Getting Started -- The Basics
The Basics of Travel Hacking: How to Travel the World Using Credit Card Points
What if we told you that you could take your family on incredible vacations—flights, hotels, and even experiences—for a fraction of the cost? That’s exactly what travel hacking is all about! By strategically earning and redeeming credit card points, you can turn everyday spending into free (or nearly free) travel. Welcome to the world of travel hacking!
Our Journey
Two years ago, I ran across a Facebook post where a local mom was sharing about travel hacking. I was intrigued. Travel has always been a dream of mine. Since getting married, my husband and I, have prioritized getting away at least once every two years or so, but it just wasn't enough for me. I wanted to travel with our kids. Experiences over stuff, right? But let's be honest. Experiences, at least those with air travel, can be very expensive for a family of 4.
Back to the post -- I followed her recommendation and started reading. I stayed up far past my bedtime that night. I was hooked. The first thing the next morning, I shared with Bill. He was clearly skeptical. Maybe I was too, but I was ready to give it a try. So we opened a new credit card for him, and we (I) were off to the races. I started playing the game. The goal was a trip to Hawaii to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary the following summer. For those of you who know me, you've seen the photos and heard all about our family's new favorite destination.
In one year, we managed to earn nearly 1 million credit card points. This earning allowed us to travel to places like Hyatt Ziva Cancun All-Inclusive, Kauai, Crested Butte, Chicago, Keystone, Sayulita, the Gulf Coast, San Antonio Riverwalk, Austin, New Orleans, and Vail. Our 2025 travel plans include Grand Cayman, Maui and Kauai, Costa Rica, Beaver Creek, Disneyland and a few other trips that have not yet been planned.
I want to teach you how to do the same. We all need to travel!
What is Travel Hacking?
Travel hacking is the art of maximizing credit card rewards, loyalty programs, and strategic spending to travel for less. It’s not about spending more money—it’s about using your regular expenses to earn points and miles that can be redeemed for flights, hotels, and more. The key to travel hacking is signing up for new credit cards strategically, usually every 30-90 days, to take advantage of lucrative welcome bonuses.
And before we go any further, let me address the elephant in the room -- our credit scores. They have been steadily climbing for the past 2 years. As long as you follow the recommended pacing, never close a card until it's been opened for at least a year, and pay your bills on time, yours will do the same!
Step 1: Get the Right Travel Credit Cards
The first step to travel hacking is signing up for credit cards that offer lucrative welcome bonuses and ongoing rewards. Here’s what to look for:
Large Sign-Up Bonuses – Many travel cards offer 50,000–100,000 points after meeting a minimum spend requirement within the first few months. These bonuses often provide enough for free flights or hotel stays. Opening new cards is THE #1 way to earn points quickly.
Business Credit Cards – Business credit cards can help you rack up points very quickly. If you buy and sell clothes or gear on FB Marketplace, you have a business. Own a short-term rental? You have a business.
Bonus Categories – Cards often give extra points for spending in specific categories like dining, groceries, or travel. Choosing the right card for your everyday spending can maximize your point earnings.
Transferable Points – Flexible points (such as Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, or Capital One Miles) give you more options for redemptions. These points can often be transferred to multiple airlines or hotel programs for maximum value. Booking in the portal for your credit card typically does NOT give you the most for your points. Transferring to travel partners is the way to go. More on that later.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® - Chase is by far the best and simplest point ecosystem. Up to this point, we have been almost exclusively working with Chase to transfer out to Hyatt, Southwest and United. They also happen to have some of the best sign-up bonuses and business cards with $0 annual fees. Most people start with the Chase Sapphire Preferred as you must hold one of Chase's premium cards in order to transfer Ultimate Rewards (points) to travel partners.
Chase Ink Business cards - This is the secret to sustaining this hobby of nearly free travel! Most people qualify for business cards even without an LLC or EIN. Check out our blog post to learn if you qualify and how to apply.
Capital One Venture X - Capital One Venture X is such a great card to have in your wallet! While it comes with what seems like a hefty annual fee ($395), the benefits quickly negate that fee and bring additional value! Here are a few perks that make it one of our go-to cards:
- $300 annual travel credit - erase up to $300 worth of travel booked in the Capital One Travel Portal every year
- 10,000 annual point boost - this is worth $100 in travel at MINIMUM (remember when I said you get more value when you transfer those points to travel partners?!)
- TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit - this perk is a must for all frequent travelers. Capital One has this perk covered 100%.
- The CAPITAL ONE LOUNGE - This may be my family's favorite perk of them all. As Denver locals, we use the Cap1 lounge every time we travel out of DIA. Free food, coffee, and drinks (alcoholic beer, wine, and liquor, too) for the family, along with clean restrooms, quiet work rooms, and lounge areas. No more waiting in the main terminal for that flight to board. They also have a nice grab-and-go selection of food and drinks for the plane...because calories don't count at 30,000 feet in the air.
- It's also worth noting that you may want to grab your Capital One card early in your credit card game as they are somewhat inquiry-sensitive. This means that they don't love seeing a lot of new card requests on your report.
American Express® - Amex is third on my list. Not because it isn't great, but it can be slightly more nuanced in its redemptions. But with increased complexity (don't be scared) comes amazing international possibilities. We have the Business Platinum and Personal Gold. The Biz Platinum is a great card if you happen to have a really large spend coming. Think income taxes, home remodel, college tuition, or big spend for a business. We will be using some of our Amex points for The Tabacon Resort in Costa Rica. It is a Hilton property. Amex transfers 1:2 to Hilton which cuts the points needed in half. Love that perk!
The Amex Personal Gold offers 4x on groceries AND dining out. Groceries account for a huge chunk of our monthly budget. Which makes this card incredibly valuable.
To maximize your rewards, consider signing up for a new card about every 90 days. Now this is not a hard and fast rule. If you come across a great sign-up bonus, you can definitely do it every 30 days from time to time. You can maximize your points even more if you have a Player 2 (P2). This is a great way to rack them up quickly. We tend to alternate in our household. Once we've hit the minimum spend on my new card, my husband signs up for a card. This helps with velocity.
Step 2: Meet Minimum Spend Requirements (Responsibly!)
To earn the welcome bonus, you typically need to spend a certain amount (e.g., $4,000 in 3 months). The key is to use your card for everyday expenses—groceries, gas, bills—not to overspend just to hit the requirement. Some strategies include:
Paying bills
Buying gift cards for future use - just don't do this with Amex as they do NOT like gift cards in the SUB period
Putting household expenses on the card
Covering expenses for friends or family (and having them reimburse you)
Childcare or camps
College tuition
By timing your credit card applications around large expenses—such as insurance payments, car repairs, or back-to-school shopping—you can meet the spending requirements naturally without unnecessary purchases.
Step 3: Earn Points on Everyday Spending
Once you’ve earned the welcome bonus, keep accumulating points by:
Using cards that offer category bonuses (e.g., dining, travel, groceries)
Maximizing special promotions and spending bonuses
Referring friends and family to your favorite cards.
Strategically opening a new card every few months to earn additional welcome bonuses
For families with two adults, having a Player 2 (your spouse or partner) is a game-changer. Each adult can open their own set of cards, doubling the amount of points earned. One partner signs up for a new card, meets the bonus requirement, then the second partner applies for the same card. This strategy can significantly increase your household’s travel rewards without additional spending. You can also refer each other for an added bonus.
Step 4: Redeem Your Points for Maximum Value
Not all redemptions are created equal! The best way to use your points is through travel partners and transfer programs rather than cashback or gift cards. Some of the best redemptions include:
Flights: Transfer points to airline partners like United, Hawaiian, Southwest to book flights for pennies on the dollar. You typically only pay the taxes associated with the flight. For Southwest, that is $5.60 per person, per way for domestic flights. International flights are more but still very reasonable. We only paid $112 for Grand Cayman.
Hotels: Use points for free nights at brands like Hyatt, Marriott, IHG or Hilton.
Luxury Travel: Fly business or first class for a fraction of the usual cost!
Family Travel Perks: Some programs allow you to pool points, making it even easier to book travel for the whole family. I'd add Companion Passes to the Family Travel Perks Section.
Step 5: Stay Organized and Avoid Pitfalls
DOWNLOAD the Travel Freekly app to track cards, bonus deadlines, annual fees, your 5/24 status (read more about that here) and card perks.
Set calendar reminders for payments and when to cancel or downgrade cards.
Pay your balances in full each month—interest charges will negate any rewards earned!
Stagger new applications between partners to ensure you are always working toward a new welcome bonus.
Read our FAQs post next! It contains even more info to get you started.
Final Thoughts
Travel hacking has allowed our family to visit places we never thought possible, all while sticking to a budget. By strategically applying for new credit cards every 30-90 days, utilizing Player 2, and focusing on everyday spending, almost any family can take advantage of this system.
If you’re smart about your spending and redemptions, you can unlock a world of travel opportunities. Ready to get started? Stop using that 10-year-old Southwest credit card for every single purchase, and follow along as we share more tips and tricks to help you travel more for less!
Happy travel! ✈️🌍
The Travel Savvy Family
- Wander More, Spend Less
Comments
Post a Comment