I Got 10 Free Flights Using Credit Cards to Pay for Home Repairs

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Home repair costs are an unpleasant part of homeownership that no one enjoys. Even if you have savings set aside for unexpected expenses like I do, withdrawing your hard-earned money to pay for a big ticket repair isn't much fun.

A few years ago, my husband and I had an unpleasant surprise the first time we tried to turn on our air conditioner in the spring. Our HVAC unit was broken, and it was time for a new one. The replacement cost plus labor was a little north of $8,000. Ouch! But I paid for it with a rewards credit card and earned 10 free flights in exchange. The cost was unavoidable, but these three moves helped us minimize the pain.

1. Fund a Savings Account

Fortunately, my husband and I have a general savings account we use for these types of surprise expenses. A good high-yield savings account is the first key to my success when it comes to earning valuable credit card rewards.

As a rule, if I don't have the money to pay a charge in full, I don't use my credit card. I know that if I charge more on a credit card than I can afford to pay off by the statement due date, I'll have to pay interest. Credit card interest is notoriously high. But because I knew I could pay off my credit card bill for the HVAC expense in full, I was able to earn rewards before doing so.

Recommended High-Yield Savings Accounts

Bank Account	APY	Features	Learn More
BrioDirect High-Yield Savings Account Open Account	4.85% More Info *Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is variable and is accurate as of 11/15/2024. Rate is subject to certain terms and conditions. You must deposit at least $5,000 to open your account and maintain $25 to earn the disclosed APY. Rate and APY may change at any time. Fees may reduce earnings.	$5,000 min. deposit No monthly fee	Open Account
Axos ONE® Savings and Checking Bundle Open Account	Up to 4.86% More Info Earn up to 4.86% APY on savings, and 0.51% APY on checking when you meet requirements.	No minimum deposit No monthly fee	Open Account
SoFi Checking and Savings Open Account Member FDIC Member FDIC	0.50% - 4.00% More Info SoFi members with Direct Deposit or $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits during the 30-Day Evaluation Period can earn 4.00% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the stated interest rate. Members without either Direct Deposit or Qualifying Deposits, during the 30-Day Evaluation Period will earn 1.20% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Only SoFi members with direct deposit are eligible for other SoFi Plus benefits. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 12/3/24. There is no minimum balance requirement. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet.	No minimum deposit No monthly fee	Open Account
CIT Bank Platinum Savings Account Open Account	4.35% More Info Earn 4.35% APY on balances over $5,000. Balances of less than $5,000 earn 0.25% APY. Annual Percentage Yield is accurate as of December 20, 2024. Interest rates for the Platinum Savings account are variable and subject to change at any time without notice.	$100 minimum deposit No monthly fee	Open Account

2. Ask to Pay With a Credit Card

Rather than paying for the HVAC bill with the funds in our savings account, I asked the repair company if they accepted credit card payments, which they did.

Businesses have to pay merchant processing fees to accept credit card payments from customers. So not every service provider will let you pay for home improvement costs with a credit card. In my experience, though, many service providers do accept credit cards. In the past, I've paid for a roof replacement and other major home repairs with a credit card as well. so it's worth asking.

Recommended Credit Cards

Credit Card	Rewards Rate	Annual Fee	Bonus Offer	Learn More
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Apply Now	1x- 5xPoints More Info Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.	$95	60,000Chase Ultimate Rewards Points More Info Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,380 (60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points * 0.023 base)	Apply Now
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Apply Now	1x - 2xPoints More Info Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.	$69	$400 statement credit + 40,000 pts.Southwest Rapid Rewards Points More Info Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent:	Apply Now
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card Apply Now Rates & Fees	2%Cashback More Info Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.	$0	$200Cash Bonus More Info Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.	Apply Now Rates & Fees
Citi Custom Cash® Card Apply Now Rates & Fees	1% - 5%Cashback More Info Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2026.	$0	$200Cash Bonus More Info Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.	Apply Now Rates & Fees

3. Get the Right Sign-Up Bonus

My husband and I weren't in a rush to replace our HVAC unit. So, we both had time to to apply for a new credit card to cover the HVAC costs. Why open two new rewards cards? We wanted to take advantage of sign-up bonuses to maximize our rewards-earning potential.

After researching the best rewards credit card sign-up bonuses, I found a popular airline credit card was a good fit for us. Back then, the card featured a welcome offer of 30,000 bonus miles plus a Southwest Companion Pass® for the remainder of the year after meeting the spending requirement—$4,000 in eligible purchases within the first three months from account opening.

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How I Got $3,800 Worth of Free Flights

At the time of this story, I was still a travel rewards credit card beginner. Yet despite my inexperience, my husband and I earned 10 free flights that year by paying for our home repair with a credit card. Here's how it worked:

1. We earned two credit card sign-up bonuses: As mentioned, we earned 30,000 Rapid Reward Points each and two coveted Southwest Companion Passes. The spending requirement for each bonus was $4,000. So we split our $8,000 home repair bill and paid for it with our two new cards.
2. Our rewards redemption saved us $1,700: My husband and I cashed in around 60,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points for two free domestic plane tickets. With our Companion Passes, our two children joined us for free. (We each paid around $10 for taxes.)
3. We used our Companion Passes for six more free flights: In addition to that initial trip, our family of four took three more flights that year. Each time, our two children flew for free. We got an estimated $2,100 in additional value out of those six free flights.

In total, our family enjoyed around $3,800 worth of free travel thanks to the rewards we earned paying for our home repair with credit cards.

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Why I Use Credit Cards for Almost Everything

I pay for every expense possible with a credit card. That includes day-to-day spending, monthly utilities (when accepted) and major expenses like home repairs. Once, I even bought a car with my credit card. And I use a credit card to pay for medical bills too.

There are three reasons I pay for purchases—both big and small—with a credit card:

• To earn rewards: You can probably guess the first reason from this story. I like earning credit card rewards for the things I need to buy anyway.
• To get better fraud protection: Credit cards protect me better than cash or debit cards because they come with price protection and let me dispute fraudulent charges when needed. And if I lose my card or someone steals it, my personal liability is capped at a much lower level thanks to federal protections.
• To build credit: My credit card issuers report my account history to the three credit bureaus each month. As long as I keep my credit utilization levels low and my payments on time, those credit cards help me maintain good credit that I can rely on when I need to apply for new financing in the future.