Travel hacking is a passion of mine. Over the years, it has transformed my travels and saved me thousands of dollars.
The art of signing up for travel credit cards and accumulating points and miles that can be exchanged for free flights, flight upgrades, hotel stays, and other benefits without incurring additional costs is known as travel hacking. In a nutshell, it’s a way to save money.
I’ve received a plethora of freebies over the years, including free flights, free hotel stays, and free upgrades. I’m a big proponent of travel hacking because I’ve seen what a difference it has made in my travels and how it has helped me see the world.
Additionally, even though the United States has the best cards and perks, travel hacking is available worldwide (these days, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe all have travel hacking options).
I’ve talked to a lot of people about playing the points-and-miles game over the years as a travel hacker. I’ve likewise seen lots of beginners commit innumerable errors — botches that influence their capacity to go for nothing (or possibly for inexpensively).
To help you avoid them, save points and miles, and maximize your travel budget, I’ve compiled a list of the most common travel hacking errors I see:
1. Not Beginning at All When I ask the majority of people why they do not travel hack, they simply shrug and respond, “I don’t know.” It seems hard, I suppose.
Most people don’t start travel hacking because they think it’s too complicated, only for people who travel frequently (or spend a lot of money), or a scam.
In any case, avoiding the focuses and miles game completely is the greatest mix-up you could make. Saying no to free money is similar. If you don’t earn points and miles by paying off your credit card each month, you won’t be able to take advantage of the perks that come with smart spending.
2. The most important thing you can do before signing up for your first card is to set a goal. Consider the route you want to take, the hotel you want to stay in, and the destination you want to reach. Then, at that point, get the movement Visas that will assist you with arriving.
You won’t know which card or cards are best for you if you don’t set a goal. Each card has different benefits that will work for different lifestyles, budgets, and travel plans.
Remember: There are no flawless cards. Only one card is suitable for you.
Do you want to be loyal to a brand, receive free rewards, or avoid fees? Do you need free flights as well as inn stays? Do you place the most value on elite status?
Get a card with transferable points (Chase, Amex, Citi, and Capital One are the most common examples) if you just want to use your points wherever you want because you can use them with a variety of travel companies. Each of them has its own rewards programs and points that can be transferred to a variety of hotel and airline partners or used to book travel directly through their travel portal websites.
Find the cards that best suit your spending habits and your goal(s), then determine which ones you want to achieve.
3. Avoiding Cards with an Annual Fee When it comes to selecting a travel credit card, many people are put off by high fees—which can sometimes run into the hundreds of dollars per year—for the card. Certainly, the charge card organizations are simply taking your cash, correct?
Exactly not.
While the facts confirm that you’ll need to conclude whether cards with higher charges are worth the effort for you, cards with yearly expenses are typically obviously superior to no-charge cards: They give you more for your money, have better bonus categories so you can get points faster, and other benefits like better protection for travel and access to special offers.
Because I have saved more money on travel than I have ever spent on fees, I find that even the cards with the highest annual fees are worthwhile to me.
However, you need not immediately select the cards with the highest annual fees. Numerous “starter” cards have annual fees of just $95 and waive the fee for the first year. Like that, you can see whether it’s worth the effort to you.
The Bilt Rewards card is my favorite free option if you want to participate in the game but don’t want to pay a fee. This game-changing card offers you the capacity to acquire focuses by paying your lease (the main card that does this), in addition to 3x focuses on feasting and 2x focuses on movement.
It offers strong travel assurances as well. This is a must-have card if you’re just starting and have to pay rent.
