Want to be able to fly for free with you and a companion all over the US (and some international destinations) for up to 2 years?

Southwest Airlines provides free companion passes when you earn 110,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points.  If you time the earning of these points to hit your account in January of a given year...you then earn companion pass status for the remainder of the current year + then entire next year.

How to do it?

Open a personal and business (business name can be in your personal name) Southwest VISA card (there are two card types for both personal and business carrying different annual feees) and spend $2,000 on each card during the first 3 months of card ownership:

https://www.southwest.com/html/rapidrewards/partners/credit-cards/southwest-airlines-rapid-rewards-cards/index.html?int=GSUBNAV-RR-PARTNERS

Each card gives you 50,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points upon spending $2,000 on each card.  This means that you will earn 104,000 points (2,000 for each card + 50,000 bonus points per card) between the two cards just by meeting the minimum requirements.  Then, figure out a way to get the additional 6,000 points earned via your own personal spending or via manufactured spending (on an American Express Serve card -- details to be covered thoroughly on next week's post).

***Go over the details of trying to get your points to post as early as possible in the year so that you can maximum the numbers of months (up to nearly 2 full years) of free flights for you (by using the points earned) and a companion (by using the companion pass that you earned upon earning 110,000 points).

Here is a link to the PointsGuy's details on this same type of strategy:

http://thepointsguy.com/2014/01/maximize-monday-southwest-companion-pass-faq-and-strategies/

Intro to "Hacking Travel"

This is my first post.

Basically I'm a Travel Hacker that likes to Fly, Drive, Sleep and Recreate for free.  All paid for by the wonderful world of Credit Cards, Points and Rewards.

My goal with this blog is to simply help as many of my friends and family do the same.  So good luck and let's go on some free trips.

Some simple steps:

Step 1: Open Credit Card or Bank Account in both your name and that of your significant other (if an option).

Step 2: Follow the simple steps on qualifying for the miles or free money.

Step 3: Keep track of the card and to help your credit along keep the card open for at least 3-6 months.

Step 4: Cancel Card once Miles and benefits have been used.

Step 5: Rinse and Repeat

By following these simple steps you can assure yourself at least one fully paid for awesome vacation each Quarter.  Once you get advanced you can probably accomplish double that.  Yes you read correct.  8 fully paid vacations per year.  This means that even if all you do for work is run a paper route you can go on 8 fully paid vacations per year.  In my opinion the barrier between us and the super rich is gone!

Let's do this!