10 Tips for Beginners to Earn Free Travel

Рет қаралды 9,535

Күн бұрын

Do you love travel? Are you leaving free travel on the table? If you're not taking advantage of new credit card signup bonuses, then you are not making the most of the benefits of travel hacking.
In this video, we're sharing the best tips for beginners to take their points-and-mile-earning game up a notch.
If you have a US Social Security Number and a good credit score, tune in!
***We use Travel Freely to manage our credit cards and to help pick our next card - it's free! - links.gowithless.com/TFYT**
#creditcards #pointsandmiles
Here are some of our favorite services. If you use our links, it will not cost you anything extra. We may receive a commission if you sign up. Thanks if you do!
***Thanks to points and miles earned from credit cards, we save lots of money on travel. You'll see some of our current favorite credit cards on this page - links.gowithless.com/MTM
***We use Travel Freely to manage our credit cards and to help pick our next card - it's free! - links.gowithless.com/TFYT
***If you’re interested in becoming a house sitter (or you need a house sitter), this is the site we use with a discount! - links.gowithless.com/THS
***One of our favorite free money tracking tools is Personal Capital. Our link gives you $ upon signup - links.gowithless.com/PC
***Mint is another free tracking tool we depend upon - links.gowithless.com/IntuitMint
***We use GoogleFI (Amy) and Mint Mobile (Tim) for our frugal cell plans. Both of our referral codes should provide you with a discount
- Google Fi - links.gowithless.com/GoogleFI
- Mint Mobile - links.gowithless.com/MintMobile
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About us...we are Tim and Amy and we retired early (in our 40s) after reducing our expenses by $6,500 a month. Most surprising isn't what we're missing...it's how wonderful and rich our life is with our lower spending. We like to share what we're doing and learning here on our channel.
Please check out our other videos. They cover house sitting, award travel/travel hacking, and our early retirement/FIRE (financially independent, retired early). And, of course, travel! Lots of our videos show the fun stuff we do on a budget around the world.
You can find us at...
Our Website www.gowithless.com/
Facebook - / gowithless
Our Amazing Facebook Group - / 552873059012708
Twitter- / gowithless
Instagram - / wegowithless
TikTok - / gowithless
Some of our links are affiliate links. We may receive a commission if you click them. If you do, thank you!
Also, sometimes we discuss financial topics. We are not financial professionals. Please consult a licensed advisor for financial advice.
Thanks for watching! See you next Wednesday!
00:00 Introduction
00:13 Only travel hack if you pay your bills in full
02:29 Signup bonuses are the best way to earn points and miles
07:16 Set a threshold a new card must meet
09:54 Travel hacking as a couple
12:53 Applying for business credit cards
14:46 Have a strategy
18:51 Will travel hacking hurt my credit score?
22:25 Don't shy away from card with annual fees
25:06 Travel hacking as nomads
29:18 Sign up for a new card right away
30:24 A travel hacking win

Пікірлер: 39

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

Hello friends! As this video is released, Tim and I are in Bangkok, our first time to Asia. Our first full day here(yesterday) was fabulous! Check out our photos on Instagram at @wegowithless. We’re here for 4 months, living in hotels in 6 countries. And, we took 3 business class flights to get there. This included a 17-hour flight in United’s super-swanky Polaris class and a phenomenal flight on the #1 international airline, Singapore Airlines. Our only “complaint”’was that our flight wasn’t longer! So lots of points and miles happening in our lives…as usual. If you can qualify for a U.S. credit card, we hope you’ll use our tips to up your game. The best way to figure out WHICH card offer is best is with TravelFreely. We’d so appreciate if you used our free referral link - links.gowithless.com/TFYT. It’s 3:30am and we’re battling jet lag. Back to sleep!! Hugs, Amy

@gvongrossmann Жыл бұрын

Referral link has expired, FYI

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

@@gvongrossmann thank you!! I’ll investigate but I see you’re right. This should be good - links.gowithless.com/TFFB

@kathybartlett5827 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for all your videos. Two years ago I started pet/house sitting because of your videos. Last week I applied for my first Chase card. You have made a positive impact on my life. Thank you.

@RosarioBillingsley 6 ай бұрын

First video watch. I've been watching other traveling couples and you were both excellent. If you could slow down just a bit, it would be helpful. Thanks.

@dave.wendy.wander Жыл бұрын

Excellent summary of the travel hacking game! We're not as far along as you are but are getting there. Thanks for your videos.

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@gvongrossmann Жыл бұрын

Thank you, this was great! You have me considering this where I hesitated prior. I'd assumed as a single that I just wouldn't have the spend...now I will put in the energy to see if that is true or not.

@janefromthecountry1820 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing this content. I think you are both great communicators and teachers on the content you cover. Autopay for bills, Tim you rock. Amy thanks for sharing about home sits- excellent info. Stay safe. Stay curious. ❤😊

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

I hope you find it helpful! Please comment with any questions. 😀

@comment5884 7 ай бұрын

Yeah, love the stories.

@usa1mac Жыл бұрын

Very timely video for me and my wife. Thank you!

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@sexyellex Жыл бұрын

Hi Tim and Amy!!! Thank you for this video. Do you ever get emails from the CC company chastising you for NOT using their CC? Asking for a friend...lol

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

More often they will cancel the card. Spend something on every one of your cards every 6 months!! The amount doesn’t matter.

@joelprice1 Жыл бұрын

Excellent information, guys! I had issues with Capital One while abroad as well. It seems the systems behind Cap One are just not as sophisticated as Chase, from my experience.

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

We’ve found the same thing!

@nuharedu Жыл бұрын

Great video you two! Thanks for putting this out. I have a couple of questions: 1) If you get a card scanned at Escapees, do you have them just hold onto it until you get back to the US again, and then have it sent? What if your aren't going to return to the US for awhile? I do realize you can have it sent to other countries via Fedex/DHL etc...2) If you put your cards info on Google Pay, I would be super paranoid about someone snatching my phone and having their way with Google Pay etc. Is this an issue or non issue with certain settings on Google Pay? Enjoy your stay in Asia!

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

1. Yes, we have touch points in the US every 6 months or so and just have our mail sent wherever we are in the country. We haven’t considered sending it abroad. This month, we’re sending it to a friend who is currently in the US, heading to Malaysia to meet us. She’ll bring it to us. Thankfully, it should be less than a pound. We try to get off every mailing list we can. 2. One of our cards is compromised each year. We call the bank and it’s canceled with a new one reissued. We’ve never paid a penny. We think adding it to our phone apps is safer with the password requirements.

@Janice-rh8mr 10 ай бұрын

This is excellent information for US folks. Is there any similar resources for Canadian viewers? Canadian perks seem to be very minimal comparatively.

@GoWithLess 10 ай бұрын

Each country has its own unique offerings but the US has the most robust perks we’ve seen worldwide. We have many Canadian viewers and group members, but we haven’t heard of a Canadian source to get info. Google may be your best bet.

@susanneowens7616 Жыл бұрын

My husband would love to here how Tim keeps up with tracking cards, when they are due, when min spend needs to be completed, etc. I would also like to watch how to track things better! Also specific examples of how to get travel deals that you have gotten. Specifically I have been trying to find how to book the cruise in Nov from Lisbon to NY with AmEx discount that you spoke about. Haven’t been able to find it.

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

We have 7 AMEX cards between us and they all offer different promotions. Tim reads lots of travel hacking content daily so he knows when a good offer is released and then he logs in to each of our accounts to see if we have it. It’s important to click “add the offer to your card” to take advantage of it. More AMEX cards = more chance we’ll have an offer. Chase does something similar.

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

As far as tracking minimum spend, Tim creates a basic spread before he applies for a new card to list the bigger-ticket items. We’re usually working on one signup bonus at a time so not hard to keep track.

@abbyhowe5857 Жыл бұрын

Just starting out on our travel hacking journey and total rookie mistake added my husband as an authorized user to our new southwest companion card, when they were doing that promo. So here’s my question as I think that counts as one of his 5/24 (I know it counts as mine) but if applying for a business card does that count towards that rule? And where I just got that card, would it make more sense for him to apply for the next card?

@montgomeryclark7531 Жыл бұрын

@1:11 did you just say you have 30+ cards? hah! Somewhere out there, Suze Orman's head is exploding! I have 5 and I'm concerned getting a 6th would damage my FICO! True? Not true? Are all personal or in business name? With lots of travel on the horizon, getting incorporated or an LLC might be worthwhile? Anyway, very informative. Thank you and please keep creating!

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

Hopefully, you kept watching and both questions were answered. 😀😀😀 And, an official LLC isn’t needed to apply for business cards. Renting one home would qualify with no EIN or LLC.

@montgomeryclark7531 Жыл бұрын

@@GoWithLess Yes, watched the whole thing. Very helpful. Answered all my questions. And your enthusiasm is contagious! Thank you!

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

😍

@hollywinterhuppert8007 Жыл бұрын

Okay. Maybe it's time for me to get credit card #2....

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

Yes, indeed!

@opulentElephant11 Жыл бұрын

I don’t understand the transferable point thing.

@golfaddict9 11 ай бұрын

The programs that have transferable points allow you to transfer the points to their business partners so you can redeem them in that program. Example, say you have some Delta Airlines points but short 5k points to get a roundtrip ticket, you can transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Delta to make up the deficit. Similarly, you can do this for hotels so you can take advantage of some of the major chain's special offers, like they did with Hyatt.

@karencosten8899 Жыл бұрын

You mentioned paying taxes with credit cards. Assume you mean IRS? Why pay the 2% fee to pay income tax with a credit card?

@johnperkins5450 Жыл бұрын

The value of what you receive should be higher than the fee being charged. Most often, people are paying a fee to make a charge, like at the IRS, when they are trying to reach a minimum spend requirement on a new card, to earn the sign-up bonus (SUB), when normal/regular “organic” spending wouldn’t get you to the minimum spend requirement. If your normal/regular “organic” spending would get you to the minimum spend requirement, then you wouldn’t want to pay a fee to make that charge. *As always, these strategies/rewards are only to be used if one pays off their credit cards each month to avoid paying interest.

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

John answered perfectly!!

@marciajimenez7347 Жыл бұрын

So if we are authorized users on each other's cards, should we call Chase and delete the authorized user?

@GoWithLess Жыл бұрын

If you have a valid reason to be an authorized user, then keep it. Otherwise, we would cancel the additional user. The “damage” is already done with the credit pull.