I got my first credit card after I turned 18 which is what helped me establish my credit line and for the longest, that was the only credit card that I had. I also started traveling often around 18 so, I spent the last 7 years booking my own travel arrangements with my hard earned money without any sort of reward program or incentives.
It wasn’t until December of last year that my friend Farran who is a habitual traveler suggested I get a Chase Sapphire card, which was perfect since I already bank with them. Because she had just recently gotten the card she was able to quickly sell me on why I too should join. The reward points are easy to rack up since each dollar counts as one, and travel and food purchases count as two points per dollar. Since I’ve gotten it, I use it for all of my purchases instead of my debit card and pay it off monthly in order to accrue the most points. If you aren’t the best at watching your spending I don’t suggest this because it’s VERY easy to run a credit card up.
I’ve had this card for six months have already earned enough points to be able to book three flights. You have to go through your Rewards portal so every flight you’d find on Expedia or Google Flights may not be available. For a free flight, I’m willing to be flexible. People ask me all the time how I travel so often and there’s really no secret. You put the money up and you find the best deals possible, but being able to accumulate free flights is a huge help.
The customer service on the card has been exceptional. They give you a direct line to dial as opposed to most cards that require you to call a generic number then force you to navigate through an automated service before you’re helped. I also love that I’ve never had to inform them that I’m going out of town which was always an issue with my last credit card.
If you bank with Chase and are interested in a Sapphire card, feel free to contact me to participate in their referral program. If you don’t bank with Chase, but travel often I highly suggest you become apart of a reward program. Whether it’s with a specific airline you like to fly with or a bank; there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be getting something in return for the money that you spend to travel.
Jetsetters, what reward programs do y’all use for travel incentives?
Courtney, I LOVE this post! I too was booking all of my travel with my debit card and not until last year did I slap myself for waiting so long before signing up for a reward program credit card! I recently got the Discover IT Miles card and am not sure how it compares to the Chase, but based on your recent travel I just might have to check it out.
Cori, this is actually my first time hearing about the Discovery IT Miles card but I guarantee you this Chase one has been worth every penny. There’s a $95 yearly fee but if I get at least two more free flights out of it this year I’ll call it even LOL.
Looking forward to reaping the benefits of this card. I just got it in March per the recommendation of a friend. I’m just now coming around on getting more disciplined with my saving and spending habits, so once I get a little more comfortable with that I’ll probably try your approach to rack up more points! Any advice for keeping track of expenses/staying organized to avoid over doing it when using your credit card vs. debit?
Lauren, I wish I could say I had all the answers but I’m ashamed to say I still spend just a little more by using this credit card than I did with my debit card, because I know the money is there and available – as opposed to the strict budget I give myself with my checking account. Since dropping a good $2200 at once (yup, definitely overspent) I watch my purchases much more closely, pretty much checking it daily to make sure I’m not going overboard.
This was great! Been really contemplating getting a Southwest card…… Any thoughts on that compared to others?
Thanks Kristin! For me, it would really just depend on how often you fly Southwest. I leave the country often so Southwest would limit me a bit as far as destinations are concerned. I know a couple who travels often and they have nothing but great things to say about it.
A friend of mine recommended Capital One Venture for international travel. Points system is similar to Chase Sapphire, but additional securities set in place for international travel. Not completely sure what the benefits are, but it’s worth looking into.
A friend of mine who’s also a super skilled traveler has that card so I just may. She accumulates points for hotels, flights, rental car discounts, all kinda stuff. Thank you for the reminder Brooke!