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 | Spotify | Amazon Music
In this episode we cover:
Table of Contents
- 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.
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.
A big thank you to our sponsors!
Awesome Maps
Do you love keeping track of all the places you’ve been?
Awesome Maps offers a variety of stylish and informative maps that inspire you to discover new places and create new memories around the world. From travel journal maps that you can take with you on the road to design pieces for your home, each map is hand illustrated by designers with a passion for illustrating and drawing. Use the promo code “THOUGHTCARD” to get 10% off your order today.
Stash
Put your money to work by incrementally investing small amounts of money. Stash lets you buy fractional shares of stocks and funds (ETFs). Start investing with just $5.
Danielle Desir Corbett paid off $63,000 of student loan debt in 4 years, bought a house at 27, and has traveled to 27 countries, including her favorites, Iceland, China, and Bermuda. Go here to learn Danielle’s incredible story, from struggling financially and in debt to finding creative ways to earn more and live on her terms. Listen to The Thought Card Podcast, where Danielle shares how you can creatively travel more and build wealth regardless of your current financial situation. Reach out to Danielle by contacting: thethoughtcard (at) gmail (dot) com.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!