Recent blog comments and questions have brought up several common misunderstandings about travel hacking. I wanted to devote a post to try and debunk 6 travel hacking myths.
Myth 1: Opening up credit cards lowers your credit score.
When you initially sign-up for a credit card, your credit score can temporarily dip 2-5 points. If you’re responsible with your spending and about paying your monthly balance, this will be short-lived. Banks are running a business and they want to attract the best consumers to their products. Credit cards are one of the products banks offer. If you show you’re responsible with your credit cards, that bank and other banks will want to offer you more of their products.
Myth 2: Signing up for credit cards just to get the bonus is bad for your credit.
If you sign up for credit cards, earn and burn the bonus, and then close the card only having had it for a few months, yes, it could negatively impact your credit score, as well as make it difficult to get approved for other cards from that bank and other banks in the future.
However, if you target a sign-up bonus to reach a travel goal, and show yourself to be a responsible and creditworthy customer by using the card (even for small purchases), paying all your bills on time, and keeping the card open for at least a year, it’s not bad for your credit. In fact, the more lines of credit you have available to you, while only utilizing a small piece of that credit for monthly expenses, will give you a low credit utilization percentage, which is excellent for your overall credit score.
Myth 3: It must be “breaking the rules.”
Banks view their credit cards as products. These products come along with terms and conditions, of course, but they also come with bonuses and perks. It’s not “breaking the rules” to take advantage of them.
Consider these examples. Grocery store promotions around the holidays offer a free turkey or ham if you spend a certain amount of money within a given period of time. Coffee Shops, Sandwich Shops, and Nail Salons sometimes have member cards, where after purchasing 10 cups of coffee, 10 sandwiches, or 10 manicures, you get the 11th for free. What about a local gym that offers a membership for $1 the first month and a discounted promotional rate for the remainder of the year?
It’s not “breaking the rules” to take advantage of these perks and promotions. It’s certainly not “breaking the rules” to earn and burn miles and points for award travel.
Myth 4: It takes a lot of spending to earn a lot of points.
You never, ever want to spend more than you can afford to pay off at the end of a month. Over time, the interest you’ll pay for carrying balances outweighs the value of the miles and points.
Use your credit card to pay monthly bills like cable, cellphone, internet, Netflix, and insurance. You can earn points for the money you already spend on these expenses.
Many travel rewards credit cards come with bonus categories that offer 2-5x the miles and points for purchases like gas, groceries, travel, and dining out. Knowing when to use which card is the key to maximizing your miles and points earnings. It’s not about spending more, but about spending wisely.
You can also sign up for airline and hotel dining programs to earn miles and points in addition to what you’d earn from a credit card that offered a dining out bonus category. Utilize airline and hotel shopping portals to get more out of the things you do buy.
Myth 5: It’s too complicated to keep track of all the points and loyalty program benefits.
Organization is important, no doubt about it. It doesn’t have to be complicated, though. Beginners can start out with a simple spreadsheet listing important information, like account/membership numbers, point balances, bonus categories, and if/when any miles or points could expire. There are also automated tools like AwardWallet that can track most of your miles and points spending and earning, as well as tell you about any expiring points.
Myth 6: It’s not worth it!
This one gets me all the time! This is like telling someone who regularly goes to the gym and has lost 20 lbs. that it’s not worth it. It’s hard to understand others’ skepticism when you have had such amazing results.
My husband and I have flown on award flight tickets to and/or from London, Paris, Milan, Rome, Geneva, Costa Rica, Turks & Caicos, and St. Lucia. I’ve flown family members on award tickets to London and the Canadian Rockies. I’ve also flown to and/or from Chile, Argentina, and Thailand…(yep you guessed it!) on award tickets! I have upcoming award flights booked to Montreal and to Eastern Europe to see Prague, Vienna, and Budapest.
This list does not even include domestic award flights or award hotel stays I’ve gotten with points!
So, when I’m asked if travel hacking is worth it, I smile widely and confidently say, “Absolutely.”
Has this has helped debunk these commonly believed 6 Travel Hacking Myths?
Are you ready to begin? Here’s how to begin travel hacking in 5 simple steps!
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Simone says
September 23, 2015 at 8:32 amGreat article & tips. I’ve never travelled with a Credit Card but now I am getting older I’m definitely looking into it 🙂
Simone
Simone x | The Aussie Flashpacker
Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says
September 23, 2015 at 10:37 pmThanks, Simone. Glad it got you thinking about ways to save on travel!
Stacey Valle says
September 25, 2015 at 3:57 pmOmg, yes! It is definitely worth it!! I did first thought that it will take forever to earn points, but as long i use it for other expenses, like you said, it all add up! I’m so excited because I’m adding up a lot of points and can use it for my next flight! 🙂 I love how some credit cards would give you 2x on most days and then on a specific day, (for example, every first Friday of the month), it would be 3x points! 🙂
so yes, it’s worth it! 😉
Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says
September 26, 2015 at 9:40 amSo worth it, right Stacey! It’s all about knowing which cards to use to maximize bonus points and using your card for everyday expenses. Congrats on all your points earning! 🙂
antonette - we12travel says
September 26, 2015 at 10:10 amI have a creditcard that comes with my bank package (e.g. account, internet banking, bankcard) but other than that, I never really looked into other options. Paying with a creditcard in Europe (esp.) Holland is still not common at all unfortunately, I wish it were different though!
Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says
September 26, 2015 at 5:33 pmWe are lucky, Antonette, that in the U.S. we have strong travel rewards programs through our credit card system. No doubt it’s more challenging elsewhere.
Hitch-Hikers Handbook says
September 26, 2015 at 11:02 amGetting miles is something I still have to learn. I am terrified of banks and banking system, and I rarely use bank cards (I prefer cash), but I do understand the benefits. I’m going to subscribe to your blog and hope to learn something from you. Thanks!
Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says
September 26, 2015 at 5:31 pmGreat! Thank you! It can definitely seem daunting, but even small steps can yield a good return.
Amélie says
September 26, 2015 at 9:08 pmSome wise advice in there! Maybe I should pay off my credit card balance…… :/
Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says
September 27, 2015 at 8:20 amThanks, Amelie. Yes, it’s important to not charge more than you can afford to pay off in a month. Carry balances over time will negate the value of the points you are earning. Check and see if any of your credit cards offer a balance transfer with a 0% interest promotional period. Although, transferring balances a lot doesn’t look great on a credit report, using this option once or twice should be fine.
Lesley says
September 26, 2015 at 10:06 pmWe always use our credit card to pay monthly bills and everything else. Even if we just go to the corner store, we use our credit card. We just pay it off before the end of the month. Points add up quickly 🙂
Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says
September 27, 2015 at 8:17 amThat’s exactly it, Lesley! Earning miles and points is much easier on the ground by doing as you say. Use your credit card for monthly bills and even visits to the corner store. The points will be rolling in!
Carolann - One Modern Couple says
September 27, 2015 at 1:29 amGreat article! We’ve been trying to get more savvy with our credit card points building and these help for sure! We are finding it worth it though you are right, organization is key when there’s multiple point systems being used!
Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says
September 27, 2015 at 8:12 amThanks, Carolann! Organization is important because you don’t want to lose track of what you’re earning or when (some) points might expire. I started with a simple spreadsheet, but now use AwardWallet to help me keep track of everything for my husband and I.
Carol Colborn says
September 27, 2015 at 2:17 amWe have started getting additional cards. We now have four between us two!
Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says
September 27, 2015 at 8:09 amGreat, Carol! It’s so important to start slowly and do what you’re comfortable with. Thanks for sharing!
Dana says
September 27, 2015 at 5:24 amI love using my credit card to earn points for travel. I maximize my bonus points and usually use the points to pay for hotels or train tickets. It’s really doesn’t take that long to reach the minimum amount for a bonus either. Putting accommodation, transportation, and food on the card adds up quickly.
Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says
September 27, 2015 at 8:08 amThat’s great, Dana! I think so many people get nervous when they see the minimum spend to reach the bonus, but as you said, it’s easy when you put your everyday expenses on the card. Thanks for sharing!
Laura Lynch says
September 27, 2015 at 1:39 pmIt’s so important for people to understand what they’re getting into before applying for cards. And I think the number one thing is to be fiscally responsible. If you aren’t a good money manager and tend to overspend, getting a new credit card, regardless of the benefits, is just not a good idea.
Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says
September 27, 2015 at 2:07 pmYou are absolutely right, Laura. If you’re someone who is not a responsible spender or who doesn’t pay their bills on-time, getting a credit card to earn travel rewards is not a smart idea.
Joann says
September 27, 2015 at 7:39 pmNice compilation of travel myths Jackie! I know some people who believe in #4 (you need to spend more to gain new points) – will definitely share this with them. I agree that one shouldn’t spend more than they can pay at the end of each month.
Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says
September 28, 2015 at 8:03 amThanks so much, Joann! It’s so important to not overspend and to pay off your bills at the end of the month.
Bobbi Gould says
September 28, 2015 at 1:22 amI love your posts! They are so so so useful. Thanks for this. I had no idea about many of these!
Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says
September 28, 2015 at 8:01 amThanks, Bobbi! So glad the post was useful. 🙂
Sophie says
September 28, 2015 at 10:25 amGreat post. I must admit i’m a bit too lazy for travel hacking but when I get home i’m going to sign up for the credit cards which allows me to save up extra on my British Airways airmiles.
Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says
September 28, 2015 at 7:42 pmThanks for your comments, Sophie. I have to say that even “lazy travel hackers”can earn a good amount of travel rewards. 😉