Are you tired of spending an enormous amount on flights? Well, good news! Travel hacking could be the solution to all your travel problems. It’s an exciting method to turn credit card welcome bonuses and other incentives into airline miles, which you can use to get discounted or even cheap flights from your desired destinations. With a little bit of creativity and some insider information, you’ll fly for no cost in no time.
The Basics of Travel Hacking
Travel hacking is about swapping credit card sign-up bonus as well as incentives to earn airline miles. These miles can later be used to pay for discount or no-cost flights. Certain credit cards will also let you redeem miles to pay for hotel stays or car rental discounts.
How Does it Work?
The secret to successful hacking your travel plans is to take advantage of credit card sign-up bonuses and building out frequent flyer miles for a specific group of airlines. When it comes time to book a flight, evaluate the cost. If the flight is under $300, it’s generally better to pay in 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 those frequent flyer accounts to determine which airline offers you the most value. It all boils down to the amount of miles or points in your travel account for every airline.
Begin by Getting Started with Travel Hacking
Are you ready to discover the secrets of travel hacking? The first step is opening a credit card with a sign-up bonus. There are plenty of great credit cards that provide many advantages and features. It is all dependent on the airline, your habits with spending and the features that are most essential to you.
Top Credit Card Picks
Here are a few credit cards 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 have to meet the limit of spending minimum in order to get the bonus. Every credit card has its own set of guidelines, so make sure to check for the details. From there, it’s all about racking up miles, and using them to plan your dream vacation!
Ready to jet-set with your points?
After you’ve accrued your points balance, you’re ready to cash them in for some delicious getaway! Different credit card companies will have different methods for redeeming your points, but here are some examples from some of the companies I’ve had experience with:
Escape with Chase Ultimate Rewards
If you have an Chase card, you can use your points to redeem them through the Ultimate Rewards portal. Within it, you’ll have access to virtually every airline and you can make use of a combination of money and points to book your next trip. You can even book completely with points if you’ve the funds to pay for it! Sometimes even if you don’t possess enough points for the entire cost, you are able to purchase flights through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and pay the balance in cash using every credit card.
United
Are you fed up of paying full price for flights? Did you not know that when you book directly through United You have the option to pay with dollars or points? Butbe aware in case you do not have enough points you aren’t able to combine points and dollars for the same flight. Don’t worry, though, if you’re only a couple of point short United gives you the option of buying additional miles.
JetBlue
Are you looking for a domestic flight? You should look no further than JetBlue! JetBlue provides an enjoyable and comfortable travel experience that includes extra space and complimentary snacks. Additionally, their booking process is like United’s that allows passengers to book flights using JetBlue either dollars or points however, not both. But, JetBlue has a unique feature that lets you combine your points with your family members and earn points twice as quickly. Make sure to verify that you are a family member before trying to hack into the system.
Hit that Minimum Spend
If you’re like me and my travel buddy Becca I’m sure you’re pretty frugal and it can be challenging to attempt to spend thousands of dollars in order to meet the minimum amount required to earn credit card bonuses. But don’t fret 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 an important one! If you’re able to pay your rent with credit card, go for it! Make sure you pay a cost, which is usually about 3%. It might be worth it over the long term when the bonus is large enough.
Pay a medical bill
Another great way to hit the required spending is to pay for a medical bill. If you don’t have any medical bills coming up Ask your family members to pay for theirs and they will reimburse you.
Pay off a loan
If you have any loans take into consideration making payments on them with an credit card. Just make sure you pay the credit card balance completely so that you don’t accumulate more debt.
Ask family for help
Talk to your family and determine if they’ve got any major expenses in the near future which you could help pay for. Just make sure you trust the person and they understand why you’re doing it.
Give gifts
If it’s the holiday season take into consideration buying all of your gifts with cards from your credit account. In this way, you’ll reach the minimum spending requirement and also be prepared to give gifts. Just make sure you’re not paying more than you thinking of.
There are plenty of methods to get the most of using your credit or debit card for travel and earn miles or points to use towards the cost of flights or other expenses related to travel. Here are a few additional ways to maximize your rewards
Make travel reservations using your credit card
If you’re planning a trip, make use of the travel credit card to pay for your hotel, flight or rental car, as well as other travel costs. In addition, you’ll be able to meet the minimum spend for your credit card reward and earn points, but you’ll also earn points or miles to cover those expenses.
Use your credit card for all your daily expenditures
Another method to reach the minimum amount of spending and earn points is making use of your credit card for everyday expenditures. This can include things like gas, groceries, and even your phone bill. Make sure you pay off the balance in full each month so you don’t accumulate interest.
Make the most of bonus categories
A lot of travel credit cards provide miles or points in exchange for certain types of purchases, like eating out or traveling. Check out your credit card’s rewards program and make use of the bonus categories that are in line with your spending habits.
Consider the possibility of transferring your balance
If you have existing debt on a credit card, consider transferring the balance to an account with a travel credit card that has an introductory rate of 0% for balance transfers. This will allow you to pay off your debt without accruing interest and simultaneously assist you in reaching the minimum amount required to earn the credit card bonus.
Use your points or miles wisely
If you’ve amassed a large amount of miles or points, be sure to use them wisely. Examine the rewards program of your credit card and then compare the worth of various redemption options. For instance you can use your points to purchase a flight 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 your points to other loyalty programs. This will let you get a wider selection of choices and more freedom when it comes to redeeming your rewards. For example, you may be able to transfer your reward to an airline’s frequent flyer program or a reward program for hotels. This can give an access wider selection of hotels, flights as well as other travel perks which are not offered through your credit card’s rewards program.
In addition, you should determine whether your credit card has any perks that can reduce your travel expenses. Some cards offer travel insurance, rental car insurance, baggage protection and other benefits that can be invaluable when you travel.
If you’re traveling with someone else each of you will be able to get rewards on your credit card. Be aware that you cannot split the cost on the same card, and be sure to keep track of your rewards separately.
Overall, the key to making the most of your travel rewards is to know your credit card’s rewards program and ensure that you’re making use of it in the most efficient way possible. Utilizing a combination of the methods I’ve described that you can earn rewards quickly, redeem them for travel experiences that are worth it, and enjoy a wide variety of travel benefits.