Are you tired of paying thousands of dollars on travel? Well, good news! Travel hacking is the answer to all your travel problems. It’s an exciting way to turn credit card bonus and sign-up incentives into miles which you can use to get discounted or even complimentary flights for your dream destinations. With a little imagination and a little bit of insider information, you’ll travel for free in no time.
The Basics of Travel Hacking
Travel hacking is all about swapping credit card sign-up bonus as well as incentives to earn airline miles. The miles can be used to buy cheap or free flight tickets. Certain credit cards will also let you redeem miles for hotel stays and car rental deals.
How Does it Work?
The secret to successful hacking your travel plans is to take advantage of the sign-up bonuses for credit cards and building out frequent flyer miles with a limited number of airlines. When it’s time to book a flight take a look at the price. If the cost is less than $300, it’s best to pay cash and use your miles to pay to book a higher-priced flight. If the prices start to rise higher than $500, it’s best to review the frequent flyer account and determine which airline offers you the most value. All it boils down to is the amount of points or miles you have in your travel savings account for each airline.
Start with Travel Hacking
Are you ready to discover the secrets of travel hacking? First step to open the credit card that comes that comes with a welcome bonus. There are a lot of fantastic credit cards that offer many advantages and features. It is all dependent on the airline, your habits with spending and the features that are most important to you.
Top Credit Card Picks
Here are some credit cards excellent for travel hacking:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Chase United Explorer
- JetBlue Mastercard
- Capital One Venture X
If you’ve been approved for a credit card you’ll need to reach the minimum spend limit in order to qualify for the bonus. Every card has different rules, so be sure to look up this information. Then it’s all about building up miles, and using them to book your dream vacation!
Are you ready to go on a jet-setting with your ideas?
Now that you’ve built up your points balance, you’re ready to cash them in for some delicious travel! Different credit card companies will offer different ways to redeem your points, but here are some examples from a few of the ones I’ve worked with:
Getaway through Chase Ultimate Reward
If you have an Chase cards, you are able to redeem your points via the Ultimate Rewards portal. In the portal, you’ll have access to nearly every airline, and you can use a combination of money and points to pay for your travel. You can even book entirely with points if you’ve enough balance! Sometimes even if you do not have enough points to cover the entire cost, you are able to book flights using the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and pay the balance cash using any credit card.
United
Are you tired of paying full price for your flights? Did you know that when you book directly through United You have the option to pay with either points or dollars? But, be careful that if you don’t have enough points, you aren’t able to combine dollars and points for flights. No worries though, if you’re only a couple of point short United gives you the option of buying additional miles.
JetBlue
Looking for a flight within the United States? Take a look at JetBlue! JetBlue provides passengers a relaxing and pleasant flight experience , with more legroom and free snacks. In addition, their booking procedure is similar to that of United Airlines, allowing you to book with either JetBlue dollar or points, however, not both. The difference is that JetBlue offers a distinct feature that lets you combine your points with family members to accrue points twice as fast. Be sure to prove you’re really family before trying to hack the system.
Reach that Minimum Spend
If you’re like me and my travel companion Becca, you’re probably pretty thrifty and it’s daunting to try to spend thousands of dollars in order to meet the required amount to qualify for credit card bonuses. Don’t worry as we’ve done it and we’re here to share some of our tips and tricks.
Pay your rent (if you can)
This is a big one! If you’re able to pay your rent using a credit card, do it! Just be prepared to pay a cost, which is usually around 3 percent. It might be worth it in the long run if the bonus is high enough.
Pay for a medical bill
Another way to reach the required spending is to pay for an medical bill. If you don’t have any medical bills due, ask your family members to pay them for theirs, and they can pay you back.
Make a payment to pay off a loan
If you have any loans, consider repaying them using an credit card. Make sure to pay off the credit card balance completely so that you don’t end up with more debt.
Ask family for help
Discuss your family with them and look into any major expenses in the near future that you can contribute for. Just make sure you have confidence in the person you are talking to and they know why you’re doing this.
Give presents
If it’s the holiday season, consider buying all of your gifts with your credit card. So you’ll be able to reach the minimum spending requirement and also be ready for giving gifts. Make sure that you’re not spending more than you were thinking of.
There are many ways to make the most out of the travel credit card. You can accumulate miles or points that you can use towards flights or other travel-related expenses. Here are a few additional suggestions for maximising your rewards:
Make travel reservations using your credit card
When you’re planning your next trip, make use of your travel credit card to pay for your hotel, flight, rental car, and other travel costs. In addition, you’ll be able to meet the minimum spend to qualify for a credit card reward and earn points, but you’ll also be earning points or miles for those costs.
Utilize your credit card to pay for all your daily costs
Another method to reach the minimum spending requirement and earn points is utilising your credit cards to pay for everyday costs. This can include things like food, gas, and even your phone bill. Just make sure to pay off the balance in full every month to ensure you don’t accumulate interest.
Take advantage of bonus categories
Many travel credit cards offer bonus points or miles for certain types of purchases, including eating out or travelling. Check out your rewards program on your credit card and avail any bonus categories that match with your spending habits.
Consider the possibility of transferring your balance
If you have existing debt on a high-interest credit card, consider transferring the balance to an account with a travel credit card that has an introductory rate of 0% for balance transfer. This will let you pay off your debts without accruing interest and simultaneously assist you in reaching the minimum amount required to earn the credit card’s bonus.
Make use of your miles or points prudently
If you’ve amassed a large amount of points or miles Make sure to utilize them in a responsible manner. Check out the rewards program on your credit card and compare the worth of various redemption options. For example, using points to book a ticket directly through the airline may give you a better return than using them for an gift card.
Another suggestion is to use an rewards card that permits you to transfer points to other loyalty programs. This will let you have a wider range of choices and more flexibility when you want to redeem your rewards. For example, you may be eligible to transfer your reward to the frequent flyer program of an airline or hotel rewards program. This gives the benefit of a wider variety of hotels, flights as well as other travel perks that aren’t available through the rewards program of your credit card.
In addition, you should discover the card’s benefits. any perks that can save you money on travel-related costs. Many cards offer travel insurance, rental car insurance, baggage protection, and other benefits that are invaluable when you travel.
Finally, when you’re traveling with a companion each of you will be able to earn rewards using your credit card. Make sure you don’t split the cost on the same card, and be sure to keep track of the rewards you earn separately.
Overall, the key to making the most of your travel rewards is to know your credit card’s rewards program and to ensure you’re using this program in the most effective way possible. Utilizing all of the strategies I’ve outlined that you can earn rewards fast, exchange them for valuable travel experiences and benefit from a wide range of travel perks.