Pro-Tips

Being able to travel frequently for next to nothing takes planning and patience

To earn over 1 million travel points takes a bit of time, but it can be done relatively easily. From there, it’s just about being smart with how you use your money, which cards you’re using and how you keep track of it all. In addition, we have found some ways to make the whole travel experience more enjoyable.

Here’s a couple of tactics we’ve found useful:

• All of the card info, which one to use for what, how much you need to spend, etc is super confusing.  Keep your cards, points, and spends organized using the Max Rewards App.  This app helps you track your spending and reward balances across multiple cards, and also lets you know which card to use to earn the most points for specific categories i.e. grocery and dining.  This app tracks all of the credit card deals you are eligible for and automatically signs you up… i.e. earn a $50 statement credit when you spend $50 at HomeDepot.
• Finding the best seat on the plane (Hello, leg room!) is easy using Seat Guru.  Simply enter the flight info into the website and you can see the plane type that is scheduled for that flight.  With that, you will also see a map of the seats showing which ones are the most desirable for legroom, location, etc.  It’s super helpful.
• You can research the cost of your flights before you book with points…  by visiting google flights you can search by destination and cost, so whether you’re using points or paying outright, you’ll know which flights will cost less.   
• Looking for those amazing flight deals you hear about but never seem to catch?  We use Dollar Flight Club as a service that alerts us to flight deals like mistake fares and awesome deals to all kinds of destinations from your home airport.  The last time we booked a flight using their info, we scored a round trip on Delta to Panama City for less than $200 per person.
• Keep track of all of your reservations in one place using Tripit. The app is free and it’s free to use!  Simply email your itinerary from your email address and Tripit does the rest, including tracking your flights and keeping your check-in info for all hotels, Airbnb’s, car rentals, etc.  Also, it tracks your previous trips so you can look back to see the total miles flown, trips taken, etc…
• Baggage fees can be a thing of the past…because I mean, who wants to pay extra to bring a change of clothes (or 15 pairs of shoes and 2 sets of scuba gear)?  Most airline or travel cards will either reimburse you or allow free baggage when you are a cardmember.
• Save the time and aggravation by skipping the lines like a baller with TSA Pre-check, Global Entry, and Clear.  We use all 3 and skip lines entirely both domestically and internationally.  If you use the right credit card, our favorites are the Capital One Venture card, Chase Sapphire Reserve and the AMEX Platinum Card.
• Airport lounges are awesome.  Typically they offer a quiet comfortable place to relax while you’re waiting for your flight to board.  They have work areas and their own wi-fi,  plus they offer free food and drinks (yes including cocktails).  Best part?  Certain cards will get you free access!  Our favorite for lounge access is the Chase Sapphire Reserve and AMEX Platinum.

Hitting Minimum Spend

• Use your new credit card like you do your debit card or cash. Everything that you pay for should go through that card. You should also have your statement balance paid each month by setting up an automatic payment through the credit card issuer’s app, easy peasy.
• Examples of what you can pay with your new credit card:

• • Utilities
  • Dining
  • Groceries
  • Gas
  • Insurance
  • Everyday spend
  • Rent, if possible
• Keep track of what you’re spending and where you are at against the minimum spend goal by downloading the card issuer’s app.
• Keep track of when your time will be up also; this will take a little bit of planning on the front end.
• If you are nearing the end of your time, and you’re not going to make the minimum spend goal you still have some options.
• Pre-buy your groceries, gas, or next Target trip by purchasing a gift card now and using it later. You can purchase gift cards for almost everywhere you shop without paying a fee.
• Or you could purchase Visa/MC/AMEX gift cards and pay the activation fee – the points you would earn would outweigh the fee amount here.
• You can also add an authorized user onto your card. That authorized user would be able to use that card for everyday spend items and help you reach your goal faster.