Award Travel 101: How to Turn Everyday Spending into Nearly Free Trips

Okay you guys let’s be so for real, there is so much information about award travel and leveraging credit card welcome offers to earn nearly free travel out there. 

When I first learned about it, the amount of podcast episodes I listened to and blog posts I read were honestly alarming (but mainly just a trait of my undiagnosed ADHD) and then you know where I went…?

ChatGPT 💻

I spent HOURS having a conversation with my favorite robot. I asked it questions, I gave it scenarios, I had it fact check and find resources and and and. 

So here’s the gist of it:

1. Open a travel credit card → do your research; the right card will unlock the right benefits for you
2. Put your everyday spending on it → groceries, gas, subscriptions… no frivolous spending, just whatever bills you’ve already budgeted for
3. Hit the minimum spend → every card has a spending requirement to earn the welcome offer
4. Receive welcome bonus → get that bag!!! Many welcome bonuses is the equivalent to hundreds of dollars in travel
5. Redeem points for nearly free travel → hotels, flights, car rentals, etc
6. Repeat if you want → some people stop after one card; other people like me rinse & repeat over and over

I know what you’re thinking…this sounds too good to be true.

Honestly I thought the same thing. I even asked Chad (my robot🤖) if this was legal — and yep, it is. Millions of people use points + miles every year, and the banks want you to use their cards (they’re banking on you not paying your bill…haha get it?).

So that’s the most important thing you need to know about all of this: you need to pay your cards off in full every month (or week if you’re like me) and only spend what you normally would. Do that, and it’s not a scam.

If you’re curious about where to start, I’ve put together a free guide with the first 3 steps to start traveling for less. You can grab it right here.

Whether you want to open one card or cannonball into the deep end like me, you’ll be amazed at how quickly travel becomes more affordable. Let’s go! 🛫