Enjoy Free Travel: Maximizing Reward Points For Free Flights and Hotels
Unlock the secrets to enjoying free travel with this comprehensive guide. Learn insider tips on maximizing loyalty programs, finding hidden deals, and leveraging travel rewards for unforgettable experiences. Master the art of cost-free travel and turn your wanderlust into reality. How can you enjoy free travel? Delve into this guide to uncover insider tips and leverage travel rewards for unforgettable experiences without breaking the bank.
Free Travel & Vacations: From Dreams to Reality
There is something deep inside all of us that has a longing desire for adventure! One of my greatest memories as a child was when my family of nine crammed into an RV and traveled west for a two week road trip! Because I was rather young at the time, I don’t remember all the details about the trip, but I’ll never forget the fun and adventure of seeing new places with the entire family!
Since that memorable experience, I’ve always had a fascination with travel. Being a teacher has allowed for many road trips during the summer months to see some amazing places. Early on when our daughters were young, we took a short road trip through a few nearby states, and our kids soon fell in love with the adventure that traveling provides! There’s something about being cooped up together in the same vehicle, turning up the music, talking about life, and making memories together. It wasn’t long after this first trip that we all started dreaming about our next destination and future family adventure. We even made a crazy goal of trying to visit all 50 states as a family before our girls would graduate!
In 2021, we accomplished our family goal of visiting all 50 states! Our 50th and final state was Alaska - The Last Frontier! Being a history teacher, I have loved visiting historical sites across the country and bringing those experiences back into my classroom! After so many amazing experiences together, I highly recommend everyone taking time out of their busy routine to travel and see beyond!
Whether it’s to a new destination on the other side of your neighborhood or another country across the sea, you’ll make memories and reap benefits you never knew were available to you. There’s a healthy bonding that is experienced on family vacations that’s hard to replicate anywhere else. Traveling is not only enjoyable, but it is also important for relaxation and living a healthy lifestyle. Learn more about living a healthy lifestyle on my blog post Becoming a Healthier You!
HOW TO GAIN REWARD POINTS & Enjoy Free Travel
Okay, so being an economics teacher I know that there is no such thing as FREE, but stay with me on this! Yes, traveling comes with a price. It will cost you time away from home. You will have to pay for other various expenses such as gas and food. However, what if I told you that my family has been able to visit all 50 states using travel reward points for nearly every flight, rental car, resort, and hotel stays! That’s a lot of “FREE” travel! One of the easiest ways to enjoy free travel is by accumulating travel reward points, and the best way to earn reward points — credit card sign-up bonuses plus everyday spending. I decided to write this post because I want you to also enjoy these free aspects of travel helping make your family adventures extremely affordable! The tips below will help you navigate how to best accumulate points and begin your journey toward free travel! - Skip to amazing offers!
Credit Card Sign-Up Bonuses - The most efficient way to accumulate travel reward points is through various credit card programs. There are many fantastic offers out there to help you earn points on everyday spending. However, the quickest and most efficient way to attain points is through the many lucrative sign-up bonuses. When you sign up for a credit card, make sure the welcome offer has at least a 50,000 point reward or greater to maximize your potential. See below for links to my favorite offers!
Meet Minimum Spending Requirements - Most sign-up bonuses come with an initial minimum spending requirement. An example might be “spend $3,000 in the first three months to earn 50,000 reward points.” Most people can easily meet this requirement by using their newly received card to pay for bills, groceries, online spending, a major upcoming purchase, and more. Once this minimum spending is reached, your bonus reward points will arrive in your account after a few weeks for use to spend on travel! If you like the card, keep using it to earn additional rewards that can vary between 1%-5% on all daily spending in various categories. If you are unable to meet the initial requirements, I would recommend NOT signing up for the card.
Always Pay Your Credit Card Balance In Full - Never, ever, ever carry a balance on your card into the next month, and never spend more than what you need! By paying your credit card statement in full each month, you will avoid interest fees and unnecessary financial stress. Carrying a balance on your credit card will also take away from your goal of FREE travel!
Be Aware of Annual Fees - Some credit cards do not have annual fees, some waive the annual fee for the first year, and others have an annual fee that starts the day you open the card. Depending on the benefits of the card, the annual fee may be worth it to you. I recommend looking at the terms of each credit card to see what works best for you and your travel goals.
Credit Card Basics - If used correctly (paying the balance in full every month), credit cards are a convenient way to make financial transactions and also gain BIG rewards for normal spending habits. If and when you apply, make sure to always tell the truth about your financial status on your application. If you like the card you signed up for, keep it! The more cards you have with unused credit available, the more your personal credit score will increase. A high credit score is extremely valuable to have! Do not close out cards unless you absolutely need to. If you do choose to close out a card, just ask the bank to move your unused credit to another card so you can keep your credit utilization score as high as possible.
Document Your Applications - If you decide to apply for one or more credit cards, create a document and write down the dates of your applications along with which cards you applied for. Wait 90 days, then feel free to look around at other credit cards that may suite your lifestyle best. If it makes sense, your spouse may also want the same card, or maybe you even want to get a business card for your small business. With each card comes more rewards and a building of your credit score if used correctly. more cards can also create more things to keep track of. So like anything, only commit to what makes sense for you!
HOW TO GET STARTED!
While considering the important information above, if you decide to begin your journey toward free travel, I recommend starting with any of the following credit cards. The options listed below have some of the best sign-up bonuses around and are fantastic cards for everyday use. Take a look at some of my personal favorites:
Chase Sapphire Preferred - Earn 60,000 ultimate reward points for travel! - (There is a $95 annual fee to be aware of, but the rewards more than pay for itself! These points are extremely valuable on their own, transferred to a hotel/airline partner or use them through the Chase Travel portal for $750 in free travel!) See the important facts to know below:
Chase points are extremely versatile! Use Chase points to book travel through the Chase website and get an additional 25% off all free bookings.
You can also transfer Chase points for free to multiple travel partners at a 1:1 even exchange. My favorite transfer partners are Southwest Airlines, Hyatt, and Marriott Hotels! 60,000 points transferred to Southwest Airlines can get you and your family free, round-trip travel to most U.S. destinations including Disney World or even Hawaii! I’ve even got the family vacation pictures to prove it.
If both you and your spouse sign up using this link, that’s 120,000 points toward free travel or $2,000! Just make sure you can meet the initial minimum spending for both cards or space out your applications throughout the year to reach your goal.
Chase Ultimate Reward Points are my favorite because we have been able to get free flights, rental cars, hotels, and even book free travel experiences! We enjoyed a free helicopter ride over Hawaii and a whale watching cruise in Alaska!
Chase does have a 5/24 rule. That means, if you have applied for 5 or more cards from any bank in the last 24 months, you will not be eligible for this card.
Southwest Airlines Card - This will be your #1 go-to-card for free flights! Earn up to 50,000 bonus points (and sometimes even more) with any Southwest Rapid Rewards personal credit card. Business owners can earn up to 80,000 bonus points with Southwest Rapid Rewards business credit cards.
Any of the Southwest Cards are fabulous! 80,000 points can get you and your family multiple round-trip vacations around the United Sates.
Be aware that all of the various Southwest Cards do carry an annual fee and also have minimum spend requirements. However, the amount of FREE travel is literally unbelievable.
I love Southwest because the points never expire, and you can cancel your flights for FREE if plans change. I highly recommend this as your #1 card for free flights!
American Express Hilton Honors Card - Earn up to 100,000 Hilton Hotel points.
There is NO annual fee for this card. Click the above link to learn more details.
Our favorite FREE Hilton stay was 5 nights in Hawaii at the Waikoloa Village Resort.
Chase Freedom Unlimited - Earn $200 that can be used as travel points or cash
There is NO annual fee for this card. There is a $500 minimum spend in the first 3 months.
The points on this card are extremely flexible and can transfer to many travel partners
I prefer the Freedom Unlimited card, but the Freedom Flex card is equally as good if you like categories.
Disclaimers: - Here are a few points to consider:
Always make sure you can meet the initial spending requirements to receive the lucrative sign-up bonuses.
Never use your credit card to charge for more than what you need. Always pay your credit card statement in full each month to avoid interest fees and unnecessary financial stress.
Sometimes credit card companies will update their signup terms which will be different than what is posted here. Always be aware of the latest updated terms on the company websites. Feel free to email me if you have any issues with any of the links.
When using the above links, we both benefit by receiving reward points. Thank you for supporting both of our travel goals! Feel free to contact me if you have additional questions on travel or issues with the above links (sometimes they can expire). Always make sure you understand the full terms and risks of any financial product or institution prior to commitment.
Additional Travel Resources - If you’re interested in learning more about travel, sign up for my LIFESTYLE newsletter as I hope to share more on travel tips. There are so many travel blogs out there, but I highly recommend the following websites to help you on your journey toward free travel:
Learn more about free travel and credit card reward points with Zach from Travel Freely! This membership is free and is very helpful to get you going.
If you want to go all-in, I recommend Lyn from Go To Travel Girl. She has an amazing guided program that will help you with free travel tips every step of the way. Check out her Families Fly Free program to get started on your way toward maximizing free travel! This is a paid subscription, but will definitely save you tons of time and a whole bunch in travel expenses!
Final Thoughts
Family vacations are a lot of fun! Getting FREE transportation and lodging makes traveling even more fun! Whether you like visiting historical places like this social studies teacher does, a week on the beach, or just visiting friends in another state, I hope these travel tips can help you save money and enjoy even more adventures. If you have other travel tips to share, I’d love to hear from you. Let me know in the comments below or send me an email. Make sure to also sign up for my LIFESTYLE newsletter to get updates on future travel deals, blog posts, and more! Cheers to your next travel adventure!
- Mister Harms
One of our favorite family vacations was The Great American Southwest Road Trip! All of our hotel stops on this 10 day trip were purchased with points making these fabulous nights entirely free! We even had additional points to use for our next trip! Read more about this amazing travel destination!
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