If you’re a traveling nurse or allied clinician, you’re literally getting paid to travel. So why not get the most out of that paycheck by getting extra rewards for all that travel? From credit card memberships to airline loyalty programs, here are the best travel rewards programs for nurse and allied travelers.
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Best Travel Rewards Programs for Nurses & Allied Travelers
Smart travelers know that reward programs give them extra benefits from all the miles they fly and all the nights they spend in hotels. Usually available in the form of flight upgrades, free nights, or even cash rewards, these bonuses are a great way to get more value from the travel and housing stipend each travel assignment already offers.
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But the secret's out! And because most companies today offer their own rewards and membership programs, it can be tough to figure out what's best for you. From airlines to credit cards and vacations to everyday purchases, here's our guide to the best travel rewards programs for nurses and allied clinicians.
#1: Everyday Discounts on Travel Products & Services
For starters, as a nurse or healthcare worker, you have lots of deals to choose from. Many deals and discounts are available not just for travel gear (like Carhartt coats and Yeti mugs) but also hotels, resorts, and tourist destinations and activities (available in Heroes Vacation Club, among other sources).
You can also get discounts on other services you might need while traveling, like rental cars or a new phone or data plan from a major carrier like Verizon. There’s more available than you may know — you can get a rundown in our recent guide to the best discounts for nurses and healthcare professionals.
- Our pick: Even if you don’t travel, joining ID.me for the thousands of discounts it offers on everything — including meal services, clothes and athletic gear, phones, Sam's Club. and much more — is a no-brainer. Get started here.
#2: Credit Card Travel Rewards
If you have decent credit, most credit card companies will offer you some type of reward for using their card, usually a certain percentage of the money you spend. These can be redeemed in the form of cashback on your balance, or points you can use to buy goods — and in this case, travel needs like flights and hotels.
If you’re careful and pay your statement every month to avoid interest fees, credit card reward programs can be a great way to ring up travel perks. Many are focused on travel, offering bonuses like flight upgrades, travel insurance, rental car discounts and insurance, and free enrollment in the TSA PreCheck program.
- Our pick: With an annual fee of less than $100, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is often called the best credit card for frequent travelers, offering lots of chance to earn points plus insurance on flight interruptions and baggage delay.
- Runner up: Business Insider called the Platinum Card® from American Express the best credit card for luxury travel and access to exclusive airport lounges.
#3: Airline Rewards, Miles & Frequent Flyer Programs
As with credit cards, many airlines offer extras to their most loyal customers. This is a huge benefit if you travel certain routes a lot, or if you have a favorite airline, letting you quickly rack up free flights, upgrade opportunities, pre-check status, and airport lounge access.
The best airline rewards program for you depends on where you usually fly, or your airline preference, of where you live — for instance, Delta's hubs are in Georgia and Minnesota, while Alaska is based in Seattle, Frontier is in Colorado, American Airlines is in Texas, and so on.
- Our pick: Affiliated with a ton of car rental companies, hotel chains, and even other airlines like JetBlue, Hawaiian Airlines, and British Airways, the American Airlines AAdvantage program is a good starter program to start earning miles.
#4: Hotel Rewards, Membership & Loyalty Programs
Like airlines, hotel chains offer rewards programs, too, giving you the chance to earn points with every stay, and then redeem those points for upgrades, free nights, easier cancellation options, and other bonuses.
Here again, your choice may depend on preference or what's available in the place you usually travel. But if you have options, it's worth taking a deeper dive into each hotel program to see what will offer you the best value..
- Our pick: While brands like Hilton and Marriott may be more popular, the World of Hyatt offers the most value. According to NerdWallet, Hyatt points are worth much more than other programs on average, and elite perks are easier to earn.
#5: Membership Programs for Travel Booking Sites
While hotel rewards and airline miles are definitely good deals, especially if you have a favorite route or place to stay, it's good to remember that some of the best travel deals are found on third-party booking sites like Expedia, Priceline, Hotels.com and Kayak, all of which have their own loyalty reward programs.
Even better, these websites offer the chance to earn on hotel purchases, airfare, and even car rentals, all from the same source. And usually — but not always! — airlines and hotel chains will also let you earn rewards on top of these deals.
- Our pick: Combining Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, the new One Key travel rewards program is a good way to get big deals while also earning rewards — for instance, every 10th stay is free at Hotels.com.
#6: Other Top Programs for Frequent Travelers
If you really want to get the most of your travel experience — or make it more comfortable or luxurious — you have some other pretty good options, too.
- TSA PreCheck. If you fly a lot, TSA PreCheck as a must. It cuts down the time you'll spend in security, giving you a more relaxed experience at the airport.
- Priority Pass. #iykyk: Airport lounges are the hot ticket for frequent flyers. And with Priority Pass, you'll get access to hundreds of them in airports around the world.
- Ikon, Do you love to ski or snowboard? Get an Ikon pass for fast access to hundreds of winter sport destinations across the country, with discounts available for nurses and students.
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