Best Credit Cards for Travel Hacking
Before I get into the life changing magic of travel credit cards let me say that they only work if you can afford them. If you get charged interest fees every month, that cancels out the benefits the card provides.
For the most band for your buck, the card should pay for itself which means that even if there is an annual fee, all the benefits should cover that cost. Below are my two favorite Travel Credit Cards along with alternative ones with comparable features.
Everyone should have one of each to optimize their points.
Travel Hacking 101
What is travel hacking?
Travel Hacking is when you use credit card points or miles towards travel purchases to travel for free or at a discounted value. I use some form of this on almost every trip I take. While you can use almost any modern day card to do this, my favorite credit cards for travel hacking fall under two categories.
Credit Cards that Optimize Travel Points:
1. Travel Specific Credit Card
I have owned my Venture X card for less than 3 years but it has completely changed the way I travel, in all the best ways. This card has a $395 annual fee, but they give $400 worth of travel credit so it pays for itself. Below are my favorite things about the card:
- Flights booked directly through their portal offer 5 TIMES the points
- Stays & cars booked directly through their portal offer 10 TIMES the points example: a $200 hotel stay = 2000 points = $20
- FREE TSA Pre-check and Global Entry
- FREE access to airport lounges around the world through Priority Pass
- 2 TIMES points for everyday purchases (points can be used to cover travel purchases)
- I’ve fully paid for at least FIVE flights around the world using miles
Capital One also offers the Venture ($95/annual fee), and Venture One (free), although they have slightly less benefits. Alternatives cards: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card® and the American Express Gold Card.
2. Airline Credit Card
Everyone should have an airline credit card. I chose United Airlines credit card simply because it flies all over the world. You might want to get an airline card that flies to regions you often go to for example: JetBlue for the Caribbean or Delta for U.S. travel.
These are a few of my benefits:
- 2 TIMES the miles on United flights
- 5 TIMES the miles on flights during special promotional periods example: $500 flight = 2500 miles
- Flies all over the world
- Star Alliance Member – I can use miles on flights with its partnered airlines
- I’ve flown to Portugal, Argentina, and home for $6 (and miles) each
The BEST part of having an airline card is that if you choose correctly, you can access their partners. Most airlines in the world are a part of one of the big 3 major alliances: Star Alliance, One World, and SkyTeam.
Usually, when you have miles with one airline, you can use them to book flights with a partner within their alliance. Simply look up flights on your airline’s page and check off “Book with Miles.”
Often, you can find an incredible deal for a fraction of the cost. That is how I booked a flight to Argentina using my United miles on the United app, even though the flight was run by another airline. It usually cost $600-800, but I paid $6 + 30K miles.
