Business |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
Latam Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$12,874 |
|
Dubai |
Business |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$13,000 |
|
Johannesburg |
Business |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$13,000 |
|
Auckland |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Qantas (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$13,332 |
|
Sydney |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$13,332 |
|
Frankfurt |
First |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
Lufthansa (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$14,500 |
|
Singapore |
Business |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
Singapore Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$15,000 |
|
Abu Dhabi |
Business |
Air Canada Aeroplan |
Etihad Airways (non-stop) |
Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
$17,000 |
*Personal or business
From New York, sorted by destination:
Pointr # |
Return To |
In |
Using This Airline Loyalty Program |
Flying This Airline |
Paying For Hotels And Other Travel Expenses Using This Card |
Spending Only This Much On The Card |
Abu Dhabi |
Economy |
Etihad Airways Etihad Guest |
Etihad Airways (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$10,000 |
|
Abu Dhabi |
Business |
Air Canada Aeroplan |
Etihad Airways (non-stop) |
Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
$17,000 |
|
Amsterdam |
Economy |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
KLM (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$2,000 |
|
Amsterdam |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,916 |
|
Auckland |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Qantas (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$6,666 |
|
Auckland |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Qantas (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$13,332 |
|
Barcelona |
Economy |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$3,458 |
|
Barcelona |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,916 |
|
Buenos Aires |
Economy |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$4,292 |
|
Buenos Aires |
Business |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$12,874 |
|
Cancun |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$1,666 |
|
Cancun |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$3,334 |
|
Denpasar |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$6,250 |
|
Denpasar |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$11,666 |
|
Doha |
Economy |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
Qatar Airways (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$5,834 |
|
Doha |
Business |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
Qatar Airways (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$11,666 |
|
Dubai |
Economy |
Emirates Skywards |
Emirates (non-stop) |
Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
$6,000 |
|
Dubai |
Business |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$13,000 |
|
Frankfurt |
Economy |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer |
Singapore Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$4,166 |
|
Frankfurt |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,916 |
|
Frankfurt |
First |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
Lufthansa (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$14,500 |
|
Hong Kong |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Cathay Pacific (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$6,250 |
|
Hong Kong |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Cathay Pacific (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$11,666 |
|
Honolulu |
Economy |
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
$1,666 |
|
Honolulu |
First |
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
$3,334 |
|
Johannesburg |
Economy |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$6,666 |
|
Johannesburg |
Business |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$13,000 |
|
Lima |
Economy |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$3,334 |
|
Lima |
Business |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$5,834 |
|
London |
Economy |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$2,500 |
|
London |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,916 |
|
London |
First |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
British Airways (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$11,332 |
|
Los Angeles |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$1,250 |
|
Los Angeles |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$2,500 |
|
Los Angeles |
First |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$2,500 |
|
Male |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Qatar Airways (via Doha) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$6,666 |
|
Male |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Qatar Airways (via Doha) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$11,666 |
|
Mexico City |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$1,666 |
|
Mexico City |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$3,334 |
|
Milan |
Economy |
Emirates Skywards |
Emirates (non-stop) |
Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
$3,500 |
|
Milan |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,916 |
|
New Delhi |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$6,666 |
|
New Delhi |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$11,666 |
|
Paris |
Economy |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Air France (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$2,000 |
|
Paris |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,916 |
|
Rome |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$4,166 |
|
Rome |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Delta (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,916 |
|
San Francisco |
Economy |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$1,250 |
|
San Francisco |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$2,500 |
|
San Francisco |
First |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$2,500 |
|
Santiago |
Economy |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
Latam Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$4,292 |
|
Santiago |
Business |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
Latam Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$12,874 |
|
Sao Paulo |
Economy |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
American Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$4,292 |
|
Sao Paulo |
Business |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
United Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$9,167 |
|
Singapore |
Economy |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer |
Singapore Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$7,334 |
|
Singapore |
Business |
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
Singapore Airlines (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$15,000 |
|
Sydney |
Economy |
Cathay Pacific Cathay |
Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$6,334 |
|
Sydney |
Business |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$13,332 |
|
Tokyo |
Economy |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
ANA (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$5,416 |
|
Tokyo |
Business |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
ANA (non-stop) |
Citi Strata Elite Card |
$10,000 |
*Personal or business
Click on any Pointr above for all your options for that flight and for how much you need to spend on every credit card for that flight. And don’t forget to continually check your emails and Pointrs Dashboard for promotions, so you can receive a bonus when you transfer your credit card points/miles to airlines, meaning you’ll need to spend even less to fly free*.
CAN I USE OTHER CREDIT CARDS FOR THE SAME FLIGHTS?
Depending on the airline loyalty program, you can also use other credit cards from the 7 best credit cards. You’ll need to spend 20%-50% more for the same flights, but still well below what you would need to spend with other credit cards.
Here are the other cards you can use, depending on airline loyalty program, and how much more you’ll need to spend:
Airline Loyalty Program |
Card/s |
Increase In Card Spend Required |
Card/s |
Increase In Card Spend Required |
American Airlines Aadvantage |
Citi Strata Premier Card, Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard Credit Card |
20% |
||
British Airways British Airways Club |
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card* |
25% |
||
Cathay Pacific Cathay |
Citi Strata Premier Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
20% |
||
Qantas Frequent Flyer |
Citi Strata Premier Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
20% |
||
Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
Citi Strata Premier Card |
20% |
||
Air Canada Aeroplan |
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card* |
25% |
||
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles |
Citi Strata Premier Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
20% |
||
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer |
Citi Strata Premier Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
20% |
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card* |
50% |
Air France-KLM Flying Blue |
Citi Strata Premier Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
20% |
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card* |
50% |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Citi Strata Premier Card |
20% |
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card* |
50% |
Emirates Skywards |
Citi Strata Elite Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card* |
25% |
Citi Strata Premier Card |
50% |
Etihad Airways Etihad Guest |
Citi Strata Premier Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Card* |
20% |
Happy free* flying!
*Just pay any taxes, fees and surcharges