My Intro to Travel Hacking! (Free Travel!)

Free champagne from a bar in the sky? Yes, please.

It’ll take a few days for everything to clear but very soon I should have enough credit card points for 2 business class tickets to Italy for only $206 cash.

I’ve heard about travel hacking and credit card points for years but I, like many of us, had grown up with horror stories about credit and didn’t trust it. 

I had a few cards that I spent years paying off. I have earned some cash back from points here and there, but using them to take free vacations? That sounded like a scam to get me right back into debt. I wasn’t interested. I tuned out posts and mentions about credit card points the way I tune out conversations about stocks and NFTs (please don’t tell me I’m wrong about those too).

To be fair, points are designed to incentivize credit card use, but whether or not you pay your balance in full each month is what determines if you get into debt. The free trips? They’re no scam.

Now I can’t believe that I ever considered leaving on my year of world travel without access to credit card points. In addition to my cash savings, they provide invaluable security in access to a flight home for free or impossibly cheap. When you plan to relocate to the other side of the Earth solo and jobless, that is an incredible relief.

Not to mention the luxury. I’ve never flown anything but economy, so what better way to celebrate this new chapter than endless champagne and lie-down seats on the Emirates A380 with my partner?

Through a few creative tactics (like timing my first card for the holidays) I was able to earn enough for 2 one way tickets in only a month and a half. And I still have 6 months to keep earning before my trip!

I’m happy to share how I did it, but I highly recommend the website and FB group 10xTravel. They make it so easy! I also love listening to the podcast All the Hacks.

Some of my credit cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve also come with perks such as Global Entry, a $300 travel credit, and airport lounge access! 

I ignored everyone talking about credit card points for years and I don’t regret it. I was in the trenches of my debt payoff journey and my focus needed to be on saving more and spending less. I finally tuned into the message at the exact right time for me, and I am so grateful and excited,I just want to tell everyone!

Check back in next June to hear how it went!

I’m happy to share referral links 🙂