Travel Hacking Credit Card Bonus

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Travel Hacking continues to grow as people look for more ways to save money and experience more while traveling. I have been extremely fortunate to take many “free” trips that were paid only in points. This is due to welcome bonuses from opening credit cards and the points gained from everyday spending. A common question people ask is, “How do you continue to accumulate points after you already spent your welcome bonus points?” The answer is one that many people don’t like to hear, but is necessary for travel hacking. You need to stay on top of credit card offers and open another card in order to take advantage of their current welcome bonuses. It does take some strategic planning, but this will save you a lot of money on travel in the long run. Continue reading this Travel Hacking Credit Card Bonus post to see how you can travel around the world using only points from credit card welcome bonuses.

Step 1. Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

In past posts we have talked about getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card as your first credit card to save on travel. This is a great card to start travel hacking with. Opening this card gives you access to the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. Having Chase Rewards gives you the ability to transfer Chase Points (from welcome bonuses or purchases made) to several travel partners, including many airlines and hotels. In my opinion, this should be the first card you open when starting to travel hack. (Beginner’s Guide to Travel Hacking)

Step 2. Chase Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card

Once you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and start to use up the points from the signup bonus, you may start to think, “What now?” Your next step should included planning for your next credit card. The best current Chase offer on the table is opening the Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card. This card has a no annual fee which is rare amongst great travel credit cards. After spending $6,000 in the first three months you are gifted 90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points. This is an incredible offer without having to pay an annual fee. In order to use these reward points, the cardholder will need to have a Chase card that gains them access to Chase Ultimate Rewards. These include the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserved cards. You might be asking yourself, “Can you get a business credit card without having a business? This article is a great resource to see what the requirements may be to open a business credit card. 

Step 3. Use your Reward Points

Once you open a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve card, along with the above Chase Ink Business Unlimited card, you should have upwards of 150,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to use. These reward points can be used in a variety of ways, including flights and stays at some of the best hotels in the world. In my opinion, the best value is to transfer these points to Hyatt’s Reward Program. These points would be enough to stay at some of the best Hyatt properties for free, including their extensive list of all-inclusive resorts. There are many other reward programs that are good choices to transfer points to as well, but I believe Hyatt gives you the most ‘bang for your buck.’  (Best Hotel Brand for Travel Hacking)

Conclusion

In order to be successful at travel hacking, it is important to maximize your spending and use credit card sign-up bonuses. Having the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and the Chase Ink Business Unlimited card in your wallet is a great way to score some free travel for your next getaway. As soon as you hit the signup bonus criteria, you should be planning your next card. This will keep high volumes of points circulating into your accounts. It is a common misconception that opening too many credit cards will decrease your credit score. Although sometimes this may be true, if you do your research and open cards at the right times, your credit score will rarely be affected.