Putting together an effective points strategy can be a daunting task. \u00a0Let me preface all of this this <\/span>stating I am not the first person to maximize credit card points for free travel.\u00a0 There are ample blogs out there that are solely dedicated to maximizing credit card points.\u00a0 I am more focused on helping beginners who are just starting the credit card game and will be presenting you with a series of posts geared towards beginners as a How-To guide to become comfortable and familiar with the topic. \u00a0At the end I will provide a list of the travel rewards blogs I follow who can provide much more details on this topic for those who are then ready to move on to more advanced material.<\/p>\n Mastering frequent flyer miles, hotel points, and credit card programs truly is life changing. \u00a0Frequent flyer miles from travel credit cards have allowed us to visit over 25 countries, with enough miles left over to go anywhere in the world tomorrow if we wanted to. We currently have over 1,000,000 travel points in our ‘travel bank’.\u00a0 We pay less for these trips than you probably did for your last vacation. \u00a0What\u2019s the catch?\u00a0 You\u2019ll have to learn a few things and open the right credit cards. \u00a0I\u2019m not writing this to brag.\u00a0 I\u2019m writing because my techniques are very easy to repeat.\u00a0 And I’m hoping that by the time these series is complete, you too will feel comfortable to dig in and get some steeply discounted trips too!<\/p>\n Today, we are going to focus on the various airline and loyalty programs that exist.<\/p>\n The first thing to do is become familiar with the airline and hotel programs and to sign up for their free memberships to collect and use points.\u00a0 These frequent flier programs are completely free and there’s no reason not to sign up.\u00a0 Of course, I wouldn’t sign up for every<\/strong> program below, but if there are any airlines below that you normally fly on (be it often or occasionally) there’s no reason not to be a member of their rewards program.\u00a0 Every time you fly with them, you’ll earn a few miles based on the route.\u00a0 And of course, if you sign up for a travel rewards credit card, you can then transfer those points to one of their transfer partners (sometimes it happens automatically) – and you’ll need to be signed up with this transfer airline ahead of time to make said transfer.<\/p>\n Below is a list of the top programs for your convenience. Once you sign-up, write down your user name and password for step two. \u00a0This list is very extensive so for Americans I would focus on the top three; United, American, and Delta and I would also suggest Southwest, Air Canada, & British Airways.\u00a0 For Canadians, I would go after this same list but replace WestJet<\/a> with Southwest.\u00a0 Alaska can be quite lucrative too for those living on the west coast.<\/p>\n I’d also take note to when their points expire.\u00a0 Some airlines (Delta, Southwest) never expire while some some airlines have a limited shelf life of inactivity before your miles get wiped away.\u00a0 It’s important to keep track of your latest activity and when your miles will expire.\u00a0 The best way to keep and active status is to:<\/p>\n Airline programs (included is also whether that airline is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards<\/a>, Chase Ultimate Rewards<\/a>, Citi ThankYou Rewards<\/a>, and\/or the Marriott Bonvoy<\/a> programs as those tend to be the most prominent and have the best transfer programs):<\/p>\n Airlines<\/strong><\/p>\n Hotels<\/strong><\/p>\n Now seeing this list and hearing that Chase are my favorite points to acquire may not make much sense.\u00a0 It sure seems like Mariott Bonvoy has a ton more reach.\u00a0 And they do!\u00a0 However, as you continue with your learning (I feel like I’m your sensei Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) you’ll see that most Bonvoy conversions happen at a 3:1 ratio whereas chase is 1:1.\u00a0 Meaning if you earned 50,000 Bonvoy points, that will only\u00a0 get you 16,666 United points whereas you’d get the full 50,000 United points with 50,000 Chase points.\u00a0 So you’d need to find a Bonvoy card offering 150,000 points to compare apples to apples!\u00a0 Ouch.\u00a0 Tricky tricky Bonvoy….<\/p>\n Join an online mileage manager.\u00a0 I know what you\u2019re thinking\u2026 that is WAY too many user names and logins for me to keep track of.\u00a0 Luckily, you weren\u2019t the first to have the worry so let me next introduce you to Award Wallet<\/a>.<\/p>\n Award Wallet<\/a> is a free service that tracks your balance, status, user name, and password in nearly every airline, hotel, credit card, rental car, and loyalty program in one place.\u00a0 The three big exceptions are United, Delta, and Southwest which have blocked Award Wallet from accessing your account information (you can update these programs manually within Award Wallet).\u00a0 To see the full list of supported programs, click here<\/a>.\u00a0 Not only are your balances now listed in one place, but you can click the ‘Update All’ button to see them all updated in a fraction of the time it would take to go to every program\u2019s site. \u00a0Other managers include Usingmiles.com<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Tripit<\/a>.<\/p>\n I’m old school and track everything myself in an excel sheet but Award Wallet is a great place if you want to condense the time it takes to track your balances.<\/p>\n Choose the right credit card(s).\u00a0 Having powerful cards with big sign-up bonuses is the easiest way to jumpstart your points strategy.\u00a0 By the time this series is complete, you should have a good idea of what to look for in a card and how to determine which card is the right one for you.<\/p>\n Determining which credit card is best for your spending patterns and lifestyle can be difficult.\u00a0 You have to be tracking your expenses each month to know if you can reach some of the cards minimum spend requirements.\u00a0 You also have to understand what points you will be getting with each card and how best to apply them based off your location and travel plans.<\/p>\n Before you actually apply, I\u2019d recommend getting your\u00a0free annual credit report<\/a>\u00a0and making sure all of your accounts are in good standing. Most banks use FICO scores to determine your creditworthiness.<\/p>\n A lot of people get bogged down in the details of travel hacking, but it honestly doesn\u2019t have to be that difficult! I am 100% convinced that with minimal effort, just about any financially responsible person can take 1-2 nearly free vacations every single year just with this one small, but important life hack.\u00a0 It will take some reading and education to feel comfortable to dive in, but once you do, you can literally earn a flight in under 15 minutes by signing for the credit card of your choice and spending on it (and setting up auto pay so you never miss a payment) vs your previous payment method.<\/p>\n The next post in this series will go over the various type of rewards cards out there.\u00a0 Hope you are enjoying this series and is not too complicated to understand in these bite sized posts!<\/p>\n If you liked this article and want more content like this, please support this blog by sharing it.\u00a0 Not only does it help spread the FIRE, but it lets me know what content you find beneficial.\u00a0 Writing is NOT my strong suit and it honestly takes me hours to write each post so the more encouragement the better!\u00a0 Engaging in the comments below keeps me motivated.\u00a0 You can also support this blog by subscribing to receive emails anytime a new post is published.\u00a0 Thank you FImily!<\/p>\n We believe in stacking up life hacks to keep your enjoyment levels to the max without depleting your bank account.\u00a0 Here are some ways to further educate yourself and save thousands of dollars over your lifetime by making some simple adjustments:<\/p>\n Putting together an effective points strategy can be a daunting task. \u00a0Let me preface all of this this stating I am not the first person …<\/p>\nStep One – Research and Learn<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Step Two – Manage Your Points<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Step Three – Determine The Right Card For You<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Closing Thoughts<\/h2>\n
Support This Blog<\/h2>\n
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