Episode 30: How to Get Started Travel Hacking with Cody Berman

Cody Berman is a 20-something year old entrepreneur on the road to financial independence. At the age of 22, he quit his corporate banking job to pursue entrepreneurship full time. He is passionate about designing a life that you love while simultaneously dominating your finances. In this episode, he shares how you can optimize your finances and take advantage of travel hacking to travel inexpensively. Tune in for simple tips for signing up for your first travel rewards credit card and the important things to watch out for. Learn how to optimize your finances by taking advantage of credit card travel rewards!

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Amazon Music

In this episode we cover:

• The best starter credit cards for travel hacking beginners
• The Capital One Venture credit card benefits we love:
  • 2x miles on every dollar
  • Earn 10x miles at Hotels.com
  • $0 intro for the first year and $95 after that
  • $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Points easy to redeem
• What happens when you don’t meet the minimum spend
• Some ways to help you meet the minimum spend
  • Prepay bills
  • Get an authorized user
• Tips for getting the best redemptions when using points and miles

What is travel hacking?

Travel hacking is when you take advantage of credit card rewards to travel inexpensively or free.

The most common way to travel hack is to take advantage of credit card sign up bonuses. For example, when you sign up for a new credit card and spend $3,000 in three months, you get 50,000 points which is equivalent to $500 in free travel.

Which credit card do you recommend for tracking having newbies?

Cody Berman

My favorite credit card for someone just getting started is the Capital One Venture credit card.

The sign-up bonus might change but with the Capital One Venture credit card, you earn 75,000 points when you spend $5,000 within the first three months of opening the card.

At $0.01 per point, that means you get $750 in travel credit.

With that travel credit, you can wipe out anything coded as “travel”. This includes Airbnb stays, Uber rides, car rentals, airfare, hotel stays and more.

Resources Mentioned:

Award Hacker – Free tool to help search for the best award flights.

Airbnb – Book unique homes and experiences around the world.

How to Use the Capital One Venture for Travel Rewards – Fly to FI

Connect with Cody Berman

Website: https://flytofi.com

Podcast: The FI Show

Facebook: @flytofi

Twitter: @flytofi

If you loved this episode, you’ll also enjoy this points and miles episode with Brandon Neth.

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