With travel picking up despite rising costs, wanderlust consumers like myself need to extract all the value we can out of our travel budgets. Enter our old friends, points and miles. My COVID-fueled cache of Chase Ultimate Rewards points has helped me book a free summer’s worth of flights and hotels. As it happens, these Ultimate Rewards points also turned out to be an accidental hedge against both inflation and plummeting stock prices. Now that it’s time to put them to use, I want these points and miles to go as far as possible. One way to do that is by linking my rideshare accounts, Lyft and Uber, to existing reward programs that I belong to. There are free points and miles to be had simply by linking these programs to your existing rideshare accounts.

Link your Lyft app to Delta SkyMiles or Hilton Honors

On Lyft, you can link your account to either the Delta SkyMiles or Hilton Honors programs. You’ll earn two points per dollar on airport rides with Delta (one for all other rides), or three points per dollar with Hilton. Since you can toggle between programs, I’d recommend taking the Delta points on your way to and from the airport, but choosing Hilton points for any other rides. Or, you can simply stick with the program you use more frequently or are more likely to use in the future.

Lyft used to allow for a double dip with BOTH programs, which was one of the best deals around on the unofficial points and miles circuit. Unfortunately no mas, but you can earn an additional 5-10% back in Chase Ultimate Rewards points by using your Chase card on Lyft.

Neither Delta SkyMiles nor Hilton Honors rewards expire, so you don’t need to worry about accumulating enough points for them to be useful by a certain date. Just keep racking them up with every ride you take and you’ll have a decent amount of points in no time. I plan to open a cobranded card for both Delta SkyMiles and Hilton Honors at some point anyway, so I’m giving those accounts a nice head start in the meantime.

Link your Uber app to Marriott Bonvoy

Uber realized they’d better get in on the account linking action and teamed up with Marriott Bonvoy rewards, in addition to whatever their own program, Uber Rewards, provides. I used to exclusively choose Lyft for the triple-dip opportunity (Delta/Hilton/Ultimate Rewards), but now I’ll shop around for the best price if I’m stumbling home after a night on the town. And there’s no better buzz than the one that comes from earning free points and miles.

The nice thing with Uber’s partnership is that it applies to Uber Eats orders as well, so any money you spend on the Uber app will earn you Bonvoy points. It’s hard for me to stomach paying the delivery fees on Uber Eats, so I don’t get a lot of value there. But if you’re into that sort of thing, you might as well eat your way toward a free night at a Marriott property.

Linking rideshare apps to reward partners is an easy win

While your investment accounts may be heading in the wrong direction through the first half of the year, remember that there’s always money in the banana stand… and in your rideshare accounts. Best take advantage of the easy wins where we can get them in this market environment. Thanks to various travel for both work and play, I’ve begun the process of hoarding points and miles with Delta, Hilton and Marriott. With the help of some sign-up bonus offers, I plan to continue funding my future summer fun with credit card rewards. If you’re not into the travel rewards scene just yet, go ahead and let those rideshare apps drive you down this value-laden road. Once you do, there will be no turning back.