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I love to travel, that’s a given. What I love even more is traveling for free using points and miles, or at minimum a deep discount. I’m often asked how I travel so frequently. “Folks will try to be in your pockets” may be your first thought but not necessarily so. I get it. Travel is expensive, especially so right now. Flight prices have increased tremendously. According to Travel and Leisure “overall, airfare rose 42.9% from September 2021 to September 2022.”

My usual modus operandi is curating a list of countries that I’d like to visit and watching for flight deals to a location on that list. Invariably, a flight deal for a location on that list would pop up, and off I would go. I talk in detail about how I go about this in my blog post on travel tips for beginners.

But things have changed significantly. Real flight deals are few and far between. There is some good news though! You can still travel for free or at deeply discounted rates by using points and miles.

Points and miles are the keys to free travel

Points and miles are in essence travel currency. They can be redeemed for airline tickets and hotel stays. So strategically accumulating those points and miles are key. You, undoubtedly, are already doing things that would earn you points and miles. Everyday things like buying groceries and gas, shopping online, and using credit cards can put you closer to redeeming miles for a free flight or points for a hotel stay. You just need to know how to go about collecting them.

Credit card strategy for travel points and miles

If you’re over 18, you probably have a credit card. If you’re anything like me, you rarely have cash on you. So using credit cards is something most people do on a daily. Why not maximize that spending by accumulating points and miles? Most credit cards come with some kind of perks. Some offer cash back (people tend to love this one), membership reward points, dining credits, miles, etc. The trick here is to find the credit card that offers the best bang for your travel goals. That’s important! Since you’re here reading this I’m assuming you want to accumulate points and miles for travel. If that’s the case, then a credit card that only gives cashback may not help you reach your travel goals.

Cash-back vs points or miles

There is a value attached to points and miles when redeemed and depending on how you use them the return will invariably be higher than the cash-back return. I have to throw this in for good measure…one of the worst ways to use your points or “cash back” is on Amazon. There I said it! You can get a much better redemption value if your goal is to travel for free or at a discount.

Choosing credit cards that help you reach your goal is paramount. Do you live in a city that has a major airline hub? Besides the fact that you should already be a loyalty member of that airline, you should also consider getting their branded credit card. If you have a hotel chain that you like more than others, consider getting their branded credit card. In addition, there are credit cards with membership points that can be transferred to airlines and hotel programs for redemption. So you see, there is a multitude of ways to accumulate points and miles, you just need to be strategic. After a while, it becomes like a game.

When I pull up to the gas station, I have a credit card that gives me more points for buying gas, so I use that one. When I grocery shop, a different credit card gives me more points for groceries so I use that one. Eating at a restaurant also gets you points, how many depends on the credit card you use. When I’m shopping online, I go through Rakuten. So I get points for using a credit card and then Rakuten now allows you to get American Express membership reward points (which can be transferred to airline and hotel programs as points) instead of cash. WHOOO HOOO! Double dipping, baby BABBBYYYY!!!

Rakuten

You should be using Rakuten, every time you shop online. Whether you get the cashback or take the AmEx membership rewards. You come out better taking the membership rewards though!

If you haven’t signed up for Rakuten yet, use my Rakuten referral link to sign up today.

Sign-up bonus

Most credit cards have a sign-up bonus. This is where you can really rack up. You can earn a certain number of points (usually in the thousands), free nights, or miles by meeting the minimum spend in a certain time frame.

There it is…a little strategy in credit card utilization and some focus will have you racking up miles and points in no time.

Best airline credit cards for earning miles for free flights

Airline credit cards are co-branded. Meaning that the airline has partnered with a bank, for example, American Express or Chase, to offer credit cards to their loyalty members. In addition, to earning miles by spending on the card, there are other perks like the first checked bag free, no transaction fees when out of the country, preferred boarding, TSA pre-check credit, lounge access, and a discount on in-flight food and beverage purchases, etc.

Applying for the credit card of the airline that you fly the most almost seems like a no-brainer. For example, I live in Charlotte, North Carolina and it’s the hub for American Airlines. I have one of their co-branded cards and I earn 2X miles on gas, restaurants, American Airlines purchases (flights, etc.), and 1X on every other purchase. Their current (it changes periodically) sign-up bonus is 50,000 bonus miles after qualifying spend. That’s a big deal cause you can fly within the United States, one way, for as low as 12,500 miles and to the Caribbean for 15,000. That means a round trip for less than 50,000. That’s your free flight right there.

And let’s not forget about the airline alliances of American Airlines (Oneworld), United Airlines (Star Alliance), and Delta Airlines (SkyTeam), which allows you to use your miles to book flights on partner airlines.

So which credit card should you get?

There are different sign-up bonuses, perks, and mile-earning potential based on the airline. Also, airlines have different card offerings so make sure you do your research and make sure you get the card that best meets your needs.

The major US airlines with the most hubs are American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines. These options are where I would start when looking for an airline-co-branded credit card.

If you’re a member of the loyalty program of the following airlines (which you absolutely be of ALL of them not just the one in your hub) a quick look at the app will bring you to the credit card offers.

But in the meantime here is a quick look at the credit card offers…

American Airlines

American Airlines offer credit cards offered by Citi Bank which can be found here.

Delta Airlines

There are three American Express card offers from Delta Airlines which can be found here.

United Airlines

If you live in a city with a United Airlines hub then these Mileage Plus credit card offers can be found here and may be of interest to you.

These four options have healthy sign-on bonuses.

Choosing the best airline credit card

The best credit card offer FOR YOU depends on several factors. Your travel goals, the airline hub closest to you, the travel perks that are most important to you, and the annual fee of the card must be considered when choosing the card that best suits your needs. Do your research!

Best hotel credit cards for earning points for free hotel stays

Earning hotel points that can be redeemed for free stays is a part of the one-two punch of FREE TRAVEL. Once you’ve redeemed miles for your free flight, now you need a place to stay. So why not stay for free?

A few of the largest hotel chains in the world are Marriott, Hilton, Wyndham, and IHG. I’ll discuss Marriott and Hilton here. There’s hardly a place in the world that you can go to that doesn’t have a location for either of these. My preference when traveling is either Marriott or Hilton. Hilton is number one in my book. If the Hilton offerings are few then I’ll stay at a Marriott. My most recent trip to Germany and Switzerland were primarily Mariott stays.

You should absolutely sign up for the loyalty programs of each which is free. The loyalty programs come with perks like free wi-fi, points earned per stay, lowest price guarantees, breakfast (depending on your membership tier), and exclusive app features like mobile check-in and mobile key entry.

Each has credit card offers that come with sign-on bonuses that when met enable you to stay for free. How long and for how many points depends on the location and whether you’re traveling during peak season or the off-season.

Hilton Honors credit cards: which one is right for you?

Hilton Honors offers 3 personal credit cards and a business credit card. The offers range from no annual fee to a $450 annual. Here again, is where the research comes in. Make sure the annual fee is mitigated by corresponding perks that you will actually use. Check out the signup bonuses that range from 80,000 points with the no-annual-fee card to 150,000 points with the $450 annual fee card.

You can redeem points for free night stays starting at 5,000 points to 95,000 points depending on where and when you stay.

Referral link

Feel free to use my Hilton Honors American Express referral link to apply. You’ll earn a welcome bonus and I will earn a referral bonus. Win-win all around. Once you land on the site, choose the card that is best for you. I have the Hilton Honors Surpass credit card. I love this card. It makes it so easy to earn points with 12X points per dollar spent on Hilton hotels, 6X points for gas, restaurants, and groceries, and 3X points for everything else. PLUS, you automatically become a gold elite member with Hilton by getting the card which in turn gets you 80% points earning bonus on stays and free breakfast. Use my referral link to check all the other perks.

Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards: which one is right for you?

Marriott Bonvoy offers four personal and one business credit card. The sign-on bonuses range from one free night to 150,000 bonus points, with annual fees ranging from $0 to $650. The point-earning power of Marriott cards is not as good as Hilton, in my opinion, however, it’s still a great card to have. At the very least to get the sign-on bonus. You automatically attain silver status by having the card which earns you 10% more points per stay. No breakfast, though. I have the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card where I earn 6X points on Marriott hotel stays, 3X on gas, restaurants, and groceries, and 2X on everything else.

Referral link

My Marriott Bonvoy credit card referral link currently offers 3 free nights up to 105,00 point value for the Boundless card with the $95 annual fee. The Bold card has no annual fee and offers a sign-on bonus of one free night up to a 35,000-point value.

Do you need the Hilton and the Marriott card?

It depends on your travel style (frequency, locations, where you like to stay, etc). If you travel mainly in the USA, then one or the other will do you just fine and I’d suggest the Hilton card. If you travel internationally frequently and like to stay in hotels versus Airbnb then I’d say yes, both would serve you well. As a certain location might have a greater variety on one chain than the other. If you have a dream trip in mind, then researching accommodations ahead of getting a hotel card might point you in one direction or another.

Say, for example, you don’t travel frequently but you have a dream trip in mind to the Maldives. Once you check out options for hotels, you fall in love with the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, then I’d say get the Hilton card for sure and focus all your energy on accumulating points on that card for a free stay. So your travel goals matter here.

Using credit cards wisely

In your quest to use credit cards to accumulate points and miles, it is imperative that you use credit wisely. This is not about spending above your means or recklessly in pursuit of points and miles. IT IS about leveraging your everyday spending to meet your travel goals.

Have a major appliance buy coming up? That’s a great time to apply for a card and get the sign-on bonus by meeting the minimum spend on something you were going to purchase anyway. Have a monthly bill that you can pay by credit card? Then use a credit card that gives your the most bang for the buck and get those points and miles. Car insurance is due? Use the credit card to meet the last of your minimum spend.

Tips to make the most of your credit cards while using credit wisely

-Keep track of your spending. At the end of each month, balance the books. Know what you spent and on what.

-Pay off balances monthly and don’t spend more than what you can pay off monthly. I pay off my credit cards monthly, especially for things like gas and groceries. If there has been an extra large spend for something I may break it up into two payments. What you don’t want is to pay a bunch of interest for your purchases, because that will soon decrease the value of your points and miles.

-Pay on time. Know your closing dates and due dates for each card. Make an excel spreadsheet if you have to.

-Know which cards earn the most points or miles for a particular spend. Remember the Hilton Honors Surpass card earns 6X for gas. That’s usually my go-to for gas, UNLESS I have a specific goal in mind, and putting the gas on another card will help me meet that goal faster even if it’s earning fewer points.

Is it really possible to travel for free using points and miles?

Absolutely! However, strategy is the key. Having a travel goal in mind that you can work towards helps you to remain focused and keeps you from hoarding miles and points. Using the right credit cards for daily spending and earning sign-on bonuses will have you on your way to a free trip in no time.

There are other credit cards that are also great at earning award travel but that’s another post for another day. If you’re a beginner to the points and miles game, this is definitely enough to get you started.

I must warn you this points and miles game is very addicting! Having switched purses one day, I left my Hilton Honors credit card ( which earns the most for gas) behind. You can imagine my dismay at having to use another card for gas! I was HOT AS FISH GREASE!!

Tricks To Travel

If you’re really ready to get into the free travel game, Ronnie Dunston of Road to 100 Countries and Tricks to Travel is the guy to know. He has a course that really goes into depth about maximizing your spending for points and miles accumulation. The wealth of information makes the cost well worth it. Check out his tricks to travel course, you won’t be disappointed.

Are you currently using points and miles for free travel? Do you want to start?

Comment below and let me know your thoughts!

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