Kayak is one of the most popular travel search tools. You can use it to find anything from flights and hotels, to car rentals and excursions at your destination. As well, travel packages that include multiple trip parts are listed on Kayak.

Kayak users can go to the website, Kayak.com, or use the mobile app to look for travel and earn rewards in the process.

Here’s what you need to know about searching for travel and booking on Kayak.

How does Kayak work?

Although Kayak is an online search engine where you can find travel, it’s not a website where you can book travel. Kayak pulls prices from other travel websites and points you in the right direction when you’re ready to make a reservation. You’re not actually booking on Kayak.

Let’s say you want to book a night at a hotel, and the same hotel room is available on multiple booking platforms: a hotel’s website for direct booking or an online travel agency such as Expedia. Kayak analyzes information and lets you know where you can reserve the room for your specific dates for less. Then, you decide where to book based on search results.

This search tool doesn’t just cover hotels. It also works for:

Activities.

Flights.

Rental cars.

Travel packages.

Vacation rentals.

It even includes buses and trains. That’s right, you can find transportation operated by Amtrak and Greyhound on Kayak.

The Kayak Explorer Rewards Program

Because you don’t book any travel components through Kayak directly, you don’t need an account. However, if you create one, you’ll be able to participate in the Kayak Explorer Rewards Program and earn rewards when you book.

How to earn Kayak Explorer Points

Kayak Explorer is Kayak’s loyalty program. It’s free to join and you will earn 2,000 Explorer Points when you sign up. Then, you will earn points on select hotels through the Kayak mobile app.

To earn points, look for an “Explorer Points” icon next to a qualifying booking. If earning rewards is important to you, filter your search results by clicking on the Explorer Points tab.

Rewards post six to eight weeks after you complete your stay. If you cancel your booking before you travel, you won’t earn any points.

How to redeem Kayak Explorer Points

You can redeem your rewards for:

Prepaid debit or gift cards.

Dining discounts.

Travel discounts and more.

Keep in mind that you need to have a minimum of 10,000 points in your account to make a redemption. Also, redemptions for prepaid debit cards are limited to the first 100,000 points redeemed per calendar year.

Kayak Explorer Points vary in value, depending on what they are redeemed for. In the case of a debit card redemption, Kayak Explorer Points are only worth 0.1 cent apiece. That is, a $10 prepaid credit card can be redeemed for 10,000 points.