Billy & Britny The number one question we get asked all the time is how do you afford to travel. We seem to get this question due to where we stay and how we travel. We often stay at places like the Ritz and travel first class but we do it smart. We use specific credit cards that we then transfer to points. At the end on the trip we usually pay nothing or minimal cost towards travel or hotels. Now lets dive into what cards you should get now to plan the trip of your life.
After more than 10 years of traveling we realized there was more to getting frequent flier miles on flights that really never amounted to anything significant. We had one or two travel credit cards that would get us some cash back or travel credit, but never worth more than a short trip. We have just discovered the world of credit card bonus points. By getting multiple credit cards with high signup bonuses we have racked up so many points our only problem is figuring out where we should go next. This has completely changed our traveling experience. I have never paid any interest on a credit card and do not intend to. The only way that you will come out ahead with getting multiple credit cards for travel is to spend within your means and pay them off immediately. Traveling is made better with the help of credit card reward points.
It all started for us after taking a flight on the British Airways Dreamliner from San Jose to London. We were certain that would be a flight we would be taking again so I decided to get the British Airways Credit Card. I initially wanted it to just get points or a discount any time I booked a flight with BA. When I signed up I saw there was a bonus of 50,000 Avios for spending $3,000 in the first month. By shifting our regular spending to that card and paying our recurring bills like cable, cell phone, and electric to the card we were able to get the bonus. Avios can be used to book free flights or upgrade the class you are flying in. How does a trip to Europe in first class in a lay flat seat sound? To us it sounded like a dream because I would generally not choose to spend thousands on business or first class flights. We are also happy to report that our credit scores have increased with the new credit cards and we remain around 820. These are the cards we have in our wallet right now.
1.British Airways (Avios are great for short haul flights on Alaska Airlines. The travel together ticket can also be earned after spending 30k in one year)
2.Chase Sapphire Preferred (Ultimate Rewards can be redeemed or transferred to multiple hotel and airline partners)
3.Chase Freedom (Rotating bonus categories and points can be transferred to the more lucrative ultimate rewards if you also have a sapphire card)
4.Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (Can be redeemed at our favorite hotel brand, The Luxury Collection. Points can also be transferred to other hotel and airline partners including British Airways)
5.InterContinental Hotels Group (We use points to redeem at Intercontinental Hotels.)
6.Barclaycard (Great redemption for travel purchases and a lucrative sign up bonus)
7.Hyatt (Right now my favorite card due to a magnificent 8 night stay at the Park Hyatt Paris for free. A stay which should have cost close to $8000) Also just used points to upgrade to a sea view suite in Nice, France.
