Wanna Travel for Free?

 Marry an airline employee, or.....

Open a credit card! 

The greatest travel hack I have ever found is to use credit card sign up bonuses for travel. We have done this for years with a Hilton credit card. We put all of our spend on the card and have stayed some lovely places as a result. We don't buy anything extra, we simply use our card instead of cash. 

There is an item of note here. You have to have a credit score in the high 700s to get cards that have good bonuses. My sons are already sold on this idea and at 23, and 21 are working on building credit. Most anyone can start with a Discover card. The big key here is NEVER, EVER carry a balance. Pay it off completely every month to build credit. Just as important, to never pay interest to a bank. That totally defeats the value of the points you earn. If you can not pay cards, this is not the game for you. 

There are some very strategic times to open a new card. 

Need to pay taxes? Open a new card. 

Need to make home repairs? Open a new card.

Need to pay for a wedding? Open a card!!

Most cards offer a sign up bonus after you spend a certain amount of money. Typically $3000 in three months. 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the most flexible travel card. It has a sign up bonus between 60,000-100,000 points depending on when you get it. If you know you have a big expense coming up, apply for the card and make the spend on the card. You will be spending money you budgeted for anyhow but end up with tons of points that can transfer to Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, KLM/Air France  or Hyatt Hotels. 

Pay with cash= you get nothing.

Pay with new credit card= you get a free flight or 3-4 nights in a really nice hotel. 

Which will you choose?