The first rule is to sign up for frequent flyer programs before you buy your tickets (or at least before making the flight). If you don't sign up for an account first then it is probably too late to get points on your flight. You can also earn points in other ways which I will address later.
I use Google Flights, momondo.com and other sites to search for flights and then click on the link it provides to book directly with the airline (if cheapest), thus eliminating any booking fee's like you would get with popular sites like orbits, cheapoair, etc.
This is the easiest way to start earning points and getting the best deals on flights and requires no credit cards or financial risk. Just use your frequent flyer/reward account when you book the tickets.
Here are some links to Frequent Flyer programs:
United MileagePlus
American Airlines AAdvantage
Alaska Mileage Plan
Delta's SkyMiles
Just Google your favorite airline and they most likely have a rewards program.
The next level of reward travel requires you to have a credit card that earns points.
If you can not pay off your card every month and end up paying the high interest rates on credit cards then the rewards not be worth it. The interest and fees will exceed whatever rewards you earn.
That being said, you can rack up quite a few points without having to pay any interest or fees. You can get 90,000 points in sign up bonuses (or $900 cash back) with just three cards and only pay $95 in annual fees.
Chase credit cards are a good place to start. If you plan on getting multiple cards you will soon learn that they have a limit of 5 cards in a 24 month period. It doesn't matter if the cards are from Chase or not. They will automatically decline your application once you reach the 5 card limit.
With Chase you can set up automatic payments to pay off your balance each month. You also get up to 5% back in either cash or rewards points on certain cards.
You also usually earn a big bonus by signing up and spending a minimum amount in the first three months.
For chase I recommend starting with the following cards:
Chase Freedom - usually gives you $200 cash back bonus (20,000 points) when you spend $500 in the first 3 months, plus $25 for an additional card holder when they first use the card.
You earn 5% cash back on a quarterly category and 1% on everything else. There is no annual fee.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/2f/1I2SBS697W
Chase Freedom Unlimited - gives you $200 cash back bonus (20,000 points) when you spend $500 in the first 3 months, plus $25 for an additional card holder when they first use the card.
You earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases. There is no annual fee.
Earn $200 cash back with any participating Chase Freedom credit card. I can be rewarded, learn more.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/2f/VJE7TG5NDP
Chase Sapphire Preferred - Earn 60,000 bonus points with Chase Sapphire Preferred when you spend $4000 in the first 3 months and another 5,000 with a second card holder who uses the card at least once. You earn 2% on travel and dining, and 1% on everything else.
The usual annual fee of $95 may be waived the first year depending on the current offer, so you can just downgrade the card after getting and using or transferring your points if you can't justify the annual fee. More benefits of this card is no foreign transaction fees and it offers great travel insurance including lost baggage and car rental insurance and purchase protection of 120 days due to damage or theft. It also allows you to transfer your points to many Airlines and Hotels. You can transfer the points from the freedom cards to this card, which makes them much more valuable than cash back. Using Chase's website you can use the points to book travel and get 25% more value.
If you want to jump right into the advanced level you can get the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and enjoy airport lounges with complimentary Priority Pass, a $100 credit towards Global Entry or TSA pre-check (every 4 yrs) and lot's more. You will get 50% more value using Chase's website to book travel. The new annual fee has gone up from $450 to $550, but you get $300 in statement credit for travel and $60 credit towards Doordash for 2020 and 2021.
If you apply using my referral links (currently only the freedom cards) I will also get 10,000 reward points when you are approved for each one. You can then refer friends yourself and earn points, up to 50,000 points per year.
If you are interested in hotel's Chase has the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card which has an all time high sign up bonus of 140,000 points. You pay an annual fee of $89 but you get an anniversary night of up to 40,000 points with this. Hotel rewards start at 5,000 but 10,000 to 20,000 is more common. You get $100 towards TSA pre-check or Global Entry every 4 years and the 4th reward night is free. It offers phone insurance if you pay your cell phone bill with it. Lots of value out of this card.
Bank of America also has a travel rewards card that I keep in my wallet. There is a 12 mo. introductory rate of 0% APR for 12 billing cycles. You get a $250 bonus credit when you meet the minimum spend of $1000 in the first 3 months. It offers 1.5% on all purchases. You get it in a statement credit toward travel purchases. Super simple to use and has no annual or foreign transaction fees. If you have a savings account with BOA you also get 10% more back. There is no referral program for this card, but here is the link below.
https://www.bankofamerica.com/credit-cards/products/bankamericard-travel-rewards-credit-card/
I will talk about how to use points or get cash back in my next post.
Mike
No comments:
Post a Comment