Common travel hacking mistakes man do, if I had a dollar for every time I facepalmed over something dumb I did in points and miles, I’d have enough for another free flight. Seriously. I’m that mom in the Chicago suburbs who’s been at this since 2019, turned grocery runs into Hawaii trips, but also royally screwed up enough times to fill a whole blog post. Picture me last night, cold coffee, scrolling old statements, cringing at the time I transferred points to the wrong airline and lost like 15k. Yeah. That’s the vibe today.
I got into travel hacking because we were broke with a toddler and I saw some Reddit post about “free flights.” Thought it was too good, signed up for Chase Sapphire Preferred anyway, hit the spend, booked Disney. Kid screamed the whole way, but we were there. But oh boy, the mistakes. I’ve burned bonuses, wasted time, dinged my credit score, the works.
Applying for Too Many Cards Too Fast Common travel hacking mistakes
This one’s the biggest killer for beginners. You get excited, open three cards in a month to chase bonuses—bam, denied left and right. Chase’s infamous 5/24 rule: if you’ve opened 5 or more personal cards (from any bank) in the last 24 months, they auto-deny most of their cards. I learned this the hard way in 2021—applied for Sapphire Preferred, then Venture, then Freedom—got shut out of Chase stuff for a year. Felt like getting ghosted by a bank.
Carrying a Balance to “Hit the Spend” Faster
Oh god, I did this once. Thought “I’ll pay interest for a month to get the bonus quicker.” Interest was $80, bonus value maybe $600—net loss when you factor the hit to credit utilization. Never again. The rule is simple: only spend what you can pay off in full every month. Use the card for normal bills/groceries/gas, time big purchases if you have ’em. No new debt. Ever.
People say “but the miles are worth more!” Nah. Interest compounds fast, and a dinged score means worse approvals later. Pay it off, sleep easy.
Redeeming Points for Garbage Value (Cash Back, Gift Cards, Portal at 1cpp)
Biggest regret stories I hear: “I cashed out 100k points for $1,000 statement credit.” Oof. That’s 1 cent per point. Transfer to partners (airlines/hotels) and you can get 1.5–5+ cpp easy. My dumbest? Early on, redeemed Chase points through portal at 1.25cpp when I could’ve transferred to Hyatt for a $600 room at 20k points (3cpp!).
Rule: Avoid portal redemptions unless it’s a sweet deal. Don’t do cash back or gift cards unless desperate. Transfer only when you see award space—use seats.aero or ExpertFlyer to scout first.
Hoarding Points Like a Dragon Common travel hacking mistakes(They Devalue!)
Points aren’t savings accounts—they lose value over time. Airlines hike award prices, programs change. I sat on 80k United miles for two years waiting for “perfect” trip. Then United devalued, and what was 50k business class became 80k+. Poof.
Burn ’em. Book something fun, even domestic. Better a free weekend getaway than nothing.
Forgetting Annual Fees and Credits (Or Cancelling Too Soon)
You sign up for Sapphire Reserve ($550+ fee now), forget the $300 travel credit—boom, you’re down money. Or you cancel after the bonus posts but before a year—lose the card history, hurts score long-term.
I set calendar reminders for credits (Uber, DoorDash, airline fees). Don’t cancel keepers—downgrade if needed (Sapphire Reserve to Preferred). Fees sting until perks pay off—then it’s free money.
Not Checking Transfer Partners or Award Availability First
Transferred 50k Amex points to an airline… no good seats for months. Stuck. Always search availability before transferring—most are irreversible. Use tools like seats.aero, google flights award search, or airline sites.
Ignoring Credit Score Impact and Reports
New cards = hard inquiries + lower average age = score dip. I dropped 40 points once from three apps close together. Not fatal, but hurts if you’re buying a house soon.
Pull your reports yearly, fix errors. Keep utilization low (<30%). Pay on time. Simple but people forget.
Chasing Shiny New Bonuses Without a Plan Common travel hacking mistakes
You see a 100k offer, apply without thinking “do I even want to fly this airline?” Ended up with useless Virgin Atlantic miles when I mostly fly United. Stick to flexible (Chase UR, Amex MR, Cap One) first.
More Quick Hits From My Screw-Up List
- Letting points expire (some do—check rules).
- Using public WiFi for banking/apps (sketchy—use VPN).
- Not reading terms (exclusions on bonuses—gift cards sometimes don’t count).
- Overspending to hit spend (same as debt mistake).
- Thinking it’s “free” money—it’s earned through spend, time, discipline.
