This question might be on your mind if you are done with post-holiday depression and are planning a trip sooner or later. Spring break is coming and then summer, so we understand your urge to get going and get a deal. Let’s face it – after the Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping, and New Year’s Eve party you need a break, but you also have a wallet that tells you to take it easy. So what do you do?
Well, we think we have a solution for you, or at least an idea about how to travel and stay in the nicest hotels in any city for free. That’s right, if you play your cards right, you might be able to lounge in the lap of luxury and pay a big fat $0.
Let’s talk about it. To get an offer like that you have to do a bit of work and just a bit of planning. First, you should be or become a client of Chase bank. Then you need to apply for a credit card, but not just any credit card. Look at the list they have and pick credit cards from various hotel chains or airlines. You should think what companies you use most when you travel and go with them.
For example, let’s take Marriott credit cards through Chase. The hotel chain offers two different kinds: Marriott BonVoy Boundless and Marriott BonVoy Bold. The Boundless offers 100,000 points if you spend $5,000 on this new card in the first three months since opening, but it carries $95 annual fee.
The other, Bold card, offers 50,000 bonus points if you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months and doesn’t have any annual fee. The annual fee doesn’t matter to you, because the way you will work around it is you will get the card, spend the money, secure the bonus points, pay it off, and close it. The bonus points then can be used as miles or as points to get a totally free room from any hotel that is in the Chase system and participates in this program.
Imagine if you can earn yourself a free room in Bellagio, Las Vegas, with a view to the fountains just by having and using a credit card! This has been done by savvy travelers time and time again. There is no reason why you couldn’t try and take your family to an almost free vacation.
- Enjoy 10% OFF Your First Purchase
- Up to 65% OFF Select Tours & Activities
Another good credit card from Chase is British Airways Visa Signature Card, which offers up to 100,000 miles. 50,000 bonus miles come after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months, and another 50,000 if you spend $20,000 within your first year. The annual fee is $95, so to avoid it and to close it in time you should spend as much as you can right away and then be done with it. This is how you can get free flight or transfer your miles to points and score a free hotel room.
There are many different hotels and chains that participate in this program with Chase. Some credit cards, like the ones from Marriott, also work for sister hotels Westin and Ritz Carlton. This simply shows that you will find participating luxury hotels anywhere you go and you will be able to score great free deals anywhere in the world.
If you are interested in traveling to Las Vegas (because who doesn’t), we have another great tip for you – $20 upgrades for Las Vegas hotels. Actually, it might work in many other places, not only the gambling capital. What you do is book the cheapest hotel and when you come to the front desk to check in, simply slip $20 bill to the receptionist with your credit card or driver’s license and nicely ask if there are some upgrades available by any chance. More often than not, there will be. You have nothing to worry about because no rule anywhere says that you can’t tip the front desk personnel. If the hotel has no such policy, you will simply be nicely denied and your tip will be returned, so nobody will encounter any losses. But if all is well, you will enjoy way nicer accommodations than you paid for. It helps to arrive a bit later when you want a deal like that because the hotel will have most of the guests checked in an will know what availabilities for upgrades remain.
Next time you are in Vegas and hear people talk about “20 dollar trick” or “credit card sandwich” you will be in-the-know and will be able to join the conversation of the insiders, which is always a good feeling. Maybe even as good as getting a free upgrade!
Happy travels and easy savings!