Credit Card Tips for Ski Season
Tl;dr: Your credit card could get you a free hotel night near the mountain, free checked skis on a flight, discounted lift tickets, and more.
Ski season is already underway, although I still haven’t even thought about getting my skis waxed yet. If you’re thinking about making plans to head to the mountains this winter, here are some quick tips to maximize credit card perks and get extra points for your adventures.
Check your skis
If you’ve invested in a regional or nationwide pass like the Epic, Ikon, or Indy pass, you’ll have access to a multitude of resorts far from home. While it is sometimes possible to find flights to popular destinations like Salt Lake City or Denver for low cash or point prices, the cost to check your skis or snowboard can be prohibitive. Many airline credit cards, however, provide a free checked “bag” for you and a companion (or several companions), meaning your equipment can join you for free. (Note that some cards limit this perk to domestic travel and/or travel with the airline and its subsidiaries, excluding partner airlines.)
Stay for “free”
Whether flying or traveling by car, some mountains are simply out of “day-trip” range, and you will have to find lodging. There are a lot of ways to find a good deal on lodging, but with many mountains in rural areas with limited rooms available, accommodations can be an expensive proposition. A good hotel card like the IHG Premier with an annual free night benefit can help you find a room without breaking the bank. Although these cards incur an annual fee and there may be a cap on the point-value of a room you can redeem, you are likely to find a nice hotel room that will ultimately cost far less than the cash price of a room during peak season.
And if you are inclined towards the luxurious, a premium card like the Hilton Aspire might allow you to stay at an ultra-premium ski-in-ski-out locale for just the cost of the annual fee.
Upgrade your rental car
Several credit cards confer premium status at rental car companies, such as top-tier Hertz status via the Capital One Venture X, National Emerald Club Executive status via the Amex Platinum, or Avis Preferred Plus status via Visa Infinite cards like the Venture X or Chase Sapphire Reserve. Although upgrades are not guaranteed, these benefits may allow you to upgrade to a vehicle more suited for snowy terrain.
Get ski discounts with your credit card or airline
Several mountains offer discounts to Chase Sapphire cardholders, such as Big Bear and Snowshoe, which both offer a 25% discount on up to 4 lift tickets, as well as a free wax for Reserve cardholders. If you want to visit an Alterra mountain like those and have a Sapphire card, check to see if the discount applies.
Alaska Airlines, meanwhile, offers free lift tickets to several resorts when flying into the nearest airport. These are typically only available for use on the day of arrival, so you may be in for a long day, but free skiing is nothing to sneeze at.
Get more points for your adventures
As TPG notes here, passes and lift tickets rarely code into bonus categories, so these purchases are usually best left for a card with a strong base earning rate, a card that you need to hit the spending minimum to earn a bonus on, or a card with some sort of temporary incentive like the Freedom Unlimited’s double points, the AA Aviator’s 2k bonus mile promotion, or Bilt’s recurring Rent Day double points promo.
Same goes when buying equipment on the mountain. On-mountain food, however, will usually earn bonus miles as “dining,” so I have had good luck getting 4x points with my Amex Gold card even when buying hot chocolate in a hut halfway down a mountain.
Conclusion
Skiing and boarding is an expensive sport, but the right credit cards can mitigate some of the associated costs, expand your horizons, and ensure you get maximum rewards on the mountain.