Way too many websites push you right into applying for all sorts of credit cards without first explaining to you the pitfalls of this hobby. That’s because they make a commission each time you sign up. Although this website also earns a commission when you use our affiliate links, we’d rather you not have a card than have a card that’s not going to be right for you.
If you are not in a good financial position, you may want to focus on other things instead of travel. I know that sounds like common sense but I’ve seen it before. If you don’t have good credit, this is going to be a difficult hobby for you. While it won’t be impossible, your bad credit will lead to denials. Again, perhaps you should focus on fixing up your credit before you worry about travel hacking.
I also want to point out that you cannot get caught up in this hobby. These credit card companies know what they are doing and they are not in the business of losing money. I’ve seen too many people overspend on their credit card to acquire points. Others have bought things they didn’t even need just because they were trying to get points.
While I don’t think this hobby is incredibly complex, especially if you keep it simple, you can still get yourself into some trouble here if you are not disciplined and organized. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Don’t feel any pressure to go really fast and get ahead of yourself. Doing things slower than other people is just fine; go at your own pace. As you get more comfortable, you can move faster if you’d like.
Next we’ll discuss some basic terms and acronyms.