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How I Booked A Round Trip Flight to Belize For Under $100

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Traveling on a Budget

The desire to travel a lot is great, until you realize how much you have left in your bank account or how much you have racked up on your credit card. This was a constant dilemma for me this past year. Luckily, I had heard about saving towards travel with the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card and made the decision to apply (check out everything you need to know about the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card’s application process & benefits in a post I wrote here!). I have had this card for about two months now and I’m already seeing huge benefits. I recently applied for Global Entry and used the card’s perk of covering 100% of the application fee as well as transferred my reward points from a different Chase credit card to my Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card

Transferring points from one Chase credit card to another is a perk not really advertised. BUT SO WORTH IT. On my Chase Freedom credit card, my points towards travel redemption were worth $181. After switching these same reward points to my Chase Sapphire Reserve account, that same amount was worth $285 towards travel redemption. WHAT?? The Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card is focused on giving you more for your buck specifically towards travel and transportation. For this reason, I have found it to be complete magic if you are going to redeem reward points towards travel and transportation anyway.

Using the Travel section of the Chase Sapphire Reserve redemption section, I looked up round trip and one-way flights to Belize for an upcoming vacation. Using my now $285 towards redemption, the total amount left after booking my flight there and back (tip: sometimes it’s cheaper to book your two flights as one-ways) was only $93. If I did not switch my points over from my other account to get the extra travel inflation, it would have been a lot more. Magic. 

Do you have any must-know travel hacks? Comment below!

The Best Credit Card For Travel

Choosing a credit card is like choosing an airline. Some perks included are better than others, the fees associated vary, and we all have one that we just feel more comfortable putting our trust in. It’s a selective process that either gives back or leave us with regret.

The first step when selecting a credit card is to decide what you want your perks (or rewards) to be. Most credit cards let you redeem points towards cash back or gift cards while some – store or company specific – can give great benefits towards its’ affiliation. If you’re into travel, however, the card on everyone’s mind this year has been the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Travel Focused Benefits

-3X Points on Travel and Dining Worldwide (yes, worldwide)

-50,000 Bonus Points (after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months)

-Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance

-$300 Annual Trip Credit (hello previous Uber trips reimbursement)

-Complimentary Airport Lounge Access #VIP

-Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Fee Credit

-No Foreign Transaction Fees

-VIP Access to Events and Experiences

-Trip Delay and Lost Luggage Reimbursement

-Special Car Rental Privileges and Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver

-Emergency Evacuation, Transportation, Medical and Dental Benefits

-Special Benefits and Upgrades at Selected Hotels and Resorts Worldwide

A friend who has the Chase Sapphire Reserve, has shown me first hand that there is no better card out there if you want to gain rewards towards travel and transportation. One of my 2018 new year goals was to travel more and, with the handful of trips I have already taken this year, it was a no brainer to continue my vacation fever with awesome benefits attached. The only issue is that I had heard that getting approved for the Chase Sapphire Reserve was not an easy task. Approval for this credit card is not solely based on your credit score.

How To Increase Your Chances of Approval for the Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card

-Credit score in Good standing (Not the only factor, but an important one)

-Lower any debt you currently have on open credit cards

-Do not cancel any credit cards (it is better to pay off and not use then to cancel and have your credit score take a hit)

-Do not apply to any other credit cards within your pre-application timeframe (you don’t want it looking like you open a lot of credit cards just for the enrollment benefits!)

-Have previous credit history

Other Things You Should Know

-There is a $450 annual fee, however if you use the $300 annual travel reimbursement towards this it becomes a $150 annual fee.

-Spend $4,000 on purchases during the first 3 months after opening and you will receive 50,000 bonus points. That’s $750 towards hotels, airfare, cruises, etc. when redeemed through your Chase Ultimate Rewards.

-Some people are approved right on the spot, others are given a 30 day timeframe for application status. If you receive the later message, this does not mean that you are a for sure No.

Even though I was a good fit for the typical criteria (credit score 750+), I was still very nervous on whether or not I would be approved. I had read that some people were approved right after applying online, while others said their application needed more time to look over. I was the later, getting a notification that I would receive status of my application in the mail within the next 30 day days. About a week later, I received a letter from Chase in the mail stating that they wanted to make sure it was indeed myself who submitted the credit card application, gave me a reference number, and instructed to call asap to confirm. After speaking with a representative and confirming my identity I was told that my application was approved and my card would arrive within the next 1-2 weeks! I am so excited to have my Chase Sapphire Reserve as my new, go-to credit card and to enjoy all the travel rewards.

Get started with a Chase bank account!

*Disclaimer: The above link goes to a a referral URL.