Traveling the world is a dream for so many of us, but the cost often makes it seem that this dream is out of reach. Learning how to start travel hacking to travel longer or better doesn’t always mean spending more money, it means knowing how the system works.
In fact, credit card points, airline miles, and loyalty programs aren’t just perks reserved for a select few. These are all tools available to many (yes even people that don’t have or want credit cards). When used strategically, they can help you unlock flights, luxury hotel stays, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences that most people assume are out of reach.
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For example, for budget-conscious travelers, learning how to start travel hacking offers the ability to maximize value from every dollar. While it doesn’t always make it onto Instagram captions, points and miles are the real reason so many influencers, business travelers, and frequent flyers are always flying off to somewhere new.
If you are Latina/o/x, I know what you are thinking… “Credit cards are not good.” “Don’t ever get credit cards.” In many Latino households, we are taught that credit cards are your ruin and that you should never have one.
We are often taught to fear credit cards and the uncontrollable debt that they can bring. Why? Well, there are many reasons, stereotypes, and myths surrounding this topic. You can read more about them by clicking here.
Still, I want you to know that there is a safe and strategic way of using credit cards to your benefit. I know you are gasping in Latina, but leveraging these miles and rewards programs can open up many doors to your travel dreams, and I am here to guide you through getting started.
So what is Travel Hacking?
To start, travel Hacking is a strategy to accumulate and redeem rewards, miles, and points to make your travel dreams a reality.
The objective?
To travel more, pay less, and indulge in extraordinary experiences that were once considered unattainable or reserved for the wealthy. It requires time, effort, and patience to research the best use of your miles and points. But you will definitely be rewarded once you learn this skill.
Who Travel Hacking is For
Travel hacking is for anyone who’s ever looked at flight prices and thought, “There’s no way I can afford that.” It’s for people who are ready to make their money stretch further without sacrificing safety, comfort, or freedom.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re planning a dream trip or just want to visit family more often, travel hacking can help you get there for less. It’s for people who want to see more of the world without compromising their financial goals or peace of mind. The reason it helps is because travel is not cheap, but learning how to start travel hacking allows you to travel smarter.
Travel hacking works when you approach it like a strategy, not a shortcut. With the right tools and mindset, you can turn your everyday spending into something that works for you.
Benefits of Travel Hacking
More travel
For example, Imagine airfare and accommodation expenses no longer stopping you from exploring new destinations because you only pay a portion of the total, or only the taxes on flights and lodging, or lodging is entirely “free”. Travel hacking opens up so many possibilities for budget-conscious travelers.
A fancier travel experience
Do you want to experience the luxury of business class flights or deluxe suites in five-star hotels? With travel hacking strategies, these upgrades can become a regular occurrence.
Bigger travel budget
Flights and lodging tend to be the most significant expenses when it comes to travel. By saving on these two categories, you can allocate more funds for immersive activities like tasting the local cuisine, guided tours, and authentic cultural experiences.
Destination variety
Travel hacking gives you the freedom to explore a broader range of destinations without worrying about excessive costs.
Risks of Travel Hacking
It is vital to be aware of the potential risks and pitfalls that come with travel hacking. Some Latino parents’ myths and misconceptions about using credit cards stem from these risks. Here are eight of the most significant risks associated with travel hacking:
Debt Accumulation
Travel hacking requires responsible credit card use, including paying off your balances in full each month to avoid interest charges. If you are unable to manage your spending and credit card balances, you could accumulate debt that outweighs the value of the rewards you earn. High-interest rates on credit card debt can quickly counteract the travel savings you may earn by travel hacking.
Credit Score Impact
If you are new at travel hacking, create a strategy for opening credit cards for the sign-up bonuses. Opening too many cards too quickly may cause a temporary dip in your credit score. As a result, you may also be denied new cards as your credit score decreases.
You can use websites like Credit Karma or Credit Sesame to gain. a general understanding of your credit score. However, please remember that there will be some variance between your actual credit score vs the score that these websites have listed for you.
Annual Fees
Many premium credit cards with valuable rewards come with annual fees, some as high as $695 per year. While the benefits may outweigh the fees, evaluating whether the rewards you’ll earn will justify these fees is essential. Some travel hackers might find themselves paying more in annual fees than the value of the rewards they earn. Points and miles are “free” because they are a form of rewarding your spending.
Availability and Redemption Hurdles
Securing award availability for flights and accommodations is a process that isn’t guaranteed. You might encounter challenges when redeeming your hard-earned points or miles for your preferred travel dates or destinations, especially when dealing with peak travel seasons or sought-after locations.
Certain credit cards offer a companion certificate feature in your annual fee. This feature often falls short of delivering value due to its restrictions. Attempting to use companion certificates can lead to frustrating experiences. If the companion certificate is less restrictive, it will grant your companion an itinerary that mirrors your own, enabling them to share your travel experience for just the cost of applicable taxes.
Account Closure and Loss of Rewards
Credit card issuers closely monitor accounts for suspicious activity, including excessive manufactured spending or other practices that might be perceived as abuse. Engaging in these practices can lead to account closures, loss of earned rewards, and even make it difficult to obtain future credit cards.
Data Privacy Concerns
Scammers know that travel hackers accumulate miles and points intending to use them for flights and accommodations. This can make travel hackers a target for credit card fraud. If your credit card information or reward account is hacked, you may lose your rewards without being able to recuperate them. Increased data exposure makes you more susceptible to phishing attacks, scams, and identity theft attempts. Cybercriminals can use the information you share to create convincing phishing messages or target you with fraudulent activities.
Data Breaches
Sharing personal and financial information with multiple companies and third-party apps increases the potential exposure of your data to cyberattacks or data breaches. If any of the entities you’ve shared information with experiences a breach, your sensitive data could be compromised, leading to identity theft, financial loss, and other security issues.
Third-Party App Security
Some travel hacking strategies involve using third-party apps or platforms to manage rewards, track points, or find deals. Keep in mind that not all third-party apps may have the same security measures in place. Using unsecure apps could expose your data to unauthorized access or misuse.
Is Travel Hacking Legal???
Yes, Travel Hacking is entirely legal. As discussed above, travel hacking involves utilizing various strategies to maximize travel rewards, points, and miles to save money on travel expenses like flights, accommodations, etc. These methods usually involve strategically using loyalty programs, credit card rewards, and promotional offers.
Even though travel Hacking is legal, using these programs ethically and responsibly is essential, by using legitimate methods to earn rewards and avoiding fraudulent or illegal activities. Some things to keep in mind:
- Terms and Conditions: Always adhere to the terms and conditions of loyalty programs and credit cards. Violating these terms could result in the loss of rewards, account closure, or even legal action.
- Avoid Fraudulent Activities: Engage only in legitimate activities to earn rewards. Fraudulent actions like creating fake accounts, misrepresenting information, or abusing promotions can have serious consequences.
- Be Honest and Transparent: If you’re sharing your travel hacking experiences or tips online, be transparent about your methods and practices. Misleading others could lead to damage to your reputation and potential legal concerns.
- Manufactured Spending Caution: Some travel hackers engage in “manufactured spending,” which involves artificially inflating spending to earn rewards. While it is not illegal, it can be a gray area and should be approached carefully.
What is manufactured spending?
Manufactured spending involves creating transactions that appear to be regular purchases but are actually intended to generate rewards. This can be achieved through various methods, such as purchasing gift cards, money orders, prepaid cards, or other items that can be easily liquidated back into cash.
Several techniques are used in manufactured spending, including:
- Gift Card Purchases: Buying gift cards with a credit card and then using them to make regular purchases or liquidate them into cash. Credit card companies have caught on to this and will mention that gift card purchases will not count towards your initial spend. Some business credit cards allow the purchase of gift cards to count towards the spend that would earn you the rewards bonus. It is important to read the terms and conditions before you purchase gift cards for this purpose, as you may risk having your account closed. Be very careful when using this technique.
- Prepaid Card Loading: Loading funds onto prepaid cards using credit cards and subsequently using these prepaid cards for regular spending.
- Money Order Purchases: Buying money orders using credit cards, which can then be deposited into your bank account or used to pay off the credit card bill.
- Merchant Category Code (MCC) Manipulation: Identifying merchants that code as a different category (often one that earns more rewards) and making purchases there. Credit card companies monitor for unusual or excessive behavior, and misrepresenting transactions or abusing the system could lead to account closures or loss of rewards.
Want to be a Successful Travel Hacker?
You will need a solid financial foundation, which includes handling your money like a boss, making smart decisions, and planning your moves strategically.
How to start travel hacking?
Step 1: Have your financial house in order.
To avoid pitfalls while travel hacking, you should be in the process of paying off or managing your existing debt, have a plan for your current credit card balances, and live within your means.
Start by understanding your credit score and its significance in the travel hacking process. A good credit score increases your chances of being approved for travel and premium rewards credit cards. These travel and premium credit cards come with valuable sign-up bonuses and benefits and will get you travel rewards much faster.
Pay off your existing debt. Keeping a running balance on your card is not really beneficial when it comes to travel hacking. You will pay more interest than you would gain in travel rewards.
Travel hacking with credit cards is not the only way to accumulate points and miles. It is possible for you to travel hack without credit cards but understand that this method will usually take longer than obtaining your miles and points with a rewards credit card or combining all of the programs.
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Step 2: Research Loyalty Programs
Loyalty programs do not require a credit card and are free to join.
Review the programs for airline, hotel, and credit cards and understand how loyalty programs work: their benefits, and their limitations.
Research how to earn points or miles, how the redemptions work, and what fees, if any, you will need to pay to redeem your rewards.
I have created a free loyalty account for almost every single airline I’ve ever flown because I tend to use the same airlines. This allows me to accumulate points from multiple loyalty programs.
You can also consider credit cards that offer points that can be transferred to multiple airlines and hotels, such as Chase Ultimate Reward, American Express Membership Points, Citi Thank You Points, and Capital One Travel Rewards. A stash of these points accumulated gives you maximum flexibility in your travel redemptions.
Step 3: Use Shopping and Dining Portals
Before you buy anything online—shoes, groceries, makeup—check to see if you can earn miles for it.
Try these:
- Rakuten: Earn Amex points or cash back.
- AAdvantage eShopping: Earn American Airlines miles.
- MileagePlus Shopping: Earn United miles.
- Delta SkyMiles Shopping
You can also earn airline miles just by eating out or ordering delivery through dining programs like:
- MileagePlus Dining
- Delta SkyMiles Dining
- AAdvantage Dining
All you have to do is link your debit or credit card and eat at participating restaurants.
Step 3: Choose the Right Credit Cards:
Focus on credit cards that align with your goals and have large sign-on bonuses and no foreign transaction fees.
Decide what type of travel experiences you want to have. Do you want to focus on earning free flights, free hotel stays, or both? Your goals will guide which credit cards you will apply for.
Pay attention to sign-up bonuses and required spending: If you can’t meet the required spending, do not apply to that credit card. Sign-up bonuses are one of the easiest ways to accumulate thousands of points or miles.
Evaluate whether the benefits and rewards offered by a credit card outweigh its annual fee. Some premium cards come with higher annual fees but offer extensive perks that can offset the cost.
The most important tip I can give you is only open credit cards that you can responsibly manage.
Step 4: Learn to Use Airline Alliances and Transfer Partners
Let’s say you earn 10,000 Delta Skymiles. Those miles can also be used to fly on Aeromexico, LATAM, or even Virgin Atlantic thanks to the Sky Team partnership.
How is this possible? Through the partnership, you can use the Delta Skymiles to purchase a flight on one of its partners. Most of the time, the transfer ratio is 1:1 meaning that you get 1 mile on a partner airline when you transfer a Delta Skymile.
Major Airline Alliances:
- Star Alliance: United, Lufthansa, Air Canada, etc.
- SkyTeam: Delta, Air France, Korean Air, etc.
- Oneworld: American Airlines, British Airways, Qatar Airways, etc.
This is why focusing on one alliance can get you more options, especially if you want to travel internationally.
Step 5: Only Consider a Travel Credit Card if It Makes Sense for YOU
Travel credit cards can help you level up fast, but they’re not for everyone. If you have debt, are rebuilding credit, or just don’t like using cards, skip this for now.
If you’re ready and responsible with credit, the right card can give you:
- 50,000–100,000 points as a welcome bonus
- 2–5x points on purchases like travel, groceries, or dining
- Free airport lounge access or checked bags
- Travel insurance and cancellation protection
Start small:
- Look into low annual fee cards or cash back cards that let you dip into rewards without the pressure.
Don’t get a card just because suggests it. Your situation is unique. Make your decision based on your real travel goals and financial boundaries.
Step 6: Be Strategic About Booking
Beginners get frustrated when they realize they have points, but don’t know how to use them well. Here’s what to do:
Book Early
The earlier you book, the more likely you are to find saver award space (aka cheap point prices). This is especially true for international travel or peak seasons.
Be Flexible
If you can travel mid-week or during shoulder seasons (like September–October or April–May), your points will stretch further.
Look at Point Value, Not Just Quantity
One airline might charge 40,000 points for a roundtrip flight while another charges 22,000 for the same destination and sometimes even the same flight. Use tools like Roame.travel to compare redemption options.
Real Life Examples of Travel Hacking
I use travel hacking almost every single time I travel. Here are some examples of rates I’ve been able to enjoy after I learned how to start travel hacking.
Here are some of the most recent travel hacks I have done:
Additional considerations
Safety First: Protect Your Points
Your points and miles have real monetary value. Here’s how to protect them:
- Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication.
- Track expiration dates and account activity. Some points never expire, but others do. Make sure that you use them before you lose them.
- Don’t share logins or details with people you don’t trust.
What to Avoid as a Beginner
- Chasing every promotion: You don’t need to sign up for every deal. Focus on the ones that match your travel goals.
- Opening cards you can’t pay off: Points aren’t worth interest payments.
- Letting points expire: Many programs expire after 12–24 months of inactivity. Set calendar reminders or use apps to keep them alive. Activity on airline miles does not mean having to book a flight, there are other ways to keep your points active and ready to use.
As you can see, travel hacking opens the doors for you to turn your wanderlust into reality. You can redefine how you travel by mastering the art of leveraging points, miles, and rewards and redeeming them for flights and hotel stays. Use the knowledge you’ve gained here to accumulate points that will bring you closer to your dream destinations. Let travel hacking help you live your wildest, budget-friendly, wanderlust-fueled experiences.
Don’t forget to click on to explore the most common misconceptions about credit cards and their use. There are many myths surrounding credit cards in Latino households and it is time that we change our mind about some of these myths. If you have no credit or are working on increasing it, make sure to learn how you can travel hack without credit.
What If You’re Outside the U.S.?
Travel hacking is mostly accessible in the United States because of the wide range of credit card offers and generous welcome bonuses. However, if you live elsewhere, don’t worry because you still have options.
Look into airline-specific loyalty programs, local bank travel rewards cards, and cashback apps that partner with travel brands in your country. Even without U.S.-based credit cards, you can still rack up points through hotel stays, car rentals, dining programs, and shopping portals. It might take a bit more creativity and research, but the rewards are still worth it.
Resource List
? Subscribe to the blog and newsletter for exclusive content about this destination and more.
? If this is your first time considering solo travel, you might find my Guide to Solo Travel helpful. It covers everything from picking your first destination and even Travel Hacking 101.
? Never travel abroad without travel insurance. To compare coverage and rates from many reputable insurers, use this tool.
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