Credit card hacking is one of the biggest ways we are able to travel on a budget. Here we will tell you the best cards and how to travel with points. This is definitely something that we had to learn about, but has helped us so much.

Credit card hacking can be a bit of a taboo subject for some, but if used responsibly, credit cards can be hugely beneficial. If you do not pay off your monthly balance, the benefits from these cards will likely not outweigh the interest you will accrue.

Quick Links:

What Cards We Use…

There are definitely a few things to consider when choosing a credit card for credit card hacking. You need to look at all of the benefits of the card and if they fit your spending habits or priorities. The annual fee is also a huge factor because some of these cards are not cheap upfront (but are packed with value!).

We carry a few different cards each. Our goal is for us both to be able to build credit, so we both have different cards and are each others “authorized users.”

American Express Platinum

The AmEx Platinum is definitely our most expensive card, but also probably our favorite for travel specifically. The annual fee is $695, with the authorized user fee at $195. It definitely is a lot upfront, and never fun when that charge goes through. But we find that since we travel so much, and use the benefits, that we are able to maximize value and justify the price tag.

The biggest perk (for us) with this card is the lounge access. From the AmEx Centurion Lounges, to the Priority Pass access, there are lounges at most airports. Airport food and drinks can be really expensive, and not always that great. Of course the lounges are not always the best food we have ever had, it is at least complimentary, including the cold beers, liquor, and wine. Some of the lounges, particularly the Centurion Lounges, have excellent food.

Lounges also offer a more comfortable place to relax, and cleaner/quieter bathrooms. We have also seen sports bars, meeting rooms, spas, massage rooms, wine tastings, sleeping pods, kids play rooms, and showers in some of them. So they can vary quite a bit.

Some other benefits include: $200 airline credit, $15 monthly Uber credit, $20 monthly entertainment credit, TSA PreCheck/Global Entry Credit, Clear Credit, $200 Fine Hotels and Resorts credit, 5x points on flights, among others. So if you can use most of these benefits, you will get your money back, and then some.

But, if and when we are not traveling as much, this will likely be our first card that we downgrade to a cheaper/free version. If you are interested in checking out the sign up bonus, with a little referral bonus for us, click the link below and check it out!

American Express Gold

This blog is not just an advertisement for AmEx (unfortunately), but the Gold Card is another card we absolutely love! While we do not use the Platinum much for spending purposes, the Gold we use pretty much daily. A big part of credit card hacking, is figuring out what card is going to fit your spending, and this one fits ours for sure!

The Gold gives 4x points on all groceries and dining, and that is what we spend a huge chunk of our money on. Between these 2 types of purchases, we are able to rack up points pretty quickly. This is definitely our main use for this one.

The annual fee comes in at $325 (recently increased), but once again we find that the value outweighs the fee. Some other benefits include: $10 months dining credit, $10 monthly Uber credit, Resy credit, among others.

If you are interested in checking out the sign up bonus, with a little referral bonus for us, click the link below and check it out!

Chase Sapphire Preferred

This card was one of our first, and is one of the best “intro” travel cards. You get a TON of value for a very reasonable $95 annual fee. With the link below, you can earn 75,000 bonus points at sign up, which can go a long way in booking multiple flights!

Some of the perks include: 3x on dining and delivery services, 2x on all travel (5x on Chase travel), $50 Chase hotel credit, DashPass membership, among others. One big reason we have kept this card, is that the Chase points provide different value to different airlines compared to AmEx or Capital One. If you are looking for a low cost travel credit card, this is it.

If you are interested in checking out the sign up bonus, with a little referral bonus for us, click the link below and check it out!

Capital One Venture

The Capital One Venture card was a later addition to our arsenal. Its biggest benefit is 2x points on all purchases, that means everything. So this is the card that we use the most often. Any purchase that is not groceries/dining (Gold), flights (Platinum), hotels/travel (Sapphire) we will use the Venture card. The points absolutely rack up quickly with this one too.

The annual fee is $95, and along with the 2x points on everything (5x points on Capital One travel), you can get a TSA PreCheck credit.

If you are interested in checking out the sign up bonus, with a little referral bonus for us, click the link below and check it out!

Bilt Mastercard

This card is another one that we added a little bit later, but have been using a couple years now. It is used to get points on paying for rent, WITHOUT the 3% fee. Once again, when it comes to credit card hacking, you need to make sure you’re getting the best bang for you buck. So, with the Bilt Mastercard being a FREE card, it is a no brainer for us.

If you are interested in checking out the sign up bonus, with a little referral bonus for us, click the link below and check it out!

United Explorer

Typically we do not stick with only one airline to fly. We ended up with this card to get the sign on bonus since we were planning to travel to Denver (a United hub). It has a $95 annual fee, but they waive the first year’s annual fee. So, you can cancel before the next annual fee if you do not want to keep the card after.

It is a nice card if you fly United, of course. You get a free first checked bag, upgraded priority boarding, 2 United Club passes per year, and some other credits. So it definitely can pay for itself quickly if you take a couple flights with United.

If you are interested in checking out the sign up bonus, with a little referral bonus for us, click the link below and check it out!

Southwest Plus

The Southwest Plus card is the one we have had for the longest. A few years back, we primarily flex Southwest because we were able to get the Companion Pass for a few years in a row. Things are changing a bit for Southwest these days, so now this card has some added benefits. A free first checked bag, complimentary standard seat, and earlier boarding group are a couple that stick out. These perks apply to you and up to 8 others flying with you.

As with the United card, if you fly Southwest a lot, this can definitely pay for the modest $99 annual fee quickly.

If you are interested in checking out the sign up bonus, with a little referral bonus for us, click the link below and check it out!

How To Use Your Points & Maximize Value

There are a few different ways to use your points, and some can give you more “bang for your buck” compared to others.

Directly on Credit Card Website (not recommended)

The “easiest” way is to just use whatever credit card website that you have the card with. Each of them have an area on their website to search and book flights, hotels, cars, etc… But, typically this is not the best way to go due to lack of value. You can find things much cheaper on some of the other options most of the time.

Directly on Specific Airline Website with “Frequent Flyer” Account (good option)

Of course if you have an airline specific credit card, those points will be connected to your “frequent flyer” account. So in this case, you would just find the “award travel” search on that airline and book directly through the airlines website.

Transfer Points from Credit Card to Airline Program (BEST OPTION)

The BEST WAY to use your points is by using the “transfer partner” feature of the specific credit card. Chase vs Amex vs Capital One will have a lot of similar transfer partners, but also some differences too. So, this is something to consider when choosing which card to get.

You need to connect your frequent flyer account to your credit card website before you can transfer the points over, but it is pretty simple as long as you know the number. But, the MOST IMPORTANT thing, is to check and make sure the award booking is actually available on the specific airlines website. Once you transfer the points, you cannot reverse it. So, if that travel is not available, those points will be stuck in the airline account.

If you do not have enough points in one account, you can transfer from multiple credit card accounts to the same airline account. We will discuss how to find the best award travel below.

This can certainly be the most tedious part of the process, but it is worth it. There are so many different ways you can use points, so it is not feasible to search every individual website (unless you have unlimited time or can write code that can do it for you). I have found a few different websites that can do that search for you. Typically, there will be a more limited free option, and a more advanced paid options.

I try to use the free versions as much as possible, for obvious reasons. But, when searching for multiple trips or big/expensive trips, I will go for the paid options for the ease. I will always look for a monthly (vs annual) option though, because they allow you to cancel anytime. So, ~$10-12 for a month of searching seems worth it to me.

I always check as many websites as I can when doing a more general search for award travel. In my experiences, there are big differences from each website on what is available.

point.me

This is the “OG” website that I found when starting this point travel journey years ago. They have changed the way they do things over the years, so I had stopped using it more recently. But, as I am writing this I checked their website, and they have changed their options again.

I do not find their free version very helpful, and they used to not have a good monthly option. But, they do now. Perhaps I will go back and give it a go in the future. But, read on further for my “go-to” website for searching.

Cost: $12/monthly, or $129/annual

roame.travel

This website was one that I found as a startup on a points travel Facebook page. They have seriously upgraded over the years, and I find this as a great option. Their free option is definitely usable, and you can find good options for flights. They have a lot of cool filter and search options that allow for a wide variety of searches. I would definitely recommend checking it out.

Cost: $13/monthly, or $110/annual

pointsyeah.com

Pointsyeah has been my go-to as of late. Their free version is very usable, and I have been able to find a lot of great flights using it. I actually have not even purchased their monthly option because I have been able to find what I need without it. So I cannot speak to how good/bad it is, but based off the free version, I could definitely see it being well worth it.

Cost: $12/monthly, $100/annual

Things to think about…

  • Flexibility: flexibility in the dates of your travel is hugely helpful when trying to book award travel. Of course the weekends and holidays are typically tougher to find what you want. But, if you have some flexibility it can make a huge difference. Most of the websites have options to look at multiple dates.
  • >1 cent/mile value: often times booking award travel the offer will be at 1 cent/mile or less (e.g. 50,000 points for a $500 flight). Especially with international flights, I have found some much better values than that (~10 cents/mile). So, definitely do some research to find better deals. I will typically keep watching and seeing trends, and most paid versions will allow you to set up email alerts for specific flights/cities.

Reach out if you have any questions for us!

Follow along with us on all of our adventures @acoupleoftravelingpts!

EA