Rewards Travel and Your Credit Score

Rewards Travel and Your Credit Score - picture of credit report and cup of coffee

This article may contain references to some of our advertising partners. Should you click on these links, we may be compensated. For more about our advertising policies, read our full disclosure statement here.

As someone who travels almost exclusively on points and miles, I’ve gotten my fair share of crazy questions about my credit score. People often want to know if a) rewards travel has ruined my credit score, b) opening and closing so many accounts has negatively impacted my score, or c) I just don’t care.

Fortunately, none of those things are true.

Even though we have dozens of cards, our credit scores with the three credit reporting agencies all remain in the high 700’s and low 800’s. And even though it’s true that our scores have dipped here and there due to account closings or new inquiries, they always work their way back up.

And although I am pretty “meh” about keeping my credit score in the 800s, I do care about it more than you probably think. Although I don’t plan on borrowing money ever again, I desperately need a good credit score to continue traveling by rewards across the globe.

Because, let’s face it, credit card issuers won’t keep giving me awesome rewards cards if my credit sucks.

{Related Reading: Will Credit Card Rewards Ruin My Credit?}

Rewards Travel: You Need to Know Your Credit Score

Do you travel using rewards, or do you want to? If you hope to become eligible for the best rewards cards in the future, then you also need to know your score. The fact is, most of the best rewards credit cards are for people with a credit score of 720 or higher, which is generally considered “good” or “excellent” credit.

And even if you don’t pursue credit card rewards, there are plenty of other reasons to keep an eye on your credit score. For example, your credit score and credit history are immeasurably important if you ever want to buy a home, take out a large loan for a car, or start a business. Check out these Chase Sapphire Preferred Card benefits to get started!

Meanwhile, monitoring your credit report is also a good way to prevent identity theft and make sure that new accounts aren’t being opened in your name.

How to Know Your Credit Score for Free

When it comes to watching my credit score, I take the cheap and easy route. And when I say “cheap,” I actually mean “free.” By signing up for Credit Sesame, I gained access to my real credit score via two of the credit reporting agencies, a full listing of all of my hard inquiries for the last two years, and a deep analysis of my credit health.

Here are a few other perks you can get by signing up for Credit Sesame:

  • Free Monthly Credit Score
  • Free 1 Bureau Credit Monitoring and Alerts
  • Free Analysis of All Open Credit and Loans
  • Free 50K Identity Theft Insurance and ID Restoration Help

But the best news is, you don’t even need a credit card to sign up. All you need to do to create a new account is enter your information into their secure system. Then boom – you’re good to go.

Get Your FREE Credit Score – Open a new account and get your free credit score from Credit Sesame. You’ll get a free score, credit alerts, and more. Get your free credit score here!

Learn Your Credit Score and Learn to Travel for Free

If you’re just getting started with credit card rewards, let me help. I recently started offering free travel advice on my website, and am excited to offer detailed credit card plans based on your ideal itinerary.

But before you get started, you need to know your score. One of the easiest ways to find out what your credit health looks like is to sign up for a free account with Credit Sesame. If your score is high and you feel confident about your credit health, you’re probably good to go. Likewise, signing up for Credit Sesame is a great way to discover any problems you have and begin working toward a resolution.

You have nothing to lose by signing up, and you could actually gain a lot by discovering your credit score and monitoring it frequently.

And the best part is, it’s free.

Do you monitor your credit score on a free site like Credit Sesame? Why do you think it’s important to know your score?

Additional reading:

Similar Posts

Disclaimer: Comments, responses, and other user-generated content is not provided or commissioned by this site or our advertisers. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by this website or our advertisers. It is not the responsibility of our advertisers or this website to ensure that all comments and/or questions are answered. Club Thrifty has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Club Thrifty and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

12 Comments

  1. I use Credit Karma to monitor my credit score. I never really paid attention to my credit until I purchased my first house and I realized how much more a bad credit score would have cost me (definitely in interest, but potentially in never being able to get a mortgage for a home). I check in monthly and make sure everything makes sense.

  2. I keep an eye on my credit score. I check in to make sure things are up to date and accurate. Based on my latest score we are in group shape if and when we wan to jump into the travel rewards game. 🙂

  3. I have an awesome credit score but was turned down because of my income which is less than $2000 a year. We are basically a one income family, so it’s usually my husband’s name we apply in. I was trying to take double advantage of some of these things and it wouldn’t let me because of my low income. Oh well, we are still getting some great deals and able to fly free this summer to see family.

    1. List your family income, not just yours! I always do. The applications generally say “household income,” so you are well within your right to list his income on your application.

      I would reapply for sure!

  4. Good article Holly! I just received my IHG card yesterday and might sign up te hubs this week while they still have the 70k points. I can’t believe the points never expire! good deal. I am going to check out Credit Seasame. Never heard of it! I was house hunting a few years years ago and my credit was brought up by the bank and turns out I had a $600 bill in collections that I didn’t even know about!!! Some medical bill that claimed they didn’t have my address. I was SO MAD!! It really is a good idea to go through everything on your report and make sure nothing is out of whack.

  5. That used to be more main worry about signing up for cards but I’ve learned that it doesn’t really hurt it much. I’ve signed up for big bonuses. I signed up for one those sites…credit sesame/karma but don’t really pay attention to it that often. A lot credit cards offer fico scores now too so I see it in my credit card account.

  6. I was never interested in doing this until I found your site a few years back. We also use Credit Sesame and have been for years. I was wondering about b) so I got my question answered. Thanks! 🙂

  7. I actually enjoy monitoring my credit score (I’m a nerd). I love seeing what impacts it and what doesn’t haha.

  8. I used to never know my credit score, but now I have a couple credit cards that give me my score for free. Yay! I’ve used Credit Sesame too, it’s a great service.

  9. Thank you! I just signed up for credit sesame. My score was 820 whohooo!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.