I often see beginners asking about travel hacking and rewards points. Most people answer by tossing out their favorite credit card and the conversation ends. No one explains what points are, how to determine their value, how they’re earned, or how to spend them. I thought it’d be helpful to share a full walkthrough of how I decide which credit cards to open for travel rewards points. In this example, I'll share how to book 10 nights at a 3 star hotel for free. Step 1: Pick Your Vacation Destination The first thing I typically do before opening any credit cards is decide where I want to go. I usually…

After quitting my job last year, I went from having money and no time to time and no money. Yet I flew to London, Iceland, Montana and Florida. I booked 4-star hotels in London, Paris, Gatlinburg and Orlando. Had I paid all for all of that travel out of pocket I’d have spent thousands of dollars. The one way flight from Iceland to Cincinnati cost $1300 alone! But I didn't spend a dime. How did I manage a year of epic travel without breaking the bank? Travel hacking. Sunrise in Big Sky, Montana What the heck is travel hacking? Travel hacking is the accumulation of credit card points for spending activity.…

Now that I'm no longer a novice in travel hacking, I plan out my travels then find cards that help me offset the cost. So these are the travel hacking credit cards currently in my wallet and why. Chase Sapphire Reserve 100,000 point sign-up bonus (now only 50,000)$300 travel credit each year3x points on anything travel relatedReimbursement for Global Entry, TSA pre-checkNo foreign transaction feesTravel insurance coverage includedFree access to airport lounges (which means free food and drinks) The Chase Sapphire Reserve is my everyday use card. I put all of my transactions on it, except when I'm meeting the sign up bonus of another card. Chase points are the…