Free(ish) Travel: Earn through Credit Card Bonuses

1. Travel Freedom by PointedTraveler.com

2. Three Steps to Free(ish)Travel

3. Earning Made Easy!

4. Bonus Totals of Cards Shown Earn Through Credit Card Sign-up Bonuses • 260,000 Ultimate Rewards • 150,000 Marriott • 165,000 United Miles Pro Tip #1 – Some cards give an additional bonus for adding an Authorized User w/i the first 3 months Pro Tip #2 – If you have a card, refer your spouse and earn a referral bonus (aka “2-player mode”)

5. Why All Chase Cards? Chase 5/24 • Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) are one of the highest valued points programs • Transfers to United give you great access to partner airlines • You can not open more than 4 cards within 24 months and still be approved for most Chase cards so start with Chase. AKA Chase’s 5/24 rule. • Most business cards don’t count towards 5/24. Read more… • Check your credit history for free at creditkarma.com • Scores over 700 are a minimum, 740+ recommended Will my credit score go down? A 1-2 month drop and then your score will recover (or go up!) because your total available credit has increased which decreases your utilization. Pause new cards if you are about to purchase a new home.

6. Sign-up Strategy Slow & Steady • Only sign up for a new card every 3+ months • Chase limit - max. of 2 cards within 30 days (business 1/30) • Chase will close accounts if you open too many cards quickly • Alternate between business and personal cards • If you have a partner, rotate signups

7. Maximize Spending - Category Bonuses **Advanced - Buy gift cards from Office Depot (ex. Amazon and earn 5x on all your Amazon purchases). Check https://www.visa.com/supplierlocator/search/index.jsp# to verify a vendor’s category so you know which card to use for the best category bonus.

8. Maximize Spending - Portal Bonuses Stack Cash Back or Miles and Points earning by shopping through portals. Use point valuations to compare against cashback. Pro Tip #3 – Record portal transactions in case you have to submit a claim for missing credits.

9. Maximize Spending – Bonus Offers Cash back and bonus points offers from Chase and Amex Cards: Pro Tip #4 – Bonus offers stack with portal and category bonuses so triple dip when you can!

10. Building Redemption Skills

11. Find Award Flights Check awardace.com and awardhacker.com for suggestions. Use Great Circle Mapper to determine distances, when using distance-based charts. Pro Tip #5 - Google “sweet spot redemptions” for regions such as SE Asia or Europe to learn about lesser known programs that may not show up in tool searches.

12. Airline Direct Transfer Partner Matrix Table Created by Mike Zaccheo Capital One recently added transfer partners but this chart does not include them yet. You can book flights through direct miles transfer or by booking on partners of an alliance.

13. Use Your Rewards Visit Chase Ultimate Rewards Only transfer *after* you confirm award seats are available!!

14. Alliance Partner Access Ultimate Rewards transfer 1:1 to partners Again - Only transfer *after* you confirm award seats are available!!

15. Choose the Best Seats on the Plane!

16. Expect the Unexpected Pay for travel using your Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR) and all these benefits are included free! Pro Tip #6 – Even award tickets pay taxes (as low as $5.60). Simply paying the taxes with the CSR enables full coverage!

17. Benefits Beyond Flights

18. CSR Perks – Enjoy the Journey Airports can be easy! Breeze through security with PreCheck or Immigration with Global Entry, enjoy a lounge with Priority Pass, and grab whatever car you want (w/o waiting in line) at National with Executive status.

19. Enjoy Your Layover! Pro Tip #7 – Even if you’re not sleeping in an airport, a long layover can be fun if you know what is available. Examples like Chicago’s health club and yoga studio or Denver’s ice skating rink can make the wait amazing!

20. Prefer Hotels? Where to Stay? Stay Local Use Google MyMaps to create pins on all your attractions to determine the best location. Read reviews before booking!! Ultimate Rewards transfer to Hyatt for good redemptions. Awardmapper is a great tool to search all hotel chains. Also check for current bonus offers Pro Tip #8 – Prices are negotiable! Pick 4-6 places and see who offers you the best deal. Pro Tip #9 – Buy discounted AirBnB gift cards online to save even more! Not valid on stays over 28 days.

21. Local Transportation Pro Tip #10 – Earn Crossover Miles w/ Delta & Lyft. New and existing Lyft users will receive $15 credit when you update your business profile using your Cisco work email.

22. Next Steps • Set specific travel goals • Destination(s) • Prefer free or discounted luxury? • Ex. Economy vs. First Class • How many travelers? • Date range • Which points do you need for your goal? • 3. Get started with your first card bonus!

23. What Card Do I Start With? • Decide if you want a Southwest Companion Pass. If yes, do that first.  • Weave an Amex SPG Business card into the Chase mix because: • Does *not* count towards 5/24 and adds space between Chase applications • May disappear! • Marriott points are valuable airline points and tough to earn • Amex discount offers and annual free night offset the annual fee • Annual fee $95* waived first year • Spend $3,000 w/i 3 months and earn 75,000 Marriott rewards • Thanks for using my referral link!  http://refer.amex.us/TRACIF6QRh

24. Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Reserve • Preferred Benefits: • 2x Travel & Dining • Rental Car Insurance • Travel Insurance • Visa Signature • Annual Fee is $95 but waived the first year. • Earn an extra 5,000 UR by adding an authorized user within 3 months of opening the account. • Reserve Benefits: • 3x Travel & Dining • Rental Car Insurance • Travel Insurance • Roadside Assistance • Priority Pass • Global Entry • Elite Car Status • Visa Infinite • Golf! • Annual Fee is $450 but you receive a yearly $300 travel credit. Net $150. • Travel credit applies to airfare, hotels, trains, cars, uber, tolls, parking, etc. Pro Tip #11 – You can change from one to the other after you have had the card for 1 year.

25. Cards for Point Accumulation cont. • Chase Ink Business Preferred • Annual fee $95 • Cell phone insurance • Spend $5,000 w/i 3 months and earn 80,000 Ultimate rewards • Chase Marriott Premier Plus  • Annual fee $95 • Free hotel night each card anniversary & Elite status/benefits at Marriott and SPG properties • Spend $3,000 w/i 3 months and earn 75,000 Marriott rewards • Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Business • Annual fee $95* waived 1st year • Gives access to expanded award availability • Spend $5,000 w/i 3 months earn 75,000 United miles • Chase Sapphire Reserve(see previous slide on Chase Sapphire Preferred comparison) • Annual fee $450 - $300 credited back each year for travel expenses so net fee is $150 • Best benefits card - global entry, priority pass, elite status w/ National & Avis, rental car insurance, roadside assistance, travel insurance, etc… this card will stay in my wallet indefinitely  • Spend $4,000 w/i 3 months and earn 50,000 Ultimate rewards

26. Cards for Point Accumulation cont. • Chase Ink Business Cash • Annual fee $0  • Must have a premium card (Sapphire or Ink Preferred) to use the points this card earns • Spend $3,000 w/i 3 months and earn 50,000 Ultimate rewards • Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Personal • Annual fee $95* often waived first year  • Gives access to expanded award availability  • 2 club passes annually • Wait until bonus is 60,000+ miles, dummy bookings on United may open a targeted (higher) offer • Chase Ink Unlimited • Annual fee $0  • Must have a premium card (Sapphire or Ink Preferred) to use the points this card earns • Spend $3,000 w/i 3 months and earn 50,000 Ultimate rewards • Marriott Premier Plus Business • Annual fee $99 • Free hotel night each card anniversary & Elite status/benefits at Marriott and SPG properties • Spend $3,000 w/i 3 months and earn 75,000 Marriott rewards • . This is a suggested path but Hyatt, IHG, and/or Avios earning cards may be more valuable to your specific travel plans.

27. The Final Card Choice • If you got the SW CP you have (1) 5/24 spot left and (2) cards to choose from: • Chase Freedom • Annual fee $0 • 5x on quarterly categories - earns up to 30,000 extra points a year • You must have a premium card (Sapphire or Ink Preferred) to use the points this card earns • Spend $500 w/i 3 months earn 15,000 points • OR • Chase Freedom Unlimited • Annual fee $0 • Earn 1.5 points on every dollar spent • You must have a premium card (Sapphire or Ink Preferred) to use the points this card earns • Spend $500 w/i 3 months earn 15,000 points - https://www.referyourchasecard.com/18/PSVZQ7E45M • I prefer the Freedom because it's easy to knock out a category every 3 months and I use a different card for non-bonus spending. Scott prefers to use the Freedom Unlimited for all his purchases so he doesn't have to think about what card to use. His approach is easier, mine earns more points. You can always product change from one to the other later if your preference changes

28. Beyond Chase 5/24 Move on to other banks (Amex, Citi, Barclay). Most bonuses reset after 24 months (Amex is once per lifetime, always wait for the highest Amex bonus) so there is no end to earning potential! Cancellation - If you don't want to keep a card past its 1 year anniversary because the benefits aren't worth the annual fee: Call and ask about a retention offer. The annual fee is often waived or there is an additional points bonus or statement credit offered. If not, call back in a week or two to try again for an offer. If you get no offer and you've run out of time for the annual fee, most cards have a no annual fee version you can "product change" to.  You want to keep personal cards open to increase your total available credit and minimize impact to your average age of credit. Closing business cards has no impact.

29. Subscribe to these mailers or follow them on Facebook for flash sales: Discount Flights & Cars Enter car reservation info under track a rental and they email you Every time they find a better deal Explore destinations, use the fare calendar, flexible dates, or check the price graph.

30. Discount Hotel Tips Last Minute Deals ? Most major hotel chains offer discounts or free nights if you find a lower rate. Find a lower rate, then book with the hotel and submit a claim!

31. Begin Your Journey! Follow PointedTraveler.com

32. Pro Tip Consolidation Some cards give an additional bonus for adding an Authorized User w/i the first 3 months If you have a card, refer your spouse and earn a referral bonus (aka “2-player mode”) Record portal transactions in case you have to submit a claim for missing credits. Bonus offers stack with portal and category bonuses so triple dip when you can! Google “sweet spot redemptions” for regions such as SE Asia or Europe to learn about lesser known programs that may not show up in tool searches. Even award tickets pay taxes (as low as $5.60). Simply paying the taxes with the CSR enables full coverage! Even if you’re not sleeping in an airport, a long layover can be fun if you know what is available. Examples like Chicago’s health club and yoga studio or Denver’s ice skating rink can make the wait amazing! Prices are negotiable! Pick 4-6 places and see who offers you the best deal. Buy discounted AirBnB gift cards online to save even more! Not valid on stays over 28 days. Earn Crossover Miles w/ Delta & Lyft. New and existing Lyft users will receive $15 credit when you update your business profile using your Cisco work email. You can change from Sapphire Preferred to Sapphire Reserve (and vice versa) after you have had the card for 1 year.

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