4 Proven Ways to Earn Travel Points Fast
Earning points for nearly free travel is an amazing budget-friendly way to save money and travel more! My family has saved over $60,000 in travel during the last couple of years, and anyone can do this!
I have a FREE Starter Kit to get you off on the right foot and start your journey knowing some key foundational things!
1. Sign Up Bonus
When you apply for a new credit card, there is a sign-up bonus, or some call it a welcome bonus. You earn a large amount of points after you hit a certain amount of money spent during a specific time period. Remember, never overspend to get a bonus! Look at what normal expenses you have coming up that you can use to meet this minimum spend. Pay off the card in full every month. We pay ours off a few times during the month to keep us on budget!
2. Player 2 Mode
We don’t put our spouses as authorized users. Instead, after we open a card, we refer our spouse, and they open the card. Allowing you to double your sign-up bonuses and also earn referral points depending on the card. When you add your spouse as an authorized user during that first year of opening the card, you are also taking up one of their 5/24 slots, and that means fewer cards you can earn points on.
3. Maximize Your Cards for Certain Categories
Use the bills you already have to meet your sign-up bonus or be strategic about which card you use when eating out. Use the card that will earn you the most points when eating out. Earn points with gas, groceries, sports fees, gym membership, Amazon shopping, fast food, etc. Label those credit cards that you want to use for those higher spend categories, so you don’t forget. You can also buy label stickers!
4. Shopping Portals
This is a hidden gem. There is a variety of online shopping portals. If you add the extension to your internet, you could earn more points with every purchase and also earn points on your card. Shopping online has never looked so good! If you have an American Express credit card that earns Membership Rewards (MR), then you need to be shopping at Rakuten! You can find shopping portals with Southwest, and those points can go towards your Southwest Companion pass. I love the American Airlines Shopping portal because I can earn airline status and perks through earning miles on their shopping portal.
These 4 methods, when done together or separately, can earn you a lot of points towards travel. Don’t forget to grab the FREE starter kit to learn more about how you could be saving thousands of dollars on every vacation you take!