1. Research Africa

So, I'll start out by saying that Black Panther was a great film, I've seen it three times, and Wakanda Forever. Now that we've established we're kin, let's get down to business. During the opening showing of Black Panther we did a livestream video together with I Love Being Black. During that video we asked people that were waiting to see the movie, many of whom had on African clothing, if they could name 5 African countries... many could not.

Africa has more countries than any other continent so how come we don't know more? Yes, much of mainstream media will make you believe that Africa = The Badlands with lots of Ebola, not enough food, and... savages. That argument doesn't hold as much weight in the information age, though. We can literally Google "images of downtowns in Africa" and voila, stereotype-busting images flood our monitors in 0.62 seconds (try this link for fun). So, before you get free flights to Africa, maybe start by researching which countries you want to go first (yes I want you to make a list) then move on to step #2.

2. Points And Miles

What are points & miles? Points are a measure of how much free stuff you can get. I'm serious. The more points you have the more stuff you can get, including free trips, rental cars, hotel rooms, food, gadgets, etc. The points I'm referring to are generally housed by a bank that you have a credit card with. Each time you use that card, you get points. Sometimes there are bonuses and multipliers so you can earn points faster, I'll get to that later. The credit card points are similar to the large grocery store loyalty points you get for buying coconut milk and whatever else you buy... except credit card points can get you free flights to Africa, and just about anywhere else, too. I'll be using mine this December, 2018 for the #ExperienceSouthAfrica Tour!

Miles are similar to points but instead of being housed at a bank that you have a credit card with, they are housed at an airline that you have a frequent (or not-so-frequent) flier account with.

Great, so how do I get 'em? Well that's the million dollar question isn't it? It's simpler than you think but you may not like what I'm about to tell you... you need to sign up for a credit card. Yes I know, I know, credit cards are bad, right? Wrong. But won't signing up for a credit card hurt my FICO score? Not exactly true... sure, it will almost always ding you for a hard credit pull; but what people don't tell you is that if you pay your bills in full and on-time your score will surpass where it was previously. Don't believe me? I currently have an 815 credit score with over 10 open credit cards. Believe me.

If you're still reading this, pat yourself on the back, I'm sure I just lost some folks. That's ok, the ark wasn't built for errybody. Moving along. The bank with the best credit card offerings is most definitely Chase. Their cards offer high point bonuses, extra insurances, fair annual fees, and great security. Next I'll tell you about two of my favorite cards that I currently have.

3. Great Cards

** I do receive miles for referring you to this offer **

In general, from the US it costs about 80,000 airline miles for a roundtrip flight to Africa (for the sake of speed let's just take this as a fact even though there are times when it's either more or less than 80k). Many cards that get you miles or points also come with a signup bonus that you receive once you spend a minimum amount on the card within the first 3 months of having it. Still with me? Good. Check out these two cards:

1) Chase Sapphire Reserve [SIGN-UP LINK]

• 50,000 points sign-up bonus after min. spend, worth $750 in travel if used in the Chase portal

• 3x points for travel & dining purchases

• Points worth 1.5¢ each

• Transfer points to miles with: British Airways, Air France/KLM, Iberia, Singapore Airlines, Southwest, United, Virgin Atlantic, Korean Air

• Insurances included: Trip delay, baggage, travel accident, car rental, purchase protection, extended warranty protection, roadside dispatch, etc

• Receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry and TSA Pre✓

• FREE access to 1,000+ airport lounges worldwide with Priority Pass Select

• Pay no foreign transaction fees

• $300 annual travel credit

• Annual fee: $450 (but this is really only $150 after the aforementioned travel credit)

• Minimum spend to receive bonus: $4,000 in 3 months

2) Chase Ink Business Preferred [SIGN-UP LINK]

• 80,000 points sign-up bonus after min. spend, worth $1,000 in travel if used in the Chase portal

• 3x points for travel, shipping, internet/cable/phone, advertising purchases

• Points worth 1.25¢ each

• Transfer points to miles with: British Airways, Air France/KLM, Iberia, Singapore Airlines, Southwest, United, Virgin Atlantic, Korean Air

• Insurances included: Trip delay, baggage, travel accident, car rental, purchase protection, cell phone protection (up to $600), extended warranty protection, roadside dispatch, etc

• Pay no foreign transaction fees

• Annual fee: $95

• Minimum spend to receive bonus: $5,000 in 3 months

I like both of these cards because they have unique benefits that complement each other. If you have both cards you are able to use the points from the Ink Business Preferred Card at the redeemable rate of 1.5¢ each instead of 1.25¢ each by transferring the points to your Sapphire Card. This would make the 80k points from the Ink Card worth $1,200 instead of $1,000 :). Cards like these are essential when searching for free flights to Africa. And for those of you worried about if you need to have a business to the the Ink Business card, you don't. This new line of credit can be for a new business you plan to start. Solved. You will have a better chance of being approved if you have a good, very good, or exceptional credit rating.

Make sure you only put normal expenses on your credit card and pay off the debt in full every month. If you need to pay your rent/mortgage with your credit card you can even do that using Plastiq; it's worth the 2.5% fee if you need this charge to reach your minimum spend.

4. Booking A Flight

Once you satisfy the minimum spend, your free flights to Africa are almost here. You have 2 choices, transfer 80,000 points to a partner airline (the ones mentioned above) or book directly on the Chase portal. If you can find a flight that is less than the dollar equivalent of 80,000 points in the Chase portal it's best you book it there, especially because you will earn miles if you book via the Chase portal (but not if you transfer to an airline).

For example, I found a flight on my Chase.com account for $959 roundtrip from San Francisco to Johannesburg for the Experience South Africa tour.

• Option A: I could transfer 80,000 points to United Airlines account and book the flight there
• Option B: Or, using my Chase points it would only cost me 63,933 points ($959 / 1.5 * 100 =63,933) instead of the full 80,000, and I'd accrue miles when I actually took the flight

The verdict is... option B.  I would most definitely book the flight in the Chase portal because I'd use less points and also accrue miles when I took my flight. So, I invite you to join me in one of your favorite countries on the continent because not knowing about where we're from or how to get there affordably is a terrible combination.

**Any questions? We offer points and miles coaching and a bunch of consulting options. Contact us here. Free flights to Africa... here I come :)

FREE FLIGHTS TO AFRICA