MORE MONEY FOR MORE TRAVEL? YES, PLEASE!!
Perhaps you’ve heard of credit card “hacking” for points and miles, but…
QUESTION: What does it actually mean?
ANSWER: You spend money on your credit card (like you normally would), but you do so in a strategic way where you can earn points/miles and then you can trade those in for free/heavily discounted flights or hotel stays.
Note: The terms “points” and “miles” are basically used interchangeably, so don’t let that confuse you.
It might be overwhelming since there are so many credit card options! When you type in which is “best,” you always get the answer of “it depends.” (It does, but I’ll make it simple for you below).
The good news is you could dive in as deep as you want.
The easy step for beginners? Focus on earning a sign up bonus!
Below, I’ll give my best quick tips to help you understand some of the basic steps and which cards to consider.
The Best Credit & Debit Cards for Travel
Here are the best cards to help you save money so you’re not paying ATM fees to withdraw cash and you can work to earn free flights/hotels for your next adventure.
The Best DEBIT Card for Travel
I have to mention the Charle Schwabb debit card first since I believe everyone should be using this card.
It is THE travel debit card because it is FREE in ALL ways.
When you withdraw money abroad using your debit card, you’ll often have TWO PROBLEMS:
- Domestic bank charge (from YOUR bank charging a foreign transaction fee)
- International ATM charge (from the ATM in your destination charging a fee to use their bank)
SOLUTION? Use a debit card that’s made for travel so you KEEP all of your money.
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THE BEST TRAVEL DEBIT CARD: Charle Schwabb
The Charles Schwabb debit card is FREE to setup and it is an international card. There are NO foreign transaction fees(aka it solves problem #1).
If you DO get hit with an ATM fee, no problem. At the end of the month, Charles Schwabb reimburses you those international ATM fees! (solving problem #2).
My 3 Favorite Travel Credit Cards
- Capital One Venture X – This is my #1 for many reasons. First, their points are flexible to transfer to partners. You get lounge access with Priority Pass (saving you lots of money on airport food, plus you’ll get healthier food options). You get 2x points on every purchase, including groceries abroad. Lastly, they do price match, price drop, and their customer service is top-notch!
- Chase Sapphire Preferred – I love this card because it’s super flexible for transferring and you get 3x points for dining
***CURRENTLY THERE’S AN ELEVATED SIGNUP BONUS OF 100,000 POINTS!!
Get it before it disappears! Click HERE! - BILT Mastercard – Do you pay rent? If so, you must get this card! Rent can be a huge monthly expense, but with this card, you earn points just for paying it! There’s no annual fee, and you can pay via check or ACH (even if your landlord doesn’t accept credit cards). It’s a no-brainer for anyone renting!
Curious (but maybe a bit intimidated) by credit card hacking for free flights?
Take your first easy step below to start earning yours!
How Unlock FREE Flights & Hotel Nights
I wish I knew this years ago, but I’m so excited to share these tips with you now!
You’ll hear me say frequently in my newsletter:
More Money for MORE Travel!
Credit Card Hacking 101: Earn Free Travel
Ready to dive into credit card hacking? It isn’t as intimidating as you might think, especially if you follow the one, simplest strategy below.
To start:
➡ Each credit card has different “rewards” you can earn. Some offer cash back, etc. However, some will give you points/miles that is currency you can use for travel bookings.
➡ WAIT, BUT…You could use cash back for flights—but points/miles are worth more. You’re getting the same flight for less money. Trust me, there’s a reason points exist.
So what’s the #1 strategy for beginners??
💥Focus on a high signup bonus from travel credit card companies 💥
What does that mean? What is a “sign up bonus?”
You’ve probably already seen it listed before.
Each credit card has a regular “deal.” If you’re an American, you have a lot of credit card options. So the bank wants to incentive YOU for picking THEM.
Example: Sign up for our credit card, spend $3,000 on it in the first 3 months, and we’ll give you 60,000 points.
However, sometimes a credit card company will make the deal EVEN BETTER for a limited time by elevating your sign-up bonus reward. (In the example above, maybe now they’ll offer you 75,000 points instead).
Let’s do the math: By the time you’ve earned the big reward of 75,000 points, all of the times you were swiping that credit card to meet that sign-up bonus, you are earning points every time you swipe.
What does 75,000+ points get you?
You can easily get round-trip flights to Europe!!
With a little planning, you could earn enough points to offset major travel costs (flights, hotels, etc.) just by meeting the signup bonus and using the card for your regular spending.
To be clear, you do not need to travel often! You just need to swipe a credit card like normal and passively earn these rewards by everyday spending (Coffee, gas, doctor’s appointments, etc.).
✈ Ready to unlock your free flight??✈
HERE ARE YOUR INITIAL STEPS:
1. Start with a goal in mind (like a future trip) and determine what airline you might use for that trip. (This is where people say which card is “best” depends on your goal).
Note: It’s the same strategy if you’re goal is a hotel stay.
2. Review the credit cards associated with that airline (it’s either one of their airline credit cards OR a credit card that can transfer points to that airline – like the Chase and Capital One cards above)
3. Apply for a new credit card and take note of the signup bonus (aka Spending a certain amount of money in a designated amount of time to earn X points. Example: Spend $3,000 in the first 3 months to earn 75,000 points)
4. Spend like normal, pay off your balance in full each month, and earn your sign up bonus within the required time frame
5. Spend the points you earned to book your flights (or hotel)
Track Your Miles, Always
So you’ve flown MILES on an airplane recently? Log those miles in that airline’s frequent flyer program.
It’s easy to overlook, but tracking your frequent flyer miles is crucial.
Why? Remember, miles/points are currency!!! This includes when you earn them on a flight.
Be sure to save your booking reference number, flight number, and ticket number from your boarding pass, then add them to a frequent flyer program (even if you have to create a new one). I made the mistake of not doing this for years, and I regret it.
Many programs won’t let you add miles after 6-12 months, so it’s best to do it immediately!
How to Maximize Rewards with Online Shopping
If you have a travel credit card, always use its shopping portal before making any online purchase. These portals often offer extra points for shopping with specific stores.
For example, I love booking tours through GetYourGuide or Viator.com via my Capital One Venture X portal—I’ll get 10% back on a $100 tour, saving me $10! If I booked directly on the tour company site, I wouldn’t get any money back.
Pro Tip: Sometimes you can combine shopping portal points and cashback for double rewards—what’s better than double-dipping?
For instance, when I bought sneakers from Reebok, I earned 4x points through my Chase portal and an additional 4% cashback through Rakuten—totaling even more rewards. It takes a bit of time, but small savings really add up!
It takes a little bit of research (time, organization, and effort), but $1 here or $4 there (or more) really adds up over time.