Are you tired of spending a fortune on airfare? Good news! Travel hacking could be the solution to all your travel woes. It’s an exciting way to turn credit card sign-up bonuses and incentives into miles which you can use to obtain discounted or free flights to your ideal destinations. With a bit of imagination and a little bit of insider knowledge, you can be jet-setting for free in no time.
The Basics of Travel Hacking
Travel hacking is all about trading credit card sign-up bonuses as well as incentives to earn airline miles. These miles can then be used to buy discount or no-cost flights. Some credit cards also permit you to use miles towards hotel stays or car rental offers.
How Does it Work?
The secret to success in hacking your travel plans is to take advantage of the credit card sign-up bonus and to establish frequent flyer miles on a select group of airlines. When it comes time to book a flight, evaluate the cost. If the price is less than $300, it’s usually better to pay cash and use your miles to pay for a more expensive flight. When the flights start getting higher than $500, it’s best to review your frequent flyer accounts and determine which airline offers you the best deal. It all comes down to the number of points or miles you have you have in your travel savings account for each airline.
Start with Travel Hacking
Are you ready to discover the secrets to travel hacking? First step opening the credit card that comes with a sign-up bonus. There are a lot of fantastic credit cards that offer a variety of benefits and features. It all depends on your preferred airline, spending habits and what features are essential to you.
Top Credit Card Picks
Here are a few credit cards perfect to hack travel
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Chase United Explorer
- JetBlue Mastercard
- Capital One Venture X
If you’ve been approved for a credit or debit card, you’ll need to reach the spending limit for minimum expenditure in order to get the bonus. Every card has different rules, so make sure to look up this information. Then you can begin to rack up miles and using them to plan your dream vacation!
Are you ready to set sail with your points?
Once you’ve accumulated your points amount, it’s time to cash them in for some delicious vacation! Different credit card companies have different methods of redeeming your rewards, here are some examples from a few of the ones I’ve had experience with:
Getaway through Chase Ultimate Reward
If you own a Chase credit card, then you are able to use your points to redeem them through the Ultimate Rewards portal. Within the portal, you’ll get access to virtually every airline, and you can combine points and cash to book your travel. You can book your flight entirely with points if you’ve the funds to pay for it! Sometimes even if you do not be able to accumulate enough points in order to pay for full cost, you still can buy flights with Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and pay the balance cash using every credit card.
United
Are you tired of paying full price for flights? Did you know that when you book directly through United, you have the option of paying with either points or dollars? Butbe aware in case you don’t have enough points you can’t combine points and dollars on the same flight. Don’t worry, though, if you’re a few points away, United also offers the option of buying additional miles.
JetBlue
Looking for a domestic flight? Take a look at JetBlue! JetBlue offers passengers a relaxing and pleasant flight experience , with more legroom as well as free snacks. Additionally, their booking process is similar to United’s that allows customers to book using either JetBlue either dollars or points, but not both. But, JetBlue offers a distinct feature that allows you to combine your points with your family members and earn points twice as quickly. Just make sure you can prove you’re really family before trying to hack into the system.
Make sure you spend that minimum amount
If you’re anything like me and my travel buddy Becca You’re probably quite frugal and it can be daunting to try to spend thousands of dollars to hit the required amount to qualify for the credit card bonus. But don’t fret as we’ve done 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 to pay your rent with credit card, go for it! Just be prepared to pay a fee, usually around 3%. It might be worth it over the long term in the event that the bonus is substantial enough.
Make a payment on a medical expense
Another way to reach the spending limit is to cover a medical bill. If you don’t have any medical bills coming up Ask your relatives if you could pay their medical bills and they can pay you back.
Pay off a loan
If you’re a borrower, consider repaying them using the credit card you have. Make sure to pay the credit card balance completely so that you don’t accrue additional debt.
Ask family for help
Talk to your family and see if they have any big expenses coming up that you can contribute for. Make sure that you are able to trust the person and they understand why you’re taking the initiative.
Purchase presents
If you’re celebrating the holidays, consider buying all of your gifts with your credit card. This way you can reach the minimum spending requirement and be ready for gift giving. Make sure that you’re not spending more than you contemplating to.
There are plenty of ways to get the most out of the travel credit card. You can earn miles or points to use towards airfares or other travel-related costs. Here are a few additional ideas for maximizing your rewards:
Book travel expenses with your credit card
If you’re planning a trip, use you travel credit card for booking your hotel, flight, rental car, and other travel costs. Not only will you be able to hit the required amount for your credit card bonus, but you’ll also earn points or miles to cover the expenditures.
Utilize your credit card to pay for all your daily costs
Another way to hit the minimum spend and earn points is by using your credit card to pay for daily costs. This could be things like food, gas or even your phone bill. Make sure you pay the balance off in full every month to ensure you don’t accrue interest charges.
Make the most of bonus categories
Some travel credit cards will offer miles or points in exchange for certain types of purchases, including dining or travel. Be sure to review your credit card’s rewards program and avail any bonus categories that match with your spending routines.
Consider a balance transfer
If you’re in the middle of a debt on a high-interest credit card, consider transferring that balance to a travel credit card with a 0% introductory APR for balance transfers. This will enable you to pay off your debt without accruing interest, and also aid in achieving the minimum spending requirement for the credit card bonus.
Utilize your miles and points wisely
When you’ve earned a significant amount of points or miles, be sure to use them in a responsible manner. Examine the rewards program of your credit card and compare the worth of various redemption options. For instance using your points to purchase a flight directly with the airline could give you a better value than using them to purchase a gift card.
Another tip is to use a rewards card that allows you to transfer your rewards to different loyalty program. This will let you enjoy a greater variety of choices and more flexibility when you want to redeem your rewards. For example, you may be capable of transferring your reward to an airline’s frequent flyer program or reward program for hotels. This will give the benefit of a wider range of flights, hotels as well as other travel perks which are not accessible through your credit card’s rewards program.
In addition, you should find out if your credit card offers any perks that can save you money on travel-related costs. Some cards offer travel insurance as well as rental car insurance baggage protection, and other benefits that are very beneficial when traveling.
Finally, when you’re traveling with a companion and both of you earn rewards with your own credit card. Just remember that you can’t share the costs on the same card and make sure you keep track of your rewards separately.
The key to maximizing your rewards for travel is to be aware of the rewards program of your credit card and to ensure you’re making use of it in the most effective method. Through an array of strategies I’ve outlined, you’ll be able to earn rewards fast, exchange them for travel experiences that are worth it and take advantage of a broad variety of travel benefits.