If you’ve ever wondered how travel bloggers and friends and family alike can afford to travel all over the world, the answer is more obvious than you may realize. Thanks to credit card points and miles, anyone can save money on upcoming trips. With the right credit card bonuses, you too can become a well-traveled jet-setter. Read on to discover the ins and outs of saving money on group trips with your credit cards.
1. Choose the Right Rewards program
The first step in finding the right credit card to cover the costs of travel is to research rewards programs. To start earning the most points for future group trips, you’ll need to join flexible rewards programs. Wink Capital points out that this flexibility will allow you to put your credit card points towards a variety of hotels or airlines. Oftentimes, these travel accommodations can be booked directly through the program.
When traveling with a large group of people, this type of flexibility makes booking travel plans for friends and family members in various cities that much easier. For example, programs like American Express Membership and Chase Ultimate Rewards all include a huge selection of airlines and hotels to make travel plans with. When signing up with the Chase Sapphire Card, you’ll instantly earn 50,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months after opening your account. Similarly, with the Platinum Card from American Express, you’ll earn 60,000 rewards after you spend $5,000 three months after the account is initially opened.
2. Plan Your Trip Far in Advance
When using your bonus points, it’s important to plan as far in advance as possible. When traveling as a group, be sure to ask people to coordinate their schedules and calendars as soon as possible so you can make the necessary arrangements with your reward points. As it takes a while for these points to accrue, you’ll need to have several months of planning to save and spend what you need to to make sure you have the points necessary for your upcoming trip.
3. Pick the Right Destination
In addition to starting to plan for this trip early on, you should also think twice about your destination of choice. When taking advantage of your credit card rewards for an upcoming group trip, you’ll find that certain destinations are more favorable than others. For example, traveling as a group to an expensive hotspot like Dubai will be more of a challenge than traveling to a less popular place where fewer miles and money will be required to book the trip.
The best destination to consider when using credit card miles is something domestic that multiple airlines frequent. In addition to being easier to coordinate with your reward points, fares to a more affordable destination will be easier to cover out of pocket in the event that your rewards points don’t cover everything.
4. Look Into Other Award Redemption Options
While the cost of flights is a big concern when booking a group trip, there are many other expenses to consider when using your credit card rewards. As you put together your budget for this upcoming trip, be sure to review all the various redemption options available through your credit cards’ reward programs. According to Wink Capital, many credit card reward programs covering food, lodging, and entertainment.
Thus, there are a variety of ways to reduce the cost of travel with your rewards points. When used in conjunction with deals for flights, your credit card rewards can save up to thousands of dollars.
With the right credit card, you can make the world a bit smaller as you catch flights to destinations unknown. If you’re hoping to make your travel more affordable, be sure to find a reliable credit card rewards program and put these tips into practice
