How I was able to fly FREE from NYC to Vietnam [Saved $1,403 in flight cost!]

Working smarter will always beat working harder...

[NOTE: This advice is tailored for those utilizing credit cards. If you don't use credit cards or face credit issues, this information may not be relevant to your situation. Proceed only if this is applicable to you and your circumstances as an American credit card user.]

(How society views us travel hackers. Go ahead and keep thinking that bro Lol)

Being able to defeat the credit card bosses of debt not so long ago, I officially made credit cards my bitch.

After enduring years of exorbitant fees, it's now rewarding to see credit cards putting money in my pocket through free cash back, complimentary hotel stays, and most notably, cost-free flights.

Indeed, as the title hints, I secured yet another flight from NYC to DOH (Qatar) to SGN (Vietnam) without spending a dime. Moreover, I managed to save not just on cash out of pocket but also on points.

I spent $0 for what was supposed to be a $1403 (in cash) one-way flight from NYC to Vietnam

Here’s how I did it…

However, before delving into the nitty-gritty of how I snagged this incredibly affordable deal with minimal points and no cash, it's crucial to understand what you're diving into with international travel.

Because if you fuck up, you end up with headaches. Get shit right the first time.

So, here's a comprehensive checklist to ponder before you book any international flights:

1. Do you have a valid passport that’s about to expire within the next 6 months or less?

   1. Do you possess a valid passport that will not expire within the next 6 months? If the answer is "Yes," great. If not, act promptly:

      • International travel necessitates a passport with at least 6 months of validity remaining. If your current passport is approaching expiration (within the next 6 months), take action to renew ASAP.

      • I encountered the scenario above after returning from recent travels, prompting me to apply for a 52-page passport book well in advance (approximately 6 months before my intended travel). Remarkably, this upgrade came at no extra cost.

      • Verify the expiration date on your current passport. If it's within the 6-month window, initiate the renewal process. The last thing you want is travel plans hampered by an expiring passport. Take proactive steps to secure a valid one in time.

2. Does the country you plan on traveling to require a VISA for entrance? If so, how many days can you apply for a maximum duration on a normal tourist VISA? What’s the cost of the VISA? Is it online accepted only or can I do a VISA on arrival?

   1. VISA Necessity:

      Determine if the country you intend to visit requires a VISA for entry. VISA regulations vary by country, so ensure you're aware of the specific requirements.

   2. VISA Duration and Cost:

      Find out the maximum duration for a tourist VISA, its associated cost, and the process for obtaining it. Make a note of any fees you might need to pay.

   3. Online Application:

      Check if the VISA application can be completed online. Many countries now allow online VISA applications, making the process more convenient.

   4. Vietnam's VISA Update:

      As an example, let's consider Vietnam's VISA policies. There has been a recent change shifting from a single monthly tourist e-VISA to a 90-day e-VISA. This is relevant to my travels, aligning perfectly with my plans (quite a fortunate coincidence).

   5. VISA on Arrival:

      Note that Vietnam does not permit VISA on arrival for Americans. Therefore, it's imperative to complete the VISA application process online and avoid any errors. The country of your desired destination will have different rules applied.

   6. Accuracy Matters:

      Remember, accuracy is vital during the application submission. Each applicant typically gets only one attempt to avoid mistakes. Any errors may necessitate reapplication, incurring a $25 fee for each rejected application. So, exercise diligence and accuracy when submitting your VISA application.

3. What’s your reason for traveling? Why are you going in the first place? For how long? What’s your purpose for going to the country of your desire? Are you on vacation/holiday OR work reasons OR a mix of both?

   1. Clarify Your Travel Intentions:

      Clearly articulate the purpose of your travel and why you're embarking on this journey. Whether it's for leisure, work, exploration, or a mix of both, having a clear intention sets the stage for effective planning.

   2. Determine Duration and Purpose:

      Decide how long you plan to stay in the desired country and what you aim to achieve during your stay. Is it a short vacation, an extended work trip, a cultural exploration, or perhaps a blend of various experiences? Knowing this helps structure your itinerary.

   3. Plan Accordingly:

      Tailor your travel plans in line with your purpose. This ensures that your activities, destinations, and overall experience align with your intended goals, making the trip more fulfilling and enjoyable.

   4. Account for Flexibility:

      While having a structured plan is crucial, allows for flexibility. Travel experiences can unfold unexpectedly, and being open to spontaneity can lead to memorable moments and exciting discoveries.

   5. Collaborate and Discuss:

      If traveling with others, ensure everyone is on the same page regarding the purpose and expectations of the trip. Collaborative planning and open discussions will contribute to a cohesive and satisfying travel experience.

   6. Big-Picture Vision:

      Aim for a big-picture vision of your journey, even if not every detail is set. Having a clear idea of the adventure you seek ensures that your travels are purposeful and aligned with your goals. You really don’t want to be throwing shit at the wall and hoping it would stick.

   I’m not sure what is it with Americans, but every time they see that you’re jet-setting across the globe, they automatically think that you just took a 2-week off from your job to enjoy sipping coconuts at the beach and also getting railed on the balcony of the 47th-floor 5-star hotel in Ibiza. Why can’t it be that I’m trying to live like the locals while working on my laptop and embracing the local lifestyle as if I actually live there?

So these 3 brainstorming questions are something I highly recommend you write out and have answers to, or otherwise just continue to throw shit on the wall until you actually wake up.

Free flights for the credit card warriors ONLY:

Disclaimer: This advice is tailored for American users and may not apply to all readers.

You MUST:

1. Have a 100% payment history towards your credit cards (even if it’s a minimal payment). If you are below 100% then your chances to earn excellent credit cards are slim.

2. Have a credit score above 720-750 (ideally).

3. Have an overall credit utilization below 15%. This showcases responsible credit usage and positively impacts your credit score.

4. Having a long credit history. I would recommend having a credit history of as far as 5 years minimum. Otherwise, you can utilize leverage but this is a whole article for another time.

5. Have a small/sole-proprietorship business based on anything that brings in revenue/sales/income. A “sophisticated” business is not required.

The reason for these 5 criteria is absolutely necessary because you’re essentially being rewarded for being a responsible borrower, so banks will reward you handsomely.

Why the fuck would the banks just give you free shit while you are not paying your debt obligations?

So master the credit card game and you will get your rewards as an American. (Sorry. But this doesn’t apply to non-Americans).

5/24 Rule (Very Important Rule):

Let's delve into a crucial aspect of mastering the credit card game - the infamous 5/24 rule.

In simple terms, the 5/24 rule is a fundamental guideline to grasp, especially when dealing with Chase credit cards. The rule stipulates that if you've acquired and opened more than five credit cards within the last 24 months, you'll be deemed ineligible to apply for certain Chase credit cards.

For those aiming to harness the powerful benefits of Chase's credit offerings, staying below this 5/24 threshold is vital. Essentially, it's about strategically managing your credit card applications, considering the impact on your hard inquiries (the number of credit card applications made), and aligning them with this rule. So, you better hope you’re below 5/24.

Even at the time of this writing, I’m still below 5/24. I am 2/24 with a total of 13 credit cards under my name.

I have 2 other players on my team that I’m leveraging, and those two players are 0/24 and 2/24.

With a 3-player team. We are all below 5/24. A well-coordinated team in the world of credit cards, all strategically positioned below the infamous 5/24 rule. It's an ideal setup, a credit card dream team.

We have so much leverage as a team that our earning potential is ridiculous and I can’t imagine which card I would like to work on next. But with careful planning on what cards we wish to work on, we have to know which cards we are applying for and the reason for choosing those cards. Same as traveling, you need a plan. Otherwise, continue to throw shit at the wall as always.

If, unfortunately, you've exceeded the 5/24 threshold, there's a silver lining. Once a card ages beyond 24 months, bringing you back to 4/24, a world of business credit cards unfurls before you, unaffected by the 5/24 rule.

“This is one HACK that they don’t want you to know”: Business credit cards do not affect your 5/24!

So since I’m below 5/24, I can apply to unlimited business cards and still be 2/24. Any personal credit cards will be +1 on my 5/24. So this is why having a plan is so essential.

You can add personal credit cards to add +1 to your 5/24, but you should absolutely make sure that it’s worth it for you.

Points that fund the jet-setting lifestyle:

Let’s assume you got enough signup bonus with Chase Ultimate rewards points. It’s finally time to do award booking research.

With Chase UR points, you have several transfer partners to transfer points to, or just use the Chase portal to book. (Chase portal being the least popular due to some restrictions)

Those transfer partners are:

• Aer Lingus

• Air Canada

• Air France

• British Airways

• Emirates

• Iberia

• JetBlue

• Singapore

• Southwest

• United

• Virgin Atlantic
  
  If you wish to book from any of these transfer partners from Chase, the value is 1:1, so you won’t lose any valuation when transferring but you are unable to transfer back to Chase in case you want to reverse the transfer, so make sure of this.

This is where you will need to search through all these transfer partners and with the Chase portal to see how many points, which times are best for you, the layovers, the duration of the layover, the total duration of the trip, red-eye flights, different classes, baggage allowance, available dates, etc.

Let’s take a look at my search Inquiry:

Okay. I’ll explain my thinking process of the flight itinerary I ultimately ended up choosing out of millions of options available.

It’s a nice problem to have when you have enough points to book free flights, but also have the luxury of choosing flights based on preference.

So. I needed a booking based on these somewhat strict criteria (your preference does not have to match mine):

1. Departing during the daytime. Not after midnight.

2. Having a layover of less than 7 hours. I don’t want to be stuck in any airport for such a long period of time unless I have lounge access (which I don’t have the moment)

3. Arriving at my destination in the morning/afternoon time. Who would want to arrive during the nighttime?

4. Spending less than 60,000 Chase UR points on a one-way flight. This is a fairly good spend value to go across the globe. Anything over is overly priced (in my opinion)

5. Economy class, unless the premium experience is exceptionally worth the points spent.

6. No more than 1 layover on this flight. 2+ layovers are annoying and unnecessary. Unless you have long layovers to explore at those layover locations or have a hotel stay.

Because I was approved for my VISA first, I had the power to start booking flights with confirmation.

NOTE: Never ever book any flights until your VISA is 100% approved first, otherwise you’re shooting yourself in the foot. Trust me, bro.

Tireless Searching:

So after getting approved for my VISA on my first try, I looked at every single transfer partner to spend my Chase UR points, but at the time, there were no flights that were within my strict criteria.

There was a tempting offer: JFK to MIA to DOH to SGN for a mere 48,000 Chase UR points. Yet, the two layovers didn't sit well with my preference for efficiency and shorter waiting times. Spending 7-10 hours in airports, navigating odd departure times, wasn't my idea of an ideal journey.

I was so close to booking this flight because the other flights with 1 layover at DOH, Qatar were over 70,000 Chase UR points. However, I decided to wait a few more days to see the fluctuating prices change and the newly added award seating. I had an instinctive gut feeling to wait it out and not rush my decision just yet.

NOTE: You may get excited after getting VISA approval to start being able to finally book flights for free, but don’t let your own excitement make the final decision for you on a sucky flight. Because you will see a better flight right before you actually fly out and you will regret it deeply. I almost did this.

The miracle of patience:

Because I actually decided to wait. I told myself during that night that I was just too tired to make a decision now, so I’d wait until the next day or so to see if there were more opportunities that were far better and cheaper in points.

Low and behold, I was able to wait nearly 24 hours and found the perfect flight that matched 100% what I was looking for:

From JFK to DOH to SGN, flying on Qatar Airways economy with a 3-4 hour layover in DOH, Qatar then straight to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving at 8:00 in the morning.

The cost? 56,832 Chase UR points. Right below my 70,000 Chase UR target. I found a beautiful catch. But this is a deal that I had to scoop up immediately because these seats go fast. It can come back, but it’s too risky considering the time left I had to depart.

So thankfully with the miracle of patience, I was able to lock in this perfect flight.

(56,832 Chase UR points valued at $710.40 for a one-way flight from NYC to SGN)

Valuation of Chase points versus available public flights:

Let’s look at the points value of the flight in comparison:

When redeeming Chase UR points through the Chase portal via [ONLY] Chase Sapphire Preferred, every single point is worth $0.0125. Not too bad.

So 56,832 Chase UR points x $0.0125 = $710.40 cost of the one-way flight from NYC to SGN.

After booking this flight, I was curious to know what was the cost of the same exact flight but for the public to purchase with money.

Intrigued by this, I decided to explore what this flight would have cost if purchased outright by the general public. To my amazement, the same flight for the public now commanded a whopping cost of $1,403 USD!

Why is it so expensive now compared to my $710.4?

Here are a few logical reasons that I’ve observed:

• Flight Price Fluctuations: Flight prices are akin to shifting sands, changing by the day. It's a dynamic dance of supply and demand that creates this variability. Maybe I got lucky but it’s because I was hawking the flight options like crazy.

• Algorithmic Influence: Behind the scenes, clever algorithms manipulate prices and seat availability. It's a subtle game of chess, adjusting to demand and optimizing the airline's revenue.

• Chase Portal Perk: When using the Chase portal through Chase Sapphire Preferred, points have an automatic boost of +25% in value. If you opt for Chase Sapphire Reserve, this boost elevates to a striking +50%. These perks sweeten the deal, often justifying the annual fees associated with these cards.

(the same flight I booked is publicly available but for nearly double the cost of what I got it for; although I didn’t pay a penny for it.)

Making the math make sense:

So how much did it “cost” or the effort it took to earn these points?

Considering the Chase Sapphire Preferred with an annual fee + 2 more Chase business ink cash cards with a total sign-up bonus earnings of 340,000 Chase UR points:

Cost: $95 in annual fees + $0 in interest fees.

Cost Analysis:

• Annual Fees: $95 for Chase Sapphire Preferred

• Interest Fees: $0 (as we're being financially savvy!)

Benefits Gained:

• Total Sign-up Bonus: $4,250 (340,000 Chase UR x $0.0125)

• Annual Hotel Credits: $50

• Additional Cashback and Perks: Numerous, too many to detail

Effective Value:

• +$4,250 (Sign-up bonus) + $50 (annual hotel credits) - $95 (annual fee) = +$4,205

But let's magnify the advantages. Especially, when coupling this with a business strategy like leveraging Chase Ink Cash cards. Businesses naturally incur expenses; hence, meeting a spending goal for rewards becomes more achievable.

So if I needed to spend $6000 in 3 months to earn $900 in free flights, then it becomes easy to do. This is why having any type of business is super beneficial in the credit card game.

So, considering, that I saved myself $710.40 for a one-way flight to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, imagine what else I can put that money to do for myself instead:

• I could invest that $710.4 into the S&P 500 contributing to my retirement and FIRE goals.

• I could reinvest $710.4 into current business ventures or other new types of businesses like this blog.

• I could donate that $710.4 to someone in need.

• I could give that $710.4 to the parents.

• I could throw $710.4 into put options on a wheel strategy to gain some extra income.

• Finance a month or two of living expenses in Vietnam, enhancing my experience.

What’s next from here?:

As I prepare to sip coconuts under the warm sun while fellow New Yorkers brave the cold winters back in my hometown, my journey takes an exciting turn.

The path ahead is painted with diverse cultures, languages, new friendships, and a life lived in a geo-arbitrage manner. This isn't just a temporary escape; it's a strategic step towards my long-term goal.

I do plan on moving abroad in the near future while maintaining my USD income and taking advantage of the FEIE tax benefits.

This has been my long-term goal while on my FIRE journey and I am absolutely obsessed with it.

This is why I became an expert in some of the fields of finance, mindset, and philosophy that help contribute to my success so that hopefully, I’m able to inspire others as well.

If you're interested in collaboration or have questions, reach out via email at gallonlabs@gmail.com or connect with me on Instagram.