How to Travel for Free Using Credit Card Points

THE GEN X WANDERER / How to Travel for Free Using Credit Card Points

TABLE OF CONTENTS

How to Travel for Free Using Credit Card 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, the American Express Platinum Credit Card and the American Express Cobalt.

Places that I’ve Stayed at Completely for Free

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 luxury stays at Bisha Toronto, luxury pre-cruise stays like the JW Marriott Marquis Miami and the Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach, and smaller stays at places like the Courtyard by Marriott Oceanside Fort Lauderdale Beach, Courtyard by Marriott Miami Downtown Brickell and countless other times with the Delta and Sheraton Brands.

Change the Way You Pay for Things

This is really the whole idea behind how to earn Marriott Bonvoy and Amex Membership Rewards 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?

Super Easy. Use the Marriott Bonvoy American Express, the American Express Platinum Credit Card and the American Express Cobalt to pay for stuff that you ALREADY HAVE TO PAY. You aren’t acquiring new debt. You are merely paying for monthly bills through another form of payment. Ditch the debit card, ditch the automatic chequing account withdrawals from vendors.

Monthly subscriptions? Amex.
Groceries? Amex.
Gas? Amex.
That random thing you ordered at 1 AM? Amex.

In the PDF, I dive it to tell you which of these Amex’s are best for different types of expenses. The bottom line: if the merchant accepts it, you should be paying with your rewards card.

Which credit card should you pick? Download the PDF to find out! I go into detail on the differences.

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 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. This 19 page PDF is packed full of information.

There’s an action guide, a worksheet, and even a visual roadmap.

What You Will Get

• A 19 page guide on the best credit cards to get for maximizing travel points
• 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 visual roadmap diagram (for those who need to see it drawn out)
• 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!