Sunday, January 11, 2026
Written by Estefania Martinez Pardo. This guide is based on my personal experience traveling frequently while paying very little for flights by using credit card points and miles.
One‑Page Summary: How to Fly to Europe for $5
This guide is written for complete beginners. It assumes you have never used credit card points before and may not fully understand how credit cards work. Everything is explained slowly, clearly, and in simple language.
You do not need to be good with money to use this guide. You only need to be willing to learn the basics and pay your bills on time.
If you follow this guide step by step, you can reduce the cost of travel dramatically and, in many cases, fly for free or close to free. You do not need to understand everything on your first read — this guide is meant to be revisited.
Big picture, upfront: most people only need one credit card and one airline to do this. You do not need to do everything at once.
For most beginners, this is a 3–6 month process from opening a first card to booking a very cheap flight. It is not instant, and that is normal.
If you read through this guide, are seriously considering opening a credit card, and still have lingering questions, I’m happy to chat and help. Credit cards can feel intimidating at first, and sometimes it helps to talk things through with someone who’s already been through the process.
And if you do decide to apply for a United MileagePlus® credit card and found this helpful, you can use my referral link here: United Cards: https://www.referyourchasecard.com/215s/K6CF8AU5IZ
Chase Saphire Prefrred (100K and now is the time!) https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19x/XQAHEH12E5
If you are between the ages of 18 and 23, you should know that United offers special young-adult discounts that can sometimes be cheaper than using points.
Before I ever started using points heavily, I personally used these discounts to save money on flights. If you qualify, it is worth checking these discounted cash fares before using points.
Later in this guide, there is a full section explaining how these discounts work and how to activate them.
Everything in this guide is based on my personal experience.
I am a Chase credit card user, and the cards mentioned here are the ones I personally use. This guide is not sponsored, not affiliated with any bank, and not part of any paid partnership. No company has asked me to promote these cards.