Stick with me through this short post, and I’m going to show you how even the laziest travel hacker can save $500+ on their next flight!
After traveling to 100 countries and strategically using credit cards to save over $30,000 on airfare, Kara and I believe a good travel credit card is a tool that all financially responsible travelers should be using to their advantage.
I could talk for days about all of the different strategies we’ve used to earn free travel, but in a nutshell, our strategy boils down to maximizing travel credit card rewards and learning the ins and outs of the different frequent flyer programs so we can squeeze as much value as possible out of every point!
As I’ve continued to tell anyone who will listen about these strategies, I’ve come to realize a couple things:
- Some people don’t have the time or the motivation to learn the ins and outs of every frequent flyer program.
- The idea of signing up for multiple credit cards makes people really uncomfortable.
If you fall into one or both of the categories above, this post is for you! Just because you don’t have the time to start a new hobby, it doesn’t mean you should miss out on all of the benefits of a great travel credit card. I want to show you how almost anyone can quickly and easily save $500+ on their next flight (no travel hacking required).
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card [learn more] currently has a 75,000 mile welcome offer. This means if you sign up for the card and spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months of opening your account, you’ll earn 75,000 Venture Miles. Each Venture Mile is worth $.01 when redeemed for travel purchases. Therefore, 75,000 miles [(75,000 x $.01) = $750] is equivalent to $750 worth of free travel.
The great thing about Venture Miles is that they’re dead simple to use. In fact, I’m going to show you exactly how you can use them to save $500+ on your next flight in just 30 seconds.
All you need to do is use your Venture Rewards card to purchase ANY flight. You don’t need to purchase this flight through a special portal. You can literally buy the flight from anywhere. If you prefer to purchase your flights through an online travel agency such as Kayak.com, great. Buy your flight there. If you prefer to purchase your flight directly from the airline, that works too! It doesn’t matter how or where you purchase your flight, as long as you use your card.
Once you’ve purchased your flight, you have 90 days to use the 75,000 miles that you earned from the welcome bonus to erase $750 of travel expenses from your account. Here’s the step by step process.
Step 1: Login to your account
Step 2: Click on your mileage balance (you should see around 75,000 miles in your account after meeting the minimum spending requirement)
Step 3: Click the button says “Redeem Travel Purchases”
Step 4: You’ll see a list of all the travel-related purchases you’ve made with the card in the last 90 days. Choose which one you want to erase and click “Redeem”.
That’s it! Four steps to saving $500+ on your next flight. You don’t have to learn a single thing about frequent flyer miles. You don’t have to worry about blackout dates or figuring out how to book any type of special flight. All you have to do is sign up for a credit card, meet the minimum spend, and use that credit card to purchase your next flight!
If you like the simplicity of the strategy I laid out in this post, learn more about the Capital One Venture Rewards card by clicking the link below!
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FAQ
Can I Use My Miles for Other Travel Purchases?
Here’s exactly what Capital One says counts as a “travel” purchase.
“Purchases made from airlines, hotels, rail lines, car rental agencies, limousine services, bus lines, cruise lines, taxi cabs, travel agents and timeshares are generally considered to be travel purchases and availability for redemption is based on the merchant category code assigned to them by the merchant. Capital One is not responsible for how merchants assign these codes.”
Is There a Minimum Amount of Miles I Can Redeem?
One of the great things about this card is that it has no limits on the minimum amount of miles you can redeem for a travel purchase. Unless you’re redeeming your miles to cover a partial amount of a bigger purchase, then the minimum amount you can redeem is 2,500 ($25)
Do I Earn Miles for Spending on This Card?
Yes, you’ll earn 2 miles for every $1 you spend on the card, and there is no cap on the number of miles you can earn.
Will My Miles Ever Expire?
As long as your account is open, your miles will never expire.
Does the Card Offer Any Other Benefits?
Tons! But I wanted to keep this post short so I didn’t go into all of them.
- No foreign transaction fees
- Earn 2x miles on every $1 you spend on the card
- Receive up to a $100 application credit when you use your card to pay for your Global Entry or TSA
- PreCheck application
- Travel incident insurance
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver Insurance
Is There an Annual Fee?
Yes, the annual fee is $95.
Do you have other questions about this card? Let me know in the comments below!
Robin Holliday says
Great choice for a beginner travel credit card. I have used this card exclusively for a number of years and it’s been great. I actually just received my $100 credit for Global Entry which is a new perk.
nbuchan1 says
Glad to hear you’re maximizing the benefits! Thanks for vouching for the card.
Kevin says
Can I cancel the card before the $95 fee kicks in?
nbuchan1 says
If you don’t think the benefits you receive from the card the second year will be worth the annual fee, you can cancel the card before paying the $95 annual fee.
Anna Redd says
I like the fact that you focused on a specific credit card and you gave detailed, easy to follow instructions about how to actually use the card to get free travel. I have done quite a bit of free travel but am always looking for new ideas. Thanks.
nbuchan1 says
Glad to hear you found this post valuable!
Jennifer Baker says
Thank you for all the great tips! Just booked our 2 rt flights to Bangkok at $0 cost to us. We also got $1000 free by opening Chase savings and checking accounts. It has become a fun challenge to see how much of our 3 week trip to Thailand will be free! Happy travels!! My husband and I love you guys!!
nbuchan1 says
That’s incredible! Thanks for sharing. Have an awesome trip!
Trina says
Hello I have been following you for some time now and I’m confused about this, my question is- if you have to spend 3000 on the card within 3 months to get the points, you may get miles and free travel but You will also have a $3000 dollar debt to pay. If one does not travel often how can adding debt to ones credit be a positive move. Each time a credit card is opened that debt grows and if the income cannot pay the debt it will go into monthly payments compounding that debt with interest. It seems very risky for gaining free travel. How do you avoid this debt risk?
nbuchan1 says
You would need to spend $1,000 per month in the first 3 months to meet the minimum spend. Most people spend at least $1,000 per month. You shouldn’t be spending additional money that you can’t afford to pay back just meet a minimum spending requirement. Kara and I set up all of our credit cards on auto-pay so we never carry any debt.
Wbernal says
I have a friend who uses her credit card for all het normal everday expenses then pays off at end of month. Then no debt. Groceries, phone bill, cable ect..you are going to pay those bills anyway why not get miles for them!
Sharon says
The trick is paying the $3000 bill in the first 3 months. If you are travelling all the time, how are you earning money? (If you don’t happen to have a vlog to pay the bills?)
nbuchan1 says
Most people spend at least $1,000 per month when traveling. It would actually be really impressive if someone was traveling on less than $1,000 per month. I don’t recommend anyone going into debt to meet a minimum spending requirement.
Barnaby says
Kara and Nate I enjoy your YouTube videos so much keep up the great work!
Veronica King says
Is this the card that comes with the free priority pass to get into lounges? Does that stay valid as long as you have the credit card?
Sally says
Hi, I’m from Sweden and would like to know what it would mean for those who aren’t US citizens.