Are you tired of spending a fortune on airfare? Well, good news! Travel hacking can be the solution to all your travel problems. It’s an exciting way to convert sign-up bonuses and incentives into airline miles, that can then be used to get discounted or even cheap flights from your dream destinations. With a bit of imagination and a little bit of insider knowledge, you can fly for no cost within a matter of minutes.
The Basics of Travel Hacking
Travel hacking is the art of swapping credit card sign-up bonus and rewards for airline miles. The miles can be used to pay for discounted or even free flights. Some credit cards also permit you to use miles to pay for hotel stays or car rental deals.
How Does it Work?
The most effective method for success in hacking travel is taking advantage of credit card sign-up bonuses and to establish a frequent flyer mile program with a limited number of airlines. When it’s time to make a booking take a look at the price. If the price is less than $300, it’s usually better to pay cash and use your miles to pay to take a more costly flight. When the flights start getting over $500, you’ll need to check your frequent flyer accounts and determine which airline offers you the most value. It all boils down to the number of points or miles you have in your travel savings account for each airline.
Start with Travel Hacking
Are you interested in learning the secrets to travel hacking? The first step is to open a credit card with a sign-up offer. There are a lot of fantastic credit cards that provide various advantages and features. It depends on the type of airline, spending habits and the features that are most important to you.
Top Credit Card Picks
Here are a few credit card options that can be perfect to use for hacking travel:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Chase United Explorer
- JetBlue Mastercard
- Capital One Venture X
After you’ve been accepted for a credit card, you’ll need to hit the spending limit for minimum expenditure in order to qualify for the bonus. Each card has its own rules, so make sure to look up the details. From there it’s all about building up miles and using them to plan your dream trip!
Are you ready to set sail with your ideas?
After you’ve accrued your points balance, it’s time to redeem them for some delicious travel! Different credit card companies have different methods of redeeming your points, but here are some examples from some of the ones I’ve worked with:
Take a trip through Chase Ultimate Reward
If you own a Chase credit card, then you can redeem your points via the Ultimate Rewards portal. Within it, you’ll get access to almost every airline and you can use a combination of the points as well as cash in order to book your travel. You can even book completely on points if you have enough balance! Sometimes, even if you don’t possess enough points for the full price, you can buy flights with Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and pay the balance cash using the credit card of your choice.
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 dollars or points? Butbe aware that if you don’t have enough points you cannot combine points and dollars on flights. No worries though, if you’re a few points away, United gives you the possibility of purchasing additional miles.
JetBlue
Are you looking for a domestic flight? Take a look at JetBlue! JetBlue offers a comfortable and enjoyable travel experience that includes extra legroom as well as free snacks. Additionally, their booking process is similar to that of United Airlines that allows you to book with either JetBlue dollar or points but not both. But, JetBlue is unique in that they offer a feature that lets you pool your points together with your relatives to earn points twice as quickly. Be sure to establish that you’re a real family member prior to trying to hack into the system.
Reach that Minimum Spend
If you’re like me or my travel companion Becca, you’re probably pretty thrifty and it’s challenging to attempt to spend thousands of dollars in order to meet the minimum amount required to earn credit card bonuses. Don’t worry, we’ve been through it and are here to share our tricks and tips.
Pay your rent (if you can)
This is an important one! If you’re able pay your rent with a credit card, do it! Just be prepared to pay a cost, which is usually around 3 percent. It may be worth it in the long run in the event that the bonus is substantial enough.
Pay a medical bill
Another great way to hit the minimum spend is to cover a medical bill. If you don’t have any medical bills coming up then ask your family members to pay for theirs and they’ll pay you back.
Make a payment to pay off the loan
If you have any loans take into consideration repaying them using the credit card you have. Just make sure you pay the credit card balance completely so that you don’t accrue more debt.
Ask family for help
Talk to your family and see if they have any large expenses coming up that you can contribute for. Just make sure you are able to trust the person and that they are aware of the reason for doing this.
Purchase gifts
If it’s the holiday season, consider buying all your gifts using the credit card you have. This way you can reach the minimum spending requirement and be ready for giving gifts. Just make sure you’re not spending more than you contemplating to.
There are a lot of ways to make the most out of the travel credit card and accrue points or miles to spend on flights or other travel-related expenses. Here are some additional ways to maximize the rewards you earn:
Book travel expenses with your credit card
If you’re planning a trip, make use of your travel credit card to pay for your flight, hotel, rental car, and any other travel expenses. In addition, you’ll be able to meet the minimum spend to qualify for a credit card bonus as well, however, you’ll also earn points or miles on these costs.
Use your credit card for everyday expenses
Another method to reach the minimum spending requirement and earn points is making use of your credit card for daily expenditures. This could be items like groceries, gas or even your phone bill. Just make sure to pay off the balance each month in full so you don’t accrue interest charges.
Make the most of bonus categories
A lot of travel credit cards provide bonus points or miles on certain kinds of purchases, including dining or travel. Check out your rewards program on your credit card and take advantage of any bonus categories that align with your spending habits.
Consider the possibility of transferring your balance
If you’re in the middle of a debt on a high-interest credit card, consider transferring that balance onto an account with a travel credit card that has the introductory APR of 0% for balance transfer. This will let you pay off the debt without accruing interest, and also assist you in reaching the minimum amount required to earn the credit card’s bonus.
Use your points or miles carefully
When you’ve earned a significant amount of points or miles make sure you use the points or miles wisely. Review the rewards program for your credit card and compare the worth of various redemption options. For instance you can use your points to book a flight directly with the airline could provide you with a greater return than using them for the purchase of a gift card.
Another suggestion is to use a rewards card that allows you to transfer your points to other loyalty programs. This will allow you to enjoy a greater variety of options and greater flexibility in redeeming your rewards. For example, you may be capable of transferring your reward to the frequent flyer program of an airline or a Hotel rewards programme. This will give the benefit of a wider selection of hotels, flights and other travel benefits which are not offered through the rewards program of your credit card.
In addition, you should discover if your credit card offers some perks that could reduce your travel expenses. A lot of credit cards provide travel insurance, rental car insurance, baggage protection and other benefits that could be invaluable when you travel.
When you travel with a companion and both of you earn rewards with your credit card. Make sure you don’t divide the cost with the same card and make sure to track the rewards you earn separately.
The key to reaping the maximum benefits from your travel rewards is to understand your credit card’s rewards program and make sure you’re using it in the most effective method possible. By using an array of strategies I’ve outlined that you can get rewards in a short time, use them for travel experiences that are worth it and benefit from a wide range of travel perks.