This mom of two hasn’t paid for an international trip in 10 years — here’s how she travels for free

Sally Edmonds has been on five international trips with her family over the past 10 years and has not paid a single cent for any of them.

The 50-year-old mother-of-two is “obsessed” with collecting loyalty points and has come up with a strategy that allows her to be on top of her points game — this includes staying up-to-date on the latest offers to ensure she earns points on all eligible transactions.

Edmonds is a member of Velocity — the frequent flyer program of Virgin Australia.

It takes about 18 months for the Velocity member to collect roughly 2 million points with her latest balance spent on an upcoming four week trip to Thailand with her family.

“I have two children (aged 16 and 11) with autism so traveling isn’t always easy,” Edmonds said. “But we have close family friends who travel with us who are comfortable and understanding.

“I am lucky I am able to use my points to also cover their accommodation and help keep their costs down.”

Edmonds’ points cover four Virgin economy return flights for her husband and kids, as well as accommodation for all those on the trip, including their five family friends.

Edmonds said if it weren’t for the points, the trip would have cost her roughly $15,000 — something she wouldn’t be able to afford.

“We just wouldn’t be able to do it,” she said. “Part of that reason is because of the needs of my children. They need specific types of accommodation that have appropriate facilities and accommodate their sensory needs.

“Usually the cost of those hotels tend to be higher.”

It’s also the reason the family have chosen to go to Thailand every two years, with their latest holiday marking their fifth “free” Velocity trip in 10 years.

“My kids are just extremely calm there and the Thais are just so comfortable around them — it’s beautiful.”

Edmonds, who has been a Velocity member for over 25 years, said she is always on the hunt for new deals and offers to maximize her points, ensuring that everyday purchases, like those from Coles, are aligned with Flybuys special deals to earn the most points possible.

The mom does most of her grocery shopping at Coles and home purchases at Bunnings as both retailers have partnerships with Flybuys.

She also has an ANZ visa card that earns Velocity Points, meaning if she is uses her card on top of the others, she can earn triple the points.

“As long as the prices are comparable I don’t care about the brand — it’s just which ever is giving me the most points,” she said.

She said her goal is to continue to fund a family holiday every two years, covering both flights and hotels.

Meanwhile, Sydney-based man Andy Hutton is also a savvy points collector.

The 40-year-old revealed he hasn’t paid for more than three flights in 10 years as he continues to travel the world for “free”.

Andy, who is part of six major airlines’ frequent flyer programs, was first introduced to collecting points after he moved from the UK to Australia a decade ago, marking the beginning of his high-flying life.

“I signed up to my first credit card — the Qantas Amex Ulimited Card — locked in the 120,000 points and secured my first business class seat to London via the UAE. The sign-up points got me a one-way business seat to Dubai,” he told news.com.au in February.

He currently has 600,000 points with 320,000 of those with Qantas alone.

Another Aussie revealed how he can also fly for free for the rest of his life. He has accumulated 25 million points over a period of 25 years.