Talking Point #1: Use Credit Card Rewards to Score Free Flights

Since the flight will be the most expensive part of your trip, it’s important to learn how to use credit card points to earn airline miles. Lots of credit cards offer rewards and points, but often, people don’t know what they’re for or how to use them. So before you open a card, think about where it is you want to go and what you need to get there! Then, look at credit cards that can help you earn the points you need to get where you want to go.

Credit cards offer a few ways to earn points or miles.

1. You’ll get chunk of points when you open the card
2. You’ll get a certain amount of points per dollar you spend on the card (usually 1 point per dollar spent.)

Credit cards that give you United miles are among the best. They’re user-friendly, have good availability, and let you stop somewhere else on the way back for up to a year.

So how can we use credit card points to score a free trip?!

Let’s use Bali as an example. (obviously!) This trip requires 65,000 points.

Open the Chase United card – You’ll get 55,000 points after spending $1,000 in 3 months. (this is a promotional deal, so you’ll have to call Chase directly to get the full 55,000.)

Open the Chase Sapphire Preferred card – You’ll get 40,000 points after spending $3,000 in 3 months

If you open them at the same time, you have to spend $4,000 in 3 months… and you’ll get a combined total of 95,000 points, which means you’ll go to Bali and have 30,000 points left over for another trip.

Pretty sweet, huh?

Talking Point #2: Look at the Minimum Spending Requirements

The most important thing to look at when opening a new credit card is the minimum spending requirement to earn the points. Basically, you can earn a chunk of points when you open the card, but only if you spend the minimum amount in the given time period.

For example, the Chase United card will give you 55,000 points if you spend $1,000 in 3 months. Other cards have higher minimum spending requirements, so make sure that you’re going to meet those before you sign up for the card.

There are some tricks for meeting the minimum spending requirements:

• When you make big purchases, your card will often give you more points per dollar spent. For example, the regular rate could be 1 point per dollar spent, but a big purchase like a computer could give you 4 or 5 points per dollar spent.
• You can send money to other people through Amazon or PayPal payments with your credit card and this will count towards your minimum spending requirement
• Use your credit card to purchase gift cards (like an American Express gift card to use as cash) to be used in the future.

Talking Point #3: Other Things to Keep in Mind

• If you’re not from the US, don’t worry! Everything about how to redeem the frequent flier miles is the same for all countries. The only thing that’s different in every country are the credit card offers themselves, so check those out for your specific country.
• Don’t cancel your existing credit cards when you open a new one; it lowers your credit score. Just pay the minimum payments on your existing cards and put them away.
• Watch out for foreign transaction fees on cards. The Capital One and Chase cards both avoid foreign transaction fees, making them great choices for travelers.
• Some cards let you allocate your points as you wish, while others are allocated to a specific airline or hotel. Check this out before you open your card.
• The quickest turnaround you’ll usually see on getting your points is around 2-3 weeks. Usually the credit card company will wait until your monthly statement closes for the points to come through.
• Make sure you are checking your credit score. If you’re ruining your credit score with all these credit cards, a few free trips won’t be worth the repercussions.

HW + Action Steps!

So, what do you think? Are you pumped to start traveling for free? As always, we’d love for you to share your personal favorite takeaways in the private Facebook group. And check out today’s newsletter for links to the great resources Travis mentioned in the call.