How We Plan To Travel Hack Our Honeymoon…
Photo by @madimagesinc
The concept of “travel hacking” is something that I am currently learning and hope to MASTER soon! I’ve begun following various travel hack experts including Julia at Geobreeze Travel Podcast, The Points Guy and Frugal Friends Podcast (for all things savings and frugality) and last but not least my incredible BCBA friend Nilam!!
The term “Travel hack” can be such a broad term. Many people use travel hacking to get first class flights and free stays at luxurious hotels. Travel hacking for ME/US is using any and all tricks to NOT have to pay (or go into DEBT) for anything related to travel. What follows is a list of things I have been doing and will continue to do to have a paid off honeymoon. All of these techniques are used to help with the reduction of the costs of our trip!
Credit Card Points: This is a new area for me so I will keep it short and sweet with the knowledge that I have. I am currently on the “Chase train” as I know we will be using Chase travel partners to stay at hotels throughout our trip (i.e. Hyatt hotels). I’ve been saving my credit card points since I opened my first Chase Freedom card in 2017 which currently has a cash back offer of $200 for meeting the minimum spend of $500 in the first 3 months. My second card was the Chase Sapphire Preferred which is currently offering an incredible 80,000 points (or $1,000 toward travel) when meeting the minimum spend of $4,000 in 3 months. I recently opened the Hyatt card which is currently offering up to 60,000 points when meeting the minimum spend of $6,000 in the first 6 months. And lastly as a small business owner, I am able to apply for the Chase Business cards. I currently have the Chase Ink card which currently has $750 cash back when you spend $7,500 in the first 3 months. Credit cards points/rewards work IF:
You have self control and commit to paying off your cards at the end of each month!
The categories and points work for YOU (if you are not interested in getting points for Hyatt hotels, then the Hyatt card may not the best option for you!).
You take advantage of the categories in which you receive the most points (as an example, I make sure to use my Hyatt card when we stay at Hyatt properties (9 points/dollar), my Chase Freedom when buying travel through the Chase portal (5% cash back), eating at restaurants (3% cash back), 1.5% on all other purchases AND use my Chase Ink when buying select business categories (which CAN include gift cards at 5% cash back).
You use the points/rewards towards the Chase Ultimate Rewards where you could receive up to 25% more value when you redeem your points.
Cash Back Apps (for all uses): I LOVE cash back apps!!! There are some that are little more work than others but these will help us with smaller items on our trip like food/tickets/fun money.
Rakuten: Rakuten can be used on a desktop, app or in store. There’s a desktop extension that pops up anytime you are shopping at a site that provides cash back. To use Rakuten, you simply create an account and before making a purchase you can check the Rakuten platform to see if cash back is offered. If it is you click “Activate cashback” and it saves your shopping trip. Once the store confirms your purchase, the cash back is placed in your account which is given out on a quarterly basis. Rakuten’s current offer is spend $30 and receive $30 cashback (I do get a referral incentive for this)! So far I’ve gotten $450 in cash back total since I signed up in 2018 (Not too shabby for clicking their site on items I was already buying).
Rakuten is currently offering $10 cash back at VRBO which we will also be using for our trip (in addition to the 2x points through our Sapphire Preferred card! Make sure the purchase is labeled as “Travel”).
Dosh: Dosh is an app in which you connect your cards to and receive cash back automatically when you shop at any of their partner sites! Super easy!!
Get Upside: Cash back on gas!!
Cash Back Apps (Grocery): The following apps are primarily for groceries! Sometimes they have new products that you can purchase (I got ice cream the other day) and you get the entire cash back for trying it! Some of these do take time as you have to scan receipts and some products.
Ibotta: Has fun challenges that give you extra money back and also has opportunities when you buy “non-brand” foods (i.e. store brand).
Gift Cards: Sometimes stores like Staples or Office Depot will have sales or discounts on their gift cards. I use the Chase Ink card that gives 5% cash back on business purchases including gift cards (Thank you The Frugal Tourist for teaching me this one!)!
Travel hacking can be a great way to reduce the costs on current and/or future trips. These techniques can truly be tailored to fit your family needs and goals. The best travel is the free kind! What other tips would you add to this list?
