It’s safe to say, we all are trying to save money. It’s also safe to say, we all want to go on vacation and travel. How can you plan your next trip and save money?

We can guarantee to save you at least $200 on your next trip! Keep reading to learn my secret as well as more money-saving travel tips. 

Since the Dominican Republic is our wheelhouse, this article will be geared to travel to and around the most visited island in the Caribbean. However, these travel tips will be helpful no matter where you decide to go on your much-needed getaway.

Save Money As You Plan

The money-saving tips start as soon as you sit down to plan your next vacation. How do you decide when and where to go on vacation? For many, this part of the process stops people in their tracks. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the options. Many decide to go to a place they have been before or where their friends have gone. This greatly limits your possibilities and you could be missing out on an amazing deal and adventure!

WHEN TO TRAVEL?

Your key to a good deal is flexibility. My go-to tool for finding flights to my next destination is Skyscanner. Skyscanner allows you to keep your destination and dates relatively open to find when the best deal is to travel. You can search prices on Skyscanner by month instead of specific dates to find the best price. 

One day I was using this feature just for fun (Yes, I do travel research for fun in my spare time) and found one-way tickets from the Dominican Republic to Barcelona, Spain for $99! I booked it immediately and planned the rest of the trip later. 

WHERE TO TRAVEL?

If you have decided on a country, the Dominican Republic, for example, use Skyscanner to see which airport you can find the best deal with. Using the same flight search area, instead of “Everywhere” in the To field, type the country. This will list all of the airport/city options and the prices for that country. This feature will help you narrow down your vacation area.

Don’t book anything yet! Next, you will have to do some research. Yes, I said it, the “R” word! Research travel areas around the airport with the best flight deals. For the Dominican Republic, we can help you out with that. Check out the graphic below to see a map of airports in the Dominican Republic and how far they are from popular destinations.

Once you have narrowed down an area. The only thing left to do is search for accommodations. With all-inclusive resorts, high-end hotels, boutique B & Bs, glamping, and camping, the Dominican Republic has everything you could want. If you are coming to the deep south, we have a post just for you. If Bahia de las Aguilas is on your to-do list, this post will help you find the best place to stay. 

For the majority of our travels, we enjoy staying at Airbnbs for convenience. We find that by staying at a place that has a kitchen, we can save money by cooking some of our own meals. Check out our post that will easily guide you through finding the perfect Airbnb every time!

Now that you have the when and the where at the best price point, how can you save even more money?

Save Money with Credit Card Bonus Offers

Anytime you are making a large purchase… think house appliances, home or vehicle repairs, or…travel, it’s a good time to look for credit card bonus offers.  

If you are one of those people that have had the same one credit card since you were 18, I can understand the hesitancy. Credit cards are not as scary as you may think though, and you can use them to your advantage if you know what to look for and you have a plan to pay off the balance. We are here to guide you through it. Learn below the difference and benefits of cash back (or a statement credit), airline bonus miles and the DOUBLE BONUS OFFER!

CASH BACK OFFERS

Many credit card companies offer a cashback bonus. This means you get cashback after you spend a certain amount in a designated time frame. You can choose to have this money deposited in your checking account or use it as a statement credit. Lower a $500 credit card bill to $300 instantly and save $200!

Cashback offers generally require a lower necessary spending amount than airline mile offers. Here are two excellent cashback credit card offers that come with other perks that we at Cliff and Cove use personally*:

CHASE FREEDOM UNLIMITED

Spend $500, get $200 cash back (direct deposit into bank account or statement credit)

Annual fee: $0

Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of every transaction

Travel Perks: 5% cash back on travel purchases made through Chase; 1.5-3% cash back on other purchases. Trip cancellation/interruption insurance; Travel and emergency assistance services; Auto rental collision damage waiver and more!

CAPITAL ONE QUICK SILVER

Spend $500, get $200 cash back (direct deposit into bank account or statement credit)

Annual fee: $0 

Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Travel Perks: 5% cash back on travel purchases booked through Capital One Travel; 1.5% cash back on everyday spending; 
Travel accident insurance; Auto rental collision damage waiver and more! 

AIRLINE BONUS MILE OFFERS

Another sort of credit card bonus comes from airline points or miles. Similar to cashback, after you spend more than a certain amount in a designated time frame, you receive airline miles in your mileage account for future use. Do not underestimate the value of this offer. The miles could equate to hundreds of dollars in savings for future travel. 

DOUBLE BONUS OFFER TIP: When booking airfare directly from an airline’s website, a BONUS OFFER that includes a statement credit + airfare bonus miles may be offered. If there is a credit card offer available to you, it will prompt you to apply before purchasing the ticket.** The bonus miles are usually lower than the regular offer, but you see the savings of the statement credit, which results in immediate savings.

Here are a few of the current credit card airlines miles offers with airlines we have used to travel to the Dominican Republic. (Updated January 2023)**

UNITED EXPLORER MILEAGE PLUS (VISA)

• Bonus miles: 60,000 miles after spending $3,000 within 3 months

• Annual fee: $0 for the first year, then $95

• Travel perks: Free first checked bag; $100 statement credit for Global Entry, TSA Pre-check or NEXUS every 4 years; 2 United Club one-time passes each year; No foreign transaction fees

DOUBLE BONUS OFFER WHEN BOOKING AIRFARE: $250 statement credit after your first purchase. Plus, earn 25,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 on purchases within 3 months.

CITI/AADVANTAGE PLANTIUM WORLD ELITE MASTERCARD

• Bonus miles: 50,000 miles after spending $2,500 within 3 months

• Annual fee: $0 for the first year, then $99

• Travel perks: Free first checked bag for domestic flights for you and up to 4 travel companions

DOUBLE BONUS OFFER WHEN BOOKING AIRFARE: $200 statement credit after your first purchase. Plus, earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 on purchases within 3 months.

DELTA SKYMILES GOLD AMERICAN EXPRESS

• Bonus miles: 65,000 miles after spending $2,000 within 6 months (offer ends 8/2/2023)

• Annual fee: $0 for the first year, then $99

• Travel perks: Free first checked bag

DOUBLE BONUS OFFER WHEN BOOKING AIRFARE: $200-$300 statement credit after your first purchase. Plus, earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases within 6 months.

JET BLUE PLUS MASTERCARD

• Bonus miles: 10,000 miles after spending $1,000 within 3 months

• Annual fee: $99

• Travel perks: Free first checked bag for the cardholder and up to 3 companions; No foreign transaction fees

DOUBLE BONUS OFFER WHEN BOOKING AIRFARE: $250 statement credit after your first purchase. Plus, earn 15,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases within 3 months.

CITI/AADVANTAGE PLANTIUM WORLD ELITE MASTERCARD

• Bonus miles: 50,000 miles after spending $500 within 3 months

• Annual fee: $89

• Travel perks: Earn a $100 flight voucher after one year after spending $2,500 in purchases; No foreign transaction fees

DOUBLE BONUS OFFER WHEN BOOKING AIRFARE: $200 statement credit after your first purchase. Plus, earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months.

FREE SPIRIT WORLD ELITE MASTERCARD

• Bonus miles: 50,000 miles after spending $1,000 within 3 months

• Annual fee: $0 for the first year, then $79

• Travel perks: $100 companion flight voucher

Enjoy Your Travels!

You are now equipped with money-saving travel tips that have saved me hundreds if not thousands of dollars over the years. Go and book your next vacation with the confidence that you are getting the best value for your money. Get cashback or miles for future travels with these tips. 

If you plan on exploring the southwest of the Dominican Republic, you can’t miss our 5-day Road Trip itinerary, Santo Domingo to Bahia de las Aguilas. It covers all of the highlights that people travel from all over the world to see! 

Have fun planning and traveling! Tell us in the comments where you want to vacation next!

* The following links are referral links. We receive a referral bonus for approved accounts. ** These credit card offers are subject to change. Please review the application link to see if the same offer applies. All credit card offers are subject to credit card companies. To be approved for a credit card, legal residence and credit score are subject to approval for each offer.   *** Closing a credit card could lower the amount of your overall credit score. For tips on improving and maintaining a good credit score, go here.