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“Travel Hacking? Is this illegal?” – Me. When I first heard this term “Travel Hacking” in early 2021.
After I learned a bit more about the travel hacking movement I discovered that it is essentially what I knew of as “points and miles.” It’s using loyalty programs, credit cards, and other “hacks” to travel for cheap or free.
I wasn’t completely new to the points and miles world. I had an airline credit card and tried to always stick to one or two airlines (or alliances) to wrack up the points to use for future flights. Same with hotels – I didn’t have a hotel credit card, but I tried to stay with the same brand frequently to eventually get free stays.
But I soon learned that Travel Hacking goes far beyond 1 credit card and selectively choosing who you fly with and where you stay.
There are people who get thousands of dollars in free travel every year. Now, some of those strategies are pretty advanced and while I’ve tried a few it’s probably not what I will focus on here. But, I have discovered that it can be pretty easy to get enough points and miles for free flights and hotels when you need them.
As it says in my bio, I want to help people live larger, more adventurous lives than they have ever dreamed possible. And I believe that can be done anywhere – even at home, with local exploration – but I also know that a lot of you have dreams of seeing the world. But not always the cash to make it happen.
So if money is what is holding you back from completing your Bucket List, I do want to show you some ways to make travel a little more affordable.
Rule #1 Always pay your credit card in full every month.
The main tools in “travel hacking” are credit cards. I know some of you aren’t comfortable with credit cards and I respect that. In fact, the #1 Rule of Travel Hacking is:
Always pay your credit card in full every month.
If you can’t commit to that or having a credit card is a temptation to overspend, this is not the hobby for you. Sorry, but it’s just not. If you go into debt it will cost you far more than the free travel that you earn. But, if you already have some credit cards and you pay them off in full every month, then you can probably optimize your spending to earn more perks and points.
If you can’t say without a doubt you’ll pay your card off every month, please stop reading now. I mean it. It’s not worth it.
Rule #2 Sign Up for Loyalty Programs
I mentioned this above. Whenever you fly or stay at a hotel, sign up for their loyalty programs to earn points on every flight and stay. I was great at this when I first started traveling. But then I got lazy. I still get sad thinking about all of the points I left on the table when I was working for Nat Geo, traveling multiple weeks a month, and not ensuring my loyalty number was on each reservation.
Plus you will need these loyalty accounts to transfer points from your credit cards.
Rule #3 Consider Your Travel Plans/Goals
Most people would say that Rule #3 is Have a Plan for Your Points. A lot of “expert” travel hackers will tell beginners to have a plan in place. For example, I want to go to Hawaii next spring and I want to stay at a hotel on the beach. Or I want to go to Las Vegas next January and stay at the Bellagio. Then you can work backwards from there and find the credit cards that will give you the points you need to make that happen.
That’s good advice. If you know where you want to go absolutely start there to figure out the best strategy.
I had no idea where I wanted to go – aside from “everywhere.”
And since I work on a cruise ship, my schedule can be unpredictable and I don’t have a lot of time flexibility. I’m onboard for 4ish months at a time and then off for 2ish. Those months can change each year so I’m never exactly sure when I can travel. In other words I can’t plan my points redemptions for a year in advance because I don’t know my schedule.
So for me, I wanted to get a lot of different points so the flexibility I didn’t have with time I could have with currency. Meaning I could redeem my points with lots of different hotels and airlines.
If you have a specific trip, do some research and figure out which airlines fly there, how many points you need for an award ticket, etc. Then find the credit cards that earn those points.
Rule #4 Optimize Credit Card Spend
First of all, many credit cards come with a sign-up bonus aka a SUB. You typically have to spend a certain amount of money in a specific timeframe to earn the SUB which is usually a significant amount of points. Getting the SUB is where a lot of points come from so it’s important you meet all of the requirements.
I try to apply for new cards when I know I have big expenses coming up. For example, I got the American Express Platinum Card when I was starting a new business and knew I had to spend a lot over the next few months. Now I typically get new cards at the end of my 4 months onboard so I have it for my 2 month vacation since that’s when I spend the most.
Have a big home improvement project coming up? Could be a good time for a new card. Paying for a wedding? Look into new cards and maybe even use the points to fund the honeymoon. Life is expensive – find ways to get rewards from those costs.
So, the SUB is super important. I usually put all my spend on my new card until I reach the amount needed for the bonus.
When not working on a SUB, it’s important to optimize the cards that you have. Did you know that many cards earn different amounts of points depending on what you buy? Do you know what your cards earn? For example one card may earn 5x on gas while another only earns 1x. One card earns 3x on groceries but another earns 4x. Same with dining out, streaming, online shopping, cell phone plans, etc. You’ll earn the most points by using the right card at the right time.
There are apps (like Cardpointers) that can help you track this. What I have found to be the most helpful is a good old fashioned spreadsheet. I list all of my cards, all of the categories, and the earn rate. Then I highlight the best card for each category. I keep it on my phone to refer to while I’m out in the real world. I know some people put stickers on each card so they can just look in their wallet for what to use and where.
If you don’t know what your cards earn for each category check your account online or call the card company and ask.
Rule #5 Consider Chase Cards First
Chase offers one of the most popular travel cards – Sapphire Preferred/Reserve. And Chase points are considered some of the most valuable – you can transfer them to a variety of hotels and airlines for great redemptions. Plus, there are several Chase cards that earn points that can all be combined for even bigger and better redemptions.
BUT, Chase also has an unwritten, unpublished rule known as 5/24. Meaning that if you have opened 5 or more credit cards (with any company) in the past 24 months, you will automatically be denied for a new Chase card if you apply.
When you are just starting, 5 cards sounds like a lot. But those spots can go pretty past.
I wish someone had told me this rule when I was starting! My first travel card in 2021 was the Amex Platinum…and then I learned this rule. I gave up 1 of 5 precious spot before I knew this was an issue.
So I focused on Chase cards for awhile. But then I was swayed by the signup bonus on the Capital One Venture X when it was first released. Now I’m at 5/24, want a new Chase card, but I have to wait until next year.
Depending on your travel goals, it may be a good idea to consider Chase cards first and branch out later.
There are no rules (except Rule #1)
Ultimately what I have discovered on my “Travel Hacking” journey is that there are no rules. Except for the rule of paying off your card every month – not following that rule can lead to financial ruin.
I’ve made mistakes. Lots of them. I started with the wrong card. I’ve transferred points to airlines and then wasn’t able to redeem them. I’ve used cards that earn 1x when I’ve had cards in my wallet that earn 5x. It happens.
But I’ve also had $700 hotel stays for free. And flights for less than $50.
I’m not an expert. I think I will always be a student. But I’ll hopefully always be a traveler too. And if I can go further, more often, and for longer stays on a smaller budget…then I’m happy to keep learning.
Hopefully you learned a few things here. I’m no expert, but let me know if you have questions.
