A lot of couples find themselves in a situation when they barely can afford to pay for the wedding, let alone the honeymoon. My husband and I actually had to skip our honeymoon because we didn’t have the money for it, like, at all. But at the time, we didn’t know we could get a honeymoon for free! So, it’s only fair I share this trick with you, now that I know about it. And no, it’s not cheating or fraud but a totally legal way of handling your wedding budget. Be smart about your wedding vendor payments and get the best benefits of your credit card bonuses.
Most payments to the wedding vendors are made via credit cards, and we’re usually talking about thousands of dollars. The average wedding budget in the US in 2021 was $22,000. No matter if your budget is $5,000 or $100,000, you can still get nice credit card rewards if you plan your finances smartly.
You will pay for your wedding anyway, so why not have a few bonuses out of it. And here are 5 easy steps you need to make to get a free honeymoon. And you won’t have to pay a single extra cent to get the bonuses you so need.
Step 1
Research the market. What do different banks in your area offer? What can you get out of using a particular card?
Step 2
Determine what bonuses you need for your honeymoon. If you’re going to fly somewhere, you need bonus miles; if you just want to stay in a fancy hotel in your city for a romantic weekend, you need hotel points; if you prefer shopping to traveling, you need a card with a large cashback, etc. And those couples who want a free honeymoon will need all of the mentioned.
Step 3
Plan your payments throughout the wedding prep. You won’t make all of the payments during one week – you’ll most probably give deposits to the venue and to some vendors, you’ll buy the wedding attire months before the wedding day, and so on. Make a rough plan of your wedding expenses – when and how much money you’re going to transfer.
Step 4
Getting just one credit card will give you only so many bonuses, so you’ll need a few cards, each with certain rewards necessary for your smart plan to have a free honeymoon. But the timing has to be right – it might take some time to issue a credit card, so make sure to already have it when the payment is due. Use different cards for different payments, according to the conditions for bonus offers.
Example
Card #1 bonus offer: Spend $1,000 in purchases on your new card in your first 3 months and earn 40,000 bonus miles.
Card #2 bonus offer: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening.
Card #3 bonus offer: Earn an additional 1.5% cashback on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
Card #3 could be used as the main account for your wedding money, most of the payments made from it and 1.5% cashback received. Buy wedding clothing and accessories with card #2, make sure you spend at least $3,000 to earn some bonus points you’ll pay for a hotel with. And pay your wedding photographer or put a few deposits in the amount of $1,000 to get some bonus miles for your flight to the honeymoon destination.
Step 5
Make payments and get credit card bonuses. Find out the details so that you have the optimal advantage. For example, your free air miles or hotel bonuses usually have a specified time when you can use them. You might even have to postpone your honeymoon a bit, but who cares when you’ll have it for free?! If it’s either not having a honeymoon at all or having it for free 6 months after the wedding, guess what’s the right choice is?
Be smart and creative about your wedding payments, research your options, plan everything, and you will be rewarded with a list of bonuses that’ll make your life easier and happier. Start your married life with a romantic honeymoon that costs you none. And again, it’s a totally legal and smart strategy.
