Travel hacking. Have you heard of it?
It’s the practice of using various strategies and tricks to maximize travel benefits, while greatly minimizing costs.
It often involves taking advantage of loyalty programs, credit card rewards, and other perks to make travel more affordable or even free.
** Before we go any further, I MUST add this important statement: **
My very favorite travel hacking strategy involves credit cards, so it’s crucial to have a good credit score. My biggest tips are to always pay your bills on time, avoid carrying a balance, and manage your credit responsibly.
If you’re not in a spot to do this, you should reconsider the credit card method. My husband and I have worked hard to maintain our exceptional credit scores, and we pay our credit card balances off in full each month.
Okay … below is the #1 travel hacking trick that we swear by:
Travel hacking through credit card sign-up rewards:
Most travel hackers – including us – leverage credit card sign up bonuses to earn huge points that can be redeemed for travel. Some popular credit cards offer lucrative sign-up bonuses, spending bonuses, and other perks that can be extremely valuable for travelers.
This is the main method we use to travel hack! We have gone on numerous free family and couple vacations using this method since we started travel hacking in 2021.
To give you the idea … in March 2024 we took a family trip through Italy where all 3 international flights were covered by points (plus taxes) as well as the 10-day accommodations. We will only be responsible for food, drinks, etc.
Our hotel room can be seen in this Cinque Terre photo near the water. Is this real life?? We we’re so excited to get our daughter to Europe for the first time – for practically free!
And next summer we’ll be traveling as a family to Spain and Portugal all on points (plus taxes and fees). I scored flights for less than 20,000 points/person each way.
Below are my 5 travel credit card recommendations with great travel perks and sign-up bonuses.
We responsibly use all of these cards for travel hacking (some are referral links). Keep scrolling for all the details on how we use the cards below.
1. Capital One Venture
(Bank: Capital One Financial Corp.)
2. Chase Sapphire Preferred
(Bank: Chase)
3. Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus
(Bank: Chase)
4. Alaska Airlines Signature
(Bank: Bank of America)
5. AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite
(Bank: Barclays)
6. Chase Ink Business Preferred
My newest card: I use this for my LLC side business expenses, taxes, etc.
(Bank: Chase)
I’ll update this blog post with new cards recommendations as we experience them.
1. Capital One Venture – The details:
Our Capital One Venture cards are our newest travel credit card of the bunch, and within a month of signing up, we already had 186,000 combined points – I’ll explain how.
When my husband, Ted and I decide to sign up for a new travel card, we do it with intension.
I signed up first, then once I got my card, I used my referral code to refer Ted to the same card. I earned 20,000 extra points for referring him once he hit his spend minimum.
In order to earn both 75,000 point sign-up bonuses (150,000 points), we had to hit a spend minimum of $4,000 ($8,000) in 3 months.
Well, our 27 year old HVAC unit had been on the fritz for a couple years, and I just knew we’d need to replace it this summer – thankfully we had been saving up cash for it. Low and behold, our HVAC went out when we received this card.
We went with an amazing vendor who took credit cards as payment (with no additional fees). The price of the unit installation was just over $8,000, so I put $4,000 of it on my Cap One card, and the other $4,000 on his Cap One card hitting both minimums at once. Whoohoo!
I turned right around and paid off both cards with the cash we had thankfully saved.
We don’t usually have multiple minimums to hit at the same time, but we did during this period since we knew we had such a big expense ahead of us.
The next billing cycle we earned our 186,000 points and had a two cards with a $0 balance – Boom!
With some of our cards we hit the spend minimum, claim our rewards, and don’t use the card much after that.
But the Capital One card earns 2 miles per every dollar spent, so the points add up very quickly. We decided to continue using this card as my main payment method.
To maximize point earnings, I used to run everything possible through this card. The only things we can’t use it for are our mortgage, car and home insurance, and a couple utilities. Other than that we use a credit card.
When you’re ready to book your travel with points, you book directly through Capital One’s travel portal. You can book directly from there, and even transfer points 1:1 to other travel partners. It’s so easy to use!
Below is a photo from our September 2023 trip to Bellagio, Italy. This is the view from our hotel – paid for by points.
I booked our March 2024 Italy family as well as our spain/portugal trip trip on these points. Even after redeeming those points, we still have more than 100,000 points to left to use for flights or hotels on future trips.
Quick info on this card:
- Earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
- Earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
- Up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Enjoy 2 free visits per year to Capital One Lounges or 100+ partner lounge locations
- $95 annual fee
2. Chase Sapphire Preferred – The details:
This card was our first legit travel hacking credit card (outside of a basic Southwest Rapid Rewards card from a decade before).
At the advice of a good friend (thanks, Laura!!), Ted and I both signed up for Chase Sapphire Preferred cards in 2020, and we’re so glad we did!
I signed up first, then once I got my card, I used my referral code to refer Ted to the same card. I earned 20,000 extra points for referring him once he hit his spend minimum.
We focused on running all expenses through both cards to hit the $4,000 minimum spend each. A few months later we both earned 60,000-75,000 points each. We paid it off right away like true responsible credit card owners. 🙂
As mentioned above, when we get a new card we run everything possible through it (even state and federal taxes with a small processing fee). The only things we can’t use it for are our mortgage, insurance, and some utilities, so hitting the minimum spend is much easier and quicker than it might seem
When the world opened back up for travel in 2021, we took an amazing family trip to Sedona, AZ. Our Chase points paid for 3 flights, a nice hotel for a week, and our convertible rental car.
It was the best feeling ever, and after that first travel hacking trip I was hooked – I decided to keep going.
This Chase card is great and is another fast point earner, so my husband has continued to use it as his main payment method. I like that we’re using different cards and earning points on both simultaneously.
TIP: After you have your Chase card for 48 months you can call customer service and request to downgrade to the Chase Freedom card. Then once you get the card, wait 30 days, then you can reapply for the Chase Sapphire deal all over again. Ted and I just recently did this and collected between 60,000 and 75,000 more points each. We will use those points for 1-2 more International family trips.
When you’re ready to book your travel you book directly through Chase’s travel portal (I like it better than Capital One’s portal, personally). You can book directly from there, and even transfer points 1:1 to other travel partners. Chase has better travel partners too, in my opinion.
Tip: Last month I called Chase customer service and merged my business Chase points with my personal Chase points as well as Ted’s personal Chase points. Booking travel is so much easier when ll points are combined.
Quick info on this card:
- Earn 60,000 (sometimes 75,000) bonus points after $4,000 minimum spend
- Earn 3x on dining and 2X on travel
- Earn 3x points on online grocery purchases
- 3x on select streaming services
- Earn $50 statement credit each anniversary for hotel stays
- Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- $95 annual fee
3. Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus – The details:
As I mentioned, we started off on just the basic Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card years ago, but it was nothing like the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card I signed up for in March of 2023.
Each year (usually in Feb.), Southwest runs the most amazingggg sign-up special!
Newly-approved cardholders of any of the 3 Southwest personal credit cards earn the Southwest Companion Pass for all flights taken through February 28 of the following year. you also get 30,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
This deal is amazing because to earn the Companion Pass the standard way, you’d need to earn 135,000 points via flight points. Getting it practically handed to us was the biggest gift!
You can even work this deal to get the Companion Pass for almost 2 years – that’s on my to do list for my business next year.
I signed up for my card and used it to pay our federal income taxes, which hit our minimum spend in one purchase. I decided that it was worth the small credit card processing fee to hit the minimum at once.
We paid the card off before the billing cycle ended, and we had a heaping of points and my first ever Companion Pass.
We’ve flown our daughter on 9 free Southwest flights since then. We’re getting as much out of it as we can before it expires on February 28.
When the sign-up deal comes back again in Feb, I’ll refer Ted to the same card (using my referral link) and will earn a referral bonus for referring him.
We’ll repeat the exact same steps, which will earn us another Companion Pass and 30,000 points. This travel hacking game is so addictive!
I must also say the free 30,000 points went a looong way for us as well. As a family, we took 6 domestic family flights last summer on points alone.
We’ve recently gone to Seattle, Portland OR, Vancouver BC, Boston, Cape Cod, and Nantucket, and NYC on our Southwest points. And Palm Springs is up next – the companion pass is the best!
Quick info on this card:
- Earn 30,000 (to 85,000) bonus points after $4,000 minimum spend
- Earn one Companion Pass through Feb. 28 of the following year
- 3,000 bonus points after your account anniversary each year
- 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins per year
- 25% back inflight purchases
- $69 annual fee
4. Alaska Airlines Signature – The details
We signed up for this Alaska Airlines travel card because we were invited to stay with our aunt and uncle in Kona, Hawaii last winter.
We knew we had to buy braces for our daughter, which easily hit the $3,000 spend minimum. Big purchases like this sting much less when you get to celebrate with a free or affordable trip. 🙂
We quickly earned a free yearly companion pass and had enough points to fly one of us to Hawaii. So in combination with the companion pass, we only had to purchase one flight with our own money. Not bad!
Each year on our card anniversary we get one free companion pass, and have earned enough points from our flight to Hawaii that we will have two free flights the next time we fly Alaska Airlines.
We don’t fly Alaska regularly, but we take at least one trip through them each year, so this card has been very worth it for us. the companion pass is the best perk!
Our Hawaii trip was absolutely amazing – so thankful this card made it happen!
Quick info on this card:
- Get a free Companion Pass once a year on your card anniversary
- Earn 60,000 bonus miles with $3,000 minimum spend
- Priority boarding
- 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, local transit, ride share, cable, and select streaming services purchases.
- $75 annual fee
- Earn 60,000 AAdvantage® bonus milesafter making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
5. AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite – The details
I just recently signed up for the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite card because there is no minimum spend to hit in order to earn the free 60,000 American Airlines points. You read that right!
All I did was bought one pack of gum with it and then paid the $99 annual fee (within the first 90 days). And now we have enough points for one free roundtrip flight to Europe.
Ted also recently signed up for this card without an annual fee (a deal he got during a recent flight) so we have stockpiled our AA points for a future trip. I’m always planning ahead – it’s my hobby, ha!
Quick info on this card:
- Earn 60,000 (sometimes 50,000) AAdvantage bonus miles after making just one purchase (no minimum) and paying the $99 annual fee, both within the first 90 days.
- First checked bag free
- Enjoy preferred boarding
- $99 annual fee
6. Chase Ink card for business
This is my newest card, and I use it for my LLC side business expenses, taxes, etc. I paid our yearly taxes with this card last April and immediately earned 100,000 points.
Tip: Last month I called Chase customer service and merged my business points with my personal Chase points as well as Ted’s personal Chase points. Booking travel is so much easier when ll points are combined.
The Chase 5/24 rule – A helpful travel hacking tip!
The Chase 5/24 rule is a policy that applies to Chase credit card applications. If you’ve opened five or more new credit card accounts with any bank in the past 24 months, you will not likely be approved for a new Chase card.
This is important to know when you plan your Chase card applications. One huge thing I’ve learned is that if you make your partner your authorized user on your card, that counts as a new open account for them too.
Once I learned this I stopped adding Ted as my authorized user (and vice versa). that way we both have the ability to apply more Chase cards more quickly.
I do almost always add our daughter as our authorized credit card user. She doesn’t ever use the cards, but having some cards in her name is helping her to establish her credit on the back of our excellent credit.
You might be wondering, will using these travel hacking credit cards negatively affect my credit?
I sometimes hear people say “I want to play the points and miles game, but I’m afraid multiple credit cards will hurt my credit score.”
I promise you this is NOT TRUE.
If you’re responsible and only charge what you can pay off in full each month – never paying any credit card interest – you’ll be perfectly fine.
My credit score goes down a few points when I open a new card, but once I make my first in-full payment to the card, my score jumps up a handful points, which puts me ahead of where I started. I’ve experienced this with each and every card I’ve opened.
Again, you must pay it off each billing cycle and never carry an interest bearing balance. It takes a lot of discipline.
When I was in my twenties I racked up a bit of credit card debt and had to work extra hard to pay it all off. Ever since then I promised myself I’d be smart with future credit cards.
Other travel hacking methods that we use
1. Error fares and glitches
Sometimes airlines or booking systems make mistakes that result in significantly lower than usual fares. There are sites that keep an eye out for such errors or glitches to score incredible deals.
My favorite paid website I’ve been loving is Point.me. I’ve found so many amazing recent award flight redemptions using Point.me. Use my referral link to get your first month for only $5.
Many people recommend seats.aero as well.
One of the other fare deal sites that we use is Next Vacay, which is only $25 a year.
You tell them the name of your closest airports, and their system regularly scans thousands of databases for the cheapest flight deals.
When the system finds a deal, their team verifies it, and you receive an email instantly. You book directly with the airline — no middleman/agent is involved. It’s so easy! I’ve had so many great deals in my inbox from them!
Some other fare deal sites that we’ve used are Dollar Flight Club, Going, FareDrop, Jack’s Flight Club, JGOOT, Google flights, and Kayak Explore.
Most of these sites have both a free and paid version. The paid version on most of these is usually very affordable and worth it.
2. Flexible travel dates and routes
Being flexible with travel dates and routes can help you find the best deals. This usually involves adjusting travel plans to take advantage of lower fares or better award availability.
I use this tip in combination with our credit card sign up points to really maximize the value.
We’re flying to Italy in March on a Sunday versus a Friday or Saturday, which gave us soooo much more bang for our point buck.
And using the “explore” feature on Google and Kayak shows random deals on flights anywhere in the world if your dates and destinations are flexible.
3. Frequent flyer miles and points
Stockpiling frequent flyer miles and points through airline and hotel loyalty programs is a more obvious method of travel hacking. These can be earned through flights and hotel stays. It’s especially nice to earn them through work/company travel.
I just went on a work trip where I booked my own flight and hotel and then they were reimbursed by my company. I earned both flight and hotel points on that trip on the company dime – yesss!
4. Travel hacking communities
There are many online communities and sites where travel hackers share tips, deals, and experiences. They provide a platform for enthusiasts to learn from each other and stay updated on the latest opportunities.
I really like these accounts: Aunt Kara, The Points Guy, JGOOT, and Let’s Travel Hack.
Travel hacking has been a GAME CHANGER for us, and I highly recommend it. I hope I inspired you to look into it for yourself!
I want to reiterate that while travel hacking can provide significant savings, it requires careful management of credit, adherence to terms and conditions of loyalty programs, and responsible financial behavior.
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