Travel hacking has become a popular activity in the recent decade. This is largely due to social media, with influencers on Instagram showing off exotic trips attained through the\u00a0cunning use of rewards. And the appeal is broad. Families can considerably reduce the cost of a Disney vacation, while the wealthy can purchase first-class tickets for pennies on the dollar. I’ve been travel hacking for almost a decade and have seen and done\u00a0everything. You may save a lot of money on flights and hotels through traveling hacking. In this post, we’ll define travel hacking for flights and discuss the best credit card for flight hacking.<\/p>
Travel hacking is the practice of exchanging credit card sign-up bonuses and other perks for airline miles. You can use those airline points (or frequent flyer miles) to book cheap (and frequently free) flights to your preferred destinations. You can also trade a mile or point incentive for hotel stays and rental car bargains, depending on the credit card you use.<\/p>
We take advantage of credit card sign-up incentives as much as possible and build out our frequent flyer mile programs on a few preferred airlines. When we’re ready to book a flight, we’ll first look at the price. If the airfare is between $200 and $300, it’s usually wiser to pay cash and collect more miles for the flight.<\/p>
When the flights exceed $500, we consult our airline frequent flyer accounts to see which airline can provide us with the greatest rate. This is determined by the number of miles or points in our travel bank for each airline with which we have a relationship.<\/p>
The following thought process and system are the foundation of how travel hacking works. Some airlines will trade one mile for one cent. So you’ll need 100,000 kilometers for $1000. Other airline programs have a more structured value system. With United, for example, 35,000 miles does not necessarily imply that you must pay $350 to get there.<\/p>
If all of this seems interesting and you’re anxious to get started, here are some pointers to get you started with travel hacking flights:<\/p>
Setting a trip goal is the first step in your travel-hacking quest. Earning points without knowing what you’re aiming for can be a pointless exercise. When I first started, I made the error of primarily accumulating Delta SkyMiles and American AAdvantage points for a trip to Europe. I discovered much later that American Airlines had a limited route network to Europe at the time, and that United Miles would have been a far better option.<\/p>
A rewards credit card is the simplest way to increase your point balance. After signing up and being accepted, you can usually earn 50,000 or more points by meeting a spending criterion over three or more months. While welcome bonuses are appealing, you may also employ category bonuses and annual spending bonuses to maximize your everyday spending over time.<\/p>
Those continuous incentives should be considered when choosing a travel rewards card. The majority of consumers will benefit from credit cards that offer transferable benefits, such as these:<\/p>
These currencies provide flexibility because they can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to numerous airlines or hotel programs. If one transfer airline does not have award space available on your specified trip dates, you can transfer them to another. You’ll have options and will be protected from any program devaluations.<\/p>
Once you’ve decided which credit cards to apply for, be sure you qualify and that you’re prepared to meet any applicable restrictions. Here are a few things to think about:<\/p>
The finest travel rewards cards, as you might assume, demand good credit. A credit score of at least 700 is required to include a credit card in your travel hacking approach. If you’re still working on it, consider applying when you have a better chance of being accepted.<\/p>
Every bank has its unique credit card acceptance policies. The infamous 5\/24 rule at Chase limits welcomes bonuses if you’ve applied for five or more credit cards in the previous 24 months. Because Amex has a once-per-lifetime restriction, if you earn a welcome bonus for one card, you won’t be able to make the same incentive again. There are other additional credit card application rules to be aware of. Knowing them before clicking “apply” increases your chances of being approved for a travel rewards credit card.<\/p>
If you have trouble paying off your credit cards each month, travel hacking with credit cards is probably not for you. This is due to the high-interest rates on these credit cards, which will cancel out any incentives you receive. If you’re not sure about your ability to pay off your debt, you’re better off avoiding these credit cards and earning points and miles in other ways.<\/p>
If you want to maximize your points and miles earnings, shopping portals are the way to go. Whether it’s your credit card company or your favorite airline, nearly every major loyalty program offers a shopping gateway where you can earn rewards. You’ll get at least one extra point for every dollar spent, in addition to the points from your credit card.<\/p>
Dining reward schemes, like shopping sites, require no effort to gain extra points. You may earn up to 8 points per dollar spent by joining one of seven airlines and three hotel-affiliated dining programs \u2013 just make sure your airline or hotel program of choice has a dining program.<\/p>
It’s time to be inventive now that you’ve gotten into the habit of maximizing your ordinary expenditures. What else can you put on your credit card while keeping a balance you know you can pay off at the end of the month? My supervisor once agreed to let me pay a $35,000 supplier invoice with my credit card.<\/p>
There are numerous travel hacks available, and the finest ones are kept top secret (for good reason). However, if you’re just starting and want to keep things simple, these are the most important tips to know:<\/p>
Credit card sign-up bonuses are by far the easiest way to rack up a large number of points in a short period. You may even put together a nice vacation by applying for credit cards carefully.<\/p>
Just make sure you’re aware of any issuer rules that consider how many cards you’ve previously applied for. You should also exercise caution if you apply for multiple cards in a short period. Not only will you have to spend more money to obtain more bonuses, but you may also harm your credit score and make yourself appear riskier to future lenders.<\/p>
One of the best travel tricks is to double or triple dip. Stacking travel hacking techniques can let you earn a lot more miles. Let’s imagine you’re in the midst of a house renovation project. You have expenditures, and they are significant. If you can conduct some online buying for your project, you can earn rewards on both your credit card and an online shopping portal.<\/p>
Travel hacking is more than just earning and redeeming points. Mistake prices are one of my favorite methods to save money on vacation. Occasionally, airlines make mistakes and post fares that are much below market value. I’m referring to a round-trip business class ticket to Shanghai for $450 or an economy class ticket to Abu Dhabi for $120. Hundreds of amazing mistake fares have been exploited by travel hackers throughout the years.<\/p>
When you’re ready to book that long-awaited dream vacation, there are three categories of awards to consider: sweet spots, off-peak award charts, and award discounts. Sweet spots, in particular, can save you a lot of money on award flights.<\/p>
My favorite travel hacking credit cards list is continually evolving as I continue my own credit card points journey. Here are the credit cards I currently use for travel hacking, as well as how and when I use them. If you want to travel internationally, I highly recommend cards with no foreign transaction fees, which include all of the cards listed below.<\/p>
I adore the Reserve\u2014it’s been my go-to card for more than a decade. Because you can only have one Sapphire product at a time\u2014and only get one Sapphire bonus per 48 months\u2014you’ll need to product-change your Reserve to a Freedom, then wait a week or two before applying.<\/p>
If you frequently fly Southwest, now is the greatest time to acquire a travel-hacking credit card for your flights. Why? If you score 125,000 points, you will receive Southwest Companion Pass status, which means you will be able to fly for free with a companion for the remainder of the calendar year in which you earned it, as well as the following year. What exactly does this mean? You should aim to claim your sign-up bonus in January, not before!<\/p>
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the credit card that I regard to be the doorway to travel hacking. It operates on the Chase Universal Rewards flexible points system, which is important because it allows you to spend those points on a wide range of airlines, hotels, and car rental companies, and it has a low annual fee, making it easy to justify for those looking for the best travel credit card for their needs. If you have numerous cards, you can also combine Chase points.<\/p>
This is the gold standard card for frequent and well-traveled travelers. Although the annual cost is hefty, the American Express Platinum is well worth it for many people, including me. That being said, you must go into your dashboard’s benefits area and allow everything to make the fee worthwhile.<\/p>
This card offers similar benefits to the Chase Sapphire Reserve at a cheaper charge, including advance ticket access to things like bowl games and concerts (albeit it did not assist me in obtaining Taylor Swift tickets), but I still use my Reserve and AmEx Platinum before using this one.<\/p>
However, Cap One Venture X does offer 2x on all purchases, so if you open it, this is a wonderful everyday spend card for areas where you may not receive regular benefits (for example, hardware stores, pet stores, and medical expenditures). If the Capital One lounge network extends in the future, this one may rise to the top of my list.<\/p>
I’ve discovered that because we’re situated in Nashville, all of our best foreign flight options are with United, with connections in Dulles. In my instance, establishing a United Business MileagePlus card will offer me priority on upgrades, not to mention the 150,000 points I earned through the first two tiers of the sign-up bonus, which will go a long way toward scheduling future reward flights.<\/p>
Travel hacking via credit cards, airline, and hotel reward programs is not only legal but also a vital component of the travel industry. You’re not doing anything out of the norm as long as you follow the fine print.<\/p>
The process of employing various strategies and procedures to acquire frequent flyer miles or reward points quickly, efficiently, and frequently at a lesser cost than typical is referred to as “mile hacking.” These miles and points can then be redeemed for free or reduced-price flights, hotel stays, rental vehicles, and other travel-related expenses.<\/p>
No. Travel hacking, or tactics for finding better deals, may be legal, but it is not usually ethical, particularly when deception is involved.<\/p>
Hackers are classified into three types: black hat hackers, white hat hackers, and gray hat hackers.<\/p>
A fly hack is defined as a running player’s kick at the ball on the ground.<\/p>
Map hacking is a word used frequently in video games, notably in real-time strategy (RTS) and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games. It is the use of unauthorized third-party software or tools to obtain an unfair advantage by revealing sensitive information on a map that the player would otherwise be unaware of.<\/p>
Travel hacking flights may seem frightening, but it’s just the skill of spending wisely on the appropriate one or two credit cards. You don’t need to do anything else. While you can go much deeper into the hacking game (some people fall down the rabbit hole on this! ), it isn’t essential.<\/p>
Don’t let money slip through your fingers. Get a card, take advantage of the welcome offer, maximize your points, and then repeat! With minimal extra expenditure, you’ll eventually meet your goal and be able to enjoy some fantastic travel benefits!<\/p>