I was slow to jump on the credit card reward band wagon because I was a little intimidated by the idea of rewards, points, and was working on using my credit cards responsibly. There were so many credit card options that I had to list them out to know them all: 
- Balance Transfers-View additional balance credit card offers here
- Cash Back-View additional cash back offers here
- Business-View additional credit card for your business here
However, over time I became more and more intrigued by the idea of how to redeem rewards mileage for airline tickets. I knew other people who were doing this responsibly and felt that I would be able to do the same.
So, I dipped my toe into the water of credit card rewards and managed to redeem enough points for a flight last year. The thing is-I love to travel. The whole process of traveling to a new place is thrilling for me. What’s exciting? Deciding where to go, planning the trip, researching my holiday destination, and meeting new people.
Credit Card Rewards + Holidays=Trips for Gifts!
After the first positive experience with responsibly redeeming my airline miles (I had an airline mileage card) I was intrigued by the idea of trying to do it again. So, how does this factor into my holiday gift giving? Well, after experiencing success with smaller trips I decided to try something a little more audacious. I was spending money on a large item anyway and decided to use the knowledge that I had gained with my earlier rewards mile success to earn some tickets to go overseas.
I decided to specifically earn tickets for my mom and I to go somewhere for our next mother/daughter excursion.
Recently I’ve talked about what I value in this order:
- Health
- Time
- People
- Money
- Travel
Because of my rewards miles I will be visiting my Grandma in two weeks which is an early Christmas gift for her and I. I will also be taking my mom to Hawaii sometime next year when I redeem the rewards miles I earned recently. Typically the companion ticket is 1/2 off. But, I will have enough tickets to cover both our roundtrip flights to Honolulu. I can’t wait!! My mom is a lot of fun (even though she does drive me crazy like all moms) and I really value these moments precious moments with her.
If you’re curious about looking at some airline rewards cards view additional travel airline credit card offers here. I would just encourage you to of course be smart and responsible about how you use any credit cards that you open.
Do you have experience with redeeming
credit card rewards?
Any advice?
*please note that there are affiliate links in this post*
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I’ve done it for almost all my travel in the last couple years that if I paid full price for anything it would feel really foreign. I’m nowhere near the skill level of people like Holly and Kim though. I think when you have a spouse it doubles the fun of earning points. I also have a hard time meeting the minimum purchases now because Im so frugal and spend so little.
I had some pretty big items that I was purchasing so that I could rock some cards. But, normally, I am so frugal that I have a really hard time making the minimum purchase amounts to meet the threshold. It’s an interesting dilemma to have! Now that I have done it a couple of times I like the thrill of growing my points for the next trip.
I have a credit card that we signed up for to get the points… but we might not be able to redeem them in time, eek! Booking things with points is a PITA, especially combined with how difficult it is for me to get time off of work 🙁 Nice work with your points collecting, though!
Thanks Anne! I’m really trying to be a lot more strategic about how I approach all financial matters. I also need to double check all my points to make sure I redeem them on time!
I am thinking about getting an airplane rewards credit card. I may have to check this one out. I am all for credit card churning as long as you pay off your balances. If not, you might get into some serious trouble!!
Just read everything and be deliberate.
How sweet of you to take your mom on a trip! That’s a dream of mine to one day take my parents somewhere new to give them a little back for all they’ve done for me. It’s even better that you’re able to do it without huge out of pocket costs!
Last year I took her to NYC for Labor Day Weekend and the US Open-it was EPIC!! She loves to travel and so do I, so that’s what she’s going to get every year. I just have to focus on the housing part of the trip. That’s my next haggle. One step at a time. I can’t wait to read about your trip with your parents one day soon!
I’m obsessed with credit card rewards! I traveled with my family of 6 to Hawaii on April and I paid for the hotels, flights (all of them), and car rentals with miles & points.
I also went with my husband to Germany and Thailand on August and also paid flights and hotels with miles & points.
It is not a game for everybody, but doing it responsibly (paying your credit cards in full every months) can help you see the world almost for free 🙂
I am specifically super focused on airline mileage, but I think I will extend my focus to other things next year. I can only embrace so many things at once! I can’t wait to check out your site.
I just found your blog and I love it! But won’t applying for and having multiple credit cards hurt your credit score? What about opening a new account and then closing it once you’ve used the benefits of the new account?
Thanks for your kind words! I would be very, very careful of closing accounts because your credit score is also tallied by duration of time that accounts are open. I actually am pretty conservative compared to some people who work mileage points. If you check out the blog Club Thrifty they have tons of cards, but they pay them off!!! Currently they are in Europe and they paid very little for their trip because they used mileage points. I would just always, always, always spend a lot of time reading about how credit works, etc. I’ve spend a lot of time reading about credit, debt, etc. I had some big expenses that were coming up so I used those cards to pay for those expenses and get points. I don’t recommend this for everyone 🙂
I’ve been applying to multiple credit cards for 2 years (close some after the benefits and keep other) and I still have excellent credit (better now). It is not recommended to apply to too many credit cards if you are planning a big purchase (mortgage or car) within 2 years as the credit inquiries appear in your credit history for 2 years.
Check this post!
http://www.crazy4rewards.com/does-applying-to-credit-cards-hurt-credit/
Thanks Annabelle for the comment and the resource! Will also check it out 🙂