How I've Taken 6 Business Class Trips for Free

There is a reason that so many viral travel posts are all about business class: Because it rocks. Seriously, my worst business class experience was still better than my best experience in coach -- and by a wide margin.

What doesn't rock is the cost of flying business class. If you fly to and from major hubs, during the off-season, with very flexible dates, you might be able to find flights under $1,000. But more often you're going to pay $2,500 and up, each way.

Now, I'm doing alright, but I've definitely never had $2,500-per-flight money to burn. (Heck, after buying a house, I don't want to spend more than 10% of that!) So, how have I still managed to fly business class half a dozen times? Rewards points, my friend.

The potential power of points

With the right rewards points and miles, I can travel in business class for free. (Note, it's technically not entirely free. Any award flight will still require you to pay certain taxes and fees in cash. This can be from as low as $5.80 in basic taxes, up to a few hundred in fuel surcharges.)

Every major airline has its own frequent flyer rewards program. You can use the currency from that program -- usually called miles, sometimes called points, we often use the terms interchangeably -- to pay for your flights.

For example, a one-way business class flight in March from Boston to Paris on United would cost me about $3,500. Or I could pay 88,000 United miles and $5.60 in taxes. Hm, let me see…

Exactly how many miles it takes to pay for a flight will vary based on a lot of factors, so I always research well ahead of time to find the best award options. Once I've selected an airline, I figure out the most efficient way to earn rewards in its frequent flyer program.

Earning rewards without flying

Once upon a time, you could only earn airline frequent flyer miles by, you know, flying with that airline. It was mostly designed to reward business travelers for brand loyalty. I spent a lot of time in the air this year, but I don't normally fly enough to earn a significant number of miles.

Thankfully, I don't need to fly to earn miles. You can accrue hundreds of thousands of airline miles without ever leaving the ground just by using the right travel credit cards.

Airline rewards cards come in two flavors, each with its pros and cons.

Cobranded airline credit cards

These cards represent a partnership between an issuing bank and a specific airline. You earn airline miles on your purchases that go right into your frequent flyer account. Cobranded cards often include other airline perks, like free checked bags.

Here are a few popular cobranded airline cards:

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (see rates and fees)
• United℠ Explorer Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
• Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®

Transferable rewards cards

These cards are issued by a bank and earn rewards in that bank's rewards program. Those rewards can then be transferred to a partner airline and turned into frequent flyer miles. Each program has its own set of partners. Transferable rewards cards offer more flexibility but may not include the branded perks.

Some of the top transferable rewards cards include:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express (see rates and fees)
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees)
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Citi Premier® Card

Tens of thousands of miles in just a few months

Although the purchase rewards from airline credit cards can be valuable, it's really the welcome bonuses we're after. A credit card welcome bonus, sometimes called a sign-up bonus, is a big pot of rewards given to a new cardholder when they reach a certain spending requirement.

For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a standard new cardholder welcome offer of 75,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

In general, the larger the bonus is, the more you'll need to spend to earn it. Even so, I don't apply to a card when only the standard offer is available. Instead, I'll look for an elevated offer, either through another browser or with a referral link. Some of the best welcome bonuses I've gotten over the years netted me more than 100,000 points each.

Each issuer has its own rules for how often you can earn a welcome bonus, so be sure to do your research ahead of time to ensure you're eligible. (As someone with a huge card collection, this is something I have to watch carefully.)

Worth a bit of hustle

There's no magic code or website to get free business class flights. It takes a bit of hustle. Depending on the trip, it may take several welcome bonuses and a few hours of flight research.

If you're the sort of person who doesn't care how they get there, as long as they do, then it's probably not worth it for you. Tolerate your coach flight and enjoy your destination.

However, if you, like me, believe your vacation starts as soon as you walk out the front door, then business class is definitely worthwhile -- as long as you can pay for it with points!