Credit card rewards are the key to unlocking free travel, a world of possibilities we never knew existed. They have become our ticket to exploring the world without spending a fortune. In this article, we will explore the simple yet captivating world of using credit cards to fly for free, sharing tips, tricks, and insider secrets that can open doors to incredible travel opportunities.
Don’t want the mumbo jumbo? Scroll to the bottom to see the cards we’re currently using.
Travel Credit Card Basics
Travel credit cards are an amazing way to earn free flights and other travel perks. By using these cards responsibly, you can accumulate points and miles by opening accounts and with every purchase you make. These rewards can be redeemed for flights and other travel expenses. Travel credit cards offer fantastic benefits, such as priority boarding, airport lounge access, and travel insurance. They provide an opportunity to maximize your budget and explore the world, making them a great tool for avid travelers.
Most credit cards come with enticing incentives to encourage you to open an account, typically in the form of generous opening bonuses. These bonuses serve as the foundation for everything that follows. By simply opening a travel credit card, you can earn a significant number of points and miles. Additionally, every purchase you make using the card allows you to accumulate even more points and miles. This is the essence of how it works – opening the card sets the stage, spending on the card builds up your rewards, and ultimately, those points and miles become your ticket to free flights and incredible travel experiences.
(Points and miles are often interchangeable when discussing travel credit cards so for simplicity moving forward, we’ll refer to them as miles).
Two Types of Travel Credit Cards
In the context of this article, we will focus on two types of credit cards: airline co-branded credit cards and generic travel cards. Both of these card types offer the opportunity to earn valuable miles, they’re just earned and used a little differently. Airline co-branded credit cards are specifically affiliate ed with an airline, offering exclusive benefits and rewards tailored to that airline’s loyalty program. On the other hand, generic travel cards are more versatile, allowing you to earn miles that can be redeemed across multiple airlines and travel providers. Whether you choose an airline co-branded card or a generic travel card, the end goal remains the same—to accumulate miles that pave the way for incredible travel experiences without bearing the burden of flight expenses.
Airline Credit Cards
Most airlines offer their own co-branded credit card, allowing you to earn miles as you spend. These programs are generally straightforward in their structure. For instance, if you have a Delta card, you’ll earn additional miles for Delta purchases, while earning typically 1 mile for every dollar spent on other expenses. Similar arrangements apply to most other airlines. These co-branded cards come with unique advantages, often including complimentary checked bags or priority boarding when flying with the affiliated airline. Higher-tier airline cards provide even greater benefits, such as upgrades and access to exclusive airline lounges. These perks can be particularly appealing if you live near a major hub city of your preferred airline or if you find the additional amenities beneficial. Overall, airline-co-branded credit cards offer a range of advantages that enhance your travel experience and make loyalty to a specific airline even more rewarding.
Generic Travel Cards
In contrast, generic travel cards are not tied to a specific airline and offer broader flexibility. These cards typically provide a fixed rate of 1-2 miles per $1 spent, with occasional bonus miles for specific categories. Unlike airline co-branded cards, generic travel cards allow you to redeem your earned miles through brand portals or transfer them to various airlines at different conversion rates. While these cards share similarities, each one offers its own set of unique benefits. These perks can vary widely but commonly include travel insurance coverage and statement credits that can be applied to different travel-related expenses. With generic travel cards, you have the freedom to choose from a range of airlines and travel options, making them a versatile choice for those who value flexibility and want to explore multiple travel opportunities.
Regardless of the card, the goal is to use these bonuses or accumulated miles to get free flights!
Which credit card is best?
Selecting the right credit card involves careful consideration of several factors. Firstly, opening bonuses play a crucial role, as they provide an initial boost to your rewards. Look for cards with generous opening bonuses to maximize your earning potential from the start. Secondly, pay attention to the earning rates offered by the card. Whether it’s a co-branded airline card or a generic travel card, ensure that the earning rates align with your spending habits and offer competitive rewards for your purchases. Additionally, consider whether a co-branded card tied to a specific airline suits your travel preferences or if a more flexible generic travel card better fits your needs. Understanding your travel goals, lifestyle, and spending patterns is essential in determining which type of card will offer the most value. Ultimately, the best credit card choice will vary from person to person, so it’s crucial to evaluate these factors in relation to your specific situation to find the card that will provide the greatest benefits and rewards for your individual needs.
As mentioned, the primary focus is often on the opening bonuses a credit card offers. These bonuses are earned by meeting specific spending requirements, often within the first 3 to 4 months of account opening. Typically, you’ll need to spend between $2,000 to $4,000 to qualify for the bonus. The range of bonuses can vary, but top-tier cards can provide an impressive 60,000 to 100,000 miles or more! Such a significant number of miles can translate into well over $1,000 worth of flights, offering a remarkable value and an excellent way to offset travel expenses. When comparing credit cards, be sure to consider the opening bonuses available, as they can be a compelling factor in choosing a card that provides substantial rewards and enables you to unlock incredible travel opportunities.
While I won’t provide an exhaustive list of all the available credit card options, a quick Google search will present you with a wide array of choices. However, if you’re new to the world of travel credit cards and prefer a more versatile option, Chase and Capital One are excellent starting points. They offer solid generic travel cards that cater to a variety of travel preferences and provide valuable rewards. These reputable issuers are known for their user-friendly interfaces and robust rewards programs, making them ideal choices for beginners looking to embark on their credit card journey.
Our Cards
In our own wallets, we have both generic and co-branded cards available. However, our focus has predominantly been on the generic side of the credit card world. While we appreciate Delta Airlines, considering its proximity with a hub just 30 minutes away, we often prioritize the most affordable fares regardless of the airline. Additionally, we value the flexibility to transfer our miles to other airlines for better redemption options.
Capital One
As our go-to choice, we have relied on Capital One for many years, and the experience has always been great. The Capital One Venture and Venture X cards have proven to be invaluable in covering the costs of multiple flights and hotel stays.
We initially started with the Venture card and we’d recommend it to anyone first getting into the travel card game. It’s incredibly easy to earn and redeem miles with and the platform is nice and simple. You earn 2 miles for every $1 spent regardless of the purchase and the signup bonus of 75,000 miles is great for a free flight.
It does have an annual fee of $95 but it’s easily covered by the number of miles you can earn each year and the additional benefits. It has travel insurance and statement credits for TSA Pre-check, which makes things so much smoother. Plus, it’s metal, which is pretty cool.
If you’re interested in learning more check out our other post that goes into more detail! Or, follow this link and let the travels begin!
Venture X
With the release of the Capital One Venture X card, we researched and made the plunge! The Venture X card is now the upper tier level of the Venture card. It offers the same benefits plus a bunch more. These new benefits include better insurance for both travel and car rental, lounge access all over the world, Hertz Presidential status, better mile rewards for purchases, and countless other amazing perks. It does have a higher annual fee but it’s quickly covered by the benefits that are offered. So far we love it! It’s given us lounge access in some incredible places and free food when we layover. The rewards are great and if you travel even a couple times a year you should really consider adding this card to your arsenal.
The Venture X card has been amazing! Check out our other post to see why it’s so great! To get the card, follow this link and let the travel begin.
Delta Gold
Our airline co-branded card is the Delta SkyMiles American Express Gold Card. We signed up for the card during a limited-time special bonus offer of 70,000 miles. These offers come and go so don’t be deterred if it’s not there right now. Typically, the card offers a 40,000 miles bonus after you spend $1000 in 3 months.
As I said above, there are airline-specific perks for each co-branded card. This one specifically allows for priority boarding as well as a free checked bag.
If you want to learn more or are interested in getting the card, follow this link and let the fun begin!
Chase Sapphire preferred.
Chase and Capital One are two of the most popular banks for travel credit cards. Capital One has the Venture card and Chase has the Sapphire Preferred. Like the Venture, it has a $95 annual fee with similar benefits. Unlike the Venture card, it gets 3x on dining and online groceries making it a great card for category spending. It also has different transfer partners opening up alternative options for booking flights.
Words of Caution
Always be cautious of how credit card companies make their money. They want you to carry balances and not pay them off. This is in part why they throw miles at you for nothing. Always pay the balance off each month and never spend more than you have in your checking accounts. It’s also important to not do more spending than you normally would to hit the opening bonus. If you’re not going to spend $3000 in 3 months, then getting a card and spending that much is a waste of money. You’d be better off just buying a plane ticket. Credit cards are an amazing way to earn when you spend, but if you use them poorly it defeats the whole purpose.
Conclusion
Credit cards are the way to go if you want to fly free and save money on travel. There are so many different cards out there that can allow you to fly for free! Do a little research or reach out for suggestions. A whole new world has been opened up for us and it’s made traveling no longer just a dream. Come up with a game plan, sign up for that card, and use miles to go and see the world!
Additional Thoughts and Tips
- A helpful insight when deciding on a credit card is to look at where you want to go. For example, if you want to fly to Australia then start your research by figuring out what airlines fly there and from what airports. Look into the average prices of these tickets and get a feel for the best or cheapest ways to get there. If the desired flight happens to be on Qantas, then look into all the credit cards that redeem points/miles with Qantas. It may be a generic card like an American Express card so look everywhere. If United or Delta is best, look into credit cards that allow you to redeem with those airlines specifically. Regardless of the destination or airline, a travel card can get you anywhere.
- The biggest concern people have is that of hitting the opening bonus. There are many ways to spend the set amount without spending more than you normally would. If you’re paying for rent each month, find out if you can use a credit card. Often there is a fee, but if you’re only doing it to hit the bonus, and it’s not outrageous, it’s worth consideration. The same can be said for all other recurring monthly expenses like utilities or insurance. Another option to consider is timing the opening with school or big purchases. Think ahead and you can easily hit the bonus without being reckless.
- Once you have your card, use it for everything! Wisely of course. If you’re out at a restaurant with friends and family, use your card and have them pay you back. If friends or family have a big expense like furniture or a big trip coming up, use your card and have them pay you back. Take every chance you can to swipe the card for others and have them pay you back. This will help you accumulate more miles than just your regular spending would.
- If you have a spouse, then get two cards. We did this with our Delta Card and we wish we had done it with Capital One. I signed up for the card first and we timed the opening bonus with some bigger purchases we had. Once we had received the bonus I referred Laynie which got us the additional referral bonus. We then met the sign-on bonus with her card and between the two of us, we had 150,000 SkyMiles! It can be done with any card which makes it even better. Be aware though that both cards in this case have a $95 annual fee. It’s well worth it at first, but don’t let it carry over for too long. You can always cancel or downgrade the card before the next annual fee.
- People worry a lot about credit scores and the fear of having credit cards. If they’re used properly there isn’t anything to be afraid of. When first applying there will always be a small ding to your credit score, but it rebounds quickly if you are staying up to date on all your payments. We recently opened the Venture X card and our score dropped one point before rebounding by almost 20 a few weeks later. We increased our credit limit significantly and we also had a different hard inquiry leave our credit score. There really isn’t anything to worry about if you’re being smart. Be wary of Card Churning, however. This is when people get credit cards, hit the bonuses, and then cancel them. Credit agencies will pick up on this and they’ll start to flag your credit score. Be smart with your cards and you’ll have no issues.
- Once you have a few cards you’ll run into multiple annual fees. There are a couple of ways to avoid this from reoccurring every year. Most importantly, you have to evaluate if the annual fee is still worth paying. If it’s not, don’t immediately cancel. Consider downgrading to a lower-tier card. You’ll eliminate the annual fee and you’ll avoid having to close an account. If you do need to cancel don’t stress about it. Unless you’re opening and closing a lot of cards, your credit will be just fine.
Have any other thoughts or suggestions? Let us know in the comments below!