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One of my favorite frugal travel strategies is leveraging points and miles earned from credit cards to pay for my airfare and hotel stays.
I’ve flown to over 90 countries and stayed in various hotels for FREE or a considerable discount because of this strategy. Thanks to these travel credit cards.
If you need guidance on what credit cards to apply for, you’re welcome to reach out to us here, on Instagram, or in our Facebook group, where we provide free advice.
My Recommended Personal Credit Cards
Capital One Venture Rewards
CAPITAL ONE VENTURE REWARDS CARD: Earn 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. Plus, a LIMITED-TIME OFFER of $250 to use on Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all purchases
- 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- $95 Annual Fee
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Credit Card
CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED® CREDIT CARD: Earn 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $5,000 within 3 months. Periodically, the sign-up bonus increases to 80,000, but there is no way to predict when that happens. Points can be redeemed for cash back or travel.
- 5x points on Chase TravelSM
- 2x points on all other travel
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 3x points on online grocery purchases, excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs
- 3x points on select streaming services
- 1x points on all other purchases
- $50 hotel credit when booking through Chase TravelSM
- $95 annual fee
Capital One Venture X Rewards
CAPITAL ONE VENTURE X REWARDS– Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Unlimited free access to Capital One Lounges
- Complimentary Priority Pass™ membership
- Up to $300 Capital One Travel credit
- 10,000 miles anniversary bonus
- $395 annual fee, which can be offset by the $300 yearly travel credit and 10,000 annual anniversary bonus
Citi Strata Elite℠ Card
Citi Strata Elite℠ Card: Earn 100,000 Bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months. Points can be redeemed for cash back or travel.
- 12x points per dollar spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com
- 6x points per dollar spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
- 6x points per dollar spent at Restaurants on Citi Nights℠ purchases, Friday and Saturday from 6 PM – 6 AM ET
- 3x points per dollar spent at Restaurants any other time
- 1.5x points per dollar spent on All Other Purchases
- $595 Annual Fee
Chase Sapphire Reserve® Credit Card
CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE® CREDIT CARD: Earn up to 125,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel, including The EditSM
- 4x points on flights booked direct
- 4x points on hotels booked direct
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
- $795 Annual Fee
My Recommended Business Credit Cards
If you own a business, you can be eligible to apply for BOTH a personal card and a business card, essentially doubling your ability to earn rewards.
Do you have a business or a side hustle? Feel free to read more about business credit card applications here.
Ink Business Cash Credit Card
INK BUSINESS CASH® CREDIT CARD: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. The Ink Business Cash also earns 5 Ultimate Rewards Points per dollar spent at office supply stores, phone, internet, and cable services.
Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card
INK BUSINESS UNLIMITED® CREDIT CARD: Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. The Ink Business Unlimited also earns 1.5 Ultimate Rewards Points for all purchases.
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
INK BUSINESS PREFERRED® CREDIT CARD: Earn 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 3x points total for each $1 of the first $150,000 spent each account anniversary year on combined purchases in the following rewards categories: shipping; social media and search engine advertising; travel; internet, cable, and phone services
- $95 Annual Fee
Capital One Venture X Business
CAPITAL ONE VENTURE X BUSINESS: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200,000 miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months.
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel.
- Earn 5X on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel.
- Earn 2X miles on every purchase.
- $395 annual fee, which can be offset by the $300 yearly travel credit and 10,000 annual anniversary bonus
Chase Sapphire Reserve Business
CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE BUSINESS CREDIT CARD: Earn 200,000 bonus points after you spend $30,000 on purchases in your first 6 months from account opening.
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase TravelSM, including The EditSM.
- 5x total points on Lyft rides through 9/30/27.
- 4x points on flights & hotels booked direct.
- 3x points on social media & search engine advertising
- 1x points on all other purchases
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
CAPITAL ONE SPARK CASH PLUS: Earn a one-time cash bonus of $2000 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months. Earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year. You can earn this bonus multiple times over the course of year 1!
- Earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One’s travel booking site
- $125 annual fee
Who Can Use Travel Credit Cards?
Whether you are a novice or an expert traveler, I highly recommend dabbling in credit cards that give travel points. It allowed me to see places I would never have imagined visiting in this lifetime for a fraction of the price.
However, it is not for everyone. Although anyone can capitalize on this lucrative hobby, it only works for individuals with a particular financial profile.
Since this practice involves leveraging credit card debt for a specific purpose, banks will naturally only approve applicants they know will be responsible clients.
If you have an excellent credit score and an impeccable financial background, then kudos to you, as you can, without a doubt, successfully optimize this strategy.
Here’s a litmus test to determine if you are compatible with travel using miles and points:
Do you pay your credit card in full on or before the due date? If so, then you are ripe for leveraging travel credit cards.
Is paying your credit card promptly not your strongest suit? If so, I suggest holding off on this hobby until you’re debt-free and financially disciplined.
Despite their lucrative rewards, credit cards can ruin anyone’s financial future. Those steep bank interest charges quickly add up and can wreak havoc on your financial goals.
Lastly, paying additional fees defeats the purpose of frugal travel. The collective goal of points enthusiasts is to redeem travel while shelling out as little cash as possible, if at all.
More Info about Travel Credit Cards
Ideally, whenever you use your credit card for a purchase, your credit card company should offer you a benefit.
By and large, those rewards can either be in the form of travel miles/points or cashback.
Cashback is pretty much self-explanatory.
In essence, whenever you use your credit card to make a purchase, you get a small percentage back in cash.
There is a lot of variability in the cashback credit card arena, but it usually ranges from 1% to 5% cashback.
Some banks periodically run generous cashback promos, such as 10% back when you use the card at grocery stores or restaurants.
Travel miles/points can also be earned from specific credit cards.
Similar to cashback, when you use a travel rewards credit card to purchase, you earn points that you can use to book flights or hotel stays.
Final Thoughts
Strategically leveraging travel rewards credit card offers an incredible opportunity to explore the world for free or at a significant discount.
With a wide variety of options available, from flexible rewards programs like Chase and Amex to specific airline and hotel cards, you can easily find a product that aligns with your financial profile and travel aspirations.
Crucially, this hobby rewards financial discipline, so it is essential to pay off your balances in full every month to truly benefit from the points and miles without incurring interest.
If you are ready to elevate your travel experiences, explore these recommendations and reach out to the community for support as you start your journey.