USA and Canada flights tickets to Morocco can be expensive. They can cost at least $700 for each passenger. If you are traveling with a family, the cost adds up pretty quickly to a few thousand dollars. I travel to Morocco to visit with my family, and I need a way to reduce my out-of-pocket costs. After doing some research, I stumbled upon a way to travel for free. I’m sharing the details here.

The way to do it is to leverage credit card bonus points. The idea is to open a credit card that offer large bonus points, then use those points to book free travel: airplane ticket, car rental and hotel reservation. In this post, I will focus on two major credit cards and how you can use them to get free travels. Interested in FREE travel ?. Read on.

Chase Sapphire Preferred 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is probably the first credit card to consider. Currently, it is offering 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in 3 months. It is designed to work for travelers, both frequent and casual. It can benefit both the points and miles expert and someone just starting out. With a $95 annual fee, it’s not an expensive card. This makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred the number one card you should consider getting right now. 

If you get this card and the 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points, this translates to $750 free spending in travel rewards (flights, hotels, and car rentals). Consider this: “Pay $95 annual fee and get $750”. I think it’s a pretty good deal.  After a year, if desired, you can change your card to a Chase Sapphire Reserve (instead of Preferred), assuming you want the benefits that come with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. If you don’t need the card, then change it to a no-fee card like the Chase Freedom or Chase Freedom Flex. Basically, the $95 annual fee can be managed after the first year if you choose so.

My experience with Chase Sapphire

When I applied for the card two/three years ago it was offering 80,000 Miles after spending $4000 in 3 months. If you don’t think you will hit the $4000 requirements, you can plan in advance, like not opening the card until you have big items that you will be purchasing. Another alternative is to ask a friend who has big items to buy. Use the card and get reimbursed for the money. Some banks accept the use of credit cards for mortgage payments, as well as some landlords for house rentals. In all cases, with some planning, the $4000 threshold spending can be managed.

I used the accumulated points to book a FREE two-way ticket from Montreal (Canada) to Casablanca. The used points were 54,1016 points, equivalent to $675.20, the normal price of the ticket, if I had to pay for it. My out-of-pocket cost for this trip was $0. 

On my return flight from Morocco to the USA, I landed in Montreal at 7h50 pm. I decided to book a hotel room to rest and then drive from Montreal back to my home in the USA. The hotel room’s normal cost was $103.20. Using 8256 points, my cost was, you guessed it right$0 :). 

I love traveling and love it more when it’s free. Apply now and get your free flights.

Capital One

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a one-time bonus of 60,000 Miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. It gives 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. This card comes with an annual fee for $95.

I applied and got this card. After 3 months of using the card for regular expenses (food, gas, insurance, etc.) I hit the $3000 card usage requirements. I got the 60,000 Miles ready to use. Again, with some planning, I think you can hit the $3000 threshold. When I received the 60,000 Miles, I did not have any travel plans to Morocco. I just kept using the card for my regular expenses. For every $ spent using the credit card, one gets extra miles in addition to the 60,000 Miles bonus. Eventually I accumulated 100,000 Miles over a period of time.  I traveled to Morocco at the end of 2019, planning for a 5 month stay. 

Covid-19 pandemic hits and my 5 month planned period got extended to more than 1 year. After 1 year, I was ready to get back to the USA and I needed an airline ticket. I logged on to my Capital One account and my 100,000 Miles were there waiting for me. Using the portal, I simply booked a one-way flight from Marrakech to New York. The cost was 68,000 Miles. I had the Miles, so I went and used them. My out-of-pocket was $0. Free ticket. 

If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment in this post.