Travel on Points
Yes, you can take your family on free vacations!
Imagine taking your family to enchanting theme parks, interactive museums, and family friendly resorts – all funded by the points you've cleverly accumulated by leveraging Sign On Bonuses!
Follow along to understand to quickly understand the process of earning and redeeming points to book hotels and flights. And you too can visit playground all over the world!
First, earn points!
Focus on flexible points when earning credit card rewards. Transferring to partners will give you a higher redemption value and allows versatility for different airlines and hotels.
Strategically applying for credit cards with elevated introductory offers, you can accumulate millions of points a year! Which can later be redeemed for free or discounted flights. Sign on Bonus’s (SUB’s) are the most important part of the game, and will get you the furthest.
Choose the right credit card. Check out our favorite Travel Credit Card list to get started. Applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great place to begin.
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Second, understand redemption options!
Familiarize yourself with the various ways you can redeem points for travel, cash back, merchandise, or gift cards. Travel redemptions often provide the best value.
For example, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards are two of the best, known for their flexible currencies, providing you with a plethora of options to maximize the value of your points.
This flexibility ensures that you can capitalize on the best value for your points when booking flights, accommodations, or other travel-related expenses.
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Third, signup for all loyalty programs
Start by enrolling in airline and hotel loyalty programs to accumulate points and miles. Once you familiarize yourself with airlines and hotels - signing up for their loyalty programs is a very important step. When you are ready to redeem your points for that fabulous vacation you dreamed up, you will need an established loyalty number.
This will ensure an instant transfer (likely) from the bank, which in turn won’t hold you up booking that perfect reward seat.
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Fourth, get inspired and plan ahead!
Visit the Guides Page for destination inspirations from all over the world. Visiting Family in Boston or going to the Caribbean over Thanksgiving? We breakdown the exact number of points and which credit cards to open to help you envision your next getaway.
Planning ahead is part of the game, there are a limited number of award seats per flight, and it is best to book well in advance . Learn more in Tips.
Traveling in peak season or bringing the kids and grandparents? Be sure to secure those airlines seats ahead of time. And one of the best part of points, is that the airline ticket is usually cancellable for free (or a small free for redeposit.) Be sure to read the terns and conditions.
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Fifth, strategize.
The strategy to earn points is quite simple. You keep opening credit cards for the Sign On Bonuses, and bank the points. Follow the best card list for maximum value!
Once you decided to start the game, look at the Sign On Bonus welcome offer terms to see if you can qualify. For example, a card offer may be “spend $6000 in 3 months.” Think ahead to your finances for the next few months and be confident you can meet the spend in the allotted time.
Chase is the main player in the points earning game, and they have an unofficial rule called the Chase 5/24 rule. Essentially, Chase will only approve you for 5 personal cards within a 24 month period. This doesn’t include Business cards, which is a great reason to have a side hustle to qualify you for Business Credit Cards. This is essential to maximize your point earnings and easier than you think. More on that later.
Velocity - how many cards should you be getting per year? A conservative answer is to apply every 90 days, but an aggressive game would consist of a new card every 30 days. Play the game that you are comfortable with! Check out my first year strategy, which displays how many points you can earn in your first year!
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Sixth, redeem for the dream adventure.
This is the part of the game that will take years to learn. Start by browsing our Points Play to see a few itineraries that will get you thinking about your dream trip. At a glance, you can see how many flexible award points you need for a free vacation to locations such as Costa Rica, London, and Japan!
Check out Travel Tips for Getting Started, FAQ’s, and Quick Guides to transfer partners, airlines alliances, and more…