Updated: 9/25/20 | September 25th, 2020
Recently, I wrote an article on how to travel anywhere in the world for $1,000. While that is a lot of money to most people, it’s not an insurmountable amount of money to save with a few clever techniques (it works out to only $2.74 per day).
In the article, I picked expensive destinations as examples because I didn’t want to be accused of copping out by picking cheap places. If I had, I imagined the Internet would rise up and say “Oh, sure, Matt! Anyone can travel to Thailand on a budget. That’s easy. What about (insert expensive destination)? This article is fake news!”
In picking expensive destinations, I used points and miles to help mitigate the costs of transportation. After all, it’s one thing to pay $700 for a flight if the destination only costs a few dollars a day. It’s another thing to pay that much when you’re going to Australia! You won’t get far with only $300 to spend in Australia!
But a different — and unexpected — backlash erupted.
On the blog and social media, people kept commenting that points/miles are money, have a cost, aren’t easy to get, only work in the States, and that, basically, the whole article was BS. For example:
“Matt, like some people have mentioned before me in the comment section: not everyone has miles or bonus points. You know I’m a travel writer…and yet I have never joined a frequent flyer program. I don’t have miles or points to redeem, and likewise, there are also people who might not have saved up enough points to fly entirely free.
“Between cheaper destinations and relying on bonus points, you chose the latter for your article’s premise, and it feels a bit like saying: I could be telling you to go camping, but hey, that would be too easy, so let’s talk cruising — now, redeem 100,000 Airmiles for this two-week cruise and you’ve got $1,000 to play with on board!
“It doesn’t seem entirely fair.”
First, let me say you everyone is correct. From the outset, I should have factored in taxes and fees into the cost of the trips, and have since changed the expense chart on that post to reflect that. I apologize for the oversight.
But I don’t think using points or miles is in any way cheating or unfair. (I’d also like to say that while they were a big part of the article, many of the other tips helped lower costs just as much!)
To me, points and miles are free money. They have no cost to me. I don’t give up anything to get them. I think of them as the perk for being smart about my spending. Sure, I know some of you view points and miles as having a time related opportunity cost to them.
But I don’t think of them that way.
They are just a thing I get when I spend money that I would have spent anyway.
Let me explain in more detail. A lot of people think points and miles are hard to get, that you have to do crazy stuff to get them, or you have to spend lots of money to get there:
“To collect miles requires spending money. To say one can travel anywhere for $1,000 and then condition that on free airfare is disingenuous. The advice is aimed at people who might find $1,000 USD a lot of money. Let’s assume you need 80,000 miles for an award and can find a sign-up offer for 40,000. That means you probably have to spend $40,000 to collect the other 40,000 miles. Then the advice to use hotel points for free rooms. Assume you want a seven-day vacation and rooms are just 15,000 a night. That’s another 105,000 hotel points, and another $105,000 spend. Even if your hotel card gets two-for-one points, that’s still $52,500 in spend. So for me to go on a vacation for $1,000 I need to charge $92,500. I’m surprised you missed telling us to just go for one day and avoid six more days of hotel, meal, and local transportation expenses.”
I hear you but true travel hacking is never getting only one mile/point per dollar spent. There are pretty easy ways to earn multiple points/miles per dollar spent. It’s easy to get up to 10x points for every dollar you spend.
I have a chart for which cards I use for which expenses, so I always get the most miles per dollar spent. Here it is:
(Note: I also have all the co-branded airline cards but I rarely ever use those.)
Through all this, I earn a million or more miles per year. If it was really only 1 point/mile per dollar spent, then I would have to spend one million a year but that’s not the case. When I need to buy something, I do it online for bonus points through airline shopping portals (I recently got 6x American Airlines miles for my Macy’s shopping on top of my credit card points). Need something on Amazon? I buy a gift card from Office Depot for 5x points and then go through JetBlue for 3x more points. Buying a new computer? I’m off to get a new card to hit the minimum spending for the bonus. Got a few minutes? I answer some surveys for points.
I’m always earning multiple points per dollar spent.
I don’t view collecting points/miles as having a “cost” because I don’t spend extra money to earn them. To me, something has a cost when I give up money to get it.
Sure, there are taxes and fees are included in your ticket but those still cost less than the price of a full ticket. And hotels don’t charge these fees, so the cost of them using points is literally zero. (Also, some credit cards allow you to wipe charges off of them, making those expenses literally zero too.)
If you want to travel more, points and miles have to be something you do (providing you live in a place where they are an option). Even if it takes you are year to accumulate them, they help you unlock your dreams by drastically reducing the cost of everything.
When I ask most people why they don’t travel hack, they just shrug their shoulders and go, “I don’t know. Seems hard, I guess.” I think people believe because travel hacking seems complicated, therefore it must be so.
In addition, travel hacking seems to run counter to everything we have learned about finance. We’re taught to think of money and credit in one way:
“Credit cards a bad. The companies are bad. Never pay a fee. Your score is sacred and doing things like this hurt it, and you’ll never get a loan.”
But that’s just bullshit. It’s a myth perpetuated by….well, I don’t know who exactly, but people keep believing it.
You earn points and miles for everyday purchases you would have bought anyways and the perks outweigh the credit card fees. For example, with my $550 USD per year Chase card, I get:
- $300 USD in airline credit
- 3x points on travel and restaurants (so I can earn points faster)
- Global Entry ($100 USD every five years)
- Purchase protection so I can get refunded if things I buy are lost, damaged, or stolen
- A priority pass for lounge access (about $100 USD a year)
- Trip insurance
My $49 USD/year IHG card gives me a free night at a category 1-5 property (around $200 USD a night) and my American Airlines card comes with free checked bags, saving me hundreds of dollars a year!
Additionally, my credit score has only gone up because of this as now I have more credit and less debt as well as a good payment history. (And, as my friend Gary says, “What good is a credit score if you don’t use it?”)
If you pay your bills off each month and are reasonable with your money, not collecting points and miles is saying no to free money. It’s saying, “I don’t want to be rewarded for my good spending habits.”
Free is the best word in travel.
When you don’t travel hack, the only person you are hurting is yourself. You aren’t hurting the banks or the airlines. They are in on the game.
In my view, travel hacking is something to be embraced. It reduces the cost of travel. You can do this in a lot of countries around the world! Even if takes you a year to earn a free flight, why not take the flight? One free flight is better than no free flights.
Anything that saves money and reduces the cost of travel is something every traveler should do.
Saying no to travel hacking is saying yes to spending more money on travel — and why would you ever want to do that?
Want to learn all about points and miles?
Stop paying full price for airfare! Download our free guide to travel hacking and learn:
- How To Pick a Credit Card
- How To Earn Miles for Free Flights & Hotels
- Is Travel Hacking Really a Scam?
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
- World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
- Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
- Medjet (for additional repatriation coverage)
Ready to Book Your Trip?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.
Ian Paterson
Hi Matt, I think the main issue with for me with regards to miles accrual is that encourages people to make needless flights, increasing global warming effects. Instead of going from London to New York, I’ve seen people go from London to Dublin to London to Miami to New York and back, just to pick up many more points. I don’t agree with that.
David Taylor
There are lots of ways to gather air miles; picking up miles by flying is just one of them. While I agree with your concern, there are easy ways to avoid that kind of activity.
I think most people that are hesitant to trust travel hacking methods are less educated about the process. Study up on the techniques and the fear evaporates.
Stephen
Mileage runs like you mentioned tend to be done more for airline status – the miles they earn are just a bonus that make it a little more worthwhile.
We’ve never done a mileage run – we hardly ever fly in the first place – but my wife and I are off to New Zealand and Australia in business class basically doing the same things Matt mentioned in this post.
It’s costing a total of 300k miles, all of which were earned through credit card signup bonuses, airline shopping portals, category spend bonuses, etc.
NomadicMatt
I can’t remember the exact number but at a recent conference I was at, they said over 80% of miles earned are through ways other than flying.
I mean the miles I earn are mostly via my spending.
Ian Paterson
Sure guys valid points but I work in the travel industry and I see mileage schemes make monsters of people. Airlines set them up to make more money and starting with that as a base approach is a good way to view them. I would worry that people view them as a cheap way to get to places without understanding the self-discipline you need not to fall into the trap of becoming an ultra-profitable customer for the airlines, taking needless flights or financial products. Take care guys.
Steve Nicholson
American has a dining club. Register any card and collect miles!
Tomas
Hi Matt, Thanks for the great article. You just miss one thing. As I am from Czech Republic I am not able use these great credit cards 🙁 Do you know about any airmiles credit cards works for EU residents? Thanks 🙂
NomadicMatt
Sadly, I don’t 🙁
Michaw
Consider get a Norwegian Airlines visa card. It has no yearly fee. Get you a few extra miles/points Per spent euro/kroner (can’t exactly remember).
This card also Take no charge when using a ATM in other countries. Norwegian is not currently a member of any group as Star Alliance, they are on their own with their own bonus programme.
So far One of the Best card for Scandinavians and/or Europeans.
Or else as a European:
Be a member of Eurobonus (Star Alliance) To gather points. It is free, but can be upgraded to a mastercard for a yearly fee.
Living in Czech Rep. Czech Airlines is Star Alliance member, right? You can use your points with all companies in Star Alliance. Just look for Star Alliance Flights.
Remeber businessclass upgrades for points are ridiculous expensive, so use your points on tickets instead.
Bonus programmets are not as good as USA bonus programmes, but that’s what we’ve got.
I am lucky to have family/friends in Australia, so by going there I got almost enough points for a R/T Copenhagen – Helsinki+ checked luggage. (I reside in Copenhagen). It is not much but worth the taking. (30 euros taxes pr ticket only to pay)
Other benefits with eurobonus is you can get very last minut flights for points, and don’t have to Care that prices do skyrocket just before departure.
Last year I bought a ticket Copenhagen- Vilnius R/T 30 euros in taxes, with points 16 hours before departure. In cash it would have been 400 euros at least.
Just DO pay your card balance each month if you get a Visa or Mastercard, so you won’t pay interest on your spendings. And read the small print in the contract.
Happy collecting!
Michaw
I am a member of Booth eurobonus and Norwegian bonus programmes, it is free so why not.
Hazel
If someone is going to teach me (a Malaysian who is based in Singapore) how to travel hack (in my context), I would definitely want to learn!
I didn’t do extensive research, I hope someone would!
As far as I understand, it’s not as easy to get approval for credit cards application. First, there aren’t as many card options for miles and points. Second, there is a minimum annual income requirement. Third, there is little to no sign-up bonus. Fourth, they usually require you to spend quite a bit within a short period of time to be eligible for the rewards, such as $6000 in 3 months.
I certainly believe travel hacking is a legit way to go. You choose your own game level. If you want to go crazy about it, there is certainly a way to do that. I have a similar thought as Matt. I don’t want it to be an add-on expense to me, but rather want to enjoy it as an extra bonus to cut my travel expenses.
I guess the “hack” to me is that, how can a foreigner like me eligible for applying the U.S. or Canada credit cards to enjoy those sign-up bonuses that everyone is talking about haha!
Ryan Biddulph
I have no clue why folks would call travel hacking a scam Matt. Oh yeah; actually I know why they would call it a scam. Folks who fear doing things from a smart, intelligent, well thought out space lash out at folks who do things from a smart space. “Scam” is usually a 4 letter word for the lazy. Because even though scams do exist, when someone with your integrity lays out a strategy, it is good money. Carry on Matt. We love what you’re doing.
Ryan
Brandon
In your “How I Optimize My Spending with My Travel Credit Cards” table, you listed Chase Freedom as earning 2x on general spending. How do you do that? I get 1% on general spending on Chase Freedom
NomadicMatt
Sorry, that should say 1.5. I’ll fix it up. Graphics = not my strong suit.
Ted
Yeah, but then you can transfer those points to your Chase Reserve UR account to receive 1.5 points per dollar when redeeming on the UR website. In effect earning 2.25 pts per dollar in spending on the chase freedom unlimite, with no annual fee! Hope it makes sense.
Stephen
It’s the ‘Chase Freedom Unlimited’, which is a flat 1.5% on all spending and is different from the ‘Chase Freedom’ which earns 1% on base spending and a capped 5% on rotating quarterly categories. It’s admittedly a poorly-conceived naming convention from Chase.
Jon - Everybody Hates A Tourist
Great post, I agree. While I understand the frustrations of non-Americans when it comes to being able to sign up for card bonuses, I don’t get why it would be a “scam”. As long as people can be responsible with their credit & pay their bills in full, there’s no reason not to get miles. But hey, if they don’t want to, that’s more award space for the rest of us! I’m flying one way in business class to Europe for $168.10 thanks to Alaska (2 credit card signups + taxes), and that’s not even the best redemption I’ve ever had.
Todd
I went to post the same comment and then saw this response. As far as I know, the Freedom gives you 1x on everything, while the Freedom Unlimited will give you 1.5x.
NomadicMatt
Yeah, it’s an error! I’ll fix it right away!
Ashley Ozery
Hi Matt, can you elaborate on how you earn extra points through the CC/airline portal? I primarily use my Chase Sapphire Reserve card but haven’t bought anything through their portal other than flights. I want to make sure I’m not missing a trick here.
Thanks so much!
Stephen
When you log in to your CSR account, click on the Ultimate Rewards section. You should then see a section that says ‘Earn Points.’ Hover over that and click ‘Shop Through Chase.’ That’s the UR shopping portal where you can earn additional points when shopping at various online retailers.
Having said that, it’s always best to check Cashback Monitor first to see which cashback or airline portal is offering the best rate as it can sometimes differ greatly.
Sarah
Actually your IHG card comes with a free night at any category on your anniversary! And the Priority Pass Lounge membership is worth $399 for unlimited visits for a year. So your perks are even more valuable!
Jason
Great post! Travel hacking is a scam, but it’s essentially a scam on the banks when it’s done well. For savvy travelers it’s a godsend. I do disagree that points from day to day spend don’t cost anything, though. It sounds like you understand from your “etc.” comment, but there is an opportunity cost. Using a cash back card could earn 2 cents per dollar so foregoing that to earns 2 miles per dollar, for example, means each mile cost a cent.
Jay
“Matt, like some people have mentioned before me in the comment section: not everyone has miles or bonus points. You know I’m a travel writer…and yet I have never joined a frequent flyer program.”
Um – if that commenter is indeed a Travel Writer, and has NEVER joined a Frequent Flyer program, not only is he a bad travel writer – he basically doesn’t understand that travel and points go hand in hand and has practically gifted free travel back to airlines.
You can’t not do something, then complain when you don’t get the benefits.
Jeroen Vogel
Well, maybe that travel writer is from a place in the world where credit cards and frequent flyer programs are harder to get. If you’re, like me, from the Netherlands, you’re pretty much down to KLM’s Flying Blue-programme which is associated with American Express. There are no other alternatives. And where could someone with that KLM-card accrue points here? Not at the Dutch Railways; not at the supermarket; I couldn’t think of any clothing store that’s affiliated with any points program – never and nowhere in my day-to-day-spendings would there be an opportunity for me to collect points, other than by flying KLM, which I refuse. There’s a reason why all credit cards in the world have an American parent company (except for the Chinese government-introduced China Union Pay and Japan’s JCB) and why credit cards are an American invention, and why there’s not a single European credit card company. I definitely wouldn’t say that good or bad travel writing is defined by the writer’s joining of a frequent flyer program (“All stories are on the ground. Travel overland,” Paul Theroux advised a crowd once), but I do think that this travel writer made a mistake in commenting on an article that was directed at an American audience.
Tobi
I totally agree, it is mildly frustrating to see the continous reiteration of “travel hacking” blog posts and it never comes up that it only applies to US Americans. I’ve lived in Austria, Spain, Ireland and now Switzerland – and in none of these countries you could find one of those cheap sign-up boni.
Michaw
Consider eurobonus, Star alliance bonus programme. It is not much but give it a look, or Norwegian bonus programme.
Scroll up this page to see my previous comment. Cheers.
Dana
The guy who accused you of “cheating” lost credibility when he said he’s never signed up for frequent flyer miles. How can he possibly know about travel hacking if he’s never given it a fair shot?
François
Hi Matt, sorry but the math doesn’t add up. Your whole concept is to travel of $50 per day. Annually this would be about $18,000. Even with the biggest multiplier of 5 times, this is still under 100,000 points, how do you get One million points per year?
Sally
There’s a link in the article that goes to a post explaining the million points per year.
Steph Kaufman
Hey Matt,
I’m glad to see the Chase Sapphire Reserve card featured in this article as your primary premium travel card. It’s my new fave.
It took me a while to muster up the courage to dish out $450 in fees for the card, but by using it as my primary credit card for travel and restaurant purchases I’ve already racked up $1000 in points in a few months – that’s not even counting the $300 travel bonus they give you.
Oh – and the airport lounge access. Talk about luxury for a backpacker.
I suppose it helps that I’m a nut when it comes to my credit and paying early every time, so I guess if you’re not savvy when it comes to that using credit cards could hurt in the long run. But still, all travelers should just budget better and use credit cards with good point systems! It’s literally free money if you do it right.
Ashley Smith
It’s not complicated either! I got the venture capital one card about two years ago (the one you explicitly wrote an article telling people not to get because the rewards aren’t as good!). Since then I’ve gotten a fee flight to Paris and a $80 flight to Australia, and I didn’t do anything except put all my purchase on that card and pay it off every month. Now I’m starting to up my game a bit, headed to Fairbanks to see the Yukon quest this winter so I’m getting an Alaskan Airlines card to use their companion fare and for some strategic spending.
I think people are wary of stuff like this because it seems like free money – there must be a catch. Well the catch is that you have to track your spending and make sure you can pay your card off every month, that’s it! I’m 28 and until recently was a graduate student, my monthly spending habits were pretty low, but I still got enough points to make good use of them and go on trips I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to afford.
Sue Burpee
Interesting to hear all this talk about earning “miles” and “points”…something my husband and I have been doing ever since we first flew to Australia (our first big trip) and decided we’d better get a reward card so we didn’t “waste” all those miles. Since then we use travel reward credit cards for just about every purchase we make, and pay off the cards in full every month.
Still… the flights are not free. We still pay taxes and fees when we book our flights. Many flights are muuuuch cheaper but not absolutely free. As well, we’ve learned to double check the amount of taxes and fees for some flights. For instance it would have been a waste of our points to use them to fly to Paris last year, because the taxes etc were very high. So I pick and choose which flights to book using airmiles or points. Wonder if anybody else has noticed this.
Kat
100% agree. I’m not a millionaire, and in less than one year my fiancé and I have earned enough miles to fly business class to Southeast Asia for our honeymoon next year, and I even earned extra miles to fly to Nashville round trip for $11 for a girls trip and fly my parents to Europe round trip for their anniversary. Thanks to spending wisely and paying wedding deposits we’ve already saved money for, we’ve easily hit min spends… and our credit is both higher than ever. It’s possible for an everyday person to achieve these cheap flights using miles.
James Š
Really good one! I often feel bad for my friend abroad who don’t have the same ml credit card opportunities. I don’t understand.
Impressive miles compounding ability you have!
¡Pura Vida from Costa Rica!
Arina
Hi Matt! Great post and thank you from all of us who use travel miles for defending our ways. Even though I live in UK and we don’t have great deals for mile sign up, and if we do – we pay a LOT in taxes which ends up just a bit cheaper than the original flight cost (yes Virgin I’m looking at you). However I signed up for Virgin Atlantic miles few years ago and since have used online shopping, surveys etc.to earn miles and thought I’ll have a use of them one day. After checking all the possibilities to spend miles I realised – best way to spend my miles is to get free hotel stays! No taxes, no extra fees just free rooms! So if there is a mean there is a way, you just have to find it.
Your posts helped me to find other ways and possibilities!
Kait
I ended up using my Virgin Atlantic miles to book a first class trip on ANA. That’s what made the 350 in fees worth it otherwise I’d agree with going with hotels (I’m just not a hotel person usually)
Tahsis
I feel like you completely missed the point of the backlash. Travel hacking isn’t a scam, you’re right…but your article was fairly misleading. Personally, I looked at that article expecting some travel hacks like mistake fares but then just smart budgeting…not a complete disregard for the purchases that give you those points. The backlash pointed out how US-centric and thoroughly middle class your ideas were… I’m a Canadian post-grad, but due to my low yearly income I can only be accepted for some of the lowest credit card rewards, and even though I pay all the bills and then my partner pays me back so we can accumulate points…the fact that we’re living on a limited income means we don’t necessarily spend that much each month. The backlash to your point wasn’t backlash to the idea of travel hacking, it was a backlash to the idea that to travel cheap you need to be based in the States, have a high income threshold, and be able to charge large purchases to a credit card. Your post was superficial–a post with the same idea but that also included some tips about how to find cheap flights to those destinations if you didn’t have points, how to find the best cheap accommodation, or just tips for creating a budget for particular places would have been more useful.
Katrina Ahuja
Tahsis, I agree with you completely!
eric
Hi Matt,
I agree somewhat with Tahsis. The US has competition among the banks, leading them to make some pretty spectacular sign-up offers and points multiples. In Canada, the UK, Australia and elsewhere, our banking is less competitive (in Canada, it’s a Big Five cartel and a few minnows). Our credit card choices are few and ungenerous.
When it comes to a card used when travelling abroad, every single Canadian bank card charges 2.5% foreign transaction fee (FTF). The only card you don’t lose money on is the Rogers Mastercard. It charges the FTF too, but offers 4% cash back on foreign currency purchases, so we net 1.5%.
Some of us are still grandfathered with the now discontinued Amazon VISA, a zero fee, no FTF, 1% cash back card. The only reason it existed was that is wasn’t offered by Canada’s banking cartel… it was offered through Amazon by Chase, a US bank that has now left the country.
I’m not aware of a single Canadian points card where the rewards value exceeds the 2.5% FTF. Sign-up bonuses may offset this loss a bit, but are not as enticing as in the US. (Chase! Chase! Come back! And bring the Sapphire Reserve card with you!)
We can get a few decent rewards cards for domestic use only, so we can earn points prior to travel. Again, the points multiples aren’t as generous as US programs.
“Million mile” travel hacking is a uniquely American strategy. The rest of us can only look on in envy as we struggle to earn enough points for a single flight.
Alana Tagliabue
This “hacking” just doesn’t work for Australian based cards. You never actually get “ahead”. I think with that many cards the thing you are not factoring is TIME. Surely, someone has to work out the best place to buy an item to get bonus points etc. Sounds very complicated and unrealistic.
CJ Haughey
I bought your eBook on Travel Hacking earlier this year and have gleaned a few tips of course, but ultimately my situation means I can’t fully utilize the potential of travel hacking.
As stated in your book, the tricks and tips are most effective for US residents, and to a lesser extent Canadians.
My Canadian girlfriend and I applied and got American Express Gold cards a few months back and we’ve accrued close to 50,000 points but now we’re in South America and it seems that card is almost useless here, or at least in Bolivia.
I know it’s no Chase Sapphire but the card we got was undoubtedly the best available to a Canadian resident.
The option of wacking my daily expenses like shopping and eating on the card would be great. I was hoping to at least be able to put put big expenses such as monthly rent for my apartment and big tours like the Amazon on the card, but alas we are handing over our cash every time.
It makes me wonder, is the travel hacking game really something that only US citizens can truly benefit from? Or is South America just a bad place to be in for playing the game?
Erika
Sure, I think South America is a bad place to collect all these points to be able to travel for free…I live in Brazil and our currency here is not going well lately comparing to dollars or euros, and if I had 5 different personal credit cards as he listed in this article above, I would not have conditions to pay their anual fee… We don´t earn so much points using them like that…the bank I have an account and a credit card have a points program…I though I would exchange for something really nice as a weekend hotel deal, but it was just beauty products, household stuffs, etc…
Mark Den.
If you visit Bahamas so you can easy spend 5 days in just $1000
jamee
Once again Matt has proven he is one of the best bloggers in the travel world. I never get bored reading his articles. He is an inspiration. keep up the good work.
Mark
Hey thanks for sharing how you spend and use miles! Im a travel hack junkie. I do a lot of research on it because I love to travel and see the world.. me and my wife, that’s 2x the spending so we really need to be wise on how we use our money.
Cathy
Matt I just wanted to say that by using your trips I was able to book 4 nights at a great hotel in Paris facing the Eiffel Tower,using entirely my points through chase sapphire… had I not done that I would of had to pay for a cheaper room in a not so nice hotel for a shorter amount of time. I felt like I had gotten over on the hotel and couldn’t believe how easy it was!
And you are absolutely right, you must be smart in your purchases or you’ll be stuck paying interest rate on a large balance. Only purchase things you can afford and pay the card off right away.
But like you said you are giving away free money if you don’t take advantage so thank you! Can’t wait to book my next trip in another year after I’ve earned all my points :))
Chad Courage Devillier
Part-time travel hacker here. I’ve accrued hundreds of thousands of miles and redeemed them for 7 (and counting) FREE international flights that would have otherwise cost me thousands. Aside from the occasional annual fee (decidedly much, MUCH less combined than I’d have spent on those flights), I don’t spend money I wouldn’t otherwise have spent. Some people prefer to make excuses or tear down the success of others rather than look into something for themselves. Thank you for all you do, Matt. Your book on travel hacking helped spark a whole new way of travel for me.
Trent
Face it Matt, some people just don’t want to be helped. They’ll make up any excuse–I’m looking at you Global Warming excuse guy–to not be happy. I wasn’t even trying to travel hack and accrued enough miles on a Capital One Venture card while in Guatemala to take $500 off an airplane ticket from Los Angeles to Barcelona.
Using your tips, check this out, (By the way, I’m traveling on a budget, not trying to fit things under your $1000), I bought 7 one-way tickets to Barcelona using Google Flights for a bit less than $1600 on Norwegian–this includes bags. I have 5 kids, by the way. I also got a Bank of America Card and earned $400 worth of miles to help pay for a 4-night stay in Barcelona from AirBnB.
It gets better. I got a Chase Sapphire card and by the time I hit the $4000 mark, which I will from just spending money on things I’d spend it on anyway–no extra spending–I get an additional $625 for spending on travel. And using AirBnB, I rented a place for a month for under $800.
Is it a luxury vacation. No. But I have 5 kids. Feel free to figure out how much this trip costs, but it’s not much. Now our only concern is transportation while we’re there. It adds up with 7 people.
Obviously credit card companies and airlines provide bonuses knowing that there are irresponsible people who will overspend and get themselves in debt to them. So beware. We pay everything off at the end of the month.
One more thing, you don’t have to be rich to do this. I’m not. I do freelance work from the balcony of the places I stay while I’m traveling with my family. In other words, if you want to travel, you can. If you don’t want to travel, keep making excuses.
Annie
Thanks for all the info and help. I’ve worked for a major U S airline for years – there in lies my biggest savings (HUGE)……unlimited FREE flights on my carrier, 90% discounts on others and LOTS of time off. I highly recommend it if you want a life of travel.
YES re using a credit card to accumulate points; USAA is my choice.
Hotels.com works for me! Also ID 90% (exclusively for airline employees).
Ted
I use several credit cards and companies to earn points. I’ll book on a website using a credit card that gives me bonus points for using the site plus frequent flyer miles on the card. That way I get points towards a hotel and flight. I flew to Guatemala City last year and to Mexico City this year and only had to pay taxes and fees for the flights. I used points towards my upscale hotel in Guatemala with a combination of a sale price (online), bonus points, and a 10% senior discount (one of the perks of being 67, lol) and wound up paying $60 a night for a room that normally is over $300.00 a night. I almost have enough frequent flyer miles for a trip I am planning to Argentina and Chile. Since I am traveling to the Philippines this spring, I will use my card to charge that trip as it is a less expensive flight and then use the accrued miles towards my trip to South America. I have several cards and use them for different reasons and pay for different things at different times. For example, right now I am using my American Airlines CC to pay my bills. I have to pay for my utilities anyway so I might as well get miles for doing so. Instead of paying them from my checking account, I just pay the credit card company and earn free miles doing so. I pay with a card at restaurants, buying groceries, and other things and I pay my cc bill the next day as soon as the charge posts to my account. More free miles for me. When I am actually traveling, I charge whenever I can using cards with no foreign transaction fees and accumulate more miles towards my next trip. I also use my debit card at ATMs as my credit union reimburses any charges at other banks and credit unions. Anyway, I love getting free rooms and discounts. It does take some time and multiple cards, but once you have it down to a system of your own it’s a fun game. People are always asking me how I can travel so much (two to three times a year) and this is how.
Mike
Is there any CC which would be in particular way better than others If I wanna use it to pay taxes?
Patrick
In my experience you generally have to pay a processing fee to pay taxes with a credit card, and the fee is as much or more than the miles/points are worth.
Tony
Matt, travel hacking works! They are a lot of things that can be put in a card to get miles. Ex; property taxes, property & car insurance. It does works!
Hilarie
Collecting miles is great! I would never take an extra route just to collect more miles nor has anyone I’ve met. Tons of different ways to collect. I think it’s throwing future money away if you’re not using all the awards benefits you can. I frequent hotels.com and get a free room every 10 stays. If I book rooms for people we’re traveling with, I collect stays from their rooms too, making them accumulate faster. I am right on board with you, Matt!
Sojournaling
Couple thoughts.
Credit cards are financial tools. You can use them properly or improperly- that’s up to you. Yes, there are risks, but ALL those risks are avoidable if you’re diligent and follow the rules. As for miles/points, they are there for the taking. If you’re already spending X amount per month, why would you not take the points/miles for using a card?
I have been doing this for four years now, and I can tell you with certainty that the only time I ran into trouble was when I foolishly didn’t pay off my balances.
In any event, Matt’s reply column corrects his overstatement on the $1,000 trip (there are limits to what points/miles can accomplish), and he clarifies all the reasons you should educate yourself on the rules of earning points/miles and utilize them to your benefit.
Used well, credit card points and miles can be extremely valuable to the average person looking to stretch a travel budget.
Cindy
My observation is that you have credit cards which are simply not accessible by many people. You have to have fairly high income to get those cards in the first place (nevermind multiple cards) which means that you automatically have a leg up. I just applied for the CSP and got rejected for income reasons but was approved after asking them to reconsider (but only for $5,000). This with an 800 credit score and no debt other than a mortgage (I do have two other cards which I don’t want to give up but which don’t offer airline points). There is no way I’d get approved for a CSR or a business card.
Maybe I’m just viewing things from the other side of the sofa.
Nicole
I have both a CSR and a CSP and got them when I was making $35K a year and my credit score was not 800. But Matt also offers tips for how to get your credit up so that you can get the card if you aren’t approved initially.
Wesley
One thing often missed in determining the true value of travel hacking is how this is *tax-free* money!
I’m American (sorry this game isn’t available to foreigners) and pay 30% in effective tax— if I redeem points for a flight that would cost me $1k in cash, this would have actually required me to earn $1,400+ to take home the $1k to purchase the flight. So the value of my point redemption is actually $1,400! (Not just the $1k cash cost of the flight.) Even better!
Travel hacking is not difficult but does require using credit cards responsibly. If you cannot pay cards off monthly – or will be tempted to buy things you don’t need- then it is NOT the game for you. (If you pay interest then the value of points is negated.)
Travel hacking is beating the credit cards at their own game. My credit is now 830 and I rarely pay for an airline ticket (they really are a better redemption than hotels!) and enjoy lounge life when in transit thanks to perks on my various cards. Travel hacking for the win!
April Hope
I admit, when I read the previous article, I didn’t want to be disrespectful, but I secretly agreed with some of the things I read. I was thinking, “Seriously? For $1,000, I can fly around the world!” Only kidding, but I just didn’t think I was your typical reader who can afford to earn a million points a year. I still don’t know if I’m completely convinced, but you have taken the time to be very specific and give such great examples that I’m going to rethink the way I usually travel.
I’ve always simply found cheap flights. But I’m tired of only budgeting for cheap hostels in Thailand. I want to be able to stay in nicer hotels more often, and maybe fly first class once in a while!
With this rebuttal, you have made me reconsider. I’m going to stop being so lazy and try some of the suggestions. I never even considered paying $450 a year for a card, but when you break it down like this, (and now that I see I can get a yearly priority pass), well, it does make sense. Thank you for being so transparent, and for taking the time to really listen to your readers.
Thanks, Matt!
Grant
In the U.K. it’s ridiculously easy to get BA points, but it’s the devil’s own job trying to spend them. I’ve currently got about 70k of them just sat there. Technically that’s enough for a return economy to the US for 1, or an upgrade to premium economy 1 way for 2 (again to the US). There’s never any availability though. You used to be able to pick codeshare flights on the BA website and spend them that way but that seems to have been restricted in recent months, unless you specify a route that’s ONLY operated by codeshare partners. I’ve been collecting them for the around 20yrs, I’ve only once spent them on a BA flight, otherwise it’s always been with LAN, Iberia, Qantas and JAL
Katrina Ahuja
Grant, this is so true. My in-laws live in England and they accumulate millions of BA points per year (through business purchases), but my mother-in-law recently said that they aren’t very useful because the fees to use the points are so exorbitantly high. Sometimes the “fees” to use the points are higher than the cost of buying a flight outright.
Grant
Very true. You get a much better deal if you spend them via OneWorld partners booked through the BA Website (I once got Seoul to KL on Cathay for £18GBP plus avios, and Sao Paolo – Lima on LAN for approx £25). They seem to have restricted this recently though, I tried searching various routes recently where I know AA do the route – nothing, and then again to Hong Kong where it should bring back some Cathay, but nothing. It’s very annoying
Gwen
Great article, and for those who say this doesn’t work outside the US – it does! I am a member of the Air New Zealand program, which is great. Joined and easily gained silver status (mainly through running all my regular grocery shopping, fuel etc via my points credit card and then paying off immediately). Changed to Westpac when they ran a promo that gave elite status for a year, then went down to gold, which I maintain through shopping with my credit card, using shops/fuel stations who partner and give additional points, maybe 6-10 internal return flights a year (used like buses in NZ) and maybe 2-3 international flights. This year Canada being the only ‘long haul’ and a flight to Fiji (short haul and cheap from NZ). My work credit card is also linked. Gold status gives me lounge access both with Air NZ and star alliance, 2 comp upgrades a year, preferred seating on domestic flights, extra bag, priority check in and boarding, ability to make an ‘offer’ on an last min upgrade – which at times I’ve spent only $50 to upgrade. You can ‘share’ airpoints dollars, so my husband and I can earn and spend points together- Pretty damn good. My husband and I also add to the same IHG points account, earned us a free week’s accommodation in Bali last year, on top of the comp upgrades we used to fly business class there and back. You’ve got to play the game, and work out all the ways to earn but it’s worth it!
Gwen
Should have added – with Air NZ you earn both status points and airpoints dollars concurrently. Status points do what they say on the tin, Airpoints dollars are easier to build up and can be spent dollar for dollar on flights, including taxes on domestic flights. and on Star Alliance codeshare flights.
Ashley
So I just want to say that I think that this is fantastic. I honestly think sometimes people are nay-sayers because it seems complicated or daunting to them and let’s be real it’s always easier for people to try to punch holes in something than just try to do it as you prescribed . I’ve experienced similar things as I educate people (primiarily women) about how to travel in style without giving up their “glam” while still traveling out of just a carry on pack . The “it can be done” or “that’s not realistic” . I’ll fully admit that I need to maximize my points and their opportunities more than I do but hacking in general should be embraced. Thanks again per usual for a great read
Ronda in Austin
Seriously?? A travel writer never joined a FF program?? Please tell me who that is because I never want to follow advice from someone that stupid!!!
I get most of my points from CCs, not travel. Like you, I don’t have time/energy/money to “buy extra things, overspend, resell furniture or gift cards, or give up my Saturdays to go buy stuff in bulk and then sell it online for a profit.” I DO read a bunch of blogs and subscribe to multiple travel hacking lists. I pick and choose the deals that work for me. I have excellent credit and carry no debt.
Here’s my 3-week trip to Western EU for under $1,000 in July, 2016:
Airfare (business class): Delta, AUS to CDG, Delta points and $29
Airfare CDG to Geneva: CapOne points
8 days, stayed w/ friends, only had some food expenses: approx. $150
Train to Paris: CapOne points
2 nights 4* Westin in Paris: SPG points
Food in Paris: $50
Train to Amsterdam: CapOne points
Stayed with friend, only had food expense for 5 days $300
Train back to Paris: CapOne points
1 week AirBnB apt: CapOne points
Food: $300
Hilton at airport last night (price too low to burn points), was
upgraded to lounge access, so free food, and free shuttle to airport: $92
Misc: $75
TOTAL: $996
Yes, I know that I stayed with friends for more than half of this trip, but I could have used more points . . . .
I only sign up for CCs when the rewards are exceptional. Like you, I also have all the co-branded airline cards but I rarely ever use them except when booking airfare (including reward travel) because of perks like free bags.
My 3 week trip this Sept will be higher because I chose to fly BA for part of it, but the timing was so much better on BA it will be worth it. I plan to do 3 weeks in France, Italy, Amsterdam and another undecided destination. I’ll only stay with friends about 4 days of this trip. This year I’ll be burning some of my 300k Chase Points (at 1.5 with Sapphire Reserve). I hope to keep this trip around $2,000.
Marcia L Goodrich
Free flights etc. may seem like a free lunch, but somebody always pays. I would bet it’s the businesses that have to give credit card companies a percentage of each transaction. That bite lowers their profits and raises prices, not just for the cardholder, but for everyone. Maybe it’s a great deal for the travel hackers, but someone else is paying the price.
Julie
It’s all about the sign up bonuses for me, a very serious travel hacker with a 1.5 million points/miles balances across a range of airline, hotel, and flexible travel currencies.
Katrina Ahuja
I think that travel hacking really only works in the long run for people who have enough income to spend a decent amount. I started off opening a few cards and strategically getting the signup bonuses which gave me a few trips across the country. I closed several of them before the annual fee kicked in because I really didn’t have the income to afford paying for needless annual fees. But at that point there weren’t any new cards to sign up for. Chase Sapphire preferred won’t even give you a card if you don’t have high enough income and if you’ve opened 5 new cards in the last year. Sure, getting 5x points shopping through some online portal is great, but only if you have enough disposable income to do online shopping. When I was making about $20k per year, I maxed out my potential for travel hacking. Once I’d used up the signup bonuses, there wasn’t much left for me. You can’t even charge some of the most essential expenses, such as electricity, rent, buying a car, and paying for college. Aside from groceries, and occasional clothing, there really isn’t much to put on the credit card, definitely not enough to accumulate many miles, no matter how clever you are. I tried that gift card churning thing, just in time for the Bluebird program to change, giving me some gift cards I had to use up in the same way I would have had to charge for things. I think travel hacking can be really risky, putting your credit score at risk, and accidentally encountering annual fees you can’t afford. I think for people with a decent amount of disposable income, this is worth it, but for people who are already very poor, travel hacking maxes out early and is too risky.
Katrina Ahuja
I also would add that it would not at all be possible for someone earning a low amount of money to get all the cards that you have, Matt. Some of those have incredibly high fees (yes lounge passes in return are cool, but an unnecessary luxury for most folks), and require a very high income to be able to get them. I had a very good score but was denied by all of the better cards that you have that I tried to apply for. And applying for a credit card and being denied puts a big ding in your credit score.
Ronda in Austin
TravelTheGlobe4Less is a blog/email list that has more UK/EU specific credit card info.
Mikaa
Great article! I love miles/points! As a teacher, this is the way I’m able to travel frequently. My friends don’t get it and don’t want to learn. So until then I’ll keep up my own travel hacks and travel more often then them 🙂
Noemi
Since I am from Portugal, same as stated above about non-us apply to me ?
Noemi
My previous comment was a statement, not a question 🙂
Rachael
There’s no way I’d be able to travel as much as I do without travel hacking. It’s changed my life. I don’t care about paying taxes and fees. It’s a small price to pay with how much traveling I have done. In fact, I have enough points for China and Italy next year. Cant wait!
Thanks, Matt! Is because of your advice I’ve been able to do so.
Rose
We generally take the money instead of miles/points. Just stash it away and we’re free agents with the ability to choose air routes which are just right for us. And we just started with Alaska for the companion for free once a year. Thanks for the inspiring blog. We may consider the Chase Sapphire card.
We live in Hawaii (the volcano is going off on the other side of the island) so everything is a 2500 mile flight away.
Sarah
Hi Matt,
I’m a UK-based reader and I’m surprised to hear so many people say that travel hacking is not possible outside of the US. Travel hacking is indeed alive and well in the UK!
Whilst the credit card bonuses may not be as good as in the US (so people say), there are certainly many UK cards to choose between and loads of ways to earn miles on the ground – and maximise your miles whilst flying!
I’d be happy to write you a guest post for your UK readers if it would be of interest.
For the record, I earn most of my miles without flying and can generally find reward seats available when I want to book.
Travel hacking has certainly transformed my travel experience ensuring by me to fly more and with more perks!
Colton Oliphant
Great job, Matt. Let the haters hate and keep on spreading the good news! I’ve collected countless tips from you and passed them along to my students through the years that you’ve been doing this.
Chris Konieczka
The primary critique you don’t address is this: For the ‘Go anywhere for $1,000’ concept to be legitimate, the dollars spent accruing miles/points to purchase the flight should be counted. It is actually $1,000 plus all the things you had to buy to get the miles. It seems like a cheap gimmick. Why not just say, “Here are some money saving tips for traveling specific places, not counting the airfare.”?
It should be made clear that traveling to a location like Madagascar, as you recently mentioned, is not possible on this budget if the flight isn’t free. Otherwise you might as well say, “I paid $600 to fly to Vienna, then stayed with a family friend for free who also fed me, and had the rest leftover for trains, beers, and sights” Boom, a trip under $1,000, but not one that is actually replicable for most people.
Chris
I think you’re misunderstanding, Chris. The points you accrue are from purchases you regularly make – groceries, gas, going to the movies, etc. You’ll be spending that money regardless, so the points you get are just a bonus. Therefore, using them for a trip isn’t really the same as spending money, as you’re just using points you’ve received from your regular, everyday purchases.
If you’re from the US and are using a credit card already, this is definitely replicable. It may take time to secure enough points for a free flight, but it’s 100% possible.
Lauren
Definitely not a scam. I finally did my research about a year ago and have gone from 20000 velocity points to over 90000 by making use of bonus point offers on things I’d be buying anyway. I’m a reasonably low income earner from Australia who is determined to see every country before I die.
*10000 bonus points for changing my electricity to energy australia plus 2000 points per year i stay with them.
*2000 points here and there from doing surveys at e-rewards.
*A few hundred points for flights to compete in the Australian Masters Games that I would be doing anyway.
*A few points here and there from using the e store to buy from ebay etc.
*Thousands of bonus points from buying fuel and snacks at BP.
*Collecting flybuys points by only doing grocery shops when there are bonus points offers on (and just make do with what is in the house the other weeks), buying eftpos gift cards with bonus flybuys offers (then using them to pay for things i’d be buying anyway) and getting a few points here and there for paying my bills with my coles mastercard. Then convert flybuys to velocity points. I earnt 73000 flybuys points last year and 60500 of them were bonus points. Converted to velocity points that’s about 32000 points for doing my grocery shopping!
Luis Pedro Estrada
In my country, Guatemala, there are no many reward plans as you stated above, but 4 years ago I a joined one and this year me and my wife bough our plane tickets to Perú, paying only the taxes.
The cost for 14 days (including days of flights) will be a little more than US$1,000.00 each, but we payed tours: Machu Pichu, Wayna Picho and also the train, Rainbow Mountain, Flight over Nasca Lines and some other tours.
I think its possible but maybe not for all years
Sarah
As a Brit I used to find the US based travel hack advice annoying until I did a little research… After having spent a small fortune on the ridiculously expensive BA Amex card. (The fee and interest rates are not worth the value of the “benefits” as we don’t pay annual fees as standard in the UK) I now clock up Avios on daily purchases almost every week by using my debit cards and by leveraging associated free loyalty programmes. I convert all my Tesco Clubard points into Avios as that is the benefit that is most valuable to me. I guess you only consider that a cost if you value cheaper food shopping more… Heathrow rewards points also covert to Avios and is a free sign up. Avios/British Airways Executive Club online shopping portals have a lot of every day shops that you can gain bonus points and discounts on every day. So every time I buy from John Lewis, Debenhams, Wordery M&S etc. they give me Avios too, there are shops in many categories often offering discounts to Avios shoppers. Some of which will link up to your debit card and give you Avios when you shop in store too. It is easy with a little bit of research, and a few sign ups. You just have to be willing to put in a little bit of work up front and work out what suits your existing spending patterns.
priyanka agarwal
Hi Matt,
I learned about your forum and travel hacking a year back and bought your book though it was not a buzz word in India that time. But then i started looking at credit cards and their rewards program with little more interest and realised that Indian banks and FIs are not far behind in following suit as other countries. And after a year now, I have earned many miles with 2 airline programs and 2 hotel brands that i am gonna use soon. Not sure when would i be travel within $1000 but i am definitely enjoying the prospective idea of travelling for free(maybe a flight/stay) in near future..All thanks to you
Robin
For starter Credit Card travel hack for those on a shoestring without a big monthly spend I have used Spirit.com World MasterCard fee free 15000 miles with first use good for up to 5 international OFF PEAK free flights(you pay tax from $20) I have been from the US to Peru Ecuador and Colombia nice flights new planes BUT everything costs extra so I pack very light.
Kittie Yang
I’ve tried to follow advice like this from various travel hacker bloggers, but there are still some roadblocks that I run into. I love breakdown articles like these, but I’m just not sure that they apply to everyone.
Examples:
1. There are some business credit cards that I can’t apply for because I don’t own a business. A lot of websites tell you that being a business owner is not a requirement, but after putting in my Tax Identification Number, I’m still denied from the credit cards. That means we’re ineligible for a lot of lucrative sign-up bonuses.
2. The annual fees are expensive, especially if you’re maintaining 8 credit cards per year. That’s about $700-$1000 in CC fees. I myself can only afford to keep 2 credit cards, so I’m unable to maximize my spending in so many different categories.
3. Some people just don’t earn enough money to spend that much per year, especially since I don’t have business expenses.
4. I’m planning to move abroad soon, which makes applying for credit cards and spending enough $ even more difficult. In some countries credit cards just aren’t as widely used.
Anyway, not saying it’s impossible or that Matt’s argument is invalid – it’s just not that simple and easy. I’ve redeemed multiple plane tickets to Taiwan, the Bahamas, Europe, etc, but accruing enough points takes a lot of time and isn’t as easy as many travel hacking blogs make them out to be. I could probably be doing a lot more to maximize my points, but the credit card game often becomes a huge time sink and an invisible cost as well.
Maureen
I’m an Australian. Any tips for oz travel hackers?
Margaret Fiebiger
I use my Capitol One 1 for 2 points CC for EVERYTHING, pay utilities, phone, groceries, insurance, gas, dentist (just got 14k miles) doctor I mean everything.
Took 2 grands to Seattle in January with points airline and hotel cost me $110.00 in taxes.
Taking 2 grands to Ireland & England next month, pd for hotel Ireland and airline to England…cost me $125.00 taxes.
Not first time Ive done this, already planning trip to Iceland and Ireland in February with grands again.
We travel 2-3 times a year on points…
So it pays me…
Cat
It’s not a scam, and it’s not hard to do. I always travel on a budget of $150.00 per day or less. And, i don’t just wander around for free when i get there. I seem to accomplish a lot (tours, classes, etc.) I do it by signing up for all the loyalty programs, so I’m earning miles or discounts for the future, and finding the deals and discounts. You do have to be willing to do a lot of research before hand, checking multiple websites, looking for discount programs such as through the airlines i’ll be flying, checking for discounts offered by the purveyors directly, seeing if my insurance companies offers discounts via codes thru their site, etc.. I also watch for the flight deals. For example, I always have alerts set up thru Kayak.com for destinations on my bucket list. Also, It helps to travel with others, as you can split expenses, such as rental cars, rooms, etc. I understand that for Non-Americans, it’s not as easy without the credit cards we have available, but there are other options. I do happen to have the cards and earn cash back, but for some reason, i usually use that elsewhere, not on travel. I travel cheap by the means i mentioned above. Again, it’s not hard, but you do have to take the time and do the work.
Steve Smith
I read the article and there is nothing misleading or scammy about it. It’s not my travel style, I prefer to use my points for airfare to budget destinations and then pay as I go for daily expenses including hotels.
Complicated? Yes and no. Using reward cards for expenses that one would normally accrue, along with opening multiple cards in order to meet minimum spends for bonuses–Easy. The complicated part is these plans of “convert your Chase points to Ukraine Airlines miles, then use the Ukraine miles to book your Singapore Airlines Biz Class flight”. I’m just not ready to go down that rabbit hole.
In the last 13 months I have opened 6 cards; 2 airline branded cards, 1 hotel branded card, and 3 general points type cards. I closed one before the anniversary date, but I used my points for a domestic round trip ticket, a round trip from the US to Madrid, and my first night hotel in Madrid.
The key fact is that I have earned a total of around 500,000 to 600,000 miles/points AND I HAVE NOT SPENT ANY MONEY THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE SPENT ANYWAY.
This gives me truly free airfare.
Joe Nishanian
I don’t understand why this is not the norm for people who love to travel like my wife and I. We charge everything and pay the bills monthly. We take advantage of every airline and hotel sign up bonus. This year we both flew to Havana on Jet Blue miles. We are booked to Boston on Southwest miles, Coming up is Fort Lauderdale to New Orleans on Jet Blue miles with 6 nights at the Marriott on points. 5 nights in the fall at the Marriott in Charleston SC coming up with points. We are retired and don’t earn the miles and points because of work travel or lavish spending.
Christine Z
As a travel hacker (and travel blogger!) myself, I am not sure why all the negative comments. We have travel hacked for 10 years and taken many vacations under $1000. Currently, my husband and I have 2 million miles, but those numbers are inflated due to high Hilton and Marriott balances. I will be spending 500-750K of them in June to plan a wonderful 2 week European vacation for next year. I just earned the SW companion pass, so I have 120,000 Southwest points plus my daughter flies free for almost 2 years. Total cost of that was probably $190 for the annual fees but that should get us 6 RT tickets EACH. I charge absolutely everything and pay off the bills every month. I wouldn’t travel any other way.
NomadicMatt
That’s awesome! Points are the best, aren’t they? Enjoy all your family trips! 🙂
Shilah Davies
I feel very happy to share my great and wonderful testimony with everyone on this site. My recent experience made me understand that the credit score doesn’t matter nearly as much as the actual information in your credit report. When I was applying for loans for my most recent investment, my third home precisely. My score was in the mid-600s. I had four late payments, which hurt me, but the lenders actually looked at my report and refused me a loan. I was really devastated and perplexed. I ran into an old friend, I explained everything to him and he eventually introduced me to a hacker who happens to be a former FICO agent, he had my credit score raised to 786, erasing the entire negative items with the addition of some good trade lines. I swore to reveal the hacker’s proficiency to the world if he should fix my credit. Email REPAIR WIZARD on: REPAIRWIZARD4 at GMAIL dot COM, I bet you’ll never regret knowing him.
Ryan
Hi Matt,
Have you been able to wrack up more miles using category specific cards such as frequent flyer cards or do you feel everyday purchase rewards (although less points per purchase than a specific category) are the way to go because you accumulate points on everything you buy?
Thanks! I’ve got both, but have only had luck garnering significant points with everyday purchase rewards.
Alison
I don’t get big-time points or enough to get me out of the country. But I get enough to see the ocean once a year and send my kids on a trip.