Travel rewards are a great way to make traveling affordable. There are many different types of travel rewards, and many different ways to earn and use them. If you can get the most out of your rewards you can afford to travel more often, and that is the goal isn’t it? Here are my top 7 tips on how to travel free with credit card rewards!

1. Choose the right credit card to help you travel for free! 

There are many credit cards that have travel rewards. Each credit card is very different so choosing the one that works best for you will get you the most travel rewards. Look at which card will earn you the most, while costing you the least. More travel rewards equals more free travel! Read my post about choosing the Best Credit Cards For Traveling to learn more. 

2. Pay off your card

I use my card for everything, then pay the balance in full each month. Travel rewards don’t mean a whole lot if you are paying interest each month on a credit card balance. Make sure to pay off your bill each month to maximize those rewards! 

3. Read your emails 

I missed out on a lot of deals by ignoring emails from my credit company. Once I realized this, I learned about all sorts of perks that I didn’t know about. Plus they’ll alert you when there are new ways to earn bonus points or they are running specials. 

4. Bonus points- get them!

I earn a lot of travel rewards by taking advantage of bonus point offers. For example, if I use my credit card to book travel, I earn double the points. If I use my credit card to shop at certain online stores, or purchase online groceries I earn five times bonus points. Check with your card to see how to earn bonus points. 

5. Maximizing your rewards

My credit card lets me redeem points for 25% more if I use them to book travel. So if I have 10,000 points, I can use them to spend $100 on Amazon, or I can use them to book $125 on travel. I only ever use my points for booking travel so that I can get the most out of them. This is a big part of my strategy for traveling for free with credit card rewards. 

6. Other perks

Look into what else your card offers. My card includes travel insurance, rental care insurance, and several other free perks for travel.  These are things that you may have to purchase for your trip so look ahead to see what you might get for free through your credit card. 

7. Plan ahead to use those rewards

Read my guide on How To Plan A Trip to see how to use your rewards from the beginning. I just saved $1300 on a trip by using some points for flights and the rest for a rental car. I am able to get free travel with my credit card rewards because I plan ahead! 

Other rewards to help you earn free travel 

If you are out of, or low on credit card rewards then you can still utilize other rewards programs. I recommend signing up for any loyalty or rewards programs for companies that you use on a regular basis. I use these to supplement my credit card rewards if they are low. Here’s are a few of my favorite rewards programs: