If you haven’t heard of credit card hacking yet, you’re in luck. I only ever use my credit cards when making purchases of any kind for one reason: the points.
I want to preface this by saying that this isn’t for everyone and I never carry a balance on any of my credit cards. Whenever I get paid, I pay off my cards immediately. I use my credit cards as I would a debit card and I don’t spend more than I have.
In this blog, I’ll show you the best travel credit cards and the perks that come with each, along with some tips on how to maximize your travel credit cards. This post contains affiliate links. If you click on my link and are approved for a card, I may earn points for referring you at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my blog 🙂
Capital One Venture Rewards
Perks:
- No foreign transaction fees
- 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4k in the first three months
- 2x miles per dollar on every purchase
- 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Travel accident insurance & auto rental collision damage waiver
- TSA PreCheck and Global Entry credit
- Cardholder offers and cashback on Capital One Shopping
Annual Fee: $95
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Perks:
- No foreign transaction fees
- 60,000 bonus points offer after spending $4k in the first three months
- 2x points on travel (5x when booked through Chase offers)
- 3x points on dining and online grocery purchases
- 3x points on streaming services
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- Each account anniversary you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year
Annual Fee: $95
United MileagePlus Explorer
Perks:
- 50,000 bonus points offer after spending
- Free checked bag when you book with your United MileagePlus card
- 2 United Club one-time passes per year
- 2x miles on United purchases
- 2x miles on dining and hotels
- Cardholder offers and cash back on United shopping
Annual Fee: $0 the first year, then $95
The key to success with credit cards and travel hacking is making sure you earn the sign-up bonus.
A lot of cards offer a points bonus if you spend a certain amount within a few months of opening. The Capital One Venture Rewards Travel card, for example, gives you 75,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in the first three months. I usually open a new card when I know I have a big purchase coming up so I’m sure to hit that bonus, but if you use that card for every single thing you buy, you only need to spend $1,333 per month, which I’m sure you do anyway.
The trick is to not spend unnecessarily, because then you’re missing the point. But if you use your card exactly as you would a debit card and pay it off as often as you can, you can earn free flights, hotel stays, and so much more.
For example, I earned the signup bonus on my United MileagePlus card and was able to go on a girls trip to the Bahamas with my friends from France. Every single one of my flights was paid for with the points I earned from that signup bonus. Plus, when you book your flights using the MileagePlus card you get your first checked bag for free, saving you potentially hundreds of dollars per year and eliminating the headache of baggage fees.
Additional Points
Many cards offer additional points based on what you purchase. It’s important to keep track of which cards have the highest points for spending on certain things (I use the notes app on my phone because I’m forgetful, but I’m sure there are better apps out there), so you can maximize your earnings. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers 3x points on dining and online grocery purchases, so I make sure to carry that one when I am going out to eat.
Another incredible thing about travel credit cards is the exclusive lounge passes and access. Waiting hours in an uncomfortable airport seat during your layover is never fun, and just having these cards has the potential to get you access to thousands of airport lounges all over the world.
The annual fees on credit cards used to scare me, but don’t let it deter you from trying them out. The annual fee is completely worth it when you think about how many flights and hotels you can book with your cards.
Using travel credit cards has become a game-changer for me. I don’t ever take out my debit card unless I am at an ATM getting cash. Earning free flights and hotel stays is a no-brainer, and I hope this blog has given you some tips on how to get started yourself!
Tell me: do you use travel credit cards? How has your experience been so far and which ones do you use?