Guide: How to Plan a Travel Hacked Free Vacation

Ready to start planning big vacations using your travel reward points? Perhaps it's time to start knocking destinations off your travel bucket list. We have talked about various travel hacks for free flights and free hotels, how to start with small trips at first, travel hacking theory, and strategies, now it is time to up your travel hacker game and discuss taking the next steps to start planning for larger trips using travel credit cards. 

Do you have a future travel destination in mind? I’m going to work through the next trip I’m planning in this blog as an example. My mom grew up going to Italy for summer vacations and would like to go back with my kids and me. So we are in the early planning stages of a trip to Rome and Florance for 2025. Let's start travel planning!

Step 1: Pick a Destination

I often talk about travel goals. When you have a travel destination in mind, you can align your credit card points to help meet your travel goals. My next destination is Lake Placid in December, however, that is a drivable location for us. It is also a repeat location. The next big trip we have in mind is Rome and Florance. 

Step 2: Research Hotels 

The next step is to pick a hotel. Since we decided to travel to Rome and Florance, I started looking up hotels that have co-branded credit cards so I could have a free hotel stay. The main hotel chains with co-branded cards are Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt and IHG. Keep in mind that Hilton and Marriott offer 5th night free on bookings made using reward points, so if staying at one of those chains, you may want to stay a multiple of 5 nights or use free night certificates.  To find hotels in a desired location, I like to use Google Maps or go directly to the hotel chain's site and do a search. When choosing a hotel, keep perks in mind that may come with different loyalty programs. For example, American Express Hilton credit cards are a great way to earn elite status such as becoming a Hilton Diamond member.  At certain Hilton hotels, as a Diamond member you get a hotel credit that can be used for free breakfast. Also, certain hotel programs waive the resort fee if booking your stay using points. Once you find a hotel you like, it's time to work towards free travel. Determine how many points are needed for your stay. Your next goal is to earn the points needed for your hotel stay

Step 3: Work On Earning Enough Credit Card Rewards for Free Hotel Stays

The easiest way to earn large amounts of rewards points is by signing up for new credit cards. A new card usually comes with a sign-up bonus of extra points. So, you have your hotel picked... let's say it's a Hilton hotel for our example. If you do not already have a Hilton Co-branded card or do not already have all 3 Hilton cards, a good idea would be to sign up for one to get the sign-up bonus. Keep in mind our travel hacking strategy, of starting with the lowest level credit card in a co-brand group and working your way up. 

Starting with a lower-level reward card provides the flexibility to progress to future mid and high-level cards from the same credit card company. Certain credit card issuers, including the likes of American Express, restrict sign-up bonus points for low-level cards if you already possess a mid or high-level card of the same line (e.g., all 3 Hilton cards). However, they often permit a sign-up bonus when moving from a lower-level card to a higher one. 

When signing up for a new credit card always make sure you can meet the minimum spending requirement. If you do not meet the minimum spending requirement, you will not get the sign-up bonus. Also, keep in mind the annual fee and other fine print associated with the card. So once you have your new co-branded card follow our tips for knowing which card to charge expenses to "Your Next Moves: After First Travel Credit Card Sign-Up Bonus".  After you have your new travel reward credit card, make sure you meet the minimum spend to receive the signup bonus. Especially for your first travel hacking credit card, move ALL of your regular monthly expenses to the new card (an exception would be if you have some larger purchases that you are sure will be the minimum spend.) 

Once you have the sign-up bonus, move on to person 2. Have them apply for a travel reward credit card. Once Person 2 has their travel reward credit card, there are a few options for what to do with your regular monthly spending, depending on the minimum spend amount and your monthly budget.

Option 1- My personal favorite- if your first credit card has extra reward categories (many have groceries, gas, and/or restaurants), then keep those charges on your first card. Move all other expenses to Person 2’s card. Make sure your other expenses will meet the minimum spend on Person 2’s new card.

Option 2- Move all expenses to Person 2’s new travel reward credit card until they meet the minimum spend.

Option 3- if you have big purchases that will meet Person 2’s minimum spend then you can just charge those to Person 2’s card and leave the rest on your first travel rewards credit card. It is a good idea to sign up for a new card ahead of any known large purchases, so you can earn a sign-up bonus quickly and move on to the next card. 

To learn more about our Person 2 strategies check out "How Partnering Up Boosts Your Credit Card Travel Hacking Game". 

It is important to know how many points you need for your hotel stay. For example, if after you meet the minimum spend on your first co-branded credit card, you have enough points for your stay.... then your next travel rewards credit card should be one of the co-branded airline credit cards. If you still need hotel points, work on the next co-branded hotel credit card or consider a general travel reward credit card. Chase, American Express, and Capital One all offer general travel rewards credit cards. The first thing to do when looking at general travel rewards cards is to make sure they are partnered with the hotel brand you chose. Carefully review the rewards program associated with general travel rewards cards. Each card issuer has different partners that you can transfer your reward points to. 

Step 4: Securing Free Airfare

One of the best ways to determine which airlines offer flights to your destination is Google Flights. Google Flights can also help you determine the best time to book a flight once you are ready to do so. It can also help you find the best deal if you decide to pay cash for your flight. You are more likely to get a good deal on flights if you are flexible with your travel dates.  Being open to a longer layover may also get you some discounts, as opposed to a non-stop flight. Once you have a particular airline in mind to travel with, it is time to start earning airline miles. Similar theories apply to earning airline points as hotel points. Most major airlines (American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines to name a few)  have co-branded credit cards that offer sign-up bonuses with large amounts of points. Determine approximately how many points you will need for round trip airfare and start playing the credit card game with airline cards. Follow the steps discussed in step 3 until you have enough miles for all of your family members. 

There are different types of airlines, some offering cheap flights and some offering luxury business class and first class. If you have a long flight, you may want to elevate your trip and try to get award tickets for a business or first-class ticket. If you are looking to up your luxury travel hacking game, booking Qatar Airways Qsuite is the ultimate flight to book. Qatar Airways has its own miles reward program, however, its co-branded credit card is not offered in the United States. So how can we earn award flights for these luxury flights?

Enter One World Alliance airline partnership. One World Airline Partnership has 13 partner airlines which allow you to book tickets using points from any one of the member airlines. So this means if you have miles with any Oneworld member airline, you can use book another One World airline awards travel on another one of the member airlines. For example, if you have American Airlines or British Airways miles you can use them to book flights on Qatar Airways. Here is where travel hacking comes into play.  

Another option to get miles from a One World Airline partner is getting British Airlines or Iberia miles through Chase general travel cards. Chase general travel rewards have a 1:1 transfer option to transfer earned Chase points to British Airlines or Iberia Airlines. Since both of these airlines are also a part of the One World Airline Partnership they can be used for award flights among any of the 12 partner airlines. Chase also offers a co-branded credit card with British Airways (currently offering 75,000 sign-up bonus Avios) and Iberia Airlines (currently offering 75000 sign-up bonus Avios). The Chase Iberia credit card offers a $1,000 discount code. To learn more about Qatar check out "Unlocking Global Adventures: Booking Qatar Airways Trips with American Airlines Miles". To learn more about British Airways check out "Navigating the Skies: Unlocking the Perks of the British Airways Visa Signature Card". 

Many people are fans of Southwest (which seems to be particularly popular with people traveling to Disney World). The key to Southwest credit card benefits is not only earning points for free airfare but also taking advantage of the Southwest Companion Pass.  One of the most coveted benefits of the Southwest Rapid Rewards program is the Companion Pass, which allows the cardholder to designate a companion to fly with them for free (excluding taxes and fees) on all Southwest flights for the duration of the pass.  This is a good option if you are a frequent traveler duo to locations that have a Southwest flight path. 

To learn more about picking the right card for your airfare check out our post "Flight Perks: Best Airline credit card".

General World of Travel Hacking Information: 

Bonus Catagories and Gift Cards:

Many travel rewards cards offer additional points for spending at certain categories of stores. For instance, some cards may offer double points for spending at supermarkets and restaurants. An easy way to earn these bonus points is by using your travel rewards cards at the stores that offer bonus points. However, a large part of your monthly spending may be at a store that is not a bonus category on your rewards cards. The good news, you can still earn bonus points by purchasing gift cards for non-bonus category stores at a store that is a bonus category. For example, if supermarkets are a bonus category you can purchase gift cards for Amazon, Home Depot, Target, etc at your supermarket and get the bonus points. To learn more about how to strategically earn bonus points check out "Credit Card Chess: Strategy for Maximized Travel Rewards" and to learn about gift cards read "Leveraging Gift Cards for Travel Credit Card Bonuses". 

Picking the Best Cards 

When comparing travel rewards cards, it is important to consider factors such as annual fees, rewards structure, travel insurance, and additional benefits. Keep in mind that many cards that have a high annual fee offer other rewards that offset the high fees. To learn more about analyzing high-fees on premier cards check out our post "Are High-Fee Travel Reward Credit Cards Worth the Price?" The best travel credit card for you will depend on your individual travel habits and preferences. By determining your wish destination and comparing the features and benefits of different cards, you can choose the one that offers the most value for your travel style. 

Explore the possibilities that credit card rewards can offer and start planning your next getaway. With the right travel card and a strategic approach, the world is yours to discover.