How I Travel More and Spend Less Using Credit Card Points (Without Being Rich)

Let me just start by saying: I’m not flying first class and sipping champagne every weekend. I’ve got a regular income, a to-do list a mile long, and a serious itch to travel more without spending a fortune. Over the past few years, I’ve figured out how to use credit card points to take a couple vacations a year—sometimes for free or almost nothing out of pocket. And no, I’m not talking about extreme couponing or living off ramen.

Here’s exactly how I do it, and how you can too.

1. Chase Sign-Up Bonuses Like It’s a Part-Time Job

If you do nothing else, do this: get the right credit card at the right time and crush the sign-up bonus.

Right now, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is offering 75,000 points when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months. That’s worth $937.50 toward travel if you book through the Chase travel portal. I literally used this bonus to cover a round-trip flight and 3-night hotel stay in San Diego. All I had to do was put my regular bills and groceries on the card to hit the spend minimum.

Pro Tip: Time your application around big purchases. Last year, I applied right before paying my car insurance in full and buying a couch. That covered half the spend requirement in a week.

2. The Southwest Companion Pass Hack (This One’s Crazy Good)

Here’s one of the best hacks in the game if you like domestic travel: the Southwest Companion Pass. It lets you bring a designated person with you for free (just pay taxes) on every Southwest flight you take—for up to two years.

How to get it fast:

Apply for two Southwest credit cards (personal and business) that are currently offering 60,000–75,000 points each when you hit the spend requirement.
Spend $3,000 on each within 90 days (time them in the same calendar year).
You need 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year to earn the Companion Pass. With both sign-up bonuses and spend, you’re over the threshold.

I did this in January, and now my wife flies with me for free. We just booked a trip to Denver: two round-trip tickets for under $25 total (just taxes). This is even more valuable now that Southwest is removing free bags from all tickets. I’ve flown 5 times in the last year with my wife and we haven’t paid for a single flight yet. In reality a couple could use this trick every 2 years and fly free in perpetuity on Southwest. This is the BEST hack in the game in my opinion.

3. Pick the Right Card for Daily Spending

I used to just swipe whatever card was in my wallet. Now, I match my card to my spending category like it’s a game.

I use Amex Gold for groceries (4X points at supermarkets).
Chase Sapphire Preferred for dining and travel (2X points).
Citi Double Cash for everything else (2% cash back).

Just last month, I earned over 2,500 points from regular food shopping and Chipotle runs. That’s enough for a one-way domestic flight if you transfer smartly.

4. Learn to Transfer Points for Huge Value

Don’t just use your points through the bank portal. Transferring them to travel partners gets you way more bang for your buck.

Here’s what I did:

Moved 50,000 Chase points to Hyatt.
Booked 5 nights at the Hyatt Place in Charleston, which would’ve cost me over $1,200 cash.
Instead, I paid $0 (except a few bucks in fees).

If you’re using points at a 1:1 ratio, you’re doing it right.

5. Stack Rewards with Portals + Apps

I’m a sucker for easy wins. Before buying anything online, I check shopping portals like Rakuten. One time I got 10% cash back on a $200 Nike order and still earned credit card points.

Sometimes I triple dip:

Use Rakuten for cash back.
Pay with a rewards credit card.
Activate an Amex or Chase offer for an extra discount.

If you’re not doing this, you’re leaving free money on the table.

Final Thoughts

I’m not out here flying private or maxing out 10 cards at once. But I do play this game smart—and it works. If you’re strategic with your cards and spending, you can travel more, stress less, and maybe even fly your partner around for free like I do.

If you want more tips like this, follow along or hit me up. I’ll be posting more step-by-step guides soon.

Oh—and if you’re looking for a simple way to organize all your travel plans, I made a Notion Ultimate Travel Planner that I personally use to keep everything from flights to packing lists in one place. You can grab it on Etsy here or Gumroad here.

Stay beefy,

Brian @ FinancialBeef