Take the First Steps
You can start earning points today. Here are 5 steps that break down what you need to do. Your first vacation on points is sooner than you think.
Have a Plan
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Knowing where you want to go makes it easier to plan which credit cards you will need to get
Credit cards earn points with different hotels and airlines—depending on which bank issued the card or if it’s a co-branded card
So it’s important to understand what each card offers and how you would use those points
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Research which airlines and hotels are best for your destination
Practice award searches to estimate how many points you will need for flights and hotel
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Bank cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Capital One Venture earn points that can be used with many different hotels and airlines.
*That makes them good starter cards since you have lots of options on how to use the points you earn with them
Begin earning points now. Once you get a stockpile of points, you can check to see where those points can take you!
2. Choose a Credit Card & Apply
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Choosing a good credit card offer is an important piece of the puzzle
The offer you get in the mail for 100,000 Hilton points is not the same value as a 60,000 point Hyatt offer (hint: the Hyatt card will likely get you more hotel nights!)
Do some research: Search to find out how many points you will need for your desired flight and hotel stay
Then you will have a better idea of whether or not a credit card offer is worthwhile
If all of this seems overwhelming, check out The Game Plan for a personalized card strategy for your specific trip!
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Always consider the minimum spend requirement and timeline the card allots you to meet that spending threshold
There are so many cards out there. You can find one that aligns with your budget and goals
If you have a destination in mind, make sure the points you are going to earn are compatible with airlines and hotels at that location
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Fill out the credit card application as you normally would
Waiting about 90 days between credit card applications is a typical guideline
For more guidance on credit card applications, including strategies for business cards, check out The Guidebook
3. Meet the Minimum Spend
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Each credit card offer will require you to spend a certain amount of money within a set amount of time
You must meet the minimum spending requirement by the deadline
Be strategic and plan when you get your next card around big expenses: taxes, renovations, tuition, insurance, furniture, etc.
Never spend more money than you usually would just to meet a minimum spend requirement
Pay your statement balance in full every month to hold yourself accountable for your spending (and to improve your credit score!)
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If the minimum spend worries you, don't apply for that card
Missing the deadline disqualifies you from earning the sign-up bonus
Going into debt to meet a minimum spend that is too high for your lifestyle goes against this whole method (saving money by using points for travel)
Find a credit card with a lower minimum spend requirement or one that gives you more time to meet the requirement
For more strategies around meeting the minimum spend, check out this blog post
4. Do It All Again
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Try to plan ahead. Have your next card lined up to use once you meet your minimum spend on the current card. Then, switch!
The goal is to always be working towards earning a sign-up bonus. This is how to build a stockpile of points quickly.
If you are overwhelmed with which cards you should be getting, consider The Game Plan, where you’ll receive a blueprint of what to get so you have the points you need for your trip
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Use a partner (“Player 2”) to more than double your points earnings
You will get the credit card and earn a bonus, then your partner will get the same credit card and earn the bonus. During this process, you refer each other to every card in order to also receive referral bonus points!
This is a good way to space out how often you are getting new credit cards, since you are taking turns getting new cards with your partner
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Stay organized and keep track of your payments and sign-up bonus deadlines
It can get overwhelming once you start getting more than a few new cards
Use the Travel Freely app to do this easily
Travel Freely keeps track of all of your card deadlines for you and you can set up notifications so you never miss a sign-up bonus deadline
5. Book Your Travel
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With “bank cards” the best value for your points is when you transfer your points to partner hotels and airlines
If you are unsure who the bank partners with, you can use the bank’s name and do a basic internet search (for example: “Chase Transfer Partners”)
Only transfer the points when:
You found your desired flights and/or hotel room
You have enough points
Once you transfer points to a hotel/airline, you can’t get them back!
For Example: After transferring your Chase points to Hyatt, you can’t send them back to Chase if your plans change
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Book your travel as soon as your points transfer is complete!
*Availability and pricing change frequently—what’s available and affordable today may not be there tomorrow. So be ready to take action!
If you have a co-branded card, your points will appear in your hotel or airline loyalty account soon after you earn your sign-up bonus (no transferring needed!). So, go ahead and book your travel!
If you want assistance with choosing cards and booking your trip, check out the Services
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You can use your points to book flights, hotels, car rentals and more in the bank’s travel portal
This can be a good option as it provides more choices. Consider getting The Guidebook for a breakdown of bank travel portals and real booking examples
Always double check that you are getting a good value (compare the cost in the portal to what a partner booking would cost for the same itinerary)
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You could use your points to “erase” travel charges
This gives you total flexibility on what and how you book
But your points are likely worth double, triple or even more when you use them with transfer partners instead of using the “eraser” or statement credits
