How to Travel the World for (Almost) Free Using Miles and Points

Do you need to learn to journey the world utilizing miles and factors?

At this time, I’m sharing an thrilling interview with Megan, an professional in travel credit card rewards who has mastered the artwork of utilizing miles and factors to see the world for much less. Megan has traveled to unimaginable locations just like the Maldives, Europe, and even taken a Mediterranean cruise—saving tens of hundreds of {dollars} alongside the way in which.

Megan’s ardour for journey began in her twenties, and she or he rapidly realized how miles and factors might make her dream journeys a actuality, even on a funds. Now, as a part of Daily Drop (based by the highly regarded journey YouTubers Kara and Nate), a web site devoted to serving to others maximize their rewards, Megan teaches miles and factors methods by means of lessons and a podcast.

In right now’s interview, questions answered embody:

• How did Megan get monetary savings on journeys just like the Maldives and Europe?
• What are the very best bank cards for newbies seeking to earn factors?
• How can somebody maximize factors with out overspending or moving into debt?
• What errors ought to newbies keep away from when beginning with journey rewards?
• What are some standard locations you may simply go to utilizing miles and factors?

Whether or not you’re simply beginning out or seeking to take your journey rewards to the following degree, Megan’s suggestions and experiences will encourage you to start out planning your subsequent journey right now!

If you wish to learn to e book your subsequent journey for nearly free, the Each day Drop e-newsletter is a superb useful resource. It’s a free e-newsletter that teaches you learn how to earn and redeem miles and factors, discover low cost flights, and journey smarter—all in just some minutes a day. Click here to join over 1 million readers and start saving on your travels today!

The right way to Journey the World for (Nearly) Free Utilizing Miles and Factors

Should you’re prepared to start out touring with miles and factors, choosing the right bank card is step one. The precise card might help you earn factors sooner and get monetary savings in your journeys. Click here to take a look at the Best Travel Rewards Cards to find the best cards for earning travel rewards.

1. Inform me your story. Who’re you, and what makes you an professional with regards to journey miles and factors?

Hello! I’m Megan and I turned obsessive about journey in 2015 after I lastly took my first worldwide journey in my twenties. I knew I wanted to make extra journey occur however my contemporary out of faculty funds wasn’t so positive. 

That’s after I got here the world over of miles and factors. I began, the place many individuals start testing miles and factors, by means of reserving a number of journeys utilizing the bank card journey portal. However after I met a pair in an airport lounge who have been additionally touring the world utilizing miles and factors I began to learn to make my factors go even additional utilizing switch factors and since then I’ve saved tens of hundreds of {dollars} in journey. 

It’s allowed me to see areas of the world that I as soon as solely had on my Pinterest boards and studying alongside different vacationers has been my favourite strategy to be taught and develop into an professional in touring utilizing factors. 

Since immersing myself on the earth of journey rewards I landed a job at Each day Drop, a media firm all about maximizing miles and factors. Now I get to show folks the methods that proceed to assist me to journey the world by means of our group areas permitting different folks to know the advantage of studying collectively. I additionally train all of our miles and factors 101 lessons, and co-host our podcast alongside our Head Author, Mike. 

The miles and factors world is at all times altering so I immerse myself in it day by day and proceed to be taught as I’m going. Principally by means of Each day Drop as a result of our writing staff makes it so easy to be taught however I lean on our group areas quite a bit too! 

2. What are the very best journeys you’ve taken attributable to miles and factors? How a lot cash did you spend?

I went to the Maldives in 2017 and spent lower than $300 on all the journey, together with flights, accommodations, meals, excursions… every thing! 

This yr I did a two-month journey to Europe my flights there and again value about $200 in taxes and costs. For this journey, I combined level stays at accommodations with a number of housesits and for all the 2 months, I spent lower than $1,000 on lodging. 

In 2023 I took a Mediterranean cruise with Virgin Voyages for $0.00. Because it was a cruise, all meals was included and I took benefit of that. We went to Athens, Greece, Break up, Croatia, Dubrovnik, Croatia, Kotor, Montenegro, and Crete, Greece. To be truthful we did should e book a flight to get to the cruise. We have been already within the UK so we grabbed an affordable EasyJet flight over to Greece which value about $300 roundtrip. General for a seven-night cruise and visiting three new international locations $300 isn’t dangerous in any respect! 

3. Are you able to share your first expertise utilizing miles or factors to e book a visit? How did it really feel?

My first expertise utilizing miles and factors to e book a visit was to The Maldives, I began out setting a excessive bar for factors journeys to come back. I booked by means of the journey portal that almost all journey bank cards give you, nonetheless, after studying all that I find out about miles and factors now I do know that this typically isn’t the very best worth or use of your factors. 

On the time it was extremely value it to me as a 20-something who had solely ever been to Mexico and Central America. 

I positively thought The Maldives was someplace I might be capable of go on a honeymoon or for retirement, so whereas it wasn’t the very best use of my factors, I’ll by no means remorse that journey. it’s nonetheless one in every of my all-time favourite miles and factors reminiscences. 

4. How would you outline “incomes miles and factors” for somebody utterly new to the idea?

I might outline incomes miles and factors as utilizing your on a regular basis spend to earn rewards that you should use for journey.

5. What are a number of the greatest varieties of bank cards for newbies seeking to earn factors?

I feel the very best sort of bank cards for newbies to take a look at are playing cards which might be going to can help you earn versatile journey factors. 

For instance, in case you have a Delta bank card, this looks like the proper path to go as a result of it’s journey targeted. Nevertheless, that is what is known as a “co-branded card” (it’s a financial institution + journey firm partnership) and your factors are then locked into solely getting used with Delta. 

Versus in case you have an American Express® Gold Card, now you should use your factors with Delta however you could possibly additionally use them with Virgin Atlantic, Air France, KLM, Air Canada, Hilton, and a number of other different journey companions. 

So that you need to search for playing cards that earn versatile journey factors, subsequently you’re not restricted to utilizing these factors in just one means. 

At Each day Drop, we hold our Top Cards Page updated with the very best provides. You’ll positively discover co-branded playing cards on there when there’s an superior supply as a result of there’s area for these in your pockets as you develop your miles and factors abilities! This web page might help you filter out what provides are too good to overlook on the time you’re on the lookout for a brand new card. 

6. What ought to somebody take into consideration earlier than signing up for his or her first rewards bank card?

Effectively, the very very first thing somebody ought to take into consideration is; can I be accountable with my bank cards? Incomes factors whereas racking up debt is extraordinarily counterproductive. You may solely maximize journey rewards on playing cards should you’re paying off your card steadiness in full.

If that feels like one thing you may handle, then I feel the three most essential questions somebody can ask can be: 

1. What airways do I fly typically?
2. What airways does my residence airport serve?
3. Is there a visit that I take note of that makes it make sense to earn a particular sort of factors?

We now have a free useful resource known as the Transfer Partner Cheat Sheet that exhibits you immediately what sort of factors you have to be incomes based mostly on the airways and accommodations you need to earn with.

7. How do sign-up provides work, and the way can newbies make the most of them?

Signal-up provides are one of many best methods to rapidly earn an enormous lump sum of factors that will not in any other case be accessible by on a regular basis spending.

Principally, should you’re new to the world of bank card factors, a sign-up supply is an incentive the banks supply so that you can be a part of them.

Typically these provides are elevated, supplying you with much more factors.

It’s typically hooked up to a minimal spend in a sure timeframe. Oftentimes it is sufficient to cowl your complete journey or to land you a enterprise class seat if that’s one thing you’ve been dreaming about!

8. Are there any frequent errors newbies make when making an attempt to earn miles and factors?

I at all times like to consider starting “errors” extra as classes with regards to miles and factors. Usually, even once you make a “mistake” with miles and factors there’s a journey on the finish of it. 

That being stated, listed below are some issues to look out for: 

1. Not studying learn how to use Switch Companions.
   Switch Companions are primarily particular journey companions that can help you switch factors from financial institution to airline or financial institution to lodge. These factors typically provide you with extra worth than should you e book in a portal.

   Once you e book in a portal your factors are fastened at sometimes one thing like 1 cent per level. Whereas should you switch out you may land offers which might be 2 cent per level all the way in which as much as 17 cents per level and past. So now immediately your factors go even additional.

   For instance, should you have been a $500 flight in a portal and the worth in that portal was 1 cent per level then you definitely would wish 50,000 factors for that flight. Nevertheless, if that very same flight is offered immediately with the airline for 20,000 factors, you’re now getting 2.5 cents per level and you’ve got 30,000 extra factors to make use of at a later date than should you had gone by means of the portal.

2. Not taking step one.
   There can actually be quite a bit to be taught on the earth of miles and factors however the easiest way to be taught it’s taking it one step at a time and beginning with incomes.

   Lots of people can get caught up with what’s the very best card, or am I doing this the correct means? The reality is there are such a lot of “proper methods” to do that you simply have to seek out the technique that works for you and never be afraid to start incomes. All of it begins with incomes.

9. How can folks maximize their factors with out overspending or moving into debt?

This one’s simple as a result of it’s the primary rule within the miles and factors world you might be solely placing in your playing cards what you’re already spending.

You at all times need to match a sign-up supply with both your daily spend or a big buy you’ve developing. 

For instance, if a sign-up supply will get you 90,000 factors (simply to present you an concept of how far 90,000 factors can go, I booked 2 enterprise class seats to Europe for 89,000 factors) after spending $4,000 in 90 days the query turns into – Do you already spend about $1,333 every month ($4,000/3)? Or do you’ve a big invoice developing that you simply’re already paying?
Typically folks will take a look at issues like whether or not they will pay sure payments in bulk, like paying their full yr of insurance coverage upfront.

In the case of a big expense an excellent instance of this and a means that individuals earn tons of factors is should you’re planning a marriage or one other occasion. As somebody who simply did this and earned a whole lot of hundreds of factors, I can let you know it’s completely value it.

Let’s say you’re occurring a gaggle journey. You can be the one to place the lodging in your card and everybody sends you cash. 

There are such a lot of methods to get artistic with hitting your minimal spend with out moving into bother! 

10. How essential is it to repay your bank card steadiness in full when incomes rewards?

It’s crucial rule. Typically I really feel like I sound like a damaged report with the quantity of occasions I say this one however it actually is so counterproductive should you’re incomes factors and never paying off your steadiness.

11. What are some misconceptions about incomes miles and factors that you simply’d prefer to clear up?

It is a enjoyable query I might say my prime three are:

1. Bank cards are dangerous – There’s completely a means to do that responsibly as I’ve talked about earlier than. There’s additionally a strategy to have a number of bank cards whereas nonetheless sustaining an ideal credit score rating.
2. It’s important to journey on a regular basis in an effort to get the advantages – You may actually maximize on journey it doesn’t matter what your journey fashion is! Since you might be maximizing in your on a regular basis spend, you don’t should journey in any respect in an effort to earn tons of factors!
3. That miles and factors equal free journey — The reality is there are occasions it’s free however you might be nonetheless going to come back up towards some unavoidable charges, particularly airline taxes and costs. However typically even when it’s not free you’re saving 80%… 90%… or extra on a visit.
4. You will get into all the airport lounges – A giant perk that usually will get talked about within the bank card reward area is accessing airport lounges. Oftentimes premium journey playing cards embody lounge entry. What this doesn’t imply is you could enter each lounge in each airport. It’s essential to arrange your expectations accurately for this perk. 

12. What are some standard locations folks can simply journey to utilizing factors and miles? Are you able to give some examples of journeys folks can take and what number of factors it might value them?

Wow, we might be right here endlessly with this one! Our Each day Drop Neighborhood has wins shared inside virtually each single day. Our head author Mike travels full-time virtually completely utilizing miles and factors. So, truthfully, your potentialities are countless however only for the sake of giving a number of examples listed below are a few of my favorites that I’ve seen in our group.

• Chicago, USA to Edinburgh, Scotland enterprise class for 69,000 factors
• Seattle, USA to Dubai, UAE enterprise class for 95,000 factors
• New York, USA to Madrid enterprise class for 34,000 factors
• Chicago, USA to Amsterdam, Netherlands enterprise class for 56,000 factors
• Tokyo, Japan to Los Angeles, USA enterprise class for 50,000 factors
• Toronto, Canada to Florence, Italy enterprise class for 50,000 factors
• Michigan, USA to Hawaii, USA for 20,000 factors

13. What suggestions do you’ve for somebody who needs to dive deeper into this world of rewards and journey with factors?

Outdoors of taking it gradual and one step at a time, earn factors first. I do assume Each day Drop has a number of the greatest instruments on the market within the miles and level area! Everybody on our staff implements what we train and we attempt to hold all of it so simple as attainable so that you can be taught. Listed below are 3 methods we might help:

1. Positively join the Daily Drop newsletter, 5x every week we hold you updated on the world of miles and factors together with educating you learn how to earn and redeem alongside the way in which! (Oh and it’s free!)
2. Discover some journey buddies you may be taught alongside! It’s at all times enjoyable to share offers and suggestions with one another!

Check out Daily Drop Pro for free here, this offers you entry to money flight offers and in addition gives you 5 searches on the free plan so you may experiment with discovering journeys utilizing factors that be just right for you!

Do you employ rewards bank cards to journey the world for (virtually) free utilizing miles and factors? What different questions do you’ve?

Beneficial studying:

Disclosure concerning the feedback part under: The responses under are usually not supplied or commissioned by the financial institution advertiser. Responses haven’t been reviewed, accredited, or in any other case endorsed by the financial institution advertiser. It’s not the financial institution advertiser’s accountability to make sure all posts and/or questions are answered.