Contributor: Kristel Kouly 

“How do you travel so much?” – pretty much the #1 question I get asked by friends and even strangers! My secret? Think extreme couponing but travel style. Getting into the rewards world may seem confusing and difficult but I’m here to show you that’s just not true! With a few easy steps you can get on your way to being a part of this new lifestyle and collecting your own rewards towards your next dream vacation.

 

Loyalty comes first

First rule, never book a hotel or flight without being a part of their rewards program! Turn on that computer and start signing up for your favorite hotel brand or airline today. The best strategy is to choose one and stick with them, that means staying or flying with one brand as much as you can. This will allow you to rack up the most points and focus your efforts.

My favorites are Delta (SkyTeam Alliance) and SPG/Mariott hotels. Wherever I go, I try to stick with these two, they generally give me the biggest bang for my buck! If you are not able to stick with one hotel brand booking agents like Hotels.com and Expedia let you earn points towards getting a free hotel night or discounts on travel. Moral of the story, don’t do anything without collecting rewards!

Once you figure out which airline and hotel brand you like, sign up for their email alerts. This is key to knowing when they have a mileage sale or special credit card offering. Check your email often, even that annoying promotions folder we all forget about in Gmail, it may have a treasure chest of deals waiting for you!

Choose the card that fits your wallet

With so many cards available, it’s sometimes hard to figure out which one works best for you. The easiest way to get started is to see if your favorite airline or hotel has a credit card. If you frequently travel on American Airlines, consider getting a credit card that allows you to gain American Airlines rewards points on every dollar you spend.

When deciding on what card to get, remember to checkout their fee structure, some cards do charge an annual fee. Don’t let the annual fee deter you from getting the card, most times the benefits far outweigh the card fee. Weigh your options along with what you are willing to spend to help chose the card that works for you.

If you live in the US, most credit card companies will give you bonus rewards upon sign up and meeting a minimum spend. This is a great way to get your first trip for less or even free, some rewards can give you US$500 or more to use towards travel purchases and even waive the fee for your first year.

 

Make every dollar count

Which brings me to my next, and most important tip, make every dollar count! That means pay for everything you can with your card to rack up those rewards. If it can go on your card, put it on the card. With that being said, be responsible with your finances, pay your entire balance off at the end of every month to avoid late fees and additional interest charges. If you don’t pay off your balance each month, this will completely defeat all your hard work to get those travel reward points. Here’s a few ways you can add up a few charges that will add to your rewards bank.

 

Pick up the tab

Now I don’t really mean paying outright for your friends meals, but you can ask them for cash and pay the bill on your card, some cards will even give you 2X points on dining!

 

Set up automatic billing
Insurance payments, gym memberships, cable bills and cell phone payments can usually be put on automatic billing with a credit card. Check with your local providers to find out what options are available to you.

Use PayPal

Consider adding your credit card to your PayPal account and using this to pay monthly bills where PayPal is accepted. Owe your friends or family money? Pay them back using your credit card on PayPal. There may be a small fee for this, as always weight your options and decide if it’s worth it.

Choose plastic over paper

If you don’t remember anything else from this blog, remember this, use your credit card for every single thing you can! Whether it’s to pay your tuition fees, gas, party tickets. Like I said before don’t spend beyond your means, the idea here is to pay for things with your card that you would have with cash.

Excited about this new rewards world? Start following the best in the industry! I’m no expert at points or free travel but I’ve learned a lot from some influential people in the travel community who offer free advice and tips daily. My favorite morning read is a newsletter from The Points Guy, you’re guaranteed
to learn a few tricks here and keep up with all things travel. Sign up for the newsletter and Facebook group today! The learning never ends, I’m still catching onto this rewards game myself.

I hope this post has inspired to get started with your rewards accounts and working towards your travel goal. It may not happen overnight, but you have to get started somewhere. Happy Travelling!

 

Follow Kristel’s travel adventures on social media:

@howijourney 

www.howijourney.com