Deciphering points and miles “code,” so to speak, can be a challenge!  “If you add your Player 2 as an AU, he’ll be at 5/24 and won’t get approved for a CIP and you’ll have a tough time racking up enough points to fly in J.”  Got that?  Translation:  If you add your spouse as an authorized user, then he’ll have too many recently opened accounts to get approved for a Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and you’ll have a tough time racking up enough points to fly in business class.” We know that as credit card points-and-miles users, it might seem like we’re speaking another language.  So let’s go over some of the the acronyms and lingo that we commonly use so you can start picking up everything you need to know about credit card points and miles! 😜 

 

Commonly used points and miles “code”

5/24 – “5/24” is a rule miles and points enthusiasts have figured out with respect to Chase Bank.  It means that if you have opened 5 or more credit cards from any bank within the past 24 months, Chase is unlikely to approve a new card you apply for. Read more here.

AF – Annual fee (the cost of a credit card). Always worth it the first year, and then it depends on the benefits you get whether it is worth it in subsequent years.

AMEX– American Express

AI – All-inclusive

AU – Authorized user is someone who is authorized to use your credit card. We generally don’t make spouses authorized users because it kind of takes up one of their 5/24 spots.  

CB – Cash-back

CC – Credit card

CIC – Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

CIP – Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

CIU – Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

CP – Companion Pass (one of the best deals in all of points and miles!)

CSP – Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

CSR – Chase Sapphire Reserve®

CPP/CPM – Cents per point or cents per mile are used to determine if you are getting a good value for your points and miles. However, if your award redemptions work for you and you don’t care about CPP or CPM, don’t worry about this!

DM – Direct message (on social media)

DP – Data point

Earn and burn – Earning points and using them right away

Econ – Economy class

F – First class

FHR – Fine Hotels and Resorts (a credit with this group is one benefit of American Express Platinum cards)

FNC – Free Night Certificate

FOMO – Fear of Missing Out (why we book trips that others have done 😜)

GE – Global Entry

HH – Hilton Honors

HUCA – Short for “Hang up, call again” and refers to what you should do when you get an unhelpful answer about a booking.  Call back and talk to another representative who may know more or be more helpful.

IHG – Intercontinental Hotel Group

Ink – Chase Ink Business Cards (see CIC, CIP, CIU, above)

J – Business class

Metal – The airline you are flying on, not who you booked with (literally, whose name is on the metal of the plane)

MR – Membership Rewards® (American Express’s points system)

MSR – Minimum spend requirement—how much you must spend on the card to earn your welcome offer

NLL – No lifetime language—a term used specifically for American Express when a card’s terms don’t have the normal stipulations that you can only get that card once in a lifetime

Open jaw – Flying into one city and out of another

OOP – Out-of-pocket

Player 1 and Player 2 – If you’re the main miles-and-points person in your household, you’re Player 1. The supporting person you partner with to earn points or tag-team to refer cards back and forth with is your Player 2. 

RR – Rapid Rewards (Southwest® Airlines’ loyalty program)

SUB – Sign-up bonus—the points or miles you earn on your credit cards after hitting the minimum spend (though the banks prefer this to be called a “welcome offer”)

UR – Ultimate Rewards® (Chase Bank’s loyalty points)

WOH – World of Hyatt

Y – Economy class

YMMV – Your mileage may vary—it may not work out for you as it did for me!

 

Bottom Line

Deciphering points and miles “code” is something we all struggled with when we first started, but we hope this list helps explain things!  Before long, these acronyms and ling will be second nature and you’ll be flying in J in no time!

 

Related Posts

All About Credit Card Authorized Users

Podcast 1. Points and Miles Basics: How We Got Started and You Can Too!