There’s a good chance that travel hacking is how your close friends are taking those exotic vacations so frequently. Travel hacking allows you to get amazing deals or even free travel.

Have you always wanted to know how to fly for free or get free stays at top hotels? Read further to discover the secret world of travel hacking!

Why Travel Hack?

Almost everyone loves to travel, but while the travel industry continues to grow every year, there are many costs to travel that dictate when and where we can travel.

Saving up to travel is a thing of the past. You no longer have to sacrifice months of your paycheck to take that dream vacation thanks to travel hacking. Travel hacking allows you to book trips for little to no money and you’ll be well on your way to exploring foreign lands or relaxing in paradise.

Earn Miles & Points for Travel Hacking

Good News in the world of travel hacking! It’s becoming much easier to earn Miles and Reward points, giving you more opportunities to earn a lot more points and faster.

Credit Card Bonuses

Credit cards are one of the primary sources for earning reward points to redeem for flight perks. There are many strategies that you can utilize when it comes to credit cards, but one of the best advantages is credit card sign up bonuses.

Did you know? Credit card companies want to encourage new users to sign up for their credit card services, and as an incentive, they offer substantial reward points just for opening up an account.

Offers Range Per Credit Card:

Credit Card Purchases

The reward points don’t end once you’ve already opened up an account. Credit cards also entice you to use your card by offering special bonuses on purchases. You could potentially be earning a point multiple every time you use your card. For example:

  • Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card give 2x points per dollar spent at select restaurants.
  • Citi Premier Card gives 3x points per dollar spent on travel.

Credit Card Platforms

The third benefit to travel hacking using credit cards is gaining access to their exclusive shopping platforms. Two ways to use the shopping platforms:

  1. The platforms have shopping options from many of your favorite retailers. When you make purchases through the designated portal, you’ll earn reward points.
  2. Many of the portals also have sections dedicated to travel. You can purchase flights and hotel rooms directly through the credit card company platform at greater discounts than you’ll find even on their respective websites.

Join Frequent Flyer Programs

Credit cards aren’t the only solution to travel hacking. Frequent flyer programs are a way to earn while you travel. Most airlines offer frequent flyer programs for their loyal customers.

People who often fly on the same airline can take advantage of frequent flyer program to earn special loyalty points based on miles that you may already be flying for work or leisure travel. Earn enough miles from your regular trips, and you could redeem your mileage points for perks such as free airplane tickets.

Redeeming Miles for Perks

Travel Hacking involves saving up flight miles to exchange at a later time for various travel perks:

  • Free or discounted flights.
  • Flight upgrades.
  • In-flight purchases.
  • Free or discounted hotel stays.
  • Hotel room upgrades.

Travel Hacking for Flights

Why spend hundreds of dollars on a roundtrip ticket when you can book the same trip for free? Flights are a major perk purchased with reward points and miles. Travel hacking is essentially being able to travel with a credit card for free.

There are various ways to fly for free with travel hacking. After saving up enough points, the only step left is the redeem them for flights, but there are a few ways to do so.

  • Redeem through credit card travel portals: while you can use the platform at any time to purchase discounted flights, you can also go through the same platform for redeeming your reward points. You’ll maintain the discounts, and your points are given a dollar value for making your purchase.
  • Redeem through frequent flyer programs: the other method of travel hacking is frequent flyer programs. If you’ve earned enough points for flying, you can trade in your miles for a flight ticket.
  • Combining points: pay attention to the possibility of using a combination of credit card points and/or frequent flyer miles. Some programs allow you to aggregate points earned from various credit card companies or airlines.

Getting Upgrades For Your Flight

If you purchase an economy ticket, your reward points may qualify you for an upgrade to the illustrious first class. The points can also be used for in-flight purchases.

Getting Free Hotel Stays

You can redeem points for free hotel stays. Top hotel chains have loyalty programs to reward people who stay at their properties around the world. You can also combine various point programs for free rooms or room upgrades.

New Possibilities For Traveling

Travel hacking has opened up the possibilities for travel. More people now have access to exotic vacations without spending a life’s savings on the trip.

Thanks to how credit cards and frequent traveler programs are set up, the more we use them, the more we get rewarded from the services. You could be well on your way to crossing off a destination on your bucket list thanks to travel hacking.