|
Credit cards are the easiest and most efficient way to earn points for free travel. I know that the sign-up bonuses alone from the 16 cards I currently keep have yielded me over $40,000 in free travel over the past eight years!! And that doesn’t even include the points I earn from spending money on these cards (probably another $10,000). So yes, the annual fees do add up, but honestly, it always ends up being a fraction of the money that I have saved over the years on travel. Another theme that you will notice is that the perks of each credit card usually negate the annual fee anyway. In next week’s post, I will write about all the do’s and don'ts around credit cards, as well as the many myths and FAQs people love to discuss. But for now, here are the 16 cards I currently have in my wallet, and more importantly, the reason I keep each of them! PERSONAL CREDIT CARDS (in order of most used to least used) American Express Gold Card Annual Fee: $250 Do I actively use this card? YES Why do I keep it? It’s one of the best cards out there for earning points on groceries and restaurants (4x points). It also gives me $10 each month to use on GrubHub and another $10 a month on Uber. It’s my most used card! Capital One Venture X Annual Fee: $395 Do I actively use this card? YES Why do I keep it? It is my primary card for purchases from Amazon, Costco, Target, Walmart, Retail Stores, and Gas. It also comes with a priority pass membership (airport lounge access), Global Entry/TSA Precheck credit, and $300 plus 10k points each year to use towards travel. Chase Freedom (replaced by Freedom Flex) Annual Fee: $0 Do I actively use this card? Occasionally, when bonus categories are gas, groceries, Amazon, etc. Why do I keep it? 5x points on rotating categories every three months. Chase Freedom Unlimited Annual Fee: $0 Do I actively use this card? Occasionally Why do I keep it? It’s my backup card for purchases from Amazon, Target, Walmart, Retail Stores, Gas Stations, etc. (If I am trying to earn a lot of Chase points) Chase Sapphire Preferred Annual Fee: $95 Do I actively use this card? Occasionally, only when AMEX isn’t accepted at restaurants Why do I keep it? I’m not entirely sure, you do get $50 of hotel credits each year. Maybe it’s time to replace this card, but only because it’s redundant to some of the other cards in my wallet. Chase Hyatt Annual Fee: $95 Do I actively use this card? NO Why do I keep it? Free night each year at a Hyatt hotel worth between $150–$300, discoverist status with Hyatt Chase Marriott Boundless Annual Fee: $95 Do I actively use this card? NO Why do I keep it? Free night each year at a Marriott hotel worth between $150–$250 American Express Marriott Brilliant Annual Fee: $650 (used to be $450) Do I actively use this card? NO Why do I keep it? $25 dining credit each month, free night each year worth between $400–$1000, free platinum status with Marriott. However, now with the new annual fee, I won’t be keeping this card for long, especially because I rarely stay at Marriott properties American Express Marriott (no longer available) Annual Fee: $95 Do I actively use this card? NO Why do I keep it? Free night each year at a Marriott hotel worth between $150–$250 Chase IHG Premier Card Annual Fee: $99 Do I actively use this card? NO Why do I keep it? Free night at an IHG hotel each year worth $100–$200, free platinum status, global entry/TSA credit every 5 years, $50 United Airlines credit/yearly, IHG 4th night free when you book with points Citi ThankYou Preferred Annual Fee: $0 Do I actively use this card? NO Why do I keep it? It’s my oldest credit card, so it helps with my credit history and credit score BUSINESS CREDIT CARDS (in order of most used to least used) Chase Ink Preferred Business Annual Fee: $95 Do I actively use this card? YES Why do I keep it? Earns 3x points on all travel related purchases: hotels, AirBnB, car rental, bus/train tickets, parking, etc. and also has great travel and car rental insurance. American Express Blue Business Plus Annual Fee: $0 Do I actively use this card? Occasionally Why do I keep it? It’s my backup card for purchases from Amazon, Target, Walmart, Retail Stores, etc. (especially when I am trying to earn a lot of AMEX points) Chase Ink Business Cash Annual Fee: $0 Do I actively use this card? NO Why do I keep it? I just got it recently so I can’t close it yet, but I will at some point. Barclays American Airlines Aviator Business Annual Fee: $95 Do I actively use this card? NO Why do I keep it? Priority boarding, free checked bag, and inflight savings when I fly American, but I won’t keep this for long Bank of America Alaska Airlines Business Annual Fee: $95 Do I actively use this card? NO Why do I keep it? Annual companion pass on Alaska Airlines (buy one ticket, get one for $121) The next cards potentially on my list to get: One of the Southwest cards, the Chase Ink Business Unlimited, or the rumored new premium card from Hyatt! 
0 Comments
Each summer, I like to travel internationally for a few weeks during my two months of summer vacation. This year, I chose to travel to three countries that basically took me around the world: Japan, India, and Mozambique/South Africa. Since these flights are quite long and my itinerary was so hectic, I wanted to fly business class on every long flight, but obviously didn’t want to spend nearly $10,000. Here’s how I booked my three week trip almost exclusively on airline miles! I did choose to pay cash for any flight that was under 2 hours long and under $200 (flying in economy), which was a good balance to also not waste too many of your hard-earned credit card points. If you want to learn more about how to earn these points, book a credit card consultation with me! Flights: Route: San Diego to Tokyo (7 day free “layover”) to New Delhi Airline: Japan Airlines Business Class Points Needed: 55k Alaska Airline Miles (plus $46) How I got the miles: Alaska Airline Business Card sign-up bonus of 70k Cash Saved: about $2500 Route: Jaipur to Dubai (layover in Mumbai) Airline: Air India Business Class Points Needed: 32k Turkish Airline Miles (plus $55 in taxes) How I got the miles: Transferred from Capital One Venture X Card Cash Saved: about $600 Route: Dubai to Maputo (layover in Addis Ababa) *I ended up driving to South Africa from Maputo* Airline: Ethiopian Airlines Business Class Points Needed: 30k Aegean Airline Miles (plus $45 in taxes) How I got the miles: Purchased these miles for $400 when they had a huge sale Cash Saved: about $2,000 Route: Johannesburg to Chicago (refueling stop in Dublin) Airline: Ethiopian Airlines Business Class Points Needed: 78k Avianca Lifemiles (plus $108) How I got the miles: Transferred from Amex Platinum (where I had received a 100k signup bonus a few years ago) Cash Saved: about $2,500 Route: Chicago to San Diego Airline: American Airlines Economy Points Needed: 11k American Airline Miles How I got the miles: AA Aviator Business Credit Card 80k signup bonus Cash Saved: about $300 Flights I paid cash for Delhi to Jaipur ($35) Kruger National Park to Cape Town ($160) Cape Town to Johannesburg ($140) |
Travel BlogRecently booked deals, exciting current offers, and the sneakiest travel hacks out there! Archives
September 2023
|
RSS Feed
