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How Credit Cards Changed My Life

Flying First Class Emirates

Flying First Class from India to Dubai

Updated: October 26th, 2020

I find it interesting that some people either hate credit cards or love credit cards. After all, they’re just a tool to help you buy things more conveniently. Sure, if you spend uncontrollably you’ll go into debt and pay outrageous interest fees, but that’s totally up to the person using the card. For me, these little pieces of plastic with a barcode and signature on the back have totally changed my life.

I’ll always remember the first credit card I received. It was an MBNA MasterCard with the Edmonton Oilers logo on it. I got it at a hockey game when I was 18 because they were giving out a t-shirt and I needed my first card. These days, I would never apply for a credit card that had no reward points and only came with a crappy t-shirt. However, receiving that first credit card at 18 did do something really good for me – the beginning of my credit score history.

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Finding The Perfect Credit Card

Flying First Class Emirates

Flying First Class Emirates from India to Dubai

I’m a huge fan of credit cards. They make it easier to buy things both online and offline, remove the need for me to always have cash, and give me the possibility of earning rewards for every dollar I spend. Plus, It allows me to keep track of my spending through my digital monthly statements. There’s a number of other benefits as well, depending on the card you have, such as rental car insurance, travel insurance, extended warranties, and so much more.

However, not all credit cards are equal and depending on your lifestyle, some may be better suited to you than others. In this article, I’m going to share with you some tips on finding the best credit in Canada, just for you.

How To Find The Perfect Credit Card

Before I start, I want to mention that it’s perfectly fine to have more than one credit card. In fact, I often have upwards of 5-10 credit cards at all times. This is because I maximize points for my travel needs (or wants). I also never spend more than I have, which is very important when it comes to using credit cards to earn rewards. If you can’t pay off the balance in full each month, please stay away from credit cards, especially if the main purpose is to earn rewards. If you’re paying interest, the value of the rewards will be diminished very quickly. With that being said, let’s get started. Read more

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A Travel Hacking Interview with Calgary’s Breakfast Television

After reaching out to all sorts of media, Calgary’s Breakfast Television invited me on their show for an early morning introduction to travel hacking. It was a really interesting experience to be on TV and it went really well. The only unfortunate thing was that BTCalgary forgot to mention Canadian Free Flyers so no one probably knew where to find me. It was fun though and hopefully people are inspired to start using points for their travels.

Five Tips to Get Started with Travel Hacking in Canada

Have a Dream Trip in Mind: All the frequent flyer miles in the world won’t matter if you don’t use them. By having a destination in mind, it helps you to focus on what types of miles to earn and when to use them. It also keeps you motivated!

Get a Travel-Related Credit Card: You’ll want to earn miles that can actually get you to where you want to go. Some of the best are Aeroplan, American Express Rewards, and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.

Maximize Everyday Spending: Move as much of your everyday spending over to the travel credit cards. If you’re going to be spending money, you might as well be earning miles!

Double-Dip: Double dip as much as possible. For example, Esso accepts Aeroplan. When filling up at Esso, use both your travel rewards credit card and your Aeroplan card for double the points.

Keep Track of Your Points: The simplest way to do this is with an Excel file. However, you can also use an app like Award Wallet, which tracks everything for you. Points only expire when they are inactive for one year or more (depending on the program) so as long as you’re always earning miles, you don’t have to worry about the expiration. However, you’ll still want to keep track so that you know when you have enough miles to book your dream trip!

For more information on my home city, visit Things to Do in Calgary!

Happy Travels,

Matt

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