How to Travel For Free: The Beginner’s Guide to Rewards Cards

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No sleeping on couches. No trading work for a bunk. These 5 simple steps can help you (and your family) travel the world for pennies on the dollar.

Do you want to know how to travel for free? You’re in the right place!

And no, I’m not going to suggest that you bunk in some stranger’s house or work your way across the globe to earn free travel. For most people, that simply isn’t practical – especially if you have kids!

There are better ways to travel for free and they’re called travel rewards credit cards. How do I know? My family has been using them to save big money on travel around the world for years.

Using the best travel credit cards, we’ve redeemed points and miles to save thousands of dollars on international and domestic travel. In fact, we’ve redeemed these rewards to step on the floor of the Roman Colosseum, walk in the footsteps of King Henry VIII, and sip frozen drinks on some of the world’s most beautiful beaches.

They can help you do it, too.

Here’s the best part: Traveling on rewards doesn’t require mega math skills or a super genius intellect. Travel rewards aren’t reserved for the elite few. Anybody can do it.

Seriously, once you understand the key concepts of using travel rewards, you’ll be traveling for less in no time! And, with the end of the COVID-19 travel restrictions hopefully in sight, now is the time to start building points you can use for travel later.

In this “Beginner’s Guide to Credit Card Rewards,” you will learn how to travel for free (or almost free) using our simple five-step process. I’ll cover things like choosing the best rewards card, using online portals, and leveraging the right cards to get maximum value. So, what do you say? Let’s get started!

Step 1: Understanding Rewards Credit Cards

What Are Travel Rewards?

Saving money with travel rewards is part art, part science, and all awesome! But before we get too deep, let’s talk about how these rewards work.

Travel rewards, also called points and miles, are perks and credits you can earn by:

• Being a loyal customer to a brand, or
• Using certain types of credit cards

Once earned, these points can be redeemed for discounts on travel items and experiences.

As you probably know, most airline and hotel brands already have their own loyalty programs. The average person, however, doesn’t travel enough to get much value out of these programs alone.

On the other hand, earning points and miles with credit cards is considerably easier and often more lucrative. This has become our “go to” method for earning free travel, so that is mainly what we’ll focus on in this piece.

How to Travel for Free Using Rewards

In almost all cases, the most valuable way to use points and miles is to redeem them for the most expensive travel items. Redeeming points for airfare and hotel stays usually provides the biggest bang for your buck, often resulting in travel that is free (or almost free).

With that said, travel rewards can be used for almost any travel-related expense. We’ve used them to pay for rental cars, day trips, upgraded seats, and more.

While some people take earning rewards to an extreme, you don’t have to do anything fancy to make a massive impact. Just earn the most valuable rewards and redeem them for free travel! It’s really that simple.

The Holy Trinity of Travel Rewards

To get the biggest bang for your buck, you’ll want to focus your efforts on the really big items. I like to call these the “Holy Trinity of Travel Rewards.” They are:

• Free Flights
• Free Hotels, and
• Free Incidentals

By using points and miles to pay for these big-ticket items, you’ll drastically cut the cost of your travel expenses. While traveling is never completely free, you’ll be able to see a lot more for much, much less.

Free Flights

The cost of flying, particularly flying internationally, can be a total budget buster. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be.

Earning free flights may seem like a dream, but it isn’t. It’s totally possible when you learn how to use rewards cards and airline miles.

These days, you don’t even have to be a frequent flyer to earn miles. Simply sign up for the right credit card, and – within a few months – you could earn free flights to Europe, the Caribbean, or anywhere else in the world. Just meet the minimum spending requirements, claim the signup bonus, and redeem your points for free flights!

Free Hotel Stays

If flying isn’t your biggest travel expense, staying in a hotel almost certainly is. Hotel accommodations can cost thousands, making it tough to get out and see the world. Like with airfare, however, you can reduce the cost of your stay by using rewards cards and hotel points.

Free hotel stays can be earned if you’re a frequent guest at a particular hotel chain, but that isn’t the only way to grab a free night. Find a credit card that offers a big signup bonus, a free night’s stay, or both. After meeting any minimum spending requirements, you can use those points to book your free stays at select hotels.

We’ve redeemed both points and free night certificates at numerous locations throughout the world. We even turned in a free stay at the $900+/night Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris…and yes, it was awesome!

Free Incidentals

Even if you’re able to book flights and hotels for free, there are still expenses you’ll need to cover while you’re away. Things like meals, transportation, and entrance fees can destroy your travel budget if you don’t plan ahead.

Thankfully, travel rewards can help you save on all the other stuff, too. Again, certain credit cards help you earn free rewards and cash back that you can use to help keep your costs down. You can even use a card’s shopping portal to pay for travel experiences with points. If you use cash, these portals typically give you a steep discount too.

Other Travel Rewards Benefits

The biggest benefit to using travel rewards is obviously earning free travel. However, travel rewards credit cards can also provide a number of other great benefits.

Many cards offer some basic travel insurance perks – including free primary auto insurance on rental cars, trip cancellation coverage, and more. We have personally used several of these insurance perks, and they actually do work. You can protect your travel dollars even more when you use them in combination with a good travel insurance policy.

Additionally, travel rewards (and certain credit cards) can help you achieve special “status” with hotel and airline chains. You’ll get perks like room upgrades, free Wi-Fi, and more. Some premium cards even include access to some super sweet airport lounges, which totally beats waiting at the gate!

Finally, you can find discounts on travel and other shopping items through the various shopping portals. These are some of the most underutilized tools but provide some of the biggest savings.

Step 2: Choosing the Best Rewards Cards

There are plenty of ways to travel for free with rewards, but you should start by picking the low-hanging fruit first. Try getting as many points as you can in the shortest amount of time possible. Just by using the best travel rewards cards, you can save thousands!

Personally, we like to gather our points first, then we decide how to use them. If you’ve already got a destination in mind, however, that may change the type of points you should try to earn.

There are three main types of credit cards that we use for travel. They are:

• Flexible Rewards Credit Cards
• Co-Branded Credit Cards, and
• Cash Back Credit Cards

Flexible Rewards Cards

Flexible rewards cards are our favorite type to use. They’re also a key piece of the travel rewards puzzle.

The points you earn on these cards are “flexible,” meaning you can use them for a variety of different travel costs. Some cards offer points that can be transferred to specific travel partners or redeemed for specific types of travel expenses. Others earn points that are redeemable for a statement credit – which means you can use your card to book travel through any hotel or airline, then apply the points to your bill for credit.

Here are some of our favorites:

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Our favorite rewards card for beginners is the card_name.

With this card, you earn a signup bonus of 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. Those points are good for $750 in travel when booked through the Chase portal. You can also transfer the points to more than a dozen awesome loyalty programs at a 1:1 ratio. (Think brands like Hyatt, Marriott, IHG, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and more.) This card does charge an annual fee of only $95.

We don’t have enough room to list all of the Sapphire Preferred Card’s benefits, but trust us, they’re awesome. If you’ve never had a rewards card before, this is the first card we recommend.

Learn how to apply | Read the review

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The card_name is another excellent option for flexible rewards.

With this card’s welcome offer, you’ll earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months. These miles can be redeemed for $750 in travel expenses. Simply use your card to book with any brand and redeem your points as a statement credit.

You’ll also earn 2x miles on all purchases, plus you’ll receive up to $100 in credit toward TSA Precheck or Global Entry. Your miles never expire as long as your account stays open, and the card also comes with no foreign transaction fees. There is a $95 annual fee.

Learn how to apply | Read the review

Co-Branded Credit Cards

Co-branded credit cards are another great way to earn free travel. These cards help you earn loyalty points toward specific travel brands. Then, you can redeem these points through those brands to receive free and discounted travel.

When it comes to travel rewards, the two most important types of co-branded cards are hotel cards and airline cards. Hotel cards help you earn points at your favorite hotel brands while airline cards do the same for airlines.

When it comes to hotel cards, pretty much all of the major hotel chains have them. Of course, each of them offer various points and benefits.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

One co-branded hotel card to consider is the card_name. This card offers a limited-time welcome bonus of 100,000 points when you make at least $3,000 in purchases during the first 3 months you have the card. You also get one “Free Night Award” (up to 35,000 point value) every year on your account anniversary.

The card also has solid earning potential. Every year, you’ll earn 3x points on the first $6,000 in combined spending at gas stations, restaurants, and grocery stores. Purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy properties always earns up to 17x points. The card earns 2x points on all other purchases.

You’ll automatically receive Silver Status each year on your account anniversary, plus you’ll get 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.

There is an annual fee of $95, but that is far less than the $450+ annual fee charged by some premium card offering. So, if you’re new to credit card rewards and want to avoid a huge annual fee, this hotel card may be for you.

>> Learn how to apply

When it comes to getting free flights, airline cards are a wonderful way to do it. They’re also easy to use, and different cards seem to be running promotions all the time.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

The Southwest Visa credit card comes in a few different options, but our current favorite is the card_name.

With this card, you’ll earn 60,000 bonus points and a 30% off promo code after spending $3,000 in the first three months. To put that in perspective, 60,000 points are often enough for a round-trip ticket within the U.S. or the Caribbean! Plus, a Companion Pass allows a companion to travel with you for free to anywhere Southwest flies.

There is a $69 annual fee, but the bonus more than makes up for it during your first year.

We think this is the best card for earning points toward flights throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean. In fact, it’s often the first airline card we recommend for beginners.

Learn how to apply | Read the review

Cash Back Cards

Earning points toward flights and hotels knocks out some of your biggest expenses, but that can only do so much. If you really want to travel for free, you need to find ways to pay for everything else too!

Things like meals, tickets, and transportation all cost money, and travel rewards gurus know how to find deals there too. The best cash back credit cards, especially those that provide a signup bonus, are a fantastic option for earning cash back that can be used to pay for incidentals.

Chase Freedom Flex^SM

With the card_name, you’ll get a $200 cash back bonus for spending just $500 the first three months you have the card. You’ll also earn an impressive 5% cash back on travel purchased through the Chase portal, 3% on dining, and 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases.

This card also offers 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases in categories that rotate on a quarterly basis. Past categories have included things like groceries, streaming services, and more. Keep in mind that you must activate these categories to receive the bonus cash back amount.

That’s practically free money just waiting for you to use it! Don’t forget, though, this card does charge foreign transaction fees, so you don’t want to use it while traveling abroad.

Learn how to apply | Read the review

Step 3: Leveraging Your Cards for Maximum Value

As we mentioned above, different cards offer different rewards based on the type of spending you do. You can also redeem those points and miles in varying ways.

Earning a signup bonus is the first thing beginners should focus on. It is the fastest, most lucrative, and most effective way to build up a lot of points quickly. It’s also the easiest to understand.

In most cases, simply enroll in a new card program, complete a minimum spending requirement, and you’ll earn a huge amount of points or cash back. It’s that easy.

Also, keep in mind how spending in different categories can affect the amount of points and miles you earn. While some cards offer a flat percentage on every dollar you spend, others may provide bonus rewards for spending in certain categories.

For instance, a card may offer 2x points on travel and dining but only 1x point on everything else. A different card might offer a limited time bonus of 5% cash back on spending at grocery stores. If you have more than one card, be sure to stay current on any offerings and deals so you can use them strategically to maximize your rewards.

Pairing cards with each other is another effective way to earn more points and miles. For instance, if a credit card company allows you to transfer points between cards, you may want to carry both a premium travel card and a cash back card. Then, you can use each card for spending in the categories that will earn the most points.

For more discussions on advanced strategies like these, join our frugal travel Facebook community.

Step 4: Using Online Portals

Online portals are a great way to find discounts on everything from shopping to travel experiences. In many cases, they can also stretch your points significantly further.

Most credit card issuers have shopping and/or travel portals available to their card members. These portals can be used to book airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, day trips, and more. However, perks and other options may be limited based on the specific card you have.

For instance, compared to Chase Freedom Unlimited cardmembers, those who have the Chase Sapphire Preferred get 25% more value on airfare, hotels, car rentals, and cruises through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. CSP cardmembers may also transfer their points to partner loyalty programs, while Freedom Unlimited Card holders can’t.

American Express offers 5x Membership Rewards points to Platinum Card holders when they book travel through their portal.

Learning to use these portals can save you big money and help get the maximum value out of your hard-earned points.

Step 5: Transferring Points to Loyalty Programs

Depending on the type of credit card you have, you may be able to save thousands on travel by transferring your points to partner loyalty programs.

Several credit cards offer this option, and it can be a great way to earn free travel perks. In many cases, these transfers provide the most valuable point redemptions. Just be sure you know how much your points are worth and that you’re getting maximum value for the transfer.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Choose a travel brand you love using.
2. Join that brand’s loyalty program.
3. Find a credit card that partners with your selected loyalty program. (Remember, co-branded cards are not always the best fit.)
4. Sign up for the credit card.
5. Meet the minimum spending requirement to earn any welcome offer or bonus.
6. Use the card’s portal to transfer your points to your preferred loyalty program.

This is super simple to do and it can help you save thousands in travel costs!

Final Thoughts

If you’ve made it all the way to the end, thanks so much for reading!

We hope this beginner’s guide to rewards cards gives you a new appreciation for the hobby we love. More importantly, we hope we’ve inspired you to try it out for yourself.

Welcome to the wonderful world of rewards travel! Until next time, happy traveling!

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