You don't have to book a flight to earn more travel rewards. Dining out, Uber Eats, and other everyday purchases can become opportunities to earn extra points and miles when you stack the right programs. We break down how dining rewards work, how inKind can help you save on meals while still earning your credit card's dining bonus, and a way to buy inKind credit for less through Costco.

If you're looking for Marriott elite status without opening another credit card, CitizenM's paid mycitizenM Plus membership includes instant Bonvoy Gold status and access to its coworking spaces, even when you're not staying there. We also cover a few easy ways to earn more Marriott points by linking Uber and Starbucks accounts. You won't earn a ton of points from these alone, but they're easy to set up and can add up if you're already using Uber and Starbucks.

Flying Blue is offering 10,000 bonus miles on eligible economy flights to Paris or Amsterdam by Aug. 31, while introducing new Light award tickets with lower mileage prices in some cases but more restrictions. We explain what to know before booking, along with a few other ways to turn spending you're already doing into more travel rewards.

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Travel’s our thing around here, but I’m also a huge foodie. And honestly, some of the easiest travel rewards you’ll ever earn don’t happen on a plane. They happen over dinner.

Welcome back to Departure Digest. Today we’re talking about a few of my favorite ways to earn more travel rewards without booking another trip.

Hopefully everyone knows to use a good dining credit card when eating out. There are plenty of great options, and you don’t need to pay an expensive annual fee to earn bonus points on restaurants. A lot of cards earn 3 or 4 points per dollar every time you eat out.

That’s step one.

Step two is linking that same card to a dining rewards program.

A lot of airlines and hotels run these, and Bilt does too. Think of it as an extra layer on top of your credit card. Once it’s linked, you’ll automatically earn extra airline miles or hotel points at participating restaurants, on top of whatever your card already gives you.

One of my favorites, though, is an app called InKind.

Before I book a reservation, I always check whether the restaurant’s on there. If it is, there’s a good chance I’ll save money.

Instead of paying the restaurant directly, you pay through the app, and you’ll usually earn around 20% back as credit toward your next meal. It works at thousands of restaurants across major cities, and these aren’t random spots. I’ve used it at places I was already planning to go.

Okay, one important detail.

Paying through the InKind app still codes as dining on your credit card, so you’ll keep earning your card’s restaurant bonus. It won’t also earn rewards through an airline or hotel dining program, though, because the charge comes from InKind instead of the restaurant.

Another option is buying InKind credit through Costco. That purchase won’t earn dining points because it codes as a Costco purchase. But you still come out ahead. Costco regularly sells $100 of InKind credit for about $75, and I’ve even seen it drop to around $65 during sales.

If you’re new to InKind, $25 off your first meal of at least $50 is a pretty nice way to try it.

Okay, speaking of rewards hiding in plain sight...

If you’re a Marriott person, go link your Uber account.

Once it’s linked, eligible Uber rides and Uber Eats orders start earning Marriott Bonvoy points. You can link Starbucks too. Marriott and Starbucks run recurring promotions for linked accounts, so it’s another easy one to set up if you’re already buying coffee there anyway.

None of these are huge on their own.

That’s kind of the point.

They stack, and setting everything up takes about five minutes. After that, you can pretty much forget about it. If you’re already using these apps regularly, there’s no reason to leave those points behind.

Now let’s say you want Marriott status without opening another credit card.

citizenM has a workaround.

Their paid mycitizenM Plus membership costs about $170 a year, and it includes instant Marriott Bonvoy Gold status, plus access to their co-working spaces, even on days you’re not staying there.

I’ve worked from citizenM spaces plenty of times and think they’re great. Fast Wi-Fi, comfortable seating, outlets everywhere. Basically designed like a WeWork.

I’ll set expectations, though. Gold isn’t some magical status level. Don’t expect suite upgrades or free breakfast.

But if you stay with Marriott a few times a year and don’t already have status, it’s an easy shortcut. You’ll earn up to 25% bonus points on paid stays, plus you may get late checkout or a room upgrade when available. Better than nothing, especially if you weren’t planning to open another credit card anyway.

One last thing, and this one’s time-sensitive.

Flying Blue, the loyalty program for Air France and KLM, is offering 10,000 bonus miles if you book an eligible economy flight to Paris or Amsterdam by Aug. 31, with travel completed by the end of January. If Europe’s on your radar, that’s a solid bonus for doing something you were already planning to do.

Here’s the catch, though.

Just one day before this promotion launched, Flying Blue announced new Light award tickets starting in September. Think of them as the basic economy version of an award ticket. Lower mileage prices in some cases, but more restrictions too.

If you want the baggage allowance, lounge access, and flexibility you’re used to, you’ll need to book the new Standard award instead, and that generally costs more miles.

It turns out some of the easiest travel rewards you’ll earn this week probably won’t come from traveling at all. They’ll come from dinner, your coffee order, an Uber ride, or a loyalty account you forgot to link.

We’ll drop links to everything we talked about below. I hope you have a beautiful start to your week. We’ll chat Wednesday.