FLY FREE IN 2025
YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO TRAVEL HACKING WITH POINTS
@PETITEVAGABOND
001 Fly Free in 2025: Your Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking with Points
YOU’VE BEEN SETTLING FOR ONLY $1,000
IN TRAVEL FROM 100,000 POINTS.
IT’S TIME TO UNLOCK FIVE TIMES THAT
VALUE AND FLY FARTHER, FASTER, AND
FREER THAN EVER IN 2025.
Flying business class isn’t reserved for those willing to drop thousands of dollars on a single
ticket. In fact, you can secure these premium seats for a fraction of the cost, sometimes just
a couple hundred dollars. This guide will teach you how I’ve been doing it and how you can
too.
Just recently, I booked a Business Class flight from LAX to Tokyo for only $232. This wasn’t a
fluke, and it’s something you can replicate. Here’s the strategy that will change how you
travel, all based on mastering credit card points.
Before You Start: The Essentials
This guide involves opening and managing credit cards. If that’s not something you’re
comfortable with, this approach won’t be a fit for you. But if you’ve got solid financial
skills and can responsibly handle credit, you’ll be able to take advantage of these
methods. Note: This strategy is specific to the U.S. and doesn’t apply to international
cards.
Step 1: Choose the Right Credit Cards
Your first move is to open one or two top-tier travel credit cards with high sign-up bonuses.
(I’ll be linking a few of the best current deals at the end of this guide) These bonuses are
key. You’ll often need to meet minimum spending requirements within a few months, but the
payoff is massive. Some cards offer 100,000 points or more just for hitting the spend target.
And this is only the beginning.
This is where the real magic starts.
002 Fly Free in 2025: Your Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking with Points
Step 2: Maximize Your Spending
It’s not just about earning points, but about earning more points per dollar spent. Use tools
like the app Max Rewards to track your spending and ensure you’re using the right card for
each purchase. Some cards give 3x points on travel, while others offer 6x points on
groceries. Leveraging these multipliers helps you hit those big rewards faster.
Step 3: Get Bonus Points through Referrals
Once you’ve got your cards, refer a spouse or travel buddy to the same ones. Most cards
offer bonus points for referrals, so not only will they earn a sign-up bonus, but you’ll get
rewarded too. Stack these points to unlock even more travel possibilities.
Step 4: Use Points Wisely - Avoid the Travel Portal
The worst thing you can do is redeem your points through the credit card’s travel portal,
where you’ll usually trade 50,000 points for a $500 flight. You can do better. Much better.
I’ll show you how to squeeze $3,000 worth of value from that same 50,000 points.
This is where most people miss out, but not you.
Step 5: Find Award Flights on Seats.Aero
Instead of settling for subpar redemptions, sign up for platforms like seats.aero, which scour
airline databases to find the best award flight deals. You can find international business
class flights for as little as 45,000-70,000 miles. Compare that to paying $5,000 in cash,
and the savings become obvious.
Step 6: Watch for Bonus Transfer Opportunities
Credit cards will sometimes offer bonus point transfers to certain airlines. For example, my
LAX to Tokyo flight was listed at 77,000 British Airways miles, but with a 30% Amex transfer
bonus, I only had to use 59,000 points. These bonuses pop up regularly, so take advantage
when they do. At the time of writing this guide, I’m also seeing First Class flights from Miami
to London for only 33,000 points + $254 thanks to a Chase transfer bonus!
003 Fly Free in 2025: Your Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking with Points
Wait! I can transfer my points???
In the last version of this guide, I made the mistake of leaving this part out because I
assumed everyone knew how to do this! To my surprise, hundreds of you reached out still
confused about the whole process. So here’s a step-by-step guide on how to trasnfer points
to partner airlines from Chase and Amex.
Chase:
Log in to your chase account and click the three dots menu, then click “Transfer points to
partners”
Available bonus offers will show up at the top. These change several times throughout the
year, so make sure to check often! As you can see, there’s currently a 40% transfer bonus to
Virgin Atlantic. This means that instead of transferring 1:1. you’ll be transferring at 1:1.4,
meaning that you’ll get 40% more points!
004 Fly Free in 2025: Your Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking with Points
Next, you’ll be prompted to link your airline account, and you’ll select how many points you
want to transfer. While Chase states transfer can take days to take effect, every transfer I’ve
ever made has been instant!
That’s it! Now you can transfer your Chase points to all of the partner airlines. Remember
you’ll need a free account with all of the airlines you’d like to transfer to in order to go
through this process. You can sign up to each individual airline’s loyalty program on their
respective websites.
005 Fly Free in 2025: Your Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking with Points
Amex:
Log in to your Amex account and click the “Rewards & Benefits” Tab.
Scroll down a bit until you find the “Ready to Redeem?” Section, and click “Transfer Points”.
Click “View All” at the bottom.
006 Fly Free in 2025: Your Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking with Points
Bonus offers will have a green bubble next to them:
Click “Show Details” next to the airline you want to transfer to and enter your loyalty number
with that airline.
After this step, you can simply click “Continue” and follow the prompts to complete the
transfer. While Amex states transfer can take days to take effect, every transfer I’ve ever
made has been instant!
That’s it! Now you can transfer your Amex points to all of the partner airlines. Remember
you’ll need a free account with all of the airlines you’d like to transfer to in order to go
through this process. You can sign up to each individual airline’s loyalty program on their
respective websites.
007 Fly Free in 2025: Your Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking with Points
Step 7: Rinse and Repeat
Once you’ve mastered the process, repeat it. Continue opening new cards, meeting
spending requirements, and using referral bonuses. With some effort, you’ll be flying business
class all year for a fraction of the cost others are paying.
Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor, and this guide is based on my personal experiences.
Credit card usage comes with risks, including interest charges and potential impact on
credit scores if not managed responsibly. Please consult with a financial expert before
making any decisions regarding credit cards or financial planning. This guide is intended for
informational purposes only.
Top Credit Card Bonuses to Get You Started
Now that you’ve got the strategy down, it’s time to put it into action. Below are some of my
current favorite credit card bonuses, each offering significant points for hitting spending
requirements. These offers can help jumpstart your journey to flying business class for almost
free. Remember, choosing the right card is key to maximizing your rewards.
Note on Business Cards: You don’t need to own a registered business to apply for a business
credit card. Many people qualify simply by having a side gig or freelance work. Whether
you’re a content creator, selling crafts, babysitting, or even driving for rideshare services,
you can often apply using your Social Security Number (SSN) as a sole proprietor. Business
cards can offer higher bonuses and more ways to earn points, so don’t overlook this option!
008 Fly Free in 2025: Your Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking with Points
FOR THE BEGINNERS:
Bilt Mastercard (Click to Learn More)
• Sign-Up Bonus: No sign-up bonus at this time.
• Annual Fee: $0.
• Top Benefits:
• 1X points on rent payments without any transaction fees (up to 100,000 points per
year).
• 3-5X points on dining and 2X points on travel.
• 1X point on all other purchases.
• Transfer points to leading airline and hotel partners, including American Airlines,
Hyatt, United, and more.
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance and rental car insurance on eligible
purchases.
• Cell phone protection for damage or theft (terms apply).
• No foreign transaction fees, perfect for international travel.
Chase Ink Business Preferred Card (Click to Learn More)
• Sign-Up Bonus: 90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points
• Minimum Spend: $8,000 within 3 months.
• Annual Fee: $95.
• Top Benefits:
• 3X points on the first $150,000 spent on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable,
phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media and search engines
(per account anniversary year).
• 1X point per dollar on all other purchases.
• Points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate
Rewards.
• Transfer points to Chase’s airline and hotel partners, including Southwest, United,
Marriott, and Hyatt.
• Cell phone protection for damage or theft (up to $1,000 per claim, terms apply).
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance and purchase protection on eligible
purchases.
• No foreign transaction fees, making it great for international business travel.
FOR THE LUXURY HOTEL LOVERS:
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Click to Learn More)
• Sign-Up Bonus: 165,000 Hilton Honors points
• Minimum Spend: $3,000 within 6 months.
• Annual Fee: $150.
• Top Benefits:
• 12X points at Hilton properties worldwide.
• 6X points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
• 3X points on all other eligible purchases.
• Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status, which includes room upgrades, free
breakfast, and more.
• Earn a free weekend night after spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year.
• Priority Pass™ Select membership with 10 free lounge visits annually.
• No foreign transaction fees, making it great for international travel.
009 Fly Free in 2025: Your Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking with Points
FOR THE DOMESTIC TRAVELER:
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (Click to Learn More)
• Sign-Up Bonus: 50,000 SkyMiles
• Minimum Spend: $2,000 within 6 months.
• Annual Fee: $0 for the first year, then $150/year.
• Top Benefits:
• 15% off award fligh redemptions on Delta
• 2X points on Delta, Groceries, and Dining
• $200 Delta flights credit.
• First checked bag free + Priority Boarding on Delta flight
FOR THE HEAVY SPENDERS:
Amex Business Platinum Card (Click to learn more)
• Sign-Up Bonus: 150,000 Membership Rewards points
• Minimum Spend: $20,000 within 3 months.
• Annual Fee: $695.
• Top Benefits:
• 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel.
• 1.5X points on eligible purchases in key business categories (up to $2 million per
calendar year).
• $200 airline fee credit annually with a selected airline.
• $400 Dell Technologies credit ($200 semi-annually).
• 35% points back when using Pay with Points for flights on your selected airline or
any business/first-class flight (up to 1 million points back per calendar year).
• Access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally with Priority Pass and Centurion
Lounges.
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit (up to $100 every 4 years).
• Elite status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy with enrollment.
• Cell phone protection for damage or theft (terms apply).
010 Fly Free in 2025: Your Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking with Points
NOTE ON COMBINING CHASE AND AMERICAN EXPRESS POINTS:
One of the best perks of both Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership
Rewards is that they share several overlapping travel partners, such as British Airways, Air
France/KLM Flying Blue, Emirates, and Singapore Airlines. This means you can actually combine
points from both programs when transferring to these partners. By strategically timing your transfers,
you can also take advantage of transfer bonuses that either card may offer to specific airlines,
maximizing the value of your points. This flexibility allows you to build a larger pool of points across
both programs and redeem them for premium flights or hotels when the best deals come up.
PERSONALIZED CALLS
For those ready to start SERIOUS travel hacking, I’ve launched 1:1 calls!
My goal is to make you self-sufficient, so this one-time call will give you all the tools you need to master
credit card points and confidently book future travels on your own, without the need for ongoing
coaching.
It will include:
1. Points & Miles Audit
2. Transfer Strategies
3. Booking Award Flights & Hotel Stays
4. Bonus Offers & Promotions
5. Customized Travel Hacking Plan
LEARN MORE
