How to Travel Free with Points
Showing you the best places to wander and how to choose the best travel rewards credit cards that turn everyday spending into free flights, hotel stays, and upgrades.
How to Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points & American Express Platinum Points

THE GEN X WANDERER / How to Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points & American Express Platinum Points

How to Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points & American Express Platinum Points
If you’ve been listening to people talk about how you can travel for free using credit cards and thinking “Ok, but how does that actually work for me?“, then this one’s for you. Forget everything you’ve seen on Instagram or YouTube about travel hacking.
Think about everything you’re already been paying for every single month. I’m talking Groceries, Netflix, gym membership, any and all subscriptions, car insurance, literally everything and anything and under the sun. That new couch you put on your debit card last spring. Why would you even use your debit card at all? All of that money was going to leave your account anyway but you were just letting it disappear without getting anything back.
You’re not taking on new debt. You’re simply redirecting your existing spending through a credit cards because it rewards you for it!
Change How You Think About Spending. That’s the Mindset Shift. I cannot scream this more from the rooftops.
You’re not spending more money. You are just paying for your regular things differently. And in Canada, the best tool for that? Hands down the Marriott Bonvoy American Express and the American Express Platinum Credit Card.
Change the Way You Pay for Things
This is really the whole idea behind how to earn Marriott Bonvoy and Amex Platinum points fast: you’re not adding new expenses, you’re just moving money you were already spending onto a card that pays you back for it. Every grocery run, every subscription renewal, every bill you already owe becomes another step toward a free hotel stay.
Most people who ask how to earn points assume it takes some complicated system or a finance background. It doesn’t. It just takes swapping your debit card for the right credit card and letting your normal life do the work.
If you’re still swiping your debit card at the grocery store, you are leaving some serious points on the table every single week. Each time you tap your debit card instead of a rewards credit card like the Amex, that transaction is gone. No points, no cashback, no free hotel nights, just money out the door.
I haven’t used my debit card in about 10 years because I realized that it has absolutely zero benefits. Your chequing account can pay the mortgage (yeah, you usually can’t put that on a credit card, ya I know, painful). Everything else? That’s fair game. (Note: if you are a Canadian, you CAN pay your rent and property taxes through Chexy with your Credit Card. Note: they accept Visa, MasterCard and Amex. More in another post.)
THE GEN X WANDERER / We used our Bonvoy points to stay here free for 7 days! ~ Royalton Blue Waters, Montego Bay, Jamaica ~
So, How Do You Actually Earn Travel Points?
Very easily. Pay everything with the Marriott Bonvoy American Express or the American Express Platinum Credit Card.
Monthly subscriptions? Amex.
Groceries? Amex.
Gas? Amex.
That random thing you ordered at 1 AM? Amex.
The bottom line: if the merchant accepts it, you should be paying with your rewards card.
Which credit card should you pick? I have both. But I go into detail on the differences inside my free PDF.
Download My Guide (Free for a limited time)
Start Earning Free Stays Anywhere in the World!
I put together a FREE PDF guide below “How to Travel for Free Using Marriott Bonvoy & American Express Platinum Credit Cards” that walks you through exactly how to start earning points as a Canadian or an American, and how to travel for free using points, step by step.
There’s also an action guide, a worksheet, and a roadmap. Besides being able to get a whole week for free using points at the Royalton Blue Waters in Jamaica, I was able to use my points also for pre-cruise stays like the JW Marriott Marquis Miami and smaller stays at places like the Courtyard by Marriott Oceanside Fort Lauderdale Beach and many times with the Delta and Sheraton Brands.
Inside, you’ll get:
- An guide on the best credit cards to get
- An actionable step by step plan on how to get started
- A worksheet to map out your current spending and figure out where your biggest point-earning opportunities are
- A full roadmap diagram (for those who need a visual)
- A list of all the credit cards that I use (not only the Marriott Bonvoy American Express but more) which allowed me countless free stays throughout the past decade and more, (like the one featured above for my family of 4 at an all inclusive week in Montego Bay, Jamaica at the Royalton Blue Waters) (and a guide for my American friends!)
- Tips and tricks I’ve learned from years of doing this myself
I’m not selling a $1997 course and there is no upsell. Just the actual information you need to start turning your everyday spending into real travel! If you’re ready to actually see how to earn Marriott Bonvoy points step by step and turn your everyday spending into free flights and hotel stays, grab my free guide below. It walks you through exactly how to travel for free using Marriott Bonvoy and American Express Platinum, the same way I do it.Join below!


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Hey, I’m Marina! Your Canadian travel points enthusiast with a love for elevated stays who also happens to have serious obsession with cruising. I share real-world tips, strategies, and lessons from my own travels to help you unlock luxury experiences without the luxury price tag.


























