How To Save With A Travel Credit Card

A hot topic right now is travel credit cards. Are they worth it? Which one do I choose? How can they help me to travel on a budget? I will go over my recommendations and tips on how you can use a travel credit card to actually travel more often and on a budget.

Which Card To Choose

I did a lot of research before choosing my card because I travel a lot and  wanted some specific perks. My criteria was that it had to have NO Foreign Transaction Fees, Points earned towards travel activities (flights, hotels, food, shopping), a card that was recognized in most countries around the world, and a low annual fee.

I decided to go with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

After going back and forth for months about which card would be right for me (because some are similar) the real selling point was the AMOUNT of points you earn and the travel protection you get with Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card.

What Perks Are Included?

If you spend $4,000 in the first three months you get 60,00 points! I can use those points on so many things!

You can get 2x the points on travel and dinning, 25% more in travel redemption, NO FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEES, and point for point transfer for miles. Another perk I liked was the availability to purchase travel protection with the card so you are insured on your vacation should anything happen.

 Travel On Budget

Like I said within the first three months if you spend $4,000 on the card then you get 60,000 Points! That is a lot of points and would take you awhile to accumulate those over time. So out of the gate this can help you buy plane tickets, hotels, and anything else with points instead of spending out of pocket.

Usually I use points on those not so cheap flights abroad. Depending on when you are going on vacation the price of flights can vary. I’m always searching for a deal so sometimes using points make life a lot easier and then I can spend on other aspects of my trip.

Using Points To Upgrade

Using points to upgrade flights is also a really amazing perk to take advantage of. How this works is you buy the normal economy ticket and then later on you can choose to upgrade your flight using the points which don’t use as many.

Also I would recommended staying with one or even two airlines. This way you can work towards gaining miles which can help you to upgrade as well. If there is room in a flight to upgrade to business or first class, before boarding the person with the most points can get an automatic upgrade just because you are a frequent flyer!

How To Get Started

Go to Chase to apply for the credit card here and  you will hear back from them if you are approved for the card or not. A good thing to do is make sure you either know or check your credit score because that can effect the outcome of acceptance .

*Don’t check your credit score too often it actually hurts you (little side tip)

After you get the card you are free to start spending, racking in the points, and using them for travel! It’s that easy and stress-free.

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