Why haven't I been Travel Hacking?

Since my new job doesn't allow my usual Wednesdays off (C'est la vie...) I have had a more difficult time trying to get on those late night Tuesday flights that are always wide open to spend a day at the beach or a long weekend in Europe. With wanderlust still in full force, I have had to be more creative in my flight plans. We all know that flights are busier and smaller these days and with the lack of convenience this causes paired with my new schedule, my life as a #deltabrat has been more stressful!

I have finally taken my first step into the world of travel hacking, something I have put off for the sole reason that I don't take many traditional flights. I take my chances and yield fare across the world and it is difficult for me to rack up points when I am not footing a majority of my bill. (FYI: I am not complaining, I promise).

The great part about travel hacking is the ability to rack up points - quickly - without stepping foot on a plane or purchasing any tickets. Since it would be nice to have a few points to fall back on and figuring I online shop more than the average person (it is shameful really) I am quite upset with myself that I have not been participating all along.

So what are the most important things you need to travel hack? 
1. Do you shop, go out to eat, go to the bar? Do you pay for gas, groceries, rent, bills? Do you get anything back for having this money ripped out of your bank account each month?
No? Well you can...

2. Do you use a credit card? Do you pay it off?
No? Maybe you should think about becoming an adult and doing those things...

3. Do you like free flights?
No? Get off this travel blog ASAP.

I started travel hacking the last day of 2013 and have accumulated 48,000 miles. Obviously, there are great start up points to pad your accounts but I am one free flight in and it took me less than one month to do it.

How?
There are TONS of travel offers, points cards, and flight reimbursement cards to sift through. To make it a bit less daunting, only focus on cards that are tailored to your needs. A million points in an airline that doesn't serve your city isn't going to help much if you have to pay to get to another hub anyways. I am a forever loyal Delta customer, so most of my hacking is to ensure I can secure those coveted Skymiles.

American Express Credit Card
Every once and awhile Delta will have an awesome deal for 50,000 miles (though I haven't seen one in awhile) and I am angry with myself for not jumping on those. However, I was anxious to get started so I applied, was given my number instantly, a $50 credit for a Delta purchase (that was gone before it hit my account), and 30,000 Skymiles once you spend $1,000 dollars in 3 months.

It is easier than you think. I did it in 17 days.

1. Shop through online portals 
New jeans that I was buying anyways because they were 40% off at J. Crew? I first went to Skymiles Shopping, searched for J.Crew, and linked directly over (yes, it is the same J.Crew website). Made my purchase as usual and boom 120 miles for $50 jeans. I did the same for a wedding registry through Macy's. A wedding gift I was already mailing to my friends in Boston - 100 miles.

3. Use your card when dining
I should have been using this site for years! Bars, restaurants, clubs all offer miles back deals for any dollar amount spent. The best part is the ability to link ANY of your cards - not only your Delta American Express or your points card, you can link credit, debit, or whatever card you use. Once you swipe your miles get added. Plus if you dine at a restaurant in the first 30 days and spend $40 and write a review on the website - 2,000 miles added to your bank. 
                                      


Two weeks ago when J and I were unable to move from hangovers, we made a quick trip to Taco Veloz - our favorite neighborhood drive-thru taco stand and earned 55 Skymiles. I would have devoured that greasy steak quesadilla anyways, but knowing I had 55 miles to add to my account made me feel just alittle less guilty! And how many trips like that have you made without getting points added? (Maybe I won't answer that one for you)

4. Delta flights and how to make it work for #DeltaBrats
This one seems obvious but if you do have to buy your flight (AKA getting stranded in the Northeast during a blizzard) the miles add up. We will call this Plan B to earn our miles though! 
Make sure to sign up for Delta e-mails, for deals on fares and miles. A few times a year Delta will put miles on sale and I will also pad my account with a few of these. Half price is always a better price - #BOGO (I just found out what BOGO meant!)

Deltabrats -

•  Use your 006- ticket number before you fly. 

Pop your 10 digit ticket number that begins 006- into the Delta site (yes, the REAL Delta site). Remember to do this BEFORE your flight because after it is used, they all show up as (0000000000) on TravelNet. It has to go through approvals, but sometimes you will get lucky enough to earn some points from your yield fares.

• Get your momma (or dad!) to get that charm going. 

I luckily don't have a problem with this. When FA's get Comment cards and Thank You's from passengers, they receive points to spend on a Delta site. This Delta site has an amazing deal on Skymiles to purchase with very few points. Having the best Mum in the world and the best FA considering how many of these points she racks up, she always purchases the Skymiles for my use. That way I can either book through her Skymiles account or transfer to my own (FYI - this is not cheap!)

4.  Skymiles don't discriminate - Debit too!
Not the best points deal I have seen but if you are completely against credit or if you need to look into debit cards as well, check out the Suntrust Debit Card.
This is the only other company that Delta partners with to accumulate Skymiles. With the debit card you can earn 5,000 miles after your first purchase as well as 2 miles for every dollar spent on Delta purchases and 1 mile/dollar on all other qualified* purchases. 

I hate when they say that rubbish*

5. Chase Sapphire Card
This won't get you any Skymiles but as I am in the middle of planning an adventure outside of the USA (details to come on that) and am looking to rack up points for additional airlines, hotel stays, and a better travel card. With the help of The Points Guy (who you should check out if you are ready to start your own travel hacking OR if you are looking for points other than Skymiles) I chose the Chase Sapphire card because of the great deals it accumulates while traveling and ZERO foreign transaction fees which is big for me.
There is also:

• 2 points/dollar on TRAVEL including: flights, hotels, car rentals, TAXIS, METROS. I spend a good deal on taxis (aka Uber) where I always use my card to pay. 
• 3 points/dollar on restaurants the first Friday of every month. I think this will begin to be my turn to pay for date night! And 2 points/dollar any other time. 
• 5,000 points when a second user is added to the card. (Thanks Mom for being the only one I know that I can give a credit card to and know you won't use it!)  
• An initial 40,000 miles that is dropped into your account after spending $3,000 in 3 months. 

So, $3,000 is too much you think? Here is what I did: 

1. Sign up for Ultimate Rewards through Chase.

2. Convince your friends to pay you instead of use their cards for purchases (if you trust them of course). Last week we all were buying tickets for an annual festival in town. I put everything on my card and had them pay me. $1200 in a click. After getting over the initial feeling of nausea when it looks like you have spent that much on concert tickets, it is very helpful!

3. Amazon Prime: You can transfer $1,000 free each month through Amazon Prime. Use your card to transfer someone (housemate, mother, partner) that money and get a check for the funds back. If they don't mind you messing with their account, you can transfer (and fake spend $3,000) to get your points without dropping a dime.

Everytime I swipe my card now I contemplate which to use for the biggest benefits and only spend money to get it back. But it is worth it because - One free flight down. MANY more to go!