Travel hacking just redeemed 45k points for a lie-flat seat to tokyo and cried a little.
how i went from $27 in my bank account to business class
2023 me: crying over $900 flights 2025 me: sipping free champagne at 35,000 feet here’s the exact playbook i used (updated for 2025 rules)
step 1: the only cards worth getting right now travel hacking (dec 2025)
| card | current bonus | annual fee | my take |
|---|---|---|---|
| chase sapphire preferred | 75,000 points | $95 | still the king. get it first |
| amex gold | 90,000 points | $325 | 4x groceries/restaurants pays the fee |
| capital one venture x | 75,000 miles | $395 | $300 travel credit = $95 real cost |
| chase ink business unlimited | 90,000 points | $0 | easiest biz card if you sell anything online |
| bilt mastercard | no bonus but 1x rent | $0 | pay rent with no fees = free points |
pro tip: never ever pay an annual fee year 2 unless the perks beat the fee (venture x does, amex platinum usually doesn’t anymore)
step 2: the 2025 points sweet spots i actually used
- ANA business class to japan → 90k virgin points roundtrip (booked via virgin atlantic site)
- hyatt hotels worldwide → 5k-30k per night (i stayed at park hyatt tokyo for 30k/night)
- flying blue (air france/klm) → europe business class 50k one way
- avianca lifemiles → europe on united/lufthansa for 63k roundtrip
- alaska miles → japan airlines business class 120k roundtrip (worth it)
my 2025 scoreboard so far travel hacking
- 7 free flights (including 3 business class)
- 23 free hotel nights (5 of them 5-star)
- total cash spent on cards: ~$28,000 (all normal spending)
- total value: ~$31,000
- real out of pocket for annual fees: $184 (after credits)
the rules i never break anymore travel hacking
- never carry a balance (interest kills points)
- hit minimum spend with real expenses or manufactured spend (ask if you want the spicy version)
- 5/24 rule still alive – stay under 5 new cards/24 months for chase
- downgrade/cancel before year 2 if fee isn’t worth it
- transfer points only when booking (don’t speculate)
beginner timeline that actually works
month 1: chase sapphire preferred → 75k month 4: amex gold → 90k month 8: venture x → 75k month 12: product change sapphire to freedom (no fee) → you now have 240k+ points and can fly literally anywhere
yes the game got harder in 2025 but it’s still very alive if you’re not greedy.
drop your favorite redemption below because i’m already planning 2026 and my points balance is giving me anxiety.
someone send a free first class ticket and noise canceling headphones
