If you missed part 1, on Prioritizing your Everyday Spending, you can see it {here}.
Today we are talking about one of the BEST ways you can
lower your costs for a trip…
miles credit cards!
insert VERY happy face:)
If you do not have a travel credit card, you are missing out
on gold. There is absolutely NO way Kevin and I could have turned this globe as
many times as we have without a plastic card that somehow gives us free
flights.
Friends, welcome to magic!
Travel credit cards really do work.
If you do not have one,
then get one.
Now!
Pronto!
Stat!
Andele!
{i think you catch my drift…}
Essentially travel credit cards give
you miles that you can use to cash in for a free flight. There are a wide variety of
credit cards to choose from. Most cards give you a mile for every dollar you
spend. Some cards are attached to a specific airline. It is best to do your
research to figure out what card works best for you.
Kevin and I have three cards that we use to rack up points.
I love each of these cards for different reasons.
Southwest Rapid
Rewards Credit Card
If you live in the USA, you have probably heard of Southwest
airlines. They are a budget airline with no hidden expenses and hilarious
flight attendants. This card works great for me because I travel quite
frequently to my parents home in Northern California. Flying from Southern
California to Northern California does not require too many points, and it’s
easy to rack up enough points to fly home a few times a year for free. If you
are looking into doing domestic travel in the USA, and live close to cities
where SW operates, then I would absolutely recommend this card! They are by far
my favorite airline in the USA! Kevin and I use the SW card to purchase all our
personal expenses. Right now, if you open a SW card, you'll get 2 free flights!! SCORE!
{to check out the SW Rapid Rewards Card, click here}
Delta Skymiles Card
Kevin and I
happened upon this card by accident, but are so glad we did. This card is an
excellent one if you plan to travel internationally, and especially to Europe.
From Los Angeles where we live, flights to Europe are around 60,000+. This card
has given Kevin and I free flights to London, Amsterdam, and Paris. Their website
makes it easy to redeem points, and find a plethora of flight times. We’ve had
nothing but good times with this card! Kevin and I have our Delta card hooked
up to his family’s business expenses (see below for more info on that!). As a sweet bonus, when you first sign up for the card you get $30,000 points! Thats well on your way to a free flight!!
{to check out the sky miles card, click here}
Chase Sapphire
Preferred Card
Our newest card to the line-up is the Chase Sapphire Preferred
Card. As much as we love our Delta card, it doesn’t fly into a few places we
want to go {ie: Nepal}. So…we started doing some research and soon noticed the overwhelming
great reviews for this card! To start with, if you use this card to pay for travel
related expenses and restaurants, you get twice the amount of points per
dollar! {score!} Secondly, you can redeem your points through a variety of
different airlines {double score!}. Third, there are no foreign transaction
fees {which is a HUGE plus when you travel abroad} and has a chip enabled which
allows you to comply with European technology! We are so pumped to begin
racking up miles with this card…I’m dreaming it will take us back to Nepal soon:) As a sweet incentive, if you sign up for the card, you'll get $40,000 bonus points! Go you!!
{to check out the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, click here}
{to check out the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, click here}
Here
are a few things to look for when choosing a miles credit card:
Where do you want to travel? If you
have a specific place you’ve been dying to go, make sure the card you want can
you there! As an example, If you want to know if Delta will get you from LA to
Bangkok, go to their website and put in an example itinerary.
How many points does it take me to get to
my dream destination? Most airline cards should be a 1:1 ratio, meaning for
every $1 you spend, you get 1 mile of rewards credit. However, every card has a
different amount of points you need to fly to your destination. You’ll get a lot further if you only
need 60,000 points to fly to your destination verses 200,000. Choose a card
that you could feasibly save up for!
What is the annual fee? Some cards have
pretty reasonable annual fees (like $60-$90), but others might be a bit more exorbitant.
Make sure you know exactly what you have to pay each year for it, and do the
math {calculating the other factors in} to see if it’s worth it! Many cards will have promotional offers
waiving the annual fee for the first year!
Is it Visa, Mastercard, etc? This may seem irrelevant, but it’s not.
One of the best ways to rack up points is on big purchases, but not all vendors
take all types of cards. For example, Kevin makes a lot of huge purchases at
Costco for work. Costco only takes American Express. Our Delta card is an
American Express, so it works perfectly! Do you plan to use your card to pay
for your school tuition? Find out what cards your school takes, and then plan
accordingly. Visa is always a safe bet! Our Southwest card is a Visa, so if we can't use Amex, we whip out our SW card!!
Should you open a new CC account? If
you’ve had issues with credit card debt and can’t be tempted with one at the
moment, then don’t worry! Having a miles credit card isn’t the only way to
travel! So
don’t put pressure on yourself about this!!
Tips
when using your miles Credit Card
Be Patient: As
much as it helps to have a card that racks up miles, I would say this: be patient. If you are on a tight budget
and don’t spend much money as it is, it might take a few years for your “free
ticket” to materialize. But don’t let that get you down! Just keep dreaming
about how great it will feel in a few years when you are sitting on a beach in
Greece thinking about all the hard work you put in to make this happenJ
Hook your Credit
Cards up to Large Expenses: If you do have a way to utilize your card on a
deeper level, then go for it! For instance, Kevin’s family owns a few
restaurants. We have hooked our Delta cards up to a few
restaurant purchases, and receive a hefty amount of points per month. This
allows Kevin and I to receive a free international ticket every 10 months or
so! One recommendation is to see if your employer will allow you to use your
card to purchase work-related expenses. This will help rack up those points,
but also allow you to get reimbursed so you don’t have to spend your own money!
As I am starting my masters degree this year, I plan to pay all my school
tuition with my Chase Sapphire Card! Even thought it’s hard to pay so much
money for school, atleast I know it’s helping me reach a goal in travelingJ {looking on the bright
side, right?}
As one last disclaimer, please understand that our success with using miles credit cards is that we have a zero tolerance policy for cc debt. Kevin and I only spend what we have in the bank, and pay our statements on time every month. You can read more about this caution here.
As one last disclaimer, please understand that our success with using miles credit cards is that we have a zero tolerance policy for cc debt. Kevin and I only spend what we have in the bank, and pay our statements on time every month. You can read more about this caution here.
Good luck finding the right card for you! And if you find
one you fall in love with…let me know!
With hope,
Katie
Ps- I am soooo excited to share our Vietnam pics with you Monday! eeeppp! so fun:)
