Melanie Lockert

Credit & Credit Cards Expert

I got my first credit card at age 28 and started carefully travel hacking. I’m very debt-averse and was worried about credit cards, but now I realize that when used responsibly, it’s helped build my credit score up into the 800s as well as lower my travel costs by taking advantage of free or low-cost flights and hotels.

Melanie Lockert is a freelance writer with nearly a decade of experience in the personal finance space. She is the founder of the blog and author of the book “Dear Debt” and paid off $81,000 in student loans. She has an M.A. from New York University and is an LA native based in Brooklyn, NY.