How to travel for free – my favorite way to save when booking travel

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Get a travel credit card, sis.

The number one question I get about my travels has to be how I can afford to take so many trips. I understand because let’s face it – traveling is not cheap! It can be overwhelming looking at these incredibly high flight and hotel prices. Well, I’m here to break down exactly how I do it. You too can travel for free!

My secret is pretty simple actually – using a travel credit card. Using this method, I can travel for free. But how? Let me explain.

How it Works

Taking advantage of rewards from points-based credit cards is a must for saving money when traveling. The way it works is you earn points for every dollar spent on the card and can redeem those points for food, hotel stays, flights, technology, and more depending on the card.

I love this approach because there is really minimal effort on your end. Spend as you usually would (responsibly) – just be sure to use your travel credit card for your purchases. The basic premise is that the more you spend, the more points you get. Points systems are usually 1 point earned per 1 dollar spent. 

Depending on the kind of card you get, there are different strategies you can implement in your spending to maximize the points you earn by taking advantage of point multipliers (more than on point per dollar spent).

Multipliers can come from shopping with a particular brand, making purchases in certain categories like groceries, dining, or travel, and more. The options are honestly endless. So how do you know which one you should get?

How do I pick the Right Travel Credit Card for me?

There is a summary of the best travel cards for 2023 from Forbes that provides an excellent overview. This summary includes the best overall, mid-tier, premium, dining, airline, and hotel credit cards. I suggest checking this out first to see which card best matches your lifestyle and spending habits.

For example, if you are a loyal Hilton Hotel fan and are staying there multiple times a year on business trips – you’ll want to consider the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass credit card for its 12x points multiplier on all Hilton hotel stays. Picking a card that fits your habits will ensure you earn enough points to travel for free!

Things to Consider

Owning a credit card can be a powerful financial tool when used properly, but there are several important factors to consider before picking one for travel. Let’s break down these factors one by one.

Annual Fee

This is charged to your card automatically once a year. There are a lot of $0 annual fee cards out there. Some travel cards with annual fees are worth the investment if you are regularly redeeming rewards.

Regular APR

The Annual Percentage Rate is essentially the interest on the card. APR is the “annualized” or yearly version of the interest rate that makes it easier for you to compare interest rates across cards. The lower this number is the better.

Credit Score

Each card has a recommended credit score range you should be in to apply for their card. Having a good credit standing will make it easier to be approved.

Welcome Bonus

Welcome bonuses are great perks you want to take advantage of when possible. Most welcome bonuses are points or miles awarded for meeting a spending threshold soon after receiving your card.

Penalties and Fees

Make sure you are familiar with the penalties and fees associated with any potential card. Not knowing this can lead to some ugly consequences. 

Perks!

This is the best part. Understanding how your card works is the best way to get the most out of it. Make sure you go for a card that has perks that are important to you.

How many credit cards do you own

Most of us are inundated with credit card offers via mail, emails, and almost every store checkout. You don’t want to have too many credit cards at once. This can lead you to spend more than you have available. 

Lifestyle

Your lifestyle should inform your decision to pick a credit card. You want to pick a card(s) that will allow you to maximize your rewards based on your daily spending habits.

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Easy Ways to Earn Points

I’m sure at this point you may be thinking – but I don’t spend enough to earn big points. You probably spend more than you think! These are some low-hanging fruit I put on my travel credit card to help rack up points every month. You’re like spending a lot on these items as well.

• Rent
• Monthly Bills (Car/phone/etc. payments)
• Gas
• Tax Returns
• Groceries
• Dining Out

The key is to use the travel credit card like a debit card and pay off transactions as they occur. This way, your responsible spending is the same, you’re just earning points for it now!

My Travel Credit Card and How I Use It To Travel for Free:

My personal travel credit card go-to is the Chase Sapphire Reserved Card.  I actually started with the Preferred version of the card and switched over to the Reservear. I LOVE this card. Why? Because I’m not loyal to any one airline or hotel chain. Yet it still allows me to accumulate a ton of points and travel for free.

DISCLAIMER: I’m not saying this is hands down the best travel credit card ever, but it is perfect for me and my spending habits.

The perks for this card have also changed since I first got it, so it is important to check in regularly to see what new offers and benefits your card has to offer.

I appreciate that with the Sapphire Reserved I can accumulate great point multipliers for travel and get 50% more points when I book my trip with Chase. This means my points are worth 1.5x more if I book through Chase. Booking with Chase is as easy as logging into my Chase account, navigating to “Redeem Rewards”, and then using the flight tab to search for and book my trip.

This means that regardless of which airline I fly, I can redeem points for flights. This is huge for me. Also as a frequent DoorDash user, the complimentary DashPass is awesome!

There are other key travel perks like Priority Pass lounge access and a statement credit for TSA pre-check or Clear. The annual fee is $550, but when you consider the $300 yearly statement credit for travel it’s really $250. When you add in the included benefits, this card pays for itself pretty quickly (especially when you start to book travel for free!)

Using my travel card I have been able to book roundtrip flights to France, Colombia, and Portugal (for two people) completely free of charge. I recommend having a travel card for frequent travelers who are looking to maximize savings on their trips and can make good use of their additional benefits.

Do you have a travel credit card favorite? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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