Free Travel*

Is there ever really a free lunch? Well, in the quirky world of points and miles, yes, there is.

explore the far corners of earth, and go there for free*

*You'll still need to pay $5-75 for taxes and fees, depending on the destination and type of award flight.
**Of course, accommodations, food, shopping, activities, etc. are not free, but hey, none of those things are back home either.

Curious? Read on. 
— Y.C.

Level 1: beginner

If you've already scored some points or miles for a free flight, skip to Level 2. 

The Magic of award Travel

We live in a world where modern commercial air travel can take you to just about any corner of the globe, often in single day. What’s holding you back? Maybe it’s the hundreds or thousands of dollars you need to pay for one of these flights. But there’s another way: award flights! Award flights are ones where you use points or miles to pay for the flights instead. Now, you may wonder, how can one accumulate enough miles unless constantly jet-setting like a consultant? Well...

Solution: Credit Card Bonuses

Granted, you may have come across these credit card bonuses before, but what you might not be aware of is how the right card can almost entirely cover the cost of a roundtrip flight overseas – and why stop at just one? Moreover, there's no limit to how many you can obtain, especially considering most cards can be canceled at any time (but don’t be too inpatient, wait a year, before the next annual fee comes due). And here's the thing, your credit score, over the long run, will actually go up! Yeah, for real. It might dip a tiny bit after opening a few cards, but in the long run, it’ll go up because you’re using so little of your available credit from these new cards.

First off, look into your wallet. If you're still using cash or a debit card for all your purchases, you could be doing so much better. If you already use a plain vanilla cash-back card, just wait til you see what you've been missing out on. Over the years, bonuses for select new cards have escalated in an all-out war to win the most valuable customers. (That could be you!) If you live in the U.S. the sheer size of these bonuses are far higher than anywhere else in the world. My first one? A free* roundtrip flight to Hong Kong on a single Citi American Airlines card opening bonus. (*add ~$50 in taxes and fees.) And while specific bonuses and awards like that one come and go over time, you can still find ones like that today.

Ok, free stuff is awesome. But what do YOU have to do? Typically, there are just a few very straightforward requirements:

1. Apply for our card (takes all of 2 mins)

2. Spend $X within Y months. Typically, something like $3,000 in 3 months. Something easily achievable for most middle class folks who already spend $1,000 a month across all expenses that accept credit cards as a form of payment.

3. These cards usually have annual fees. BUT, some even waive those fees during the first year. Which brings up the next point...

FAQs

Cancel at any time:

People get turned off by annual fees. Totally get it, recurring expenses and fees all really add up. But just understand: You can cancel at any time. Cancellation penalties do not exist with credit cards. (Just make sure your points are used up or transferred out before cancelling. Frequent Flier miles that belong to the airline, won’t be affected.) Sure, the whole rewards system often assumes you'll stick around for the long haul, but the truth is, you're not obligated to. If you feel like calling it quits after just 11 months, there's nothing stopping you. The decision to keep a card beyond the first year is entirely yours, and it boils down to how much bang you're getting for your buck compared to that annual fee.

But...won't this Kill my credit?

Actually, no. Funny thing about credit scores—they were designed to track one thing, and one thing only: chances of you NOT paying back what you owe. Just keep making your payments on time, and the score doesn't care. Any 5 point dip when just opening a new card will recover within a couple months. 

Just don't cancel your no-fee oldest card. Opening new lines of credit for any reason will lower your average age of open credit. What brings this age back up? Your oldest card! Keep them safe.

This seems too good to be true...

Fortune favors the bold. But seriously, there's tons of sites out there from people who've discovered the magic of free international travel. It's kind of awesome. 

BUt...what about (non-airline) travel expenses?

Okay, nobody said traveling the world was going to be cheap...just getting there can be free.

That being said, what you spend on accommodations, food, and activities really, really depends on your personal tastes, where you're going, and other circumstances. The economy class flight, on the other hand, is something everyone has to pay for to travel. 

After all, if you've got a friends or family to crash with wherever  you're going, or you have the ability tolerate cheap Airbnbs, then accommodations could cost next to nothing. On the other hand, if you have a taste for luxury, hotels (or anything, really) could easily add up to be far more than airfare for a longer trip. 

The cost for food and activities varies considerably depending on what your lifestyle, but also where you're going. You could easily eat, drink, and travel your way through Vietnam for a week for what a single day in Switzerland would cost. See the Note on global adjusted prices here.

Where Do I Start?

For the Cash/Debit Card User

Start with a simple midlevel cash back rewards card—except the "cash back" earned on this one can be converted straight to much more valuable points later on. (Chase let's you move points between their Freedom and Sapphire cards) 

Also, no annual fees and very low spend requirements to qualify for the sign up bonus. 5% back on rotating categories and 1% for everything else makes for rich rewards. (Deal: Spend $500 in 3 months and get $200 worth of points.) 

Help support this site by applying through these links. You get the bonus, the site gets a small referral :-)

Link to Apply

For the first Free Flight(s)

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great place to score that first free flight. 50,000 60,000 bonus points, enough for $750 in flights. Ability to transfer miles to United, Southwest, etc. No foreign transaction fees. 3X rewards on all travel, 2X on dining. Plus, any Chase Freedom points can be merged into this account. 

With Chase, your points are worth more when used to book flights or hotels directly on their rewards site. The flights are almost always the same price as any other search engine. Minimum spend is $4,000 in first 3 months. 

Link to Apply