FAQs

         Are you now tempted to replicate Cedric’s results on your own but still have concerns about the process? Don’t worry. I will address your apprehensions below. I will discuss about credit score health, credit card annual fees, value of points and miles, and how to redeem them.

         Credit score health: As briefly mentioned above, Wedding Photographers credit card companies look at your credit report every time you try to obtain new credit. Many people believe that applying for a credit card can only harm your score, but that is not necessarily true. While your credit score usually has a 2-5 point drop with a new credit inquiry, you can propel that number back up by being a responsible spender. There are many things factored into your score, such as timely payments of the full balance, utilization rate, and length of credit history. Getting new credit cards is only a very small part (<10%) of the equation. As long as you are being responsible with your spending and payment, you can keep getting new credit cards with exceptional sign on bonuses.

         For instance, after getting over 20 credit cards and obtaining over 1 million points in the past few years, my credit score has never been higher. My Transunion score is currently at the highest it has ever been, 810 (out of 850), according to a free credit score provider, Credit Sesame (700 or above is considered a good score). I have enjoyed trips to Iceland, Germany, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Hawaii, and other locations using the points I have accrued. This definitely demonstrates the public’s misunderstanding of how credit scores work. Come aboard and take advantage of amazing sign on bonuses.

         Credit card annual fees: Most cards that you apply for in the U.S. waive the first year fee, even when the sign on bonuses are 50,000 points or more. You should not be put off by the fact that “you might forget to cancel a year later” and have to pay the second year’s annual fee. You are getting a free flight out of a simple credit card application! There are a few things you can do to avoid the annual fee after the 1st waived year:

         1. Banks are lenient on the fee deadline. If you “forget” to pay and see the fee on your statement, you generally have about one billing cycle to waive the fee. Simply call or send a secure message to your credit card issuer. If the bank does not waive the fee, you can always cancel it then to have the fee reversed.

         2. You can also downgrade your credit card to a no annual fee option from your fee-paying card. This allows you to keep your credit and relationship with the bank, which is beneficial for future card applications. You can also do this through secure message or phone call.

         Value of points and miles: In the frequent flyer world, we always ask ourselves what each mile or point is worth. Advanced points junkie definitely need to know this. For us, we can look at it in a simpler way.

         1. Flights: If a typical flight from U.S. to South America in business class is $2,700 round trip, and it costs 85,000 miles plus tax to redeem that flight, then the 85,000 miles is worth $2,700 minus the tax. With this conversion, instead of considering how many points you gain, you can focus on how much you save.

         2. Hotels: The value you get from hotel rooms are a lot easier to calculate because there is no tax involved when you redeem your award stay with points. In other words, if you redeem a $400USD per night stay at the Grand Hyatt Berlin for 15,000 Hyatt points, then you would have saved $400USD. A similar concept goes with award night certificates issued by banks. One award night certificate is worth a night’s stay at the Grand Hyatt Berlin.

         Redeeming points and miles: Once I receive all the points and miles in my account, how do I redeem them?

         1. Flights: Most airlines have made it somewhat user-friendly on their websites for customers to redeem points. For example, on the American Airlines (AA) homepage, type in all the information you need, such as departing city, destination, and travel date, and click on the “Redeem Miles” button to display the award availability on your desired flights (I have attached a screenshot of AA homepage so that you know where the button is).

         One important thing to look out for is most airlines provide saver awards and standard awards, in which standard awards are usually double the miles of saver awards, if not more. For example, New York to Lima, Peru costs 30,000 AA miles for one way business class ticket in saver award, and the same ticket costs 65,000 AA miles for standard award. While standard award flights are more widely available compared to saver award flights, the miles required to redeem standard awards are so much more that it is not worth it to redeem standard awards. Stick to saver awards as much as you can so that you are using your miles more efficiently.

         2. Hotels: Similar to airlines, you can search for available hotel rooms at their respective hotel sites. In order to redeem hotel rooms using your points, simply go to a hotel chain website, such as Hilton.com (where the reward program is called HHonors), input your hotel location and duration of stay, and click “GO.” A list of Hilton-branded hotels will pop up on the screen, and you can click on the “use HHonors Points” box to see which hotels allow you to use your points. If you have hotel night certificates, you would have to contact Hilton (or the equivalent hotel chain) to redeem the award nights. Below is a screenshot of where you should go in order to see the points required for each hotel.

 Conclusion

         Whether you are just engaged or the midst of your wedding planning process, thanks for downloading and I hope you enjoyed this guide and gained new insights on how to attain an expensive, luxurious honeymoon without breaking the bank!

         As a token of my appreciation for staying with me till the end here, I have created 3 FREE AWESOME VIDEOS for you on honeymoon travels using points and miles. It dives into greater detail about all the things I talked about in this book, including credit card maintenance, dealing with credit card denials, and how to best utilize your credit cards in different types of wedding expenses. There will also be cheat sheets on things to remember and spreadsheets for you to use for planning the most amazing honeymoon. In addition, I will teach you how to maximize the points you earn, from getting free flights on top of free flights to savings in car rental and transportation. Lastly, I will also share my steps with you on how to maintain this lifestyle after your honeymoon. Simply click HERE. Enter your email and you will receive the free videos in your inbox shortly!