Quick Points: Earn bonus points or miles on events, attractions and more with Undercover Tourist

No matter how far you travel to attend a concert, theme park or sporting event, you probably won’t earn bonus travel rewards on your purchase. These purchases typically code as entertainment despite the fact that these are the types of purchases commonly made when we travel for vacation.

However, there is a not-so-secret way to buy tickets to theme parks like Disney World, Disneyland and Universal Orlando, along with Broadway shows, aquariums, museums and other attractions, and have the purchases code as travel. This unlocks the ability to earn extra points or miles on cards that offer bonus rewards for travel purchases, use travel credits or use points or miles to cover travel expenses.

Rather than buying these tickets directly from the retailer, you can purchase them from Undercover Tourist.

Undercover Tourist is an authorized third-party reseller that sells tickets to theme parks, events and attractions across the country, oftentimes for less than you’d pay at the gate. It also has a generous return policy (where applicable), the option to choose paper or electronic tickets and additional discounts when you bundle tickets with a hotel or rental car.

I’ve used Undercover Tourist to buy Disney World tickets in the past, but I wanted to test this tip with a more recent purchase. I love going to our local soccer team’s matches, so I was thrilled to find tickets for an upcoming home game available on Undercover Tourist.

Similar to other platforms, I was able to view a map of the stadium with pricing for different sections to help me choose my ticket. Once my order was complete, I received a confirmation email from Undercover Tourist and another from SeatGeek with a link to access my actual ticket.

I waited a couple of days for the charge to clear on my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, and, sure enough, it coded as travel. I didn’t earn bonus miles above the 2 Capital One miles per dollar spent that this card earns on most purchases, but it did give me the ability to redeem Capital One miles to cover the purchase.

With the Venture X Rewards, you can redeem miles at a fixed rate of 1 cent each for eligible travel purchases made in the last 90 days. You can do this with several other Capital One cards as well.

Or, if you have a card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees), which comes with a $300 annual travel credit, a purchase at Undercover Tourist will trigger the credit because it codes as travel. You can offset all or part of your purchase this way.

Lastly, you can benefit from buying tickets through Undercover Tourist if you use a card that offers bonus points or miles for general travel purchases. The Chase Sapphire Reserve falls into this category, offering 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on a variety of travel charges. Other cards offering bonus points for travel purchases include the American Express® Green Card, the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees).

The information for the Amex Green has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Apply now: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card currently has a highest-ever 100,000-point welcome offer after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

If you are looking for ways to maximize your travel purchases, check to see if what you’re looking for is available through Undercover Tourist before making your next ticket purchase.