Everyone makes mistakes. If you really get into travel hacking, you’re bound to make one yourself. You can’t beat yourself up over it. Heck, they make for great stories. Talk to any experienced travel hacker and they probably have plenty of stories about mistakes that they’ve made. I know I have a few. This course will discuss some that are very common. My hope is that you can avoid these mistakes by learning about them from the start.
These are in no particular order but the first one is probably the most important.
Jumping in before learning everything
We live in a society where people want things instantly so its no surprise that a lot of people apply for credit cards without any real plan as to how this all works. You’ll see this across the internet anywhere that travel hacking is discussed. In our Facebook group, when someone asks a question I often after if they reviewed the courses. The typical answer is no and some people have zero interest in reviewing them at all. They would rather have someone just tell them the answer without learning the subject matter. That may fly in some groups, but that’s not what our group is all about. We want people that are willing to learn. If you take the time to learn everything (and that’s the purpose of the travel hacking college) you’ll be so far ahead of the average person that is not taking the time to learn.
Learning first doesn’t just make this easier, it will also save you from making huge mistakes. There are mistakes you can make that can have a big impact on your ability to get certain cards. For example, if you get card A, you may never be able to get cards B and C because there is a certain order you have to follow. In fact, if you take the time to learn first, the odds of you making any of the other mistakes in this course are very slim.
Falling for the credit card pushers
There’s all sorts of people across the internet that push credit cards without really discussing everything else you need to know about travel hacking. They make it so easy: “Apply for this card and you’ll be traveling for free all over the world!” So a lot of people apply for all sorts of random cards without the vaguest hint of how this works. You’ll see questions like “I have X amount of Chase points, how do I travel to (insert donation)”.
These people push credit cards because there’s a lot of money to be made in affiliate fees. If you use their link to sign up for a card, they’ll make money. If enough people sign up, that could be thousands of dollars per month. And because people want instant gratification, they fall for this without asking more questions. Now don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean that every single person suggesting a credit card with an affiliate link or referral link are bad. There are some people that will make sure that you are doing this the right way. Other may mean well but they don’t do enough to make sure that newer people are applying for the right card. Unfortunately, too many other people just push cards and make it seem like if you apply for the card, you’ll be traveling for free in no time.
That’s why we have the Facebook group. Ask questions there BEFORE you apply for the card. We’ll give you a 100% unbiased answer as to the best card for you in your situation.
Thinking you know how this works before you even learn
This situation is very frustrating for anyone that is trying to teach people how to travel hack. Some people have an idea as to how this works even though they haven’t tried to learn it. They may know a little about airline miles and think that there’s just a missing piece they need to learn and they’ll know it all. This is frustrating because when you try to tell these people that they are starting off in the wrong direction, they get agitated. They’ll say something like “I know how to get airline miles, I just need to know how to _______”.
Regardless of what you think you know, approach this with an open mind. Read everything first. Then ask questions.
Making assumptions
There’s nothing worse than an assumption. As I’ve said before, come into this with an open mind. Some people don’t want a credit card with an annual fee because they don’t think it makes sense. They made this decision before understanding how much the points and worth and how some cards pay for themselves. Other people make assumptions that they cannot get business cards. That’s my big pet peeve. I wish people would assume that experienced travel hackers know what they are talking about and that hundreds of people wouldn’t steer them in the wrong direction. Again, approach this with an open mind. Leave all the assumptions at the door. Learn first, decisions second.
Wanting travel hacking to be something that it’s not
This is probably due to a combination of the above issues. Some people want travel hacking to confirm to their needs. “I want to travel to this location, with 4 people, on this date for free”. Yeah, it doesn’t work like that. One person recently told me “I don’t want an annual fee card”. When I told that person that this is not how it works and they should review the courses, I was met with a “I’ve been doing this for years, I don’t need to learn anything”. That’s an ironic response since if you were so knowledgeable, you wouldn’t be asking that question in the first place. Before the person left the group, they listed out a random mix of credit cards they had which was not at all indicative of travel hacking experience.
So again, approach this with an open mind. Someone once asked me if travel hacking was legit because “why isn’t everyone doing this?”. That’s a great question and the answer is quite simple. A lot of people just cannot be bothered to learn all of this. Others don’t have the desire to travel much or they don’t have a lot of flexibility or time off. This hobby is not for everyone and that’s OK if its not for you.
Not understanding the math
If everyone understood the math behind travel hacking, you’d see a lot less questions across social media. Don’t get me wrong, I love questions in our group but I see so many questions in other groups that indicate a lack of basic knowledge. Not understanding the basics is very concerning because they are likely making mistakes. I understand people hate math and I’m certainly no fan myself. However, the math is not that complicated and we have courses that will explain all of it. If you get stuck, ask questions. When you understand it, you probably won’t have to ask these questions:
-Is this a good SUB?
-Is this a good redemption?
-How much are these points worth?
-What credit card should I apply for?
-Is this the right credit card to use?
Math is the cornerstone of travel hacking and the faster you learn it, the faster you’ll be on your way to making better decisions. When you make better decisions, you’ll accumulate more points for less money and you’ll get better value out of those points.
Not understanding the value of points and miles
Related to the above, not enough people appreciate that points and miles and not valued equally. A card that is offering 100,000 X points is not twice as good as a card that is offering 50,000 Y points. Part of learning the math is learning the value of points and miles. We have a course on that so you’ll learn what different points and miles and worth.
Not having a plan
This feels like a repeat of some of the other mistakes but it is worth highlighting. Whether its because people jump in too fast, fall for the card pushers or whatever reason, some people don’t really have any sort of plan. They’ll have a random mix of points without knowing how to use them. The advice is the same as above. Learn first, get cards later. Have at least a vague plan as to what you want to do with your points. If you don’t know your destination, it’ll be hard to find the right path.
Focusing too much on airlines
This is another one that feels like a repeat so I’ll keep it quick. Too many people only associate travel hacking with flights. They want to fly for free and pay cash for their hotel. They also don’t understand or want to learn about the importance of transferrable currencies. So again, come into this with an open mind. While you can get good value on airlines, you may be better off using your points on hotels.
Following the crowd and/or FOMO
Way too many people see other people rushing to apply for a card or do something else and they think they need to rush into that as well. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Learn first. Develop a plan. Then if you see everyone piling into a card, you can determine if that fits into your plan. If you don’t know, ask. Remember, some people may be further down the line than you are. Related to that, don’t let FOMO dictate your decision making. There’s always going to be other cards. Offers come and go all the time. You can’t get them all so don’t even worry about it.
Applying for the wrong card & applying for store cards
Some cards sound similar. The Chase Ink Business Preferred is a great card that we recommend. The Chase Ink Business Premier is an awful card that no one should get. They not only sound similar but they are on the same landing page! Every year, hundreds (if not more) of people apply for the Premier when they really wanted the Preferred. That’s the most common example but I’ve seen this with all sorts of cards. They wanted one card but somehow applied for another. Likewise, some people apply for store credit cards because the cashier talked them into it.
While these two scenarios may not sound related, they both have the same lesson. Learn first BEFORE you apply for anything. Have a plan. Then when you apply for a card, know exactly what you are applying for and why. Double check it to make sure it is the exact card you want. Don’t let anyone talk you into going into a different direction. If someone offers a suggestion, research it first before you apply to make sure it fits into your plan.
Conclusion
Notice some common themes here? Learn first, develop a plan, take input from others, ask questions but in the end, make your own decisions. Decide if travel hacking is right for you. Maybe its not and if it isn’t, not a problem. Its not for everyone. But if you really do want to learn about this so you can travel for free, we are here to help. Approach this with an open mind. Be careful and deliberate with what you do and why you do it. If you’re not sure, ask questions. You’ll still likely make a mistake at some point since you’re human but if you can avoid these common mistakes, you’ll be way ahead of the game that any mistake you make won’t be that big of a deal.