By signing up for credit cards with welcome bonus points my husband and I earned enough points to fly for free.  

Here’s how you can do it too.

Choose a reward program

There are many travel reward programs and many of them offer welcome bonus points through credit card signups. The key is to choose one program that is global and concentrate your efforts getting points with that program. We decided to go with Aeroplan because we already had points accumulated and found it had the most welcome bonus points promotions when doing our research. Plus, it’s part of the Star Alliance program and its member airlines are global.

Signing up for credit cards

There are many Aeroplan sign-up promotions. We decided to only sign up for credit cards that waive the first year fees. With each sign-up, you generally have to spend $1,000 - $5,000 within the first three months to earn the points. Because of this, we staggered our credit card applications over several months to make sure we could meet the spend requirements and pay off our credit card bills in full every month.

Here are all the Canadian cards we signed up for. If you're from the U.S, check out these credit cards. 

The American Express Business Gold Rewards Card

Sign up bonus points:  40,000+

Referral bonus points: 10,000 points for each approved referral up to 150,000 points / year

Points can be transferred 1:1 to Aeroplan, at no charge

Spend: $5,000 in the first 3 months

Fee: First year fee waived, $250 / year thereafter

Pro tip: after one of us applied for the card, we referred the other person to get the extra 10,000 referral bonus points.

Get this offer now

American Express Gold Rewards Card

Sign up bonus points:  25,000+

Referral bonus points: 5,000 points for each approved referral up to 75,000 points / year

Points can be transferred 1:1 to Aeroplan, at no charge

Spend: $1,500 in the first 3 months

Fee: First year fee waived, $150 / year thereafter

Income: $20k personal

Get this offer now

TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card

Sign up bonus points:  25,000+

Point breakdown: 15,000 on your first purchase + 10,000 when you keep your account open and active for 90 days + 5,000 when you add an authorized user to your account.

Note: It costs $50 to add an authorized user to the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card, however, the TD All-Inclusive Banking Plan (see below) gives you one free authorized user. This allowed us to get the added authorized user bonus points without the $50 cost.

Spend: Initial points earned on first purchase

Fee: First year fee waived, $120/year thereafter

Income: $60k personal or $100k household

Offer valid until December 2, 2016

Get this offer now

Bonus: TD All-Inclusive Banking Plan

Sign up bonus points: 15,000

Requirements:

• Active account for 3 months with a minimum balance of $5,000
• Plus, two of the following: (1) Direct Deposit (2) Minimum pre-authorized debit of $ 50 (3) Minimum $50 Canadian or US online bill payment through EasyWeb (or through the app)

Visit a bank branch for this offer

Where can you go with your miles

In total, we earned over 150,000 points each. Here’s the breakdown: 

150,000 can get you around the world for free. Here’s an example itinerary: Toronto ✈ London ✈ Delhi  ✈ Tokyo ✈ Vancouver ✈ Toronto. See where your miles can take you with the Aeroplan flight rewards chart.

What if I already have an Aeroplan credit card?

Even if you already have an Aeroplan credit card, you'll accumulate points a lot faster by signing up for a new credit card, likely with a new issuer with a welcome bonus promotion. Otherwise, you'll spend roughly $25,000 over 1-2 years to get 25,000 points.

What if I don’t spend $1,000-$5,000 in three months?

A clever way to hit the minimum spend requirement is to buy gas and grocery gift cards that don’t expire. It allows you to pre-pay your monthly expenses and ensures you hit the spend requirements.  

Will this impact my credit score?

There are many things that impact your credit score. The golden rule is to always pay off your credit card balance in full and on time. Don’t take any of these recommendations if aren’t able to pay off your full credit card balance every month or if the idea of all the administrative and tracking work makes your head spin. While this has the potential to have big rewards, it involves effort and time.

Learn more about what makes up a good score. Better yet, check and periodically monitor your credit score for free. If you’re in the US, you can see a similar post here. 

Note: The American Express links include our referral link.