✈️ The 🔑 To Start Travel Hacking + How We Saved Over 1K Going To Europe!

Hello Roamers!

Last month we took a jump over the pond for a week in Europe with the kids. You may be thinking: Europe in winter- no thank you! 🥶 While I understand the reaction and probably felt that way in my earlier years, I now am fortunate enough to be older and wiser.

So I embrace off season travel and I think you should too! Off season travel is hands down the better travel option in my humble opinion. With the crowds being a fraction of those found during high season and the prices to get there being considerably cheaper, it is absolutely something to consider! Check out our son in the picture of above. This same scene is shoulder to shoulder at the same time in the summer! The picture below is how we experienced the Louvre vs how it looks in the summer.

In fact, our flight from Washington DC to London was 30-40% full! Can you imagine, a flight where there is no problem having your very own row?! I mean, talk about luxury travel people!  We each had our own row on the way over!

So let’s talk about flights. I found an amazing redemption for this trip. During the month of November, Flying Blue- the loyalty program for AirFrance/KLM- put out their monthly special and this one targeted flights to Europe. I was able to find one way flights for 13,000 points. Flying Blue also gives a 25% discount on ALL AWARD SEATS FOR KIDS 2-11 years old! These points were transferred from our Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

When flying a family of 4 to Europe, points add up quickly, that’s why promo deals can be that much sweeter. 🛩️ Taxes and fees also range from $5- $800. For our round trip to Europe, they were the highest we have paid but I felt like it was more than ok for this redemption. In all, we used 104,000 points and spent $886 in taxes/fees for 4 roundtrip tickets to Europe. This easily saved us at least $1500 in cash. 💰

**A word about taxes and fees: there isn’t much you can do about them. Each airline sets their own numbers and some are higher than others. For example, our business class seats in Japan had taxes/fees of only $44/ticket. It just runs the gamut. But from my experience, oftentimes, Europe, especially Paris, can be a bit higher.

For this week's Actual Application I am going to do some simple FAQs because I most often get asked questions about the basics of travel hacking. It can be overwhelming but rest assured, I’ve done the hours of researching, scouring blogs, taking courses and putting it into practice so you don’t have to! 🤓

How do I get started?

If you want to book airline tickets or hotel stays, you have to sign up for a credit card. If this feels uncomfortable to you, I know, it did for me initially as well. If you are worried about your credit score check out my post→Understanding Your Credit Score. 

The secret to travel hacking:

1. Pick a card

2. Get approved

3. Spend the minimum amount required to get the sign on bonus (Use things like groceries, gas, and monthly expenses- DO NOT spend outside of your budget, otherwise the credit card companies win and you lose. We are trying to create winners here!) 

4. Use the sign on bonus in exchange for travel. 🪄

5. More credit card sign ups = more points. This is my # 1 travel card to have in your walle!

6. THE REAL JUICEY DETAILS- Referring a partner = referral points + share of partner’s sign on bonus

7. Repeat the above and you are a real life travel hacker.

   **Where I see people get stuck is the work it takes to apply for cards, refer friends or partners then repeat. Fear of applications, credit score dings and overall work holds people back. This is an investment. If you value travel this investment can save you thousands of dollars per year. In 2023 we saved over $20,000. Check out this article about our Japan Trip —> Business Class to Japan. For some, a goal of covering 1 trip/year is where it’s at and that in itself is a huge win!

   

   **Above could change 10-20K depending on promos.

How many points do I need?

Having flexible points that you can transfer to a variety of different airlines can save you hundreds and hundreds of points when booking. What the heck does this mean? Well, you can be loyal to an airline, let’s say British Air and collect Avios points by signing up for a British Air credit card and booking flights in cash to earn more Avios points. On the other hand, you could have points with Amex, Chase, Capital One, or Bilt and transfer those points to BA, converting them to Avios points, this transferring of points values your points above the aforementioned. You could also use these points to book with a multitude of other airlines, giving you many more options!

This flexibility in points is why I mostly pick a big bank credit card over an airline or hotel CC; not exclusively, but most often. Another upside of transferring to airline partners is there can sometimes be a transfer bonus being offered which can save +20% in points when transferring. These pop up several times a year and are always a good time to book! Ex: a flight is listed for 50,000 pts, but there is a 25% transfer bonus being offer: that means you only need 37,500 pts to book. Some of my favorite cards include these!

Points are determined much like cash price- where are you going, what season? How far? Some airlines have dynamic pricing, meaning it is subject to the airlines whim, while others use mileage charts to predetermine their points. 

How do I find the flights?

Finding flights can take time. The more you know, the more efficient the process can be, however this is the piece of the puzzle that takes some patience. Scouring airline by airline can take a lot of effort, but using search engines like seats.aero or points.yeah can cut down on the searching. For more info check out this post—> MY FAVORITE FREE TOOLS.

This is also the whole point of this newsletter. I will do the work to find the best flights at best time of year to help maximize your points. 💪

How do I transfer the points?

Transferring points is super easy and often instant, however different banks have different policies and transfers can sometimes take 24-48 nerve wracking hours to land in the account. Once you have found the flight/hotel and you are ready to make the reservation, simply sign up to open a loyalty account (free) with chosen airline/hotel brand to receive your loyalty number. From here, you open your credit card app, find the travel partner section and you will pick the airline/hotel you are looking to transfer into. Initiate transfer, hold your breath until it lands, book your reservation and celebrate with a dance around the living room!

Ready to start earning points? But want some support? I am always happy to help with those decisions and answer all your questions! Just hit reply and let me know what you need help with.