Lifestyle

Las Vegas Trip On A Budget Free Flight Included

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When you think of Las Vegas you may be thinking how expensive it may be. You can absolutely have an amazing time without breaking the bank at all. I’ll show you what we did to get a free flight for two people, tickets to a popular show, and a trip to the Grand Canyon. Plus there’s SO MANY fun, free, and cheap things to do there. Discover 22 ways to do Las Vegas on a budget and still have tons of fun!

Have Credit Cards Pay You to Travel

So you may be wondering how to get a free flight to Las Vegas. Well, have credit cards pay you to use their card. They pay you by offering travel points when you use their credit card. A lot of travel rewards cards out there offer 50,000 to 70,000 points just for using their cards, that’s pretty much an equivalent to $500 to $700.

Popular Travel Reward Cards:

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card – 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in 3 months
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card – 20,000 after spending $1,000 in 3 months
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – 60,000 after spending $4,000 in 3 months
Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card – 20,000 after spending $1,000 on purchases
Bank of America Travel Rewards Card – 25,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases
United Explorer Card – 40,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 in 3 months
Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard – 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $2,500 in 3 months
Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card – 40,000 points after spending $1,000 in 3 months
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card – 100,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in 3 months
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card – 125,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in 3 months
Hilton Honors American Express Card – 75,000 bonus points after $1,000 in 3 months

Now before you go off and start applying for credit cards, you need to read how we got approved for 6 rewards cards and accumulated 508,421 worth of rewards points.

Credits Cards We’ve Used:

Capital One Venture (His) 102,009
Capital One Venture (Mine) 57,534
Baryclays Arrival 129,966
Chase Sapphire (Mine) 87,836
Chase Sapphire (His) 68,909
Delta Skymiles 62,167

Total 508,421

Breakdown of points used for this Las Vegas trip on a budget:

$293 – Flight for two using Capital One Venture
$98.10 – Paranormal Mind Reading Show in Vegas using Chase Sapphire
$226.10 – Day trip for two to The Grand Canyon using Chase Sapphire

We may be getting all these travel points but it wasn’t always like this. Matter of fact, we had 8 credit cards with lingering balances of over $31,000. We got serious about paying off our debt and cleared up all 8 of our credit card balances by using 5 simple steps.

If you want to get started knocking out some debt today, grab your free Debt Thermometer and join us in the free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp.

Steps Used to Get Approved For 6 Reward Cards:

We cleared all our credit card debt by using the Debt Snowball Method
Our credit naturally shot up to the 800’s by clearing credit card debt which helped us get approved for great credit cards
Applied to 1 travel reward card at a time
Use 1 credit card for ALL EXPENSES, that way it’s easy to meet the minimum spending requirement for these credit cards
Pay off balance in full every month

By paying off all credit card debt, it can tremendously boost your credit score which will help you to get approved for amazing offers too. I also really recommend using only 1 card at a time and pay off the balance in full each month so that you won’t be stretching yourself thin trying to juggle multiple cards. Getting major bonus points from travel cards is the best way to travel for free!

Tips on How to Get a 800 Credit Score

How We Got Our First Time Cruise Trip For Free

How To Get Out Of Debt With These 5 Tips

Look For Best Travel Deals Before Booking

Besides finding ways to use credit card points for travel why not get even more savings by finding the best travel deals?

Best Site for Cheap Travel Rates

Skyscanner – Skyscanner is one of the best travel search engines. They provide some of the cheapest flights I’ve seen around. They also have a nice ‘Everywhere’ feature in case you’re not sure where to go, it can pull all different destinations both domestically and internationally and include the best flight prices.
Orbitz – Orbitz is a reliable site where you can search flights, hotels, vacation packages, car rentals, and cruises. They have really great prices, very competitive rates compared to other travel sites. Plus they also have their own rewards program, where you can earn points to apply towards your next trip.
Hotwire – Hotwire is another very popular travel booking site that’s been around for nearly 20 years. They have great rates for flights, hotels, car rentals, and bundles.
Travelocity – Travelocity has also been around for a while. They also offer low rates for flights, hotels, vacation packages, car rentals, and cruises.

Before booking any trip, make sure to get the most out of your money. Stop by Rakuten first because they will have cash back offers for a lot of travel sites like Orbitz, Hotwire, and Travelocity.

Sign up today with Rakuten to get $10 in a welcome bonus and be on your way to start earning cash back for online purchases. Don’t miss out on FREE MONEY!

22 Ways To Do Las Vegas On a Budget

If you’ve never been to Vegas, you have to go! Walking along the Vegas strip is quite an experience, there’s SO much to see and do. There’s great food, entertainment shows, activities, and incredible sights to see. There really is no other place like it. You can find so many places to explore and don’t have to spend a fortune. If you’re thinking about going to Las Vegas in the summer, think again. We went in June and it was VERY HOT! The desert heat is literally no joke. Pick a cooler month other than the summer to go because of how hot it gets.

1 | Bellagio Fountains

Bellagio Fountains is one of the staples of Las Vegas. It’s a magnificent show of water, lights, and music perfectly coordinated which is both mesmerizing and romantic. The best part about it is that it’s absolutely FREE!

2 | Volcano Show at Mirage

The Volcano show at Mirage is also another free night show that displays intense fire and explosions coordinated to music. Walking down the Las Vegas strip can keep you entertained and all without spending a dime.

3 | Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a must see. They have spectacular and seasonal displays that change every 3 months. If you want to get some great pictures with large sculptures or just walk through beautifully decorated floral paths then check out this spot. Oh, and it’s free too!

4 | Aquarium at Silverton

Silverton Casino offers a free aquarium with an abundance of fish, stingrays, and live mermaids to interact with guests on the other side of the glass. It’s a great place to bring your kids to spend a few hours in Las Vegas without spending a cent!

5 | Fremont Street Experience

Experience a free over head light show as a part of the Fremont Street Experience. It’s fun to just walk around and people watch. You will see a lot of street performers and characters. Use caution when bringing your kid’s there. Some people dress up in obscene costumes. Walking around Fremont Street can be fun too, check out the different souvenir shops, staple casinos, museums, restaurants, and more.

6 | Binion’s Casino

While you’re at Fremont Street, stop by Binion’s Casino to get you a free souvenir photo.They will take your picture with a huge stack of 1 million bucks. They give you the glossy 6×8 photo for free!

7 | Golden Nugget Casino

Have you ever seen a 61 lb gold nugget? You can see it at the Golden Nugget Casino in Fremont Street. It’s called the Hand of Faith.

8 | Welcome To Las Vegas Sign

You have to take your picture at the iconic Welcome To Las Vegas Sign.

9 | The Park

The Park is nestled in between New York-New York and Park MGM. It has a lively outdoor hangout spot where you can check out 40 ft tall sculptures, grab a bite to eat, enjoy live music, grab some drinks, and explore more art.

10 | Sunset Stampede Show

Check out a 10 minute water, laser, light, and sound show at the Sunset Stampede Show at Sam’s Town Hall and Gambling Hall.

11 | Streetmosphere

Experience Streetmosphere which consists of live outdoor entertainment of jugglers, singers, performers, stilt walkers, and living statues at the Grand Canal Shoppes

12 | Seven Magic Mountains

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

Check out the artwork in the middle of the desert called Seven Magic Mountains. It’s located near Jean Dry Lake and Interstate 15 about 10 miles from Las Vegas. These colorful boulders are stacked 30 feet high. It makes for some kool Instagram pictures.

13 | 3-D Murals

Get some trippy photos with 3-D murals at The Linq Promenade + Experience along with free night live entertainments with a light show.

14 | Chocolate Fix

Satiate your sweet tooth at M&M’s World . Do you want to see how chocolate is made? Get a free tour at Ethel M Chocolates & Cactus Garden plus you will get a free chocolate sample at the end of the tour.

15 | Circus Act

Check out a free Las Vegas Circus acts show at Circus Circus. The performances range from trapeze tricks, clowns, juggling masters, contortionists, and more.

16 | Forum Shops

If you love Roman inspired architecture definitely check out the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. It’s an awesome place to window shop at some luxury stores plus they have The Atlantis aquarium as well. It really is a pleasant experience just to walk around and marvel at the architecture, you’ll feel like you’re in another country.

17 | Lake of Dreams

Watch a free entertainment show called Lake of Dreams at the Wynn. View a spectacle light display against a 40 foot wall coordinated to music. It might be something your kid’s will enjoy.

18 | Coca-Cola Store

Get away from the Las Vegas heat and head to the Coca-Cola store where you can enjoy some refreshing Coke Floats and try 16 different international beverages. Don’t forget your picture with the notorious Coca-Cola polar bear.

19 | Flamingo Wildlife Habitat

Get away from all the noise, lights, and step into paradise at the Flamingo Wildlife Habitat in the Flamingo Hotel. There are also, swans, ducks, pelicans, turtles, parrots, koi fish, Sacred Ibis, and more.

20 | Las Vegas Strip

Put on your walking shoes and just explore the Las Vegas Strip. Take in all the lights and architecture of the casinos.

21 | Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam is a must see National Historic Landmark. It stands more than 725 feet above the Colorado River. It’s about 40 minutes from Las Vegas. You can see the Hoover dam for free if you park in one of the free parking areas and walk across the dam and marvel at it’s magnitude. There is a visitor center and tour of the dam itself and the price ranges from $15 and up if you want to learn more about the dam.

The cheapest way to get there will be to rent a car for your Las Vegas trip and scope out the Hoover Dam for free.

22 | Grand Canyon

If you go to Las Vegas then it’s a must to check out Grand Canyon. Marvel at the beauty and the magnitude of beautifully carved rock formations. Pictures do not give it justice as the sight will take your breath away. It’s a definite must see.

The Grand Canyon has 3 major parts. One is the West Rim which is closer to Las Vegas about a two-and-a-half hour drive. The admission is around $56 per person. If you want to take a tour bus the costs are usually doubled but that often includes the ride, admission to the park, and lunch.

The more cost effective way to go would be to venture to the North and South Rim since the admission is only $35 per vehicle. The downside is the long drive of around 5 hours to and from. People say the North and South Rim have more incredible views compared to the West Rim. I’ve been to the West Rim and was still amazed at the views.

Do you have any children in the fourth grade? You’re in luck! Fourth graders and their family can enjoy the parks for free here at everykidoutdoors. All you do is print the ticket and show it to one of the rangers there and you’re in.

The Grand Canyon is truly magnificent and a beautiful place to visit. Whether it’s the West, North, or South Rim, you won’t be disappointed.

Las Vegas can be full of adventure and fun while staying on budget too! There are tons of things to see and experience without spending a dime. Once you go, it will leave you planning your next trip back to Vegas. Remember, you can still have a blast and not break the bank. Las Vegas is the perfect place for that.

Thanks for reading and happy travels!

How To Get A Free 5 Night Cruise Vacation With Credit Card Points

Lifestyle, Money

How We Got Our First Time Cruise Trip For Free

We were able to land a 5 night cruise to Mexico for free. This was actually my first time going on a cruise and the best part was that we got a $963 cruise trip for free! How did we do this? We had the banks pay us to use their cards!

We were never great with credit cards.

As a matter of fact, 10 months ago we were paying minimums on 8 credit cards and owed $31,511 worth of credit debt. Not to mention we started off with $127,229 worth of debt but you can read more about that later.

Do you have debt and would like to get rid of it. Grab your free Debt Thermometer and join us in the free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp.

How To Get Credit Cards To Pay For Your Next Cruise

Credit cards. You can either love them or hate em.

At one point, I hated having so many credit cards because of all the overwhelming debt I was in.

Over the course of our debt paying process we learned how to get credit cards to be on your side. It’s all about the credit card points!

Some credit card companies offer 50,000 to 70,000 of bonus points for using their cards. In dollar equivalency, it usually amounts to $500-$700 more or less.

Instead of swimming in credit card debt, we turned it around and used credit cards the smart way, reaping all the benefits and perks. I’ll share with you exactly how.

Clear Credit Card Debt

How We Got Our First Time Cruise Trip For Free - Myfinancialhill

So remember when I mentioned we had $31,511 of credit card debt? I never thought we’d get out of it.

We kept digging ourselves into a hole and didn’t know what to do.

I was just one in many millions of Americans swimming in credit card debt. It turns out 70% of Americans carry at least one card and as a whole we are in 830 billion dollars of credit card debt alone.

It was hard to imagine a life without the use of credit. It’s just so convenient isn’t it?

Get whatever you want and need NOW and don’t worry, just pay a minimum each month.

Over time, the debt keeps piling up and the hole keeps getting larger and larger.

Next thing you know, you’ll be up to your head swimming in mounting debt which you can’t seem to get out of.

Yup, I’ve been there.

The worst thing that can happen is to fall victim of debt and to stay a victim.

Credit card debt is truly a dangerous thing. The interest on these credit cards are crazy!

I had some cards with interest rates as high as 28%.

For example, as mentioned above I had 8 credit cards totaling $31,511.

If I paid the minimum payments on all cards and only paid $1,200 a month at a 28% interest rate, it would take 42 months to pay with an additional interest of $17,752.

So it went from what I owed of $31,511 to $49,263 over 42 months. That’s a ridiculous amount of money to be paying to banks.

That’s how banks make money, they feed off the interest from consumers like you and me.

One day, my husband Chris and I said enough’s enough…

We were tired of paying only minimums and felt like we were getting nowhere with our debt. That’s when we decided to take control of our money and in turn we were able to get control of our lives.

Once we started knocking out card after card, debt after debt, I started to realize that credit cards can actually be beneficial. As our credit cards were disappearing, our credit scores kept rising, and we applied for great travel cards which have amazing bonus point offers.

The first thing we did before considering to even apply for travel rewards cards was to pay off all our credit cards. We were able to knock out all $31,511 of it within months.

The easiest way we got rid of all 8 credit cards within months was by using the Snowball Method. It’s a method where you list all your debts from smallest to largest, targeting the smallest balances and going down the list. Here’s a more in depth post about the Snowball Method you can check out to learn more about it.

By getting rid of all credit cards, our credit scores shot way up to the 800’s. After clearing the credit card debt, we use only 1 card at a time. We use the 1 card to pay for all our expenses and pay it off in full each month now.

We never carry over a balance anymore. This also helps to boost credit score like crazy.

Learn more about the steps we took to get our credit scores to the 800’s.

With higher credit scores, we naturally qualified for the best travel rewards cards. So far, we accumulated over 500,000 of credit card points which we use for free travel and excursions. We actually got our cruise with Carnival totally paid for using points. We also went to Vegas and had our flights and excursions paid for with points too!

Credit Card Points

If you qualify for some of the best travel cards then you can get hefty bonus points which allows you to use them either for travel or cash back.

There are tons of credit cards out there that offer significant amount of bonus points when you sign up with them. Some credit card companies offer 50,000-70,000 bonus miles. That is an equivalent to $500-$700 of bonus money when you use their card.

We’ve gotten great offers with some of the most well known credit cards out there.

Credit Card Points Received

Baryclays Arrival 129,966
Capital One Venture (His) 102,009
Capital One Venture (Mine) 57,534
Chase Sapphire (Mine) 87,836
Chase Sapphire (His) 68,909
Delta Skymiles 62,167
Total 508,421

For our first 5 night cruise trip to Mexico with Carnival, we used the points from the Barclaycard Arrival Plus. It is an awesome credit card that offers tons of free bonus miles.

Barclaycard Arrival Plus

Offers a whopping 70,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 in 90 days
2 points/miles for every $1 spent
$0 annual fee for the first year then $95 annual fee after
Unfortunately, it looks like Barclays discontinued the credit card offer. Don’t worry, there are plenty of other travel rewards cards out there
Total points accumulated 129,966 = $1,299

With the extra bonus miles on hand, we booked our first time cruise trip with Carnival Cruise Line (5 night cruise for two going to Mexico). The total for the trip came out to be $963.04. We had 129,966 points so in dollar amount that is about $1,299. We fully covered the full cruise price with the rewards points.

Capital One Venture

Offered 50,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
2X miles per $1
$0 annual fee for first year then $95 after
$100 credit for a Global Pass (makes traveling via air a lot smoother process for verified persons)
Total points accumulated 159,543 = $1,595

With this card we flew to Vegas for free, got two separate hotel bookings for 1 night each, flew my husband’s parents in from New York, and received the $100 for the global pass application. Overall, we used 102,009 points = $1,020 worth of points from this card within 1 year and we have 57,534 = $575 left.

Chase Sapphire

Offered 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
2X miles per $1
$95 annual fee in the first year
25% additional discount when booking through Chase site
Total points accumulated 156,745 = $1,567

With this card, we booked 2 separate two night stays at hotels, a Las Vegas show, and day trip for two to the Grand Canyon all within one year. We used about 87,836 = $878 so far and have 68,909 = $689 worth of bonus points left to use.

Delta Skymiles Gold

Offered 35,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
2X miles per $1
$0 annual fee first year then $99
Total points accumulated 62,167 = $621

We haven’t booked any trips so far with the Delta Skymiles Gold card so we are free to use 62,167 = $621.

Checking Accounts That Offer Cash

There are numerous banks out there now that want your business. Therefore, they are offering cash incentives for opening up checking’s account. Why not take advantage of that? It is free money!!

Currently we have opened up a Wells Fargo checking account, they are offering $400!

Wells Fargo Checking Offer

$400 bonus offer
$3,000 in direct deposit for each month for 3 months

TD Bank

$300 bonus offer
$2,500 in direct deposit within 60 days

Chase Bank

$200-$300 bonus offer
Direct deposit within 90 days of opening account

Things To Keep In Mind When Using Credit Cards for Points

So, of course nothing comes free. Especially when you’re dealing with banks.

Sure, some credit cards are offering 50,000-70,000 bonus points, but at what cost?

Well, they implement spending requirements to get approved for those points. They can range anywhere from spending $1,000-$4,000 within 3 months.

You don’t want to get into the trap of applying for a card and not being able to fulfill the requirement. This can leave you with even more credit card debt and no reward.

Tip 1 – Use Only 1 Travel Rewards Card For All Your Expenses

Expenses you can put on credit cards:

Food/Groceries
Home/Lawn Maintenance
Car Gas
Electric Bill
Cable/Netflix/Hulu
Home Security

You can practically put almost anything on credit cards now a days. Just be careful not to over spend on things that are not necessary in your life just to meet the requirements.

Tip 2 – Pay The Card Off In Full

This is the most important part of being in control of your money.

We had to learn the hard way. We never used to pay off our cards in full, that’s how we ended up with over $30,000 worth of credit card debt.

Don’t let this happen to you.

Use only one card for all your expenses and pay it off in full each month.

This will also help boost your credit score too!

Tip 3 – Boost Your Credit Score

Most of these good travel card offers gear towards those with good to excellent credit.

There’s a lot of ways to boost your credit score. For us, paying off all our credit card debt naturally helped bring our scores up to the 800’s.

Tip 4 – Get Rid Of All Your Credit Card Debt

Credit reward points are great and all but it’s not worth spreading yourself thin over.

The worst thing you want to do is put yourself in even more debt. This can happen if you have too many credit cards all over the place.

It would be a great idea to get rid of all credit card debt before signing up for travel cards.

That way, it can get you to focus just on one card at a time. This has helped us get over 500,000 in bonus points with 6 different travel cards.

We knocked out all our existing credit card debt and used one travel card only for all our expenses. Then after we accrued the bonus points, we moved on to the next travel card.

Focusing on just one thing is better than trying to handle multiple things at once.

You can find out how to knock out your debt fast with these 5 tips.

Tip 5 – Take Turns Signing Up For Travel Cards

This can work if you’re a couple. One of you can sign up for the first travel card. After you receive the bonus points, the other person signs up for a different card.

For example, Chris and I signed up for the Capital One Venture and Chase Sapphire cards at different times. That way, we were both able to get the bonus points.

This can work if both people have good-excellent credit scores.

By knocking out all our debt our credit scores rose from the upper 600’s to mid 800’s.

Key Takeaways

Instead of paying credit cards hundreds to thousands to use their cards, having them pay you instead can be awesome.

Who doesn’t like free money?

The bonus points can be used for free travel from cruises, hotel stays, vacations, trips, and even cash back.

However, it’s important to not fall into the trap of chasing bonus points when you’re up to your neck in credit card debt.

Reap the benefits that these credit companies are offering by doing it safely.

Focus on one travel card at a time, pay off the balance in full each month, and use those points for travel.

Using travel cards to use towards trips can be awesome. We chose to do this while we’re paying down our debt. Having to sacrifice fun just to be debt free doesn’t need to happen. You can have your cake and eat it too! That’s what we’ve learned.

Getting travel points can help to free up your money to do other things in life like pay down debt, invest, or save.

I hope these tips can be helpful for you to pursue your own travels without needing to break the bank to do it.

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