How We Got $40,000 of Free Travel (with Credit Cards)

[@philipohmes9395]

This sort of reminds me of the times my Grandmother and Mother would sit down at their Kitchen tables every week and cut out coupons from magazines or the local newspapers. Then also they would look for stores that also gave and honored the S&H Green Stamp Program. On average they would save 15 to 20% every month on the costs of things they would ordinarily buy. Today we have an App or a Bank Card for that.

[@Daniel_Braun]

The credit card game can be similar! Definitely a bit more passive though once the systems are in place which is nice 👍

[@kenbookcredit]

Referring your player 2 is such a game changer. Makes every bonus so much higher

[@xDGKATOMICx]

I appreciate you including the part for military service members. A lot of my buddies didn’t know until I told them about it.

[@MattWelterOfficial]

The 2 Player Strategy is so key! Last year, I prioritized Business Cards while I was focusing on my 5/24 Status and so was unable to get specific Personal Cards I wanted. That's where my Player 2 came in and was able to get the important Personal Cards that we wanted to add while I was gardening. Love focusing on flexible points currencies first as well, great video as always Daniel!

[@Daniel_Braun]

Yeah that's another really great point! When player 1 is limited in what they can do, having a player 2 step in can really bring more options. That's definitely been true for us as well 👍

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks for covering these tips for a P2 strategy Daniel! Definitely some gems here, and it’s pretty powerful to have a whole other credit profile to work with to help earn more points to accomplish those travel goals. My wife and I will be implementing these for sure!

[@kenbookcredit]

Especially from referring each other, player 2 gives you way more than just 2x the points

[@backtoashley]

I love the way you smoothly invite us to watch the next video and how it relates to what you were just teaching us. It gets me every time HAHAHA.

[@Daniel_Braun]

Haha always my goal to recommend something good to watch next! 😁

[@CraftingAstronaut]

A recent interest in credit cards plus a recent trip to Greece have me hooked on wanting to learn as much as possible when it comes to traveling for free/with minimal costs.

[@Daniel_Braun]

It always starts with a recent trip haha - my first trip outside of the US back in 2018 got me into the credit card stuff. Hope this video helps!

[@CallMeLani]

P2 is key to uplevel travel game. The hard part for most is finding a P2 🤣. Good breakdown and tips!

[@marvinfrancois1]

The goat just made a new video

[@Daniel_Braun]

That's all you Marvin! 🐐 Much appreciated 👌

[@phenom568]

So maybe I'm missing something but the point of the 2nd player is only to get an additional sign on bonus. Since most companies dont let you get a new bonus for 24 months the second person means one person in the house can get a new bonus once a year. Of course this also means doubling the fees.

[@JuanGarcia-hr1wf]

Nice video Daniel. Agree that transferable currency gives you so much flexibility. That's why I love having Chase and BILT points for domestic flights and Hyatt, and Amex for international flights

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks Juan! That's pretty much the exact same way that I like to play those different types of points because of Hyatt being a transfer partner with Chase and Bilt

[@RaulHernandez-tv6yb]

Whoa! The CSP just disappeared! Great visual effect! That editor man! He’s earning his keep. 👍🏽

[@_jackperez_]

Great video! appreciate the insight into the 2 player strategy. Would love to see more on this and maybe a what’s in our wallet

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks Jack! Yeah I think that's a great idea to share a bit more about the cards that she's using in her wallet with a video like that

[@Chris-et2cq]

Daniel, delivered as promised! My guy…Appreciate the tips and tricks on how to maximize the points without having to spend frivolously. Keep up the content brother!

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks Chris - great to hear you enjoyed the video! I really loved making this one

[@jlama.23]

Are all issuers able to interchangeably transfer points between player 1 and 2?

[@dekkerfraser]

Insightful regarding the devaluation of airline/hotel points. You circumvent that by dealing with credit card points.

[@imfalks3667]

How many of those points were from viewers using your referral link? This is a transparency question.

[@Daniel_Braun]

Totally a valid question which is why I brought that up briefly in this video! So the point total that I mentioned in the beginning with "earning over 1 million points" are solely from sign up bonuses, spending, and other multipliers alone on our 25+ cards that we've opened over the past 4+ years. Our true number of points earned and travel value realized are above the numbers mentioned in the intro when counting "total referral bonuses", but I will never use those numbers when sharing strategies because it's obviously not realistic for anyone who does not have an audience on social media. I will say though that I've only had an audience for around 2 years now, so any referral bonuses that I've earned up to the annual cap on certain cards have only been earned in those 2 years. I'm going to make an updated "Credit Card Roadmap" video that will show the exact timeline and bonuses that we got these cards in. I definitely believe that transparency is important and I want to share those numbers in more detail with that video 👍

[@PayDro007]

Have you ever compared the costs of reserving a room directly from the hotels website against reserving through the Chase portal?

[@doc2w534]

I just booked a hotel that was $982 on Marriott’s site. But with my Sapphire Reserve it was 66,500 points; or about $665 in points. If I had paid cash on the Chase portal it was a little bit more at $997. Downside is your don’t earn Marriott points on any bookings from the Chase portal.

[@chrisoverbey5937]

9:36 mark. Good on you Daniel 😊

[@SnoringVids]

Really like the walk through comparison example you provided

[@Mosarezaiee]

Thank you for all of your information.

[@Daniel_Braun]

Happy to help! Thanks for watching

[@sjg6158]

Those referral bonuses are terrific. Excellent video.

[@Daniel_Braun]

Definitely! Thanks Scott 👍

[@Chicanito__]

holy shit dude what a great video you put together. ton of information I needed!

[@WealthOfOpportunity]

Wait until you start getting into the P3, 4+ :). Great explanation of how to do this successfully without having to spend a lot

[@magicalday4431]

Awesome video, I started this journey in 2010. Started with cobranded cards that I don’t use much anymore but keep for my credit score and when I pay for a stay or flight.

[@Ronstar11]

How do you know when to ask for the retention offer? Does the AF hit around the same time each year?

[@Daniel_Braun]

Usually best to ask around the time that annual fee hits. Varies from card to card as to whether retention offers are realistic or not. And yes, annual fee will hit around the same time each year

[@morganhullinger400]

If the annual fee has already posted and they offered some form of retention offer, do they then credit your account the annual fee? Or is it best to call before it posts? Thanks for the great info on all of your videos!

[@segalhy]

Greta video! When is the best time to ask for the retention offer with AMEX Gold Card? Should you ask before year 2 or wait until right before year 3?

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks so much! So retention offers on the Gold card can vary, but always best to ask after at least 1 year with the card around the time you annual fee posts. Offers vary from person to person, and again I would check Reddit to see if anyone has had success with it

[@Tru182]

2 part Question.......Why did you get rid of/downgrade your Sapphire preferred? If it's because you got the Sapphire reserved, do you now regret it since they removed those priority pass benefits?

[@Daniel_Braun]

Sorry, I couldn't really explain in full detail here because I mentioned in a previous video and didn't want to take up too much time. But basically I'm up for another Sapphire bonus now that it's been more than 48 months since I got my last CSP bonus. I also got the Ink Preferred a few months ago which also has the same transfer partner feature as the CSP, so because I have that card I'm not losing anything by downgrading the CSP. Then I'll apply for the CSR in a few months. I'm getting that mainly for the upgraded benefits including lounge access for the upcoming Philadelphia lounge later this year that's supposed to be massive! The priority pass restaurant thing is disappointing to see go away - but it was really only a bonus benefit to me that I probably would only occasionally use anyway. For some people it's much worse for that to go away though depending on how much they travel

[@Tru182]

Thanks Daniel. I get it now. I guess getting the CSR makes more financial sense for you. The only reason I was thinking of going for the CSP instead is because they have similar multipliers and the $550 may not be worth it for me. I travel in and out the country about 3-4 times a year. I got the Freedom unlimited, Venture X, and Bilt MasterCard. As someone from team travel, I think the CSP would do good for my setup.

[@benito12]

If you cancel or downgrade a card, can you ever get the intro offer again later? How often do you cancel cards?

[@diegogarciadiego1]

Hey Daniel, it would have been great to see more info specifically related to the 2-player strategy (i.e. how to best combine points, best mutual referrals and so on) instead of just the more common “use the correct card” content. I think the topic is super useful, but most topics are not aimed at the 2 player strategy. Downgrading and negotiating your AF is not 2 player specific info

[@Daniel_Braun]

Hey Diego, thanks for watching and sharing thoughts! I understand what you mean, I'd like to make a follow-up video with maybe some more detailed stuff like that. But this is meant to be a high-level overview of the strategy, so any deep dives could make this video a bit too long because it was already 17 minutes. In a follow-up video I can go over some of those step by step details like combining points. The referrals should be pretty self-explanatory - and they vary from time to time so nothing is ever really permanent. I'd say that Chase and Amex have had the best referral bonuses, with Chase usually making the most sense to take advantage of for these because of the much lower annual fees that make sense for most people in any situation. The downgrading and negotiating AF part is important to mention because without having knowledge of those options, many people in a 2 player strategy will avoid annual fees and miss out on those larger bonuses. Obviously everyone's situation will be different, but these cards with AFs have been huge for us to earn the points that we've been able to earn. Again, I'm hoping to make more content about this - so this is really only a "part 1" video and hopefully that makes sense. Thanks again for commenting and sharing your thoughts because it really helps me decide on what content to make 👍

[@diegogarciadiego1]

@@Daniel_Braun great! Keep up the good work!

[@thatgeekdad]

Are you able to do the 2 player strategy with a spouse?

[@Daniel_Braun]

Absolutely!

[@thecleaningteacher638]

Such a helpful video!

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks so much! Glad you liked it!

[@LifeCapturedMoments]

How long do you keep these credit cards after you signed up and met the spending requirements?

[@Chris-et2cq]

You mentioned you downgraded your CSP to a Freedom card - Do you no longer have the chase trifecta?

[@Luximonn]

why did you downgrade your CSP?

[@ajrodriguez8329]

Great breakdown

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks so much AJ!

[@zacharybaas1553]

So where do you get the BBP 30k welcome bonus? The only one I see is for 15k

[@Daniel_Braun]

Targeted offers - the offers on most Amex cards change throughout the day, so 30-50K is what I've heard people getting on the BBP. I found a 30K offer when researching for this video, but 15K is the standard and minimum offer. Definitely worth waiting for something above 15K

[@marcolopez7099]

For the active military does anyone if you have to be a primary card holder or if it applies if you are just a additional car holder and not primary?

[@JessicaHolmes]

I am a military spouse, and I am able to get my own card where I am the cardholder. Is that what you’re asking?

[@marcolopez7099]

No I was asking if the spouse of military is the main card holder do they waive the fee? I called them myself and they say the main card holder has to be military for then to waive the fee.

[@JessicaHolmes]

@@marcolopez7099 oh! Nope! We get the fee waived, as well! You have to check to make sure your name/SSN is in the MLA database. The credit card company will search your info and see if it matches with DEERS. If they find a match, you will usually get a letter from the credit card company stating that your fees are waived because you were able to be looked up in the MLA database.

[@Ogisaiah]

I have the chase freedom card now should i upgrade to the sapphire card?

[@RaulHernandez-tv6yb]

No. You should apply for it so you can get the welcome offer.

[@Sakurasan2023]

Great video 📹 👍

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thank you as always!

[@Sakurasan2023]

@@Daniel_Braun you're welcome!!

[@ianboudrow8038]

When doing the 2 player strategy with a fiancé, what is the best way in order to combine your points with Chase? She's an AU on the Preferred and Flex but would like her to open her own cards for SUB's that we'd like to transfer to my (our) acct where our points currently are.

[@Daniel_Braun]

So she can definitely get those cards as well and should be eligible for sign up bonuses, even if she is an AU on those cards. If you want to get those cards for her separately then I would refer her using your referral link, get the bonuses, then you can call up Chase and ask to link cards so that you can combine points under the same household. I forgot to mention that part in this video, so I'll have to do a follow-up, but calling Chase to link the cards allows cardholders in the same household to move points to each other which is exactly what Jackie and I do 👍

[@ianboudrow8038]

Thanks so much, makes sense. Cheers! @@Daniel_Braun

[@14vicgar]

When you downgrade a card, can you still get the bonus points on the new card?

[@RaulHernandez-tv6yb]

Sadly no.

[@traviselectricalservices4532]

I own a business. What is the best card to run my expenses thru to earn free flights? Whether it be a personal card or business card. I can only use United, or American where i live

[@Aguynearu]

chase doesnt do retention offers haha

[@etienne8397]

can you do a review on the Venmo credit card?

[@sx3todd]

your videos are definitely high quality and easy to digest. 👍🏼

[@Daniel_Braun]

Appreciate that! Thats another thing that I always aim for with my videos, so thank you 👍

[@codytentis9909]

How often can I get a new credit card and welcome bonus I guess that’s what I’m most confused by! Great video

[@Daniel_Braun]

We aim for 1 new card every 3-6 months, usually on the lower end of that range because that's what works for us. That spaces out the spending for the minimum spend requirements so that we don't end up overspending just to get a sign up bonus. I'll make a video on this topic very soon!

[@codytentis9909]

@@Daniel_Braun definitely need a video on this! Thanks so much for sharing, love the channel.

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thank you! 😁

[@brainwave1397]

What do you think of Dave Ramsey? Might be a whole video lol

[@Daniel_Braun]

I honestly like the majority of what he says! I obviously disagree with him on credit cards - but also I can understand his negative opinion on them because they can lead to trouble for many Americans if used the wrong way. I think there's a lot of safety nets that people can put into place to avoid bad things from credit cards though In the end, his content and business has helped millions with their money, so I really love that

[@herbertdaugherty636]

@@Daniel_Braungreat response. People should watch and decide for themselves. I do find it annoying that we get penalized for being responsible and paying off our debts when it comes to credit cards. My takeaway is focus on being as debt free as possible and not obsess over points.

[@herbertdaugherty636]

Dave Ramsey provides “tough love”. A lot of people need that. I don’t but I still find takeaways from his videos, along with Daniel of course.

[@Daniel_Braun]

@@herbertdaugherty636 thanks! Yeah I think the most important thing that people can do is listen to what others say in books, videos, etc and then interpret that within the context of their own situation. That’s gonna lead to different opinions because no 2 situations are the same, but that’s absolutely okay 👍

[@schm147]

Hey I have a question, how come you never talk about the Costco Anywhere Visa card in your videos?

[@SickStyle201]

Amex platinum is now 175K points

[@TheGameLifeBalance]

Wait can you qualify for a business credit card as a Instacart shopper??

[@Daniel_Braun]

You should be able to! Honestly having a business card to use for business expenses can make things much easier when it comes to tracking things for tax purposes

[@DG-tr2bk]

Hi Daniel. I selected a flight on Aer Lingus that I couldn't book through the Chase portal because it didn't have the option to upgrade. I then tried to transfer my points from Chase Preferred to Aer Lingus but neither Aer Lingus or Chase knew how the points would convert or how many I would need. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

[@ghayrullaghayrat6062]

Hi Daniel, curious why you downgraded your Chase sapphire preferred? How are you transferring points to transfer partners without it?

[@KingGreen78]

I thought he said him and his fiance have the preferred, so maybe only she transfer points for now,untilnhe upgrade again

[@Daniel_Braun]

Sorry, I couldn't really explain in full detail here because I mentioned in a previous video and didn't want to take up too much time. But basically I'm up for another Sapphire bonus now that it's been more than 48 months since I got my last CSP bonus. I also got the Ink Preferred a few months ago which also has the same transfer partner feature as the CSP, so because I have that card I'm not losing anything by downgrading the CSP. Then I'll apply for the CSR in a few months - I'm hoping that Chase will run a promotion for that card, but not sure if they will. The CSR is a card that I'm getting mainly for the upgraded benefits including lounge access for the upcoming Philadelphia lounge later this year that's supposed to be massive! Also, yes Jackie has the CSP as well so we can always redeem our points through her card - so plenty of options even during the few months that I will be without a Sapphire card myself.

[@ghayrullaghayrat6062]

@@Daniel_Braun I see. Appreciate the reply and the great video! Thanks Daniel!

[@ObsessedGing13]

This is amazing!! Trying to piece together a 2 player strategy for my husband and I. He is Nicaraguan, we moved here 2 years ago. he got a Discover IT card last May and has his name on both of our car leases to help build his credit. He has a score of 740 but got denied for the chase freedom unlimited last December. Do you have recommendations on what the next card for him to get would be? And how do you combine the points for your 2 player strategy? Do you both just redeem them individually?

[@billyrodgers4611]

If you listen to Dan you will BANK on points.thanks for the advice since following you i am making so many points each months without overspending. I am frugal as well and love the redemptions by just living life normally

[@NalainAustin]

@Daniel Braun - Love your videos! one question on the 2 player strategy - is it worth adding one another as an authorized user? given we have the same (730+) credit score and 4 credit cards each? someone told me it can bump the credit score because it doubles the amount of credit accounts

[@bmillslakerfan24]

Another great video, Daniel! In terms of business expense spending, I’ve yet to find a card with an eligible category that catering (EZ Cater) falls into. I gain 1.5 back on these purchases with Freedom unlimited, but would love to dedicate a custom cash card or any card with 3-4% back for those purchases that happen to be my top spend category. I wonder if a card like Bilt would be interested in supplementing their model with a unique category like this.

[@Jakob1396]

Active Duty Military here, I love the SCRA and MLA. I have the CSR, AMEX Plat, AMEX Gold and my wife has the Venture X (also covered by the SCRA and MLA) so no annual fees on any of those. The Army typically sends people to schools and training where you can spend your money and they reimburse you for the costs associated with that trip. Recently went to a training where only my flight was paid for by the Army and I earned 10X from my wife’s Venture X for my rental which was reimbursed later. So many good tips in this video. Thangs again Daniel for the content

[@Daniel_Braun]

Such a great comment with more insight into this for Active Duty Military - thanks for sharing! Glad you liked the video as well

[@marcolopez7099]

I posted a comment before I had seen this one. My fiance is currently active duty right now. She is a additional card holder. I have chase and American express Gold currently. Could the annual fees still get waived for us if I'm the primary card holder?

[@Jakob1396]

@@marcolopez7099 Yes. As long as you are enrolled in DEERS once you are married. You may have to contact the banks to inform them of this change but they can verify and waive the fees for you

[@barbaraventura9000]

Help me plan a trip to Thailand with points!

[@TeacherMomma-jg3ub]

Serious question - did you learn this in highschool? 😅

[@jonathandaugherty3929]

Hey do you think you could make a video on a Vanguard account. I would you love your expertise on it 💯

[@spellcasther7099]

I got 150,000$ free travel

[@xunyangful]

Bravo!

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks Grace!

[@eprohoda]

Daniel. what a super - adios! 🤚

[@Daniel_Braun]

?

[@Megaman-Zero-626]

Yeah idk either

[@anthonywilliams9415]

😅😅​@@Megaman-Zero-626

[@Iamwithspirit]

Probably left out the word video, as in super video 😊

[@blipblop92]

What a mess i aint doing all this crap so I can spend more money on stupid stuff I dont need

[@francis3527]

No such thing as free folks these companies are for profit.

[@siane7597]

remember, your favorite creators are getting TONS of referral bonuses that you the average consumer can't so it is a lot easier for them to pool points

[@Daniel_Braun]

Addressed this around the 9 minute mark and in another comment to this video as well All numbers that I talked about here are BEFORE counting referral bonuses that I’m able to get from my channel. I want to approach my videos from the same way that an average person would with points and miles

[@MannyCovington]

Woo!

[@Daniel_Braun]

New upload! Thanks for stopping by Manny 👍

[@SOXGATORS]

👍🏻

[@Daniel_Braun]

First comment! 🥇 Thanks as always!

[@jetski335]

😊

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks as always for stopping by! 👍

[@artistcarter7657]

So i gees blowing the budget works , i like him , he great , and i guess a trump supporter

[@DC_Consulting_DC]

Best redemption: $95 annual fee for AC card, got 2 50K certs and e-upgrades for lie-flat Business/First roundtrip IAH-YYC-AMS.

[@Daniel_Braun]

That's awesome!! Great deal

[@ozymandias_times9663]

Step 1: Have a KZbin channel with 140k subs. Step 2: Have referral links in the description, nudge viewers toward those links Step 3: Profit

[@Daniel_Braun]

Just like I mentioned in the video, most of my referral links are paid in cash commissions and not points. Like I also said, I fully admit that I am able to earn more referral bonuses than the average person because of my audience - but I DO NOT include those referral points in my calculations when adding up the over 1 million points that we've earned because that is in no way realistic for most people. I am fully transparent about everything and have a video coming soon on the entire credit card roadmap that my fiancée and I have taken. That will sum up all bonuses that we've earned together - and then on top of that we've earned points from high spending multipliers on our cards (both personal and business). Also, viewers are free to use any links they want to from my channel, another blog, or they can use no links at all - whatever they want. I always recommend doing research on the best offers and doing what's best for you. Anyone that does choose to use my links is directly supporting the free content at no extra cost to them. I spend many hours and a ton of resources to create each and every video so that others can watch, enjoy, and hopefully learn.