Travel Hacking Explained By My Girlfriend
Hi there! My name is Val, and I’m the lucky girl that gets to tag along on all of Jarrod’s trips! I’ve been directly benefiting from this crazy thing called ‘travel hacking’ for almost two years now, and I haven’t looked back since.
I’ve even nicknamed myself ‘The Freequent Flyer Wife’… although Jarrod is still warming up to the name…
Jarrod started getting interested in and researching credit card point and mile redemptions back in 2016. At that point, it was just another thing that he talked about that I didn’t quite understand. I already knew that you could redeem credit card points and miles towards travel, I had seen my mother do it a couple of times.
However, I never imagined it could be done on the scale that Jarrod, and even I, do it on now. Jarrod would talk about credit cards and points for what felt like hours, and I just couldn’t get into it. The idea of opening multiple credit cards gave me a weird feeling.
“What about your credit score?” I asked many times, afraid that all of these credit cards were going to negatively affect his credit. Time and time again he explained to me that having a lot of credit available to you is a good thing, as long as you manage it well because it shows that you are a responsible borrower.
Makes sense right? After some time, and seeing how much his credit score had actually improved, I finally fully understood travel hacking, and I couldn’t wait to get started myself!
Still don’t understand how it all works? I don’t blame you, it can be a little overwhelming to try and learn on your own. If you don’t understand all of the credit card lingo and numbers that Jarrod often posts about, here it is simplified in my own ‘dummy-proof’ words:
1.) Open a Travel Card & Spend Enough To Hit The Minimum Spend.
Minimum spends are just what they sound like; a minimum amount of money you have to spend on the credit card in a certain amount of time (most often within the first three months of opening the card). Don’t be afraid when you see how much money they say you have to spend. I used to think there was no way I could spend some of those amounts in three months, and well… you guessed it. I easily spent that. Paying your rent, any other bills, and your daily expenses will have you well on your way to hitting the minimum spend. Be responsible about it though; never spend more than you can pay off at the end of the month!
2.) Receive Your Sign-up Bonus!
After you hit that minimum spend, for example, $2000 within the first three months, you will receive that card’s sign-up bonus. A sign-up bonus is typically a large number of points that would normally require you to spend a large amount of money to be able to obtain, for example, 50,000 points. Sign-up bonuses range in size and can include other things besides points, such as a free night stay at a specific hotel.
3.) Use Your Card For Everything That You Can!
Gas, groceries, coffee at Starbucks, everything! Every purchase you make with your card earns you more and more points. Just make sure you always pay your card off in full at the end of each month.
4.) Redeem Your Points!
Now that you have your points, you can redeem those towards travel experiences! There are many ways to do this. You can redeem them towards economy tickets, first class seats, companion passes (every time I fly through Southwest Jarrod gets to fly with me for free!), luxury hotel stays, and so many more amazing experiences that would usually cost you hundreds and even thousands of dollars!
5.) Go! Get out there and see the world!
It’s that simple. It’s not a scam, it’s not bad for your credit as long as you are financially responsible and don’t spend above your means, and it’s 100% doable!
If you’re not sure where to begin, Jarrod luckily offers super helpful services for very low prices to help you get started. His credit card consultation allows you to receive custom advice from him in order to reach your specific travel goals.
Luckily for me, I receive all of my Freequent Flyer advice for free, but I would pay for these services in a heartbeat if it meant I could save hundreds, even thousands of dollars on travel!
Travel has truly changed Jarrod and I’s life. It’s not just this fun and luxurious thing to do. It helps you have a better understanding of the world and those around you. It teaches you humility, compassion, and helps you appreciate diversity.
Thanks to travel hacking, Jarrod and I have been able to travel to 11 countries together! It’s brought us closer than ever, and it allows us to bond over something that we are both so passionate about. We talk about our experiences almost every day, and we can’t wait to get back out there and continue exploring the world!
Below are some of my favorite pictures from trips we’ve taken. I hope they inspire you to explore the world too! Please reach out if you have any questions or if you just want to share your love for travel with us! And as the Freequent Flyer always says…
Cheers and safe travels,
Val (The Freequent Flyer Wife)