I Take at Least 10 International Flights Per Year and Have Never Paid for a Flight

oliviazolke
Aug 12
4 min read

Updated: Aug 12

by Olivia Zolke

People are always shocked when I tell them I haven’t paid cash for an international flight in over a decade. No, I’m not secretly a pilot or a flight attendant. I just know how to make credit card points and airline miles work for me, and if you’re strategic, you can too.

How Travel Credit Cards Work

At their core, travel credit cards reward you with points or miles for spending money on things you were probably going to buy anyway. Those points can then be redeemed for flights, hotels, or other travel perks.

Some cards are tied to a specific airline, which means your miles are only redeemable with them and their partners. Others earn flexible points (like Chase Sapphire, Capital One Venture, or American Express) that can be transferred to multiple airlines or hotels. The latter gives you more freedom, but both types have their place depending on your travel style. The magic is in learning how to earn the most points quickly and then redeem them in the most valuable way.

The Magic of Sign-Up Bonuses

Sign-up bonuses are where the real acceleration happens. Many cards will offer you tens of thousands of miles just for hitting a spending requirement in the first few months, often enough for an entire roundtrip ticket.

Here’s where it gets even better: a single airline might have multiple credit card options, each with its own welcome bonus. If you time it right, you can stack these bonuses, earn the miles you need, and then cancel or downgrade the cards you don’t want to keep.

I’m not talking about opening a dozen cards at once, but strategically adding a new one or two each year can build your points balance surprisingly fast. I've been doing this for about 5 years, and it has never had an negative impact on my credit score.

Everyday Spending = More Miles

Once you have a good travel credit card, every purchase is an opportunity to earn more points. Groceries, gas, your phone bill, even your morning coffee, it all adds up.

Many cards have bonus categories, like 3x points on dining or 2x on travel, so it’s worth knowing where your card earns the most. The trick is to put as much of your regular spending on the card as possible while paying it off in full every month. Interest charges will wipe out any value you get from the points, so this only works if you’re using the card responsibly.

Redeeming Points Like a Pro

Earning points is only half the battle. Redeeming them wisely is where you get the biggest payoff.

Booking off-peak flights, using partner airlines, and understanding award charts can help you stretch your points much further. For example, the same flight might cost 60,000 miles through one airline but only 45,000 through a partner airline that is part of the same alliance.

Flexibility is your secret weapon here. Being open to flying a day earlier or taking a slightly different route can save you thousands of points, enough for another trip.

How to Pick the Best Travel Credit Card for You

Not all cards are created equal, and the best card really depends on your habits and goals. Here’s what I look at before I apply:

1️⃣ Fees

Annual fees and foreign transaction fees can add up quickly. Sometimes the cards with higher annual fees give you enough perks, like lounge access or free bags, that they more than pay for themselves. But if you’re not going to use the perks, a no-fee card might make more sense.

2️⃣ Bonus Miles

One of the easiest ways to score free flights is through sign-up bonuses. Many cards give you enough points for a roundtrip ticket just for spending a certain amount in the first few months. And here’s a little secret: a single airline might have several credit card options, each with its own welcome bonus. You can earn the bonus, use the miles, and then cancel or downgrade the card if it’s not worth keeping.

3️⃣ Destinations

Before applying, check which destinations your airline and their partners actually fly to. If you dream of Tokyo but your miles are only good for Paris, that’s a mismatch. Pick a card that earns miles with an airline or alliance that takes you where you actually want to go.

4️⃣ Extra Perks

This is the fun stuff: lounge access, priority boarding, free checked bags, even travel insurance. If you’re a carry-on traveler who loves arriving early for a pre-flight latte, lounge access might be your splurge-worthy perk. If you’re traveling with family and lots of luggage, free bags can save you hundreds.

Final Thoughts

Earning free flights isn’t about gaming the system. It’s about understanding it and making it work for you. You don’t need to be a finance expert or spend hours a week tracking points. Start with one good card, take advantage of the sign-up bonus, and put your everyday purchases to work for you.

Before you know it, you’ll be boarding your next international flight without spending a dime on the ticket and wondering why you didn’t start sooner.

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