This is all new to me. The extent of it I mean. We've gotten plenty of free flights, and sign up bonuses, but had no idea there was so much else out there! How did you get started? Are there websites to check to learn the ins and outs? I don't think I could ever achieve your expertise, but I would very much like to improve my knowledge.
Also, I was wondering if most people pay off their many credit cards each month? If not, that would negate much of the gain I would suppose. We only have a couple of credit cards by choice and use them very specifically and pay them off each month. We are debt free including no mortgage and tend to pay cash for everything. HOWEVER....we would be disciplined enough to work the "hacking" i we understood it more clearly.
This has been quite an eye opener!
@disneychic2 - Yes, I'd say every successful travel hacker pays their credit card bills in full every month. I see you are just getting started reading through this thread. If you read it all, you will come to find that I've been able to have some pretty amazing travel experiences thanks to this hobby and even done some ridiculous things just because I could, thanks to this hobby. None the less, I have barely scratched the surface of what is possible and still consider myself a novice compared to the bloggers I follow. So if I can do this, anyone can.
You are correct, paying interest would negate the value of your miles and points. We are also debt free, mortgage is paid. I never pay cash for anything if I can help it. I get nothing in return for using cash. Debit cards are far more dangerous to use than credit cards if one's info is compromised, so those are out of the question for me too.
I have over 30 credit cards. Most sit in a drawer. Many are too old to close. The rest, I keep for a particular benefit but don't spend anymore than needed to keep them active. This amounts to buying something once a year. I keep about 5-7 in my wallet for specific reasons and actually use those for spending.
There are plenty of bloggers and most have a beginner section. Million Mile Secrets, The Points Guy, Frequent Miler,
One Mile at a Time, Mile Value and many others.
Ask questions here on this thread. Everyone here is friendly and helpful. You will not find that on other forums. The game is better if you can do it with 2 players. DH and I each get the same card, our own accounts, not as authorized users so we get double the bonus. This is why and how we can easily maintain over 2 million points and miles.
Get your Chase cards that are subject to 5/24 first. This may not make sense right now but it will later and you will be glad you did
Set a travel goal and then get the points and miles you need to reach it. Figure out what is important to you when it comes to this hobby and know that your priorities may be very different than others in the hobby and that is ok.
Hope this helps!
