How to travel first class around the world for free, according to an expert

Flying first class – with its butlers, personal chefs, and champagne on tap – used to be the preserve of people who say PJ to mean private jet and not private joke. But that’s changed. Travel hackers have discovered how to amass millions of free air miles to fly around the world in style. It’s called churning: repeatedly applying for credit cards that come with free air miles, and banking huge points. And how does it work?

Leading travel hacker Matt Pencer has over a million and a half air miles in the bank, and last year went on an around the world trip with his fiancée, business class, without spending a dollar on flights. He’s been in the churning game for years, and now shares his knowledge as a moderator on a churning subreddit. We interviewed him about how to get started as a churner. Full disclosure: Matt is also a data analyst at The Tab.

How to begin churning

“There are a bunch of credit cards in the US and Canada,” says Matt, “that if you sign up for, they’ll give you a bonus of 50,000 air miles. Some give it to you for free, others you might have to spend a bit on – so you can put your regular purchases through on the credit card for a few months, and then get your reward.”

Then, when you’ve collected your air miles, cancel the card, open up your next account, bank your air miles, and repeat. That’s how you churn.

What air miles can buy you

Roughly how much does a round trip across the States cost, on air miles?

“25,000 miles will buy you a round trip across North America,” says Matt, advising that the value of miles can often change. “And that’s just one credit card application! It involves going to a computer for five minutes, applying online, getting the card, and maybe putting your spending on that card for a few months. And then after a while, within a year, cancel the credit card.”

“50,000 points is enough for you and a friend to fly to Los Angeles from New York and back. Or you can apply for three cards and get 150,000 miles which is enough to fly business class to Asia and back.”

The destinations you can reach are amazing

Matt’s favorite trips that came from churning was an around the world ticket on business class. He flew from Montreal to Cairo to Istanbul to Bangkok and Cambodia to Beijing to the remote desert island of Palau, and then home. “It was an incredible experience,” he says. “My favorite destination was Palau – it’s this tiny island that’s normally super hard to get to. Flights from Bangkok, which is very close, are normally about $1000, but we went for free. Palau is serene – this amazing lake with perfect blue water, full of stingless jellyfish that you can swing among.”

He adds: “On the around the world ticket, we also checked out the Pyramids of Giza, Angkar Wat in Cambodia, Krabi in Thailand, and the Great Wall of China.”

The perks of flying first class are spectacular

If you can churn responsibly, the rewards are enormous. Matt describes the best part of his churning career was buying two first class tickets from Boston to Hong Kong for him and his fiancée. They would have cost over $20,000 – but with his air mile balance, he was able to pick them up for only $75 in taxes.

“That was my best ever flight – Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong,” he says. “You get your own suite: each was big enough to fit two people in. The service was amazing, there were six first class seats and two flight attendants. They set up a table for two and serve gourmet restaurant meals. you can order anything you want at any time. Anything! You wake up at two in the morning and say, ‘I want a burger,’ and they’ll bring it it to you. Duck soup, boxes of chocolate, ice cream in the early hours.”

According to Matt, an unexpected perk of flying with a single digit ticket number is the pajamas. “You get your own pajamas,” he says, “and they’re made of silk. I looked them up – they cost about $200. I still have them, they’re so nice.”

You can also buy hotel rooms and other experiences

Air miles can get you more than just free flights, says Matt. “I’ve ended up staying in fancy hotels for free – mostly SPG and Marriott hotels. They have their own miles and credit cards. I’ve had friends buy experiences, like concert tickets on miles too.”

And remember to cancel your cards before you have to pay the fee

The hard part, explains Matt, is keeping track of the cards and spending the right amount. Each card comes with different rules – some come with free air miles on signing up, others require a bit of spending in the first few months.

“Banks usually waive the credit card’s annual fee for the first year, so you’ll have to pay for your second year. But if you cancel after six months, you pay nothing.  So make sure you have a good system for remembering the terms to get the bonus, and then cancel after six months,” he says.

Also avoid paying interest, or you’ll be screwed

“The number one thing I should mention,” he adds, “is that credit card interest is how banks make all their money. Interest is the worst – you should never, ever carry a balance on your credit card. If you have a credit card you should be super responsible about what you can afford to pay off, and you should treat it like a debit card. Spend it and then pay it off in full at the end of the month. If you’re in debt, don’t play this game. It won’t end well. That’s why they offer these bonuses and hope people get hooked in.”

Only churn what you can handle

“Keep it simple,” advises Matt. “I go a little crazier, I maybe apply for 15 cards a year. And I also do it for my fiancée and my mother. So I combine them all for 45 cards – which can get you unlimited points, pretty much. I can fly anywhere I want, any class.”

A good place to start is with just one, he warns, and take it from there.

How to keep track of your miles

It’s crucial you have a hold on where your miles are, and what state your credit cards are in.

“There’s a site called AwardWallet, and it shows all your balances, and where you can keep an eye on them. I use a text file to keep track of the six month deadlines. It’s as easy as you want it to be, I do it to an extreme degree. I spend four or five hours a week doing this, it’s sort of a hobby for me. You have to have a good head for numbers and personal finance. But with one hour of work to get two free flights to California, it’s worth it.”