Authors Note: Be sure to read my 2019 Update at the end of this post!

I learned a new word today: churner.  Apparently, what I’ve been doing for the past 5 years to earn free flights is called “churning”.

What is a churner?

A churner is a person who applies for numerous credit cards for the main benefit of earning as many reward points as possible and then cancelling the cards usually within the first year of getting their sign up promotional points.

Some churners are so successful, they’ve earned  millions of points which translates into an impressive amount of free flights.

In the past 5 years, I have managed to earn enough miles to fly to Thailand, the Maldives, Vietnam, Switzerland, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Mexico and numerous other bucket list destinations – all for free!

What amazes me is how resistant most people are to churning. The greatest misconception is that this practice will ruin their credit scores. I can only say from personal experience, that my credit score has shockingly increased every year!

By carefully managing your cards and choosing the best offers, you can fly to Thailand for free, or anywhere that your points allow you to go. I mainly flew back and forth to Thailand, since my husband Eric and I have been living in both the US and Thailand for the past 5 years. Not only was I getting free travel, Eric was also flying for free.

If you plan carefully, you can also book two trips in one by taking advantage of free stopovers. One year we routed our trip on United Airlines from Denver to Switzerland, staying for 5 days in Geneva and then continuing onward to Bangkok. The next year, we routed our trip from Denver to Hawaii, staying for a week in the islands and then onward to Bangkok.

An important point to remember is that both you and your spouse can earn points by applying individually for the same card deals. There are plenty of great websites that explain the process and will keep you updated on the best deals out there. My favorite one is The Points Guy at http://thepointsguy.com/beginners-guide/ If this strategy is completely new to you, I recommend that you start by reading his Beginner’s Guide. He will walk you through the process with an easy to follow step by step guide.

Prisana’s Rules for Success:

1. I always pay off my card balances every month to avoid paying any finance charges.

2. Numerous cards offer a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, which is why I cancel some of the cards within the first year, before being charged with the normal annual fee. Always wait the full year, however, to avoid lowering your credit score.

3. It’s best to sign up for the mileage program first and then apply for the credit card. Delta Airline’s mileage program is especially advantageous because your miles never expire. The downside however is that you need more miles to earn your award tickets than with United Airline’s award program.

Thai International is not recommended. They charge hefty fees for their award travel, making your ticket not quite so free. Hawaiian Miles is definitely worth applying for, but their award travel can sometimes be a bit nuts. My craziest experience with them happened earlier this year. We were in Maui and had a ticket from Maui to Denver, but since our return ticket to Denver originated on the Big Island, we were routed from Maui to Honolulu, to the Big Island and then back to Maui to catch our plane to Denver! Confused? So were we.

4. I usually only apply for cards that offer more than 30,000 sign up bonus points. On a few occasions, I have been offered 80,000 sign up bonus points. Most airlines offer a free round trip ticket internationally for 80,000 points. Flying for free isn’t nearly as complicated as many people believe. In fact, now that I have accumulated all of these award miles, what I need is free time to actually use them.

Any tips on how to accumulate free time?

2019 Update: We’ve now earned millions of points since we started learning how to collect credit card points, and not only fly for free but also stay in some of the world’s best luxury hotels – also for free!

Our number one bucket list destination was the Maldives. I think everyone should experience the Maldives at least once in their life, but we managed to earn enough points to go there 3 years in a row!

To collect millions of Hilton points for our stays at the amazing Conrad Hilton in Rangali Island, we both applied for every credit card that would convert into Hilton points and that also offered a great promotional point bonus.

Hilton now also let’s you transfer your points to friends and family for free, which makes it even easier to make your dream trip possible.

Another important tip: Remember to take advantage of those referral points. I have never been good with the referrals, but they’re an easy way to earn points.

Stay tuned for our Maldives Blog, for more tips on how to accumulate points fast!