May 02, 2018 How to go to LA for free

Everyone loves free stuff. It’s a fundamental part of human psychology.

Mention reward and frequent flyer programs, though, and most people roll their eyes, questioning the value of what you actually get versus what you typically need to spend to, say, net a free flight to the Gold Coast.

And fair enough.

Unless you’re a global jet-setter racking up frequent flyer points or absolutely diligent in using a rewards program card to pay for everything – from groceries to petrol, then carefully paying each purchase off after every purchase – chances are the actual ‘rewards’ to choose from can be somewhat disappointing.

The good news is that, at any given time, there are plenty of deals floating around to snare more points.

You’ve just got to spend the time doing the research and wading through the best deals.

Here’s one that piqued my interest recently on Points Hack – I’d highly recommend signing up to their mailing list!

I ended up with an Amex Velocity Platinum card which came with 100,000 points at the time. You can check out the current deals and bonus offers here.

What I like about it

Firstly, it’s one of the highest earning Altitude Points cards on the market.

Better still, it offered up to 100,000 bonus points for new applicants straight out of the box, as well as a free domestic flight each year from Virgin. Not bad, huh?!

There are also a host of other added extras, including travel and purchases insurances, which, on its own, is a huge plus.

In terms of pure numbers, the card offers 0% p.a. interest for the first 12 months if you’re transferring your balance from another credit card. The establishment fee is relatively negligible.

You earn 1.5 points for every dollar you spend on most day-to-day purchases and 0.5 points for every dollar you spend on paying government-related invoices or bills.

What don’t I like about it

I’m nitpicking here, but for such a marquee product, I was surprised you only get Virgin Australia lounge access twice a year.

It’s not a deal breaker, but I think it should give you unrestricted access.

Same goes for access to the American Express Lounge at Sydney Airport, particularly if you’re a regular visitor to Sydney for business.

There is also a fee, which is value for money in the first year given the free flights and bonus points.

What I use my points for (aka, how to go to LA for free!)

In terms of what you can use your points for, you’re spoilt for choice.

The attraction for me? My wife and I have been talking for eons about a family trip to Los Angeles.

While we’d still need to cover the two young kids in terms of flights, Melbourne to LAX return Virgin Economy is only 96,000 points. I know – crazy. And I’d still have 4,000 points left over.

Ultimately, the key is to be disciplined in quickly repaying each transaction amount from your main transaction account, particularly if you start using your rewards card for just about everything.

Want to talk more in depth about how to use rewards cards? Let’s chat! You can book in a call below:

Disclaimer: all information contained within this article is of a general nature. It does not take into consideration your personal financial circumstances. Please consult a professional financial adviser (just like us :slightly_smiling_face: ) when making a financial decision.