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As the Points and Miles community grows the language has become somewhat foreign for newbies or outsiders. No worries, we have your back with this basic guide to Award Travel Words & Phrases. Use this guide to break the code and become a true basic traveler!
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A
- AA – American Airlines
- AAoA – Average Age of Accounts (FICO Credit Score Factor)
- AF – Annual Fee (Of a Credit Card)
- AOR – App-O-Rama (Opening Multiple Credit Cards at the Same Time)
- APR – Annual Percentage Rate
- APY – Annual Percentage Yield
- AS – Alaska Airlines
- AU – Authorized User (Of a Credit Card Account)
B
- B6 – JetBlue Airlines
- BA – British Airlines
- BCE – Blue Cash Everyday Credit Card
- BCP – Blue Cash Preferred Credit Card
- BF – BeFrugal (Cash Back Portal)
- BGR – Business Gold Rewards Credit Card
- BOA – Bank of America
C
- CA – Cash Advance (Credit Card Fee)
- CB – CashBack
- CBM – CashBack Monitor
- CC – Credit Card
- CF – Chase Freedom Credit Card
- CFU – Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card
- CFF – Chase Freedom Flex Credit Card
- CIC – Chase Ink Cash Credit Card
- CIP – Chase Ink Preferred Credit Card
- CK – Credit Karma (Not a Real Credit Score)
- CL – Credit Limit
- CLAWBACK – Term Used when a Bank Removes Points from an Account after Awarding them due to Program Violations
- CLI – Credit Limit Increase
- CP – Southwest Companion Pass (Buy-One-Get-One-Free-Flights)
- CPM – Cost Per Mile (Divide the cost using cash against the number of miles used)
- CPC – Chase Private Client
- CPP – Cents Per Point (Divide the cost using cash against the number of points used)
- CR – Credit Report
- CS – Chase Sapphire Credit Cards
- CSP – Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card
- CSR – Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card
- CSR – Customer Service Representative
- CU – Credit Union
D
- DC – Citi Double Cash Credit Card
- DC – Debit Card
- DD – Direct Deposit
- DD – Double Dip (Combining two promotions at once for double rewards)
- DED – Phrase used to indicate an offer or promotion is no longer available (Dead)
- DL – Delta Airlines
- DOB – Date of Birth
- DP – Data Point
E
- E&B – Earn and Burn (Earn the points/miles and redeem them)
- ECON – Economy Seat on a Plane
- ED – Amex Everyday Credit Card
- EDP – Amex Everyday Preferred Credit Card
- EK – Emirates Airlines
- EQ – Equifax Credit Reporting Agency
- EY – Etihad Airways
- EX – Experian Credit Reporting Agency
F
- F – First Class Seat on an Airplane
- FA – Flight Attendant
- FA – Fraud Alert on a Credit/Debit Card
- FACTA – Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act
- F9 – Frontier Airlines
- FCRA – Fair Credit Reporting Act
- FDIC – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
- FHR – Fine Hotels and Resorts (Through Amex)
- FR – Financial Review (By a bank to review spending on a credit card versus income reported)
- FS – Free Spirit (Spirit Airlines Frequent Flyer Program)
- FT – Flyer Talk Chat Forum
- FTF – Foreign Transaction Fee (Credit or Debit Card being used internationally)
- FWIW – For What It’s Worth
G
- GC – Gift Card
- GCM – Gift Card Mall
- GE – Global Entry
H
- HH – Hilton Honors Rewards Program
- HP – Hard Pull (On a Credit Report)
- HSA – Health Savings Account
- H/T – Hat Tip (To thank someone for sharing a DP)
- HUCA – Hang Up Call Again (Sometimes different CSR’s provide different answers when calling a bank or organization)
I
- IHG – Intercontinental Hotel Group
- INK – Referring to Chase Ink Business Credit Card Options
J
- J – Business Class Seat on an Airplane
- JB – JetBlue Airlines (Technically is B6 but sometimes ppl use JB unofficially)
- JAL – Japan Airlines
K
- KE – Korean Airlines
- KLM – Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij Royal Dutch Airlines
L
- LHRC – Luxury Hotel Resort Collection (Chase Bank)
M
- MC – Mastercard Credit Card Issuer
- MCGC – Mastercard GiftCard
- Metal – Phrase used when flying on an airlines own planes versus a partner (Typically when using points)
- MO – Money Order
- MR – Membership Rewards Points (Amex Award Currency earned from Credit Cards)
- MS – Manufactured Spend
- MSR – Minimum Spend Requirement (Amount to spend in order to earn a SUB)
N
- NFCC – National Foundation for Credit Counseling
- NFCU – Navy Federal Credit Union
- NK – Spirit Airlines
O
- OD – Office Depot
- OLCI – Online Check-In (Referring to checking into a flight or hotel ahead of time online)
- OM – Office Max
- OOP – Out of Pocket Expense
- OP – Original Post (Someone’s post that ppl are referring to)
- OJ – Open Jaw (Roundtrip flight that arrives in one city and departs in another)
- OTA – Online Travel Agency (Like Hotels.com)
- OW – One Way Flight
P
- PC – Product Change (Typically changing a Credit Card with a fee to a non-fee Card)
- PO – Post Office
- PORTALS – Websites that can be clicked through to earn cashback and points/miles
- POS – Point of Sale
- PP – Priority Pass (Membership which provides access to Airport Lounges)
- PP – PayPal
- PPK – PayPal Key
- PRG – Amex Premier Rewards Gold
Q
- Q-Suites – Popular Business Class Award Redemption through Qatar Airways
R
- RAKUTEN – Cashback Portal
- RAT – Amex Reward Abuse Team (Often issues FR’s and Clawbacks)
- RC – Ritz-Carlton Hotels
- RECON – Calling a Credit Card issuer after being denied to appeal decision. (This often works!)
- REP – Representative
- RR – Rapid Rewards (Southwest Frequent Flyer Program)
- RT – Roundtrip Flights
S
- SM – Secured Message
- SP – Soft Pull (Personal Credit Inquiry that does not impact a score as opposed to an HP)
- STACK – Combining multiple offers/promotions by Stacking (Credit Cards, Portals, Amex/Chase Offers)
- SSN – Social Security Number
- SUB – Signup Bonus
- SWA – Southwest Airlines (Sometimes referred to as SW unofficially)
T
- T&C’s – Terms and Conditions
- TCB – Top Cash Back Portal
- TIA – Thanks in Advance
- TL – Trade Line (Record of Credit Issued to Someone)
- TR – Trip Report
- TR – Travel Rewards
- TSA – Transportation Security Administration
- TU – TransUnion (Credit Reporting Agency)
- TYP – ThankYou Points (Citi Credit Card Rewards Currency)
U
- UA – United Airlines
- USB – U.S. Bank
- ULCC – Ultra Low Cost Carrier
- US – US Airways
- USPS – United States Postal Service
- UR – Ultimate Rewards (Chase Credit Card Rewards Currency)
V
- VGC – Visa Gift Card
- VA – Virgin Atlantic
- VX – Virgin America
W
- WF – Wells Fargo
- WFP – Wells Fargo Propel
- WOH – World of Hyatt Loyalty Program
- WMT – Walmart
X
- N/A
Y
- Y – Economy Class (Also known as ECON)
- YMMV – Your Milage May Vary
- YQ – Fuel Surcharges
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