Do you want to learn how to travel for free with your family this holiday season? Does it sound too good to be true? 

With the holidays approaching, there are probably many moms who wish they could go to visit family or take their kids on vacation during their holiday break from school, but family finances just simply don’t allow for airline travel right now. 

After all, this can be one of the most expensive times of year to fly!  💸

 

This is why I invited Amber Paul to teach us all about how to travel for free using credit card points!

 

  

This is a topic that I was just introduced to in the last few months. I mean, before that, I thought I knew what it meant to “travel on points,” but I had no idea how strategic it could become. After exploring it a little bit, I literally said to my husband in frustration, “Why didn’t anyone tell me about this sooner??” I feel like I missed out on many opportunities for free travel over the years. And that’s why I’m sharing this now with you! 

If you want to travel more with your family but aren’t sure how to make it financially feasible, I hope this interview with Amber will give you some new avenues to consider. If you feel a little bit of resistance to some of the ideas in this episode, try to keep an open mind and read through everything – it could open some new pathways for you to make bucket list memories with your family! 

I also want to say upfront that I know discussions around finances, debt, & the privilege of being able to travel with your family can bring up a lot of feelings for most people.

 

Please know that no matter where you are in your financial journey, you are worthy. This conversation is meant to give you feelings of possibility and hope, not shame or regret. You are doing great, and as I always say in my episodes, and I truly, truly mean, I am rooting for you, right where you are. 💛

 

With all of that said, let me introduce my guest. Amber Paul is a mother of three young children and the founder of Amber on Points, where she teaches others how they can provide experiences for their families for less money. 

Lastly, in this conversation, Amber and I dive into a lot of specifics of how to travel for free on points, and because we know a lot of these concepts may be new to you, and you just might want to see everything in writing in an easy-to-print format, we created a handout to help. Click here to grab that handout, as well as a list of Amber’s current favorite credit card offers to get you started with traveling on points. 

Okay, let’s dive into it! 

 

🛩️ How to Travel for Free with Points 🛩️

 

1. Open multiple credit cards (psst: this does NOT hurt your credit! 🤯). 

Having multiple credit cards is key to Amber’s travel-with-points system, but many people believe that this will hurt their credit score, so they’re not willing to do it. However, this isn’t true! Opening credit cards will only hurt your credit if you don’t pay them off in full every month, and if you open credit cards more often than every 90 days. 

When you open a new card, your credit score might drop a few points for a few days, but then it will rebound. And if you are paying off your cards in full each month (I suggest just putting them on auto-pay so you don’t forget), it’s actually likely to improve your credit score long-term. This is because you show the bank that you have a handle on your finances and can manage your money well. 

But why would you need to open multiple credit cards each year? Opening a new credit card allows you to take advantage of a “welcome offer.” Most credit cards offer a massive amount of points upfront when you first sign up for a card. Taking advantage of these offers is a big part of earning points – and a foundational part of how to travel for free.

 

2. Do NOT put all your monthly spending on one credit card. 

If you put all your spending on one credit card, you aren’t maximizing your point-earning potential. I loved Amber’s example in the episode: 

If we spend $10,000 over five months at two points/dollar, this could be around 20,000 points. However, if we were to spend $10,000 on two new credit cards with great welcome offers, we could receive up to 170,000 points. We’re spending the same amount of money but getting so many more points. 

The math is simple, and it equals way more free travel!

My favorite way to meet the minimum spend on new credit cards is to open a new card when I know I have a big purchase coming up, such as furniture, a ski season pass, or even holiday shopping! 

Now, keep in mind, Amber does not encourage anyone to spend more than they are already planning to spend or to pay any interest. She simply wants you to take advantage of the points that are available to you within the budget you already have set. 

 

3. You are probably a business owner and can open a business credit card.

You don’t have to own a well-established business or be a certified LLC to qualify for a business credit card! Before she started her Travel-on-Points Education Business, Amber qualified for business cards by selling things on Facebook Marketplace and babysitting for her neighbor. 

Consider if you tutor, do photography, teach piano lessons, or do anything else that generates income. Even small ways to bring in income could qualify you for a business credit card. 

And this is important because business credit cards are the secret weapon to rapidly earning credit card points! They often have very big welcome offers that help you earn points rapidly. And that, again, equals more free travel! 

 

So what do you think? Do you feel as excited as I am after learning how to travel for free? 

 

Don’t forget to sign up for the free guide that goes along with this interview! It will give you a recap of these takeaways and links to Amber’s recommended cards. ALSO, I am hoping 🤞 to convince Amber to do a Q&A Zoom call for our community to answer any follow-up questions! My email list will be the first to hear about that if it happens, so grab the free guide and join my email list! 

 

Save this summary to Pinterest so you can use it later! 👇

 

 

 

What did you think of Amber’s takeaways for how to travel for free? What questions do you have for Amber? Comment below! 

 

 

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Related Episodes like this one on How to Travel for Free:

• 295: 3 Road Trip Hacks for Traveling with Kids // Brittney Hanks
• 363: Tips & Tricks for Family Travel // Meesha Slade
• 374: Using Values to Guide Your Spending // Jen Smith of Frugal Friends Podcast

 

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Get your Free Guide, including Amber’s favorite credit card offers!

 

 

About our Guest:

Amber Paul is a mother of three young children and the founder of Amber on Points, where she teaches others how they can provide experiences for their families for less money.

 

 

Get in Touch with Our Guest:

• Instagram: @amberonpoints
• Website:  amberonpoints.com

 

Sponsors:

• Earth Breeze: Go to earthbreeze.com/3in30 for 40% off your subscription now.
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