How to travel the world for free – by the woman who makes a living from it

By Jess Bohorquez , Flash Pack ambassador and founder of Points By J

I was 23 when I first realised that I truly love to travel. I had just started my first job in Chicago, in what would turn out to be a long career in marketing and consumer insights. My friends and I decided to take off for two weeks on a whistlestop tour around Europe – visiting London, Spain, Italy, Santorini and Budapest.

There was nothing fancy about that trip; I had to scrimp and save to make it happen, and we stayed in hostels throughout. But it was a turning point for me; an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience, with so many foodie and cultural highlights. It lit a fire within me.

I’D STUMBLED ON THIS AMAZING LIFE HACK. I COULD HARDLY BELIEVE IT

From that point on, I became determined to learn more about saving, investing and personal finance. These topics were never covered in school, so I needed to self-educate. I listened to podcasts, read books and tuned into how-tos in the earlier days of YouTube. My motivation was to be able to experience travel in a bigger, less limited way: without that constant worry of how I could afford it. I wanted to be smarter with the money I had.

I realised early on that advice shared by the financial world wasn’t very fun or accessible. It was dominated by older white men, whereas I was hungry for the perspective of someone closer to my age; someone who looked a little more like me. As it turned out, that someone was me – with the launch of my community, Points By J.

That moment was some years in the making, however. While I was learning lots about retirement and high-yield savings accounts, for a long time, I only used one credit card to earn travel points. I had my Chase Sapphire Preferred card for many years, but I didn’t maximise my points earnings in any way. I (mistakenly) worried that opening more credit cards would ruin my credit score. The opposite turned out to be true.?

During the pandemic, I learned how to open and manage credit cards responsibly (more on that in my tips, below). From that moment, I started getting into travel points in a big way. I applied for several credit cards, seizing the opportunity to take flights and stay in hotels all over the world for nearly free, using reward points.?

IT BLEW MY MIND TO HAVE AN ACCESSIBLE ROUTE INTO THIS LUXURY WORLD

The more I travelled, the more I realised I’d stumbled upon an amazing life hack. I could hardly believe it was possible: my brain was exploding with excitement. I couldn’t understand why more people weren’t taking advantage of this lucrative world. Right now, I have 13 credit cards that I pay off every single month, on-time and in-full. I don’t worry about high interest rates, because it’s my rule never to carry a balance. So, they’re irrelevant.?

To date, some of my best deals have included a business flight on Air France from Prague to Chicago for 42,000 points. Credit cards in the United States offer sign-up bonuses of up to 175,000 points. That works out as less than half of one sign-up bonus for this phenomenal flight experience that included a free facial at the check-in lounge, incredible food and top-notch service. Normally I’m an economy flyer through and through, so it blew my mind to have such an accessible route into this luxurious world of travel.?

Last summer, my husband and I fulfilled a dream trip with an East African safari. We used 75,000 points each to fly Qsuite on Qatar Airways from Paris to Nairobi in Kenya. Qsuite is one of the world’s best business services: private suites that come with their own doors, ambient mood lighting and beds that get made up for you before you sleep. You’re gifted amenity bags from Diptyque, and served Champagne plus à la carte four-course meals with real silverware on a white tablecloth. Not paying for the flight (we also returned from Zanzibar to Chicago using points) also meant that we could spend a little more on safari accommodation, on what would otherwise be an unaffordable vacation.?

Another big adventure for us involved flying premium economy for 55,000 points each to New Zealand on the other side of the world – one of the longest flights you can take. After popping by the Australian Open, we splurged 162,000 points each for a business class flight on Singapore Airlines from Melbourne back to Chicago. It was a big investment but worth it to have a lie-down seat for such a long journey (and enjoy some of the best in-flight food we’ve ever had).?

I SEIZED THE CHANCE TO TAKE FLIGHTS AND STAY IN ICONIC HOTELS FOR FREE

I’ve used points to stay at some breathtaking hotels, too. Last year, we used rewards on a Hyatt loyalty account to stay at Andaz Prague, located in the city’s iconic Sugar Palace. If I’d paid cash for the experience, it would have cost over $2,000 a night – but instead it was 25,000 points a night. We got upgraded to a suite, too, with a king bedroom and opulent living room. It’s another one of those storybook experiences I’m so grateful for. I’d never have had it without points.

In 2023, I realised I could help other people unlock better financial habits and more free travel, too. I had so many ideas. So, in February 2023, I posted my first TikTok. Within a few weeks, my content was taking off. I cover many areas of personal finance but the videos that kept going viral focused on credit cards, tapping that passion for travel. Points By J was born.?

My goal was to build a community of around 10,000 followers in a year. But I quickly blew past that target, which shows how hungry people are for this type of information. That inspired me to keep going. It’s fun to teach people something new that they want to learn about. When I was laid off from my tech job last summer, I saw an opportunity to turn Points by J into a business.?

Fast-forward to today, and it’s now my primary source of income. I didn’t create the account for that purpose, but it’s making money nonetheless – mainly through credit card affiliate links. The whole thing has been very unexpected to me. I have to keep pinching myself to remind me that it’s real. I’m an introverted person by nature, so the idea that I make my living by sharing tips with thousands of people online is surreal.?

POINTS FEEL LIKE A CHEAT CODE IN LIFE. IT’S SO REWARDING TO SHARE THAT

It’s something I absolutely love. Points feel like a cheat code in life, and it’s so rewarding to share their possibilities with others. Every day, I get messages from people saying my content has helped them build the confidence to travel solo, or to take a dream trip with their family. Each story is unique: it’s like a gift to me. It motivates me to keep making more content.

My philosophy is that we should all take time to figure out what makes life worth living. For me, it’s being with friends and family. Nurturing those relationships through travel is one of my favourite ways to spend time, and credit card points give me the resources to keep doing it. The people who follow me discover that they can do the same!

Jess’ top tips for travelling with credit card points

Make the most of sign-up bonuses

Many credit cards, particularly in the US, come with lucrative “sign-up” bonuses. This means they’ll give you tens of thousands of points after you spend a certain amount on the card in the first few months. The average spender is probably not going to accumulate that many points from routinely spending on just one card. Opening cards is the best way to get a lot of points for free travel. People often ask me if I’ll ever run out of new cards to get. But I genuinely don’t think so. In such a fast-evolving space, there’s a constant stream of new cards and fresh earning opportunities.

Balance point earning with credit score health

To begin with, I was cautious about opening lots of credit cards in case it affected my credit score. But then I learned via research that I can strike a balance that’s both rewarding and responsible. I do this in two ways. First, I never, ever carry an outstanding balance on any credit card. Second, I wait around 90 days between credit card applications – rather than apply for several at once. By following these guidelines, you’ll earn points in a way that’s sustainable, and ensure you’ll maintain healthy credit along the way. Pro tip: if you’re planning to apply for a mortgage, don’t apply for any loans or credit cards for 12 months beforehand.?

OPENING CARDS IS THE BEST WAY TO GET A LOT OF POINTS FOR FREE TRAVEL

Set up auto-pay for monthly bills

If you’re paying even $1 in interest, you’re negating any benefit you’re getting from points. So it’s one of my golden rules to never carry a balance. I do this by setting up auto-pay every time I open a new credit card. I’m very careful about doing so, not only to avoid fees but also because missing even one payment can do terrible things to your credit score (mine is currently very strong, over 800). I don’t ever worry about accidentally missing a due date, thanks to autopay. It ensures I settle every card on-time and in-full – even with 13 cards in the mix.?

Keep a spreadsheet to maximise points

My husband and I share a Google Sheet to keep track of the best point-earning opportunities on everyday purchases. For example, I have a credit card that I always use for gas purchases, and another one that’s great for dining and groceries. Wherever we happen to be, we can instantly reference which card to use for different categories of spending. Of course, I’ll sometimes have a new credit card where I’m working to reach a minimum spend in return for sign-up bonus points. So if that’s the case, I’ll focus on using that card instead.

The best deals often lie with transferable points

Many credit card companies offer “transferable points”. That means you can transfer your points to several different airline and hotel loyalty programmes for great redemptions. Similarly, airlines like Air France partner with most major banks. This means you can pool your points across different credit cards into a given airline or hotel account for one big redemption. You’ll often find the best, cheapest point deals this way.?

Stay tuned to changing deals

One of the reasons why the points space is so compelling is that – much like the stock market – it changes all the time. Just as inflation can impact the price of milk, the value of airline miles or reward points can fluctuate. For example, Turkish Airlines used to be a favourite for miles enthusiasts, but now they’ve increased the number of points charged per flight. By looking around, you’ll see there are always new opportunities popping up. So, follow the experts for tips and pay attention to airline sales to know where the best deals are at any one point in time.?

PAY ATTENTION TO AIRLINE SALES TO KNOW WHERE THE BEST DEALS ARE

If you’re struggling with debt, don’t use point tips

Finally and most importantly, if you’re not in a place where you can pay off your credit cards on-time and in-full every single month, don’t follow me. Getting into debt can be a very slippery slope, and no trip on Earth is worth it. I try to be very clear with my community, because I don’t want to influence anyone into credit card misuse. It’s not a game. My tips are about using credit points responsibly, and if you do that, there are some incredible deals to be had.

Chicago-based traveller Jess Bohorquez is an entrepreneur, content creator and founder of Points By J – where you can find many more tips on points earning and personal finance. Jess is also a Flash Pack ambassador and is hosting a trip to Morocco in February 2025. You’re invited to join her, more info available here.

Images: Courtesy of Jess Bohorquez/ Points By J