Travelling hacking credit cards

Travelling can be a pricey experience, but it doesn’t have to be. There are some great hacks out there that’ll help you see the world for as little as possible.

What is travel hacking?

Travel hacking is a way of saving money when you take trips away. It’s points-based, so the more points you have, the more you can use to save on things like hotels, flights, and car rentals. One of the best ways to practice travel hacking is by using credit cards.

Be responsible: The Ts and Cs

It’s important to know that to be successful at travel hacking you must not have any current credit card debt. You also need to be sure that you can pay your credit card balance off each month.

How does travel hacking work?

Travel hacking takes advantage of special offers where you collect points for things like air-miles. Sign-up bonuses for credit cards offer some great incentives for new customers, including points that you can use towards flights. Referring friends to card companies will also net you some points, as well as what you spend on your own credit card.

What points schemes are there?

- Avios

While there are a few different schemes that let you collect air-miles, Avios is one of the biggest in the UK. There are 800 different retailers that will give you Avios points for buying with them on your credit card. It’s not unusual to earn several points per pound, or even thousands when you sign up for a new energy or insurance provider.

- Tesco

The Tesco Clubcard is one of the most popular loyalty schemes in the UK. Every time you spend £1 in-store you earn one point and if your buy your fuel from a Tesco petrol station you’ll earn one point for every £2 spent. You can use these points for money off your shopping, but you can also exchange them for other things including Avios or Virgin Flying Club miles. You can also open a free Tesco Mastercard credit card which will earn you Clubcard points with every transaction made.

- American Express Amex offers travel credit cards that allow you to score some very high points. They run a British Airways Premium Plus card that gives you 25,000 points as a sign-up bonus if you spend £3,000 in the first six months of membership. So, wait till you need a big purchase before you sign up. You can also collect Avios points using other Amex cards, such as American Express Gold, Platinum and Starwood cards.

- MBNA Another credit card company that will offer points. While MBNA’s incentives are generally not as high as with Amex, they occasionally run bigger promotions that can be worth a look at.

Whichever option you choose, it’s important to stay clued up on how the offers work. If you are savvy with the way you spend, you can enjoy flights, car rental and hotels without spending a penny. Now that’s something to smile about!