Timeshares are a great way to travel but they simply do not work for every trip. Additionally, the only way that I personally am able to travel as extensively as I do is through frequent flyer points and credit card points which allow me to book airfare for free or fares that are significantly discounted.
I have not gone into a lot of details of this subject but I have discussed the importance of getting miles in this post. Credit card signup bonuses are one of the best and easiest way to quickly accumulate various types of points. It is a quick and easy way to travel for free. Current Offer for the Chase Sapphire Preferred I wanted to quickly get this post out because Chase recently increased the signup bonus for one of their most popular cards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card. There are two offers currently available - one offer for 50,000 ultimate reward points with the annual fee of $95 waived and the second new offer for 60,000 ultimate reward points with the annual fee of $95 NOT waived. Both offers also allow you to add an authorized user and once the authorized user makes one purchase, you will be given an additional 5,000 points so the offers below are really 55,000 or 65,000 ultimate reward points. Redemption Options Both are truly stellar offers as ultimate reward points are a fantastic travel currency. These ultimate reward points can be redeemed in various ways including the following:
Favorite Transfer Partners One of my favorite transfer partners is easily Hyatt as you can use 60,000 ultimate reward points to stay 4 nights at the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo which I reviewed here. Nightly room rates vary by season but if you redeem these points over Christmas break, this one credit card offer can easily save you close to $5,000 as rates at that particular hotel are going for over $1200 per night! One of my other favorite uses of ultimate reward points is actually through Flying Blue, the loyalty program of KLM / Air France. This is a lesser known partner as KLM and Air France are based in Europe but they are partnered with Delta. As a result, you can use ultimate reward points to book Delta flights with Flying Blue. One of the best sweet spots in this program is the ability to fly to Hawaii from anywhere in the United States for only 30,000 points. Therefore, you can get two round trip flights to Hawaii solely by signing up for one credit card! If you are a couple, both spouses can sign up for these cards and get double the amount! Many people are concerned with credit cards as they could impact your credit score. However, while they may be a little impact to your score at first, if you pay it off every month (which you NEED TO DO), your score can actually go up since you will have a positive credit history. Conclusion I truthfully think that both offers are fantastic as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a great card for everyday use. However, in an effort to make sure that this is clearly transparent, the 50,000 offer below is my referral link and the 60,000 is a public offer. My preference would be to receive the 60,000 ultimate reward points but some people prefer to save the $95 and take a lower offer. You should be aware that if you already have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you will be ineligible for this bonus so it is not worth applying for at this time. If you are not involved in getting free travel through credit card signup bonuses, you are missing out on tremendous offers. I have posted this before but this is definitely a good read if you want to know how credit cards can help maximize travel. Timeshares can be a great tool to receive cheap accommodations but frequently flyer miles and credit card points give you the ability to get to your destination for free which can easily save thousands of dollars but more importantly, can give you the flexibility to travel anywhere in the worth without regard to cost! What credit cards do you use? |
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