Using Points to Earn Free Airfare

When my husband and I were in year 8 or so of our marriage, we were already talking about how we’d celebrate our 10^th anniversary.  A trip, of course!  We wanted to accumulate or earn free airfare and had heard it wasn’t so hard to do. Enter: using points to earn free airfare.

My hubby (then fiancé) worked several jobs during our engagement so that he could pay cash for us to take a Western Caribbean honeymoon.  Although we loved it, we wanted to celebrate our 10^th by going to one island and parking it there for a week.

With only one income and not wanting to go in debt to travel, we had to get creative. That’s when we discovered the point system to earn free airfare. 

We had a small amount of frequent flyer mileage we had accumulated on our Delta Skymiles frequent flyer online account from trips to see family. When we saw the Delta Skymiles credit card offer, we jumped on it.  The miles we had already accumulated plus the bonus the credit card gave us was almost enough for 2 round-trip tickets to Aruba (our destination of choice).  We were able to earn 1 mile per $1 we spent on the credit card. So from the time we got the card until the trip, we packed away all debit or credit cards and solely used the Delta card. 

EVERY dollar of our day to day expenses was put on that card. Groceries, medicine, diapers, formula, clothing, restaurants, and supplies were charged then promptly paid off each month.  We weren’t buying anything more than usual, just simply spending the regular amount of money in our budget every month. No interest accrued, but miles were being accumulated each month.

It took preparation and time, but we were able to have 2 free round-trip tickets to Aruba when the time came.  The sun and sea were amazing, but even more amazing was knowing we didn’t have to go into debt to travel! 

There are a TON of different travel cards or regular bank credit cards where you can earn points per dollar-sometimes multiple points per dollar.  Check www.clarkhoward.com or www.thepointsguy.com for their in-depth look into what card would fit your needs and how points can work for you.  

After our trip, we canceled the Skymiles card and use a different type of card that earns points.  The card we use now still gives us x points per dollar. We can still save those points for travel, but we also have to flexibility to get cash back, gift cards or use those points for shopping online, like at Amazon. As mentioned before, there are so many cards out there. Just do your homework and watch the travel points add up!

Always, ALWAYS sign up for every frequent flyer or frequent stay-er account offered by any hotel or airline you use.  You’ll be amazed how the points add up.  And sometimes you can double-dip by getting points at a hotel for an airline or vice versa.  Every account has different settings and plans so be sure to check them out upon registering!  Forgot to sign up or forget to add your number to a recent stay or trip?  Check with them because oftentimes they will go back & award your missing points as long as its within a specific number of days from your trip or stay.

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