Hi Travel Junkies,

Keeping up with the many acronyms used in the points/miles world can be difficult, particularly if you are new to all of this.

So I put together a quick reference list (in alphabetical order) of some of the most popular ones, complete with explanations of what each of them means.

Here we go.

  • 5/24: The Chase 5/24 Rule
  • AA: American Airlines
  • AAoA: Average age of Accounts. This refers to the average age of your credit accounts, which is a key component that goes into calculating your credit score.
  • AF: Annual Fee
  • AGC: American Express Gift Card
  • ANA: All Nippon Airways, Japan
  • AU: Authorized User
  • BCP: Blue Cash Preferred® (an American Express card)
  • BOA: Bank of America
  • BYODP: Be your own data point. Typically used when nobody knows the answer to a question. Much like saying “give it a try and let us know how it goes.”
  • CB: Credit Bureau. The 3 major ones are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion
  • CIC (sometimes “CIBC”): Chase Ink Cash (Chase Ink Business Cash®)
  • CIP (sometimes “CIBP”): Chase Ink Preferred (Chase Ink Business Preferred®)
  • CIU (sometimes “CIBU”): Chase Ink Unlimited (Chase Ink Business Unlimited®)
  • CK: Credit Karma (CreditKarma.com). This is a great way to monitor your Equifax and TransUnion credit reports. It is NOT a good way to check your FICO credit score.
  • CL: Credit Limit
  • CPP: Cents per Point. This refers to monetary value out of reward redemptions, calculated by dividing the cash value of a redemption by the number of points/miles required to book it.
  • CSR: Customer Service Representative or Chase Sapphire Reserve®
  • CSP: Chase Sapphire Preferred®
  • DP: Data Point. Typically used in a sentence such as “we are seeing many DPs that this method works.”
  • FF: Frequent Flyer
  • FTF (or FX): Foreign Transaction Fees
  • GC: Gift card
  • HH: Hilton Honors Program
  • HUCA: Hang up call again. Typically used when making a reconsideration call (defined below) regarding a credit card application. HUCA is basically another way of saying “try again if you don’t get the result you liked.”
  • IHG: Intercontinental Hotel Group
  • MR: American Express Membership Rewards
  • NLL: No Lifetime Language. American Express has a “once per lifetime” rule, meaning you can only get the welcome offer on a single type of card once. Amex often has card offers without this rule written into the card agreement, which is referred to as having no lifetime language.
  • P2: “Player 2,” a partner in your points and miles strategy, such as a spouse.
  • Recon: A reconsideration call where you attempt to overturn a credit card denial.
  • RTW: Round-the-world. An around the world airline ticket that starts and ends in one country and makes several international stops along the route.
  • SM: Secure message. Typically the most convenient way to contact a bank.
  • SUB: Sign-up bonus (welcome bonus/offer you can receive when you meet the requirements such as spending a minimum amount to earn bonus points on a new credit card).
  • SW: Southwest Airlines
  • SW CP: Southwest Companion Pass
  • T&C: Terms and Conditions
  • TYP: Citi ThankYou Points
  • UA: United Airlines
  • UR: Chases Ultimate Rewards
  • VGC: Visa Gift Card
  • YMMV: Your Miles May Vary. Which is another way of saying “different results for different people.”

It will also help you to learn some of the more popular airport codes. And of course, if you are new to points and miles and want to learn more, I’d encourage you to take our free course.

Happy Travels!