Travel hacking for beginners: 10 starting points
Travel hacking is using points + miles to fly + sleep nearly free. These 10 starting points get you to your first 'free' return flight in 6-12 months.
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Start with one airline alliance
Pick one alliance and stick with it: SkyTeam (KLM/Air France/Delta), Star Alliance (Lufthansa/United/SAS) or Oneworld (Iberia/British Airways). Spreading your points across all three kills their value - concentration is what gives them worth.
For travellers flying from Amsterdam Schiphol, SkyTeam is almost always the logical choice: it is the KLM hub, and you accumulate qualifying flights faster. If you fly budget airlines (Ryanair, easyJet) exclusively, those routes earn no alliance miles - factor that into your decision.
Sign up for the loyalty programme
Flying Blue (KLM/Air France), Miles & More (Lufthansa) and Avios (Iberia/British Airways) are all completely free to join. Download the app and enter your membership number with every booking, including partner flights and code-shares.
Flying Blue also accepts miles on Transavia flights (same parent group), which creates extra opportunities. Important: miles expire after 24 months of inactivity. One small partner transaction per year keeps your account alive.
Credit card with sign-up bonus
The fastest way to accumulate a large number of miles quickly: a credit card with a welcome bonus. In the Netherlands the best options are the ICS Visa Gold with 20,000 Flying Blue welcome miles (75 euros per year) and the American Express Membership Rewards cards (welcome bonuses up to 50,000 points, but typically require a higher income).
Always check the minimum spend to unlock the bonus and the annual fee. Rough calculation: 20,000 miles minus 75 euros card fee is worth a return Amsterdam-Paris via promo. Read the fine print carefully.
Spend your daily expenses through the card
Pay groceries, fuel, restaurants and subscriptions through your miles credit card: 1 mile per euro is the standard earn rate. Pay the card in full every month - at 15-20% annual interest, carrying a balance wipes out your benefit within weeks.
Practical for the Netherlands: Albert Heijn, Jumbo and most petrol stations accept Visa. Some markets and smaller shops do not take Amex. Using a phone wallet? Set your miles card as the default payment method in Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Promo deals and flash sales
Flying Blue Promo Rewards appears every month on a fixed date and offers 30-50% off award flights to specific destinations. Sign up for the newsletter and set a calendar reminder for Wednesday or Thursday around 12:00 - popular routes can be gone within an hour.
Beyond Flying Blue, it is also worth following Avios promotions: British Airways regularly runs 2-for-1 deals for credit card holders. Compare both programmes for the same route, as the value per mile varies significantly by destination and season.
Award flights: find the sweet spot
Not all miles are equally valuable. The best redemptions from the Netherlands: European short-haul in economy via Flying Blue Promo (8,000-12,500 miles), return North America in business class (50,000-60,000 miles + approx. 100 euros taxes - representing a cash value of 1,500-3,000 euros per ticket), and return Asia in business class (70,000-90,000 miles).
Economy long-haul via miles is generally poor value: you pay 60,000 miles for a seat that costs 500 euros in cash. Miles shine in business class, not in economy.
Hotels: concentrate on one chain
Pick one hotel loyalty programme and build status: Marriott Bonvoy (Marriott/Sheraton/Westin/AC Hotels), Hilton Honors or IHG One Rewards (Holiday Inn/Crowne Plaza/InterContinental). All programmes are free to join.
After just 10-25 nights per year you reach Silver or Gold status, earning you late check-out and occasional room upgrades. Marriott Bonvoy is the largest chain and has properties at smaller European holiday destinations too. Compare the coverage at your favourite destinations before choosing.
Stack: hotel points and airline miles together
Through the Flying Blue Marketplace you can book hotels and receive both Marriott or Hilton points AND Flying Blue miles for the same stay. This is called stacking.
Always compare the marketplace price with the direct hotel rate: sometimes it is identical, sometimes slightly higher. KLM cargo, car rental via Sixt or Europcar and certain partner retailers also count. Small transactions keep your account active and prevent miles from expiring.
Status matters more than points
Lounge access is the most visible benefit of status holders: free food, drinks, quiet workspace and fast wifi at airports like Amsterdam Schiphol, Paris CDG and Frankfurt. Flying Blue Silver (25 qualifying nights or 2,500 euros spent per year) grants access to KLM Crown Lounges at the gate.
Gold (50 qualifying nights or 5,000 euros) gives worldwide lounge access. Calculate honestly: if you fly fewer than 6-8 times per year for business, status is not cost-effective to achieve through flights alone. Lounge passes via a premium credit card are then more economical.
Beware churning and your credit file
Churning - opening multiple credit cards for welcome bonuses and then cancelling them - is risky in the Netherlands. Every credit card application is registered with the BKR credit bureau. Too many applications in a short period lowers your creditworthiness and can complicate a future mortgage or loan application.
Guideline: open at most 1-2 new cards per year, wait at least 12 months between applications, and check your BKR profile at mijnkredietoverzicht.nl. Cards you no longer use: cancel them rather than keeping them open.
Common beginner mistakes
- Letting miles expire Flying Blue miles expire after 24 months without activity. A small transaction - even a partner purchase or miles transfer - extends the expiry date. Set an annual calendar reminder.
- Opening all cards at once BKR registration can limit future credit. Open at most 1-2 cards per year and pay every month in full. Interest eliminates any benefit within 1-2 months.
- Redeeming in economy on long-haul For a flight that costs 500 euros in cash, you pay 60,000 miles. In business class the same flight costs 3,000 euros: then 60,000 miles are worth 60 cents per mile. Miles only make sense for business class or promo routes.
- Not comparing with booking in cash Always check whether the award flight is genuinely cheaper than a sale fare. Ryanair to Dublin for 29 euros vs. 8,000 miles plus 50 euros in taxes: cash wins.
Updated 4 October 2026
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What is travel hacking and is it legal?
Travel hacking means using publicly available tools, promotions and booking strategies to pay less than the standard rate. It is completely legal. It includes: booking on the right day of the week, using airline miles and credit card points, combining booking platforms for lower prices, and using price-alert tools to catch sales. No tricks, no exploitation of system errors.
What is the best free travel hacking tool for beginners?
Google Flights is the most powerful free tool: use the "Explore" view to see the cheapest destinations from your airport, enable price alerts for specific routes, and check the price calendar to find the cheapest travel dates. Hopper (app) predicts whether prices will rise or fall and tells you when to buy.
How much can you save with travel hacking?
Beginners typically save €100-€300 per year on flights by booking on the right day (Thursday is often 10-16% cheaper than Sunday), using price alerts, and flying shoulder-season. With airline miles and credit card points (intermediate level) savings of €500-€1,500 per year are realistic for frequent travellers.
When is the cheapest day to book a flight?
Tuesday and Wednesday are typically the cheapest booking days in Europe. Airlines load sales on Monday evening, which get picked up by comparison sites on Tuesday. Flying on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday is also cheaper than Friday-Sunday. Combine both: book on Tuesday for a Wednesday departure.
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