⭐ How I Earn 20+ Free Flights a Year

Written By Julie Davis
How I earn 20+ free flights a year

The Lazy Girl System That Pays for (Almost) Every Flight I Take

If you’ve ever wondered how I fly so often without paying cash, this is the post that explains everything — the real system I use to earn 20+ free flights a year as a busy mom, without spreadsheets, complicated math, or extreme couponing.

I book almost all my flights on points — domestic, international, family trips, solo trips, cruises, and spontaneous adventures. This system works because it’s simple, repeatable, and built around everyday life, not constant travel.

This is the exact system I use, step‑by‑step, with real examples you can copy.

This post contains a mix of affiliate links and personal referral links. If you choose to use them, I may earn a small commission or bonus — at no extra cost to you. These help support No Point Left Behind and the free guides I create for busy moms who want to travel smarter without the overwhelm.

I only recommend tools, cards, and services I personally use, love, and rely on in my own travel‑hacking system.

⭐ What You’ll Learn

  • how I earn points without traveling

  • how shopping portals multiply points

  • how stacking works in real life

  • how I book flights for the fewest points

  • the weekly workflow that keeps it simple

💛 Why This Works (Even If You’re Busy)

I don’t earn points by “travel hacking full‑time.” I earn points by:

  • buying groceries

  • ordering birthday gifts

  • booking cruises

  • paying bills

  • shopping online

  • stacking deals

  • using credit card offers

  • letting browser extensions do the work

I earn points from everyday life, not from traveling.

That’s the Lazy Girl way.

⭐ Step 1: I Use the Right Cards (Not a Lot of Cards)

I don’t have 20 cards. I don’t chase categories. I don’t memorize bonus charts.

I use three types of cards, and that’s it:

  • Everyday card for all non‑bonus spending

  • Travel card for flights, hotels, cruises

  • Card with strong offers (Amex Offers, Chase Offers, Bank of America Deals)

This gives me:

  • flexible points

  • strong multipliers

  • easy redemptions

  • simple tracking

  • no overwhelm

If you’re brand new, start with Beginner Points & Miles.

⭐ Step 2: I Earn Points From Shopping Portals (The Lazy Girl Secret)

This is the biggest reason I earn so many free flights.

I never shop online without checking:

I don’t manually compare portals — I let the browser extensions pop up and tell me:

  • who pays more

  • which store has bonuses

  • where I’ll earn the most today

I click whichever is higher. It takes three seconds. And it adds up fast.

Real Example

This year alone, I earned:

All from everyday purchases I was already making.

If you’re new to portals, start with Shopping Portals 101.

⭐ Step 3: I Stack Deals (Without Doing Anything Complicated)

Stacking is how I turn one purchase into:

  • cashback

  • portal points

  • credit card points

  • bonus miles

  • statement credits

I don’t do extreme couponing. I don’t chase every deal. I don’t spend hours researching.

I stack only when it’s easy.

Real Example: Fanatics + Paze

  • Rove Miles portal

  • Paze promo

  • Credit card offer

  • Bonus category card

Result: cashback + miles + credit card points — for something I was buying anyway.

Full breakdown: Fanatics/Paze Deal

Real Example: Blue Apron

This stack literally paid for my Iceland flight.

  • Rove Miles portal

  • Blue Apron promos

  • Bonus category card

Result: enough miles for a free roundtrip to Iceland.

Full breakdown: Blue Apron/Rove Miles

⭐ Step 4: I Book Smart Redemptions (Not Fancy Ones)

I don’t chase “aspirational travel.” I chase value.

I book:

  • domestic flights

  • Caribbean flights

  • Europe flights

  • repositioning flights

  • cruise flights

  • family flights

  • last‑minute flights

I use:

  • Amex Membership Rewards

  • Rove Miles

  • Chase Ultimate Rewards

  • Airline miles

  • Hotel points

I book whatever gets me there for the fewest points.

⭐If you want to see how I used points to book a full Europe cruise trip, here’s my Mediterranean Cruise Guide.

If you’re brand new to booking flights on points

Start with my beginner guide: What It Means to Book Flights on Points It explains the basics in the simplest possible way.

Real Example: New Orleans

I booked our New Orleans trip entirely on points — flights + hotel — using simple redemptions.

Full breakdown: New Orleans Trip

Real Example: Holland America Cruise

I stacked a Chase Offer + portal + card points to save $300 and earn thousands of points.

Full breakdown: HAL Cruise

⭐ Step 5: I Stay Organized (But Only a Little)

I don’t use spreadsheets. I don’t track every point. I don’t obsess over expiration dates.

I use:

  • CardPointers to activate offers

  • Browser extensions to remind me

  • A weekly workflow to check tracking

That’s it.

If you want my exact system, here’s My Travel Hacking Weekly Workflow.

⭐ The Math: How This Adds Up to 20+ Free Flights

Here’s the real breakdown of how I earn so many flights:

✔ Everyday spending → flexible points

Groceries, bills, Target runs, Amazon orders.

✔ Shopping portals → Amex points + airline miles

Rakuten + Rove = thousands of points per month.

✔ Credit card offers → cashback + bonus points

Amex Offers, Chase Offers, Bank of America Deals.

✔ Stacking → triple or quadruple points

Portal + offer + bonus category + card points.

✔ Smart redemptions → low point cost

I book flights that give me the best value per point.

✔ Consistency → compounding

I do this every week, not once a year.

This is how I earn 20+ free flights annually — without doing anything extreme.

⭐ My Philosophy (The Lazy Girl Truth)

There is no wrong or right way to do this.

The cards that work for me might not be best for you. The redemptions I choose might not fit your family. The deals I stack might not be your deals.

But the system works because it’s:

  • simple

  • repeatable

  • flexible

  • beginner‑friendly

  • mom‑friendly

  • real‑life friendly

You don’t need to be perfect. You just need a system that works even when life is busy.

⭐ Want to Start?

Here’s the easiest path:

This is the exact system I use — and the one I teach inside the Busy Mom Travel Hacking Hub.

⭐ My Easy Benable List of Travel Hacking Tools

I’m a busy mom — I don’t have time to hunt down links or remember every tool I use. So I made a super simple Benable list with all my favorite travel‑hacking tools in one place.

If you want the exact browser extensions, apps, and tools I use to earn points, stack deals, and book free flights, here you go — easy peasy.

👉 My Travel Hacking Tools on Benable

Save it, bookmark it, share it — it’s the fastest way to copy my system without the overwhelm.

⭐ About Julie

I’m Julie — a former homeschool mom turned full‑time travel hacker. I’ve booked hundreds of flights, hotels, and cruises on points and miles, and I share everything I learn so you can travel more without spending more.

My mission is simple: make travel easier, calmer, and more accessible for everyday families — without spreadsheets or stress.

Julie Davis
Next

✨ Barcelona → Mediterranean Cruise → Rome