Travelers Maxing Credit-Card Travel Rewards
Frequent travelers are overwhelmed by the complexity of maximizing rewards from multiple credit cards. They struggle to choose the right cards, understand transfer partners, and optimize their spending to earn the most valuable points and miles for flights and hotels. This leads to feeling lost and potentially missing out on significant travel benefits.
SOURCES (60)
“OP— as a NY resident myself I’m curious, what is the exception with Chase Sapphire cards?”
“The Venture X sign-up bonus is essentially 18.75% back at minimum by giving you 75,000 miles for $4000 in spend. Hit the SUB and use the 2X on the VX until approved for the Savor. If the Chase cards no longer serve you, feel free to downgrade or cancel.”
“If you're spending a lot on flights, hotels, and gas for your business, maybe check out the US Bank Business Altitude connect. Business CSR is also very good for travel and dining expenditure, but is expensive. I'd definitely take the sub then product change it to a free ink card after the first year though. Wait for an elevated sub. Business altitude connect would most likely be a keeper card. For a flat 2x business card, the wells fargo signify business card is a really good uncapped 2”
Do you fly a lot? CSP Do you stay at hotels a lot? Autograph
“People really overestimate how much you need to travel for travel cards. OP mentioned they travel 1-2 times per year For the CSP and VX cards they mentioned they would only have to spend 100 on hotels or 300 on flights/hotels respectively to break even on AF. After that they can choose to spend their points on travel or cash back as needed making them good choices for a hybrid setup Since all of the point ecosystems mentioned can cash out at 1 CPP the main downside is just having lower multiplie”
“US Bank Altitude Connect: $100/4 years Global Entry/TSA pre-check, 4 free Priority Pass visits US Bank Altitude Go: $15/year streaming US Bank Triple Cash: $100/year software subscriptions Fidelity Rewards: $100/4 years Global Entry/TSA pre-check AmEx Blue Cash Everyday: $7/month Disney streaming, $15/month HomeChef Chase Ink Business Unlimited: $20/month Instacart Chase Ink Business Cash: $20/month Instacart Chase Freedom Unlimited: $10/quarter DoorDash Chase Freedom Flex: $10/quarter DoorDash”
“Fidelity Card gets you TSA PreCheck/Global Entry. USBank Altitude Connect gets you TSA PreCheck/Global Entry, and 4 priority pass visits per year USBank Altitude Go gets you $15/year credit for streaming, but only once you pay the bill for 11 consecutive months on the card”
“Date. Destination. Good deal. When it comes to award travel you can only choose 2 out of the 3 above. Seems like you approached this by wanting to travel to a certain place at a certain time and you look for good deals with your points. If you're looking for youtuber level of good deals then you're going to have to be VERY flexible with either your dates or your Destination.”
“So this makes more sense (lounges and living situation) - Get the VX starting out. Usually (not always) you would not be able to get an additional card from C1 back-to-back (3-6 month timeframe). Let the statement balance post and pay off x1 per month. Once the SUB is met, feel free to check pre-approval for savor and go from that point. Correct, savor will be your streaming/entertainment/food category and VX everything else. You’ll be able to convert savor redemptions ($1 = 100 miles) to VX. $0”
“So go chase. Chase is the best United transfer partner. Capital one doesn’t really have great domestic partners I don’t think they have American directly. And it gets way more complex when you have to transfer to an alliance and then try for award bookings. Think of it this way. You have solid multipliers on the preferred and great travel protections + primary rental car coverage. You rack up ultimate rewards points and then when you’re ready to travel go on United and see if there’s any flights”
“Update: got approved right away through the chase app, my credit limit is 12k, and my APR is 19.2%. Card comes in 5 days. My mom thinks I should’ve done it in person to get a lower apr, but it is what it is now. Thanks again everyone! 🫡”
“don’t look at the cards perks but look at the transfer partners. who do you fly with and stay with when traveling?”
“I have savor so i do have 3% dining covered but chase points are worth more than capital one . any benefit from freedom UR that flex doesn’t have ?”
“I’m 21, salary 96k, dad will be paying for the 5k in 3 month spend (sapphire for 100k points) or the 4k in 3 month (vent x 75,000 points). For context cap one is $395 yearly but $300 travel credit and 10,000 anniversary points yearly, 2x miles on purchase, lounge access. Sapphire is $95 annual fee 100 dollar credit for hotel. But nothing yearly? I’m sooo confused and torn. Is venture x even worth it as it’s a 395 yearly if we just get 300 travel back doesn’t that offset it? Can someone with eith”
“Chase Sapphire Reserve. Best travel + great lifestyle card over the most variety of categories. Best overall card.”
“Ive had a CSR since it launched and do get value out of the benefits, but the big thing I’m missing when I travel is lounge access. There are so few Sapphire Lounges that it might as well not exist to me. I always seem to be around Amex and Delta lounges, and Delta is my preferred airline. My home airport is AUS though, which means trying to stay loyal to one airline is really tough. We are a hub for no one. With the way theyve changed up the benefits on these cards its really hard to tell where”
“Thanks for the suggestions! I'll also be going long distance with my partner, so I may have increased travel spending. With this information is there anything else you recommend?”
“For freedoms, cash back. If you have a freedom paired with a sapphire then you can take advantage of transfer partners. That’s where it gets complicated.”
“Okay if you don’t fly Southwest or United then really the only answer is Citi no? Alaska, AA and United are really the only domestic partners even worth transferring points to most of the time and you’re at a AA hub. Honestly domestic partners are extremely overrated because you can usually book domestic flights thru carriers in their alliance. I’ve booked plenty of delta flights thru Air France and Virgin. Citi and C1 have the best earnings and C1 has no domestic partners. There’s really only 1”
“Maximize travel and keep cash back open while also maintaining simplicity? Sounds like Citi would be your best bet honestly. You can basically hit 3x on most major categories and still have a 2x card for all the rest with the Strata Premier and Double Cash combo. And ThankYou points unlike Capital one miles or AMEX MR are equal to cash back. They also have IMO the 2nd best partners after Bilt.”
“I don’t see the appeal of the Freedom Unlimited. Chase UR is the sole and only transferable travel points ecosystem without a 2x catch-all, and if you value something like a Capital One Mile from the Venture X at a mere 1.2 cpp then you’d have to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points at 1.6 cpp just to break even. After the Hyatt devaluations I definitely don’t think 1.2 Cap One and 1.6 Chase are comparable amounts of effort. Freedom Flex and Sapphire Preferred are worth grabbing, and you can add”
“Comments on Frequent Miler say you can’t get the consumer BoH card if you held the consumer Barclays card within the last 24 months”
“I'm not sure if Google AI is being sensible or not, but the AI thing recommended me to get miles or points because cash-back is seen as a rebate, whereas miles can be consumed personally by transferring to your airlines or combining with your personal card points. I have my business checking account & personal Venture X with C1, so I'm thinking to get the VentureOne (1.5 miles, no AF) or Spark 1.5% cash (also no AF) card. According to the AI if I had a $100 expense then I'd have”
“I’ve been a cash back person so far but am looking to add another card and am starting to consider travel card options. I’m looking at the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Capital One Venture X, and Citi Strata Premier. I anticipate using the card for international travel, primarily to major cities in Europe, but having some flexibility for domestic flights would be good too (mostly fly American and Delta). I currently have the Amex BCP covering my groceries, transit, gas, and streaming spending. I als”
“looking to maximize alaska miles, already have all three alaska cards and palladium. checked all three credit bureaus to tally up everything. current status is as following: opened accounts: 3/6 (summit, ascent and palladium jan 2026), 3/12, 3/24 (didn't include 2 mortgages, assume they don't count) hard inquiries: 1/6, 1/12, 5/24 (3 are mortgage pulls all on same day)- not sure how why my hard inquiries are like that when i did 2 boa cards in jan, but listing them as shown looking to ma”
“if you are okay letting airlines dictate where and when you fly, virgin atlantic card, air france card, chase ur earning card, amex mr earning card, cap 1 miles or citi points earning cards.”
“since you already have a relationship with us bank have you considered the usbank altitude connect? https://www.usbank.com/credit-cards/altitude-connect-visa-signature-credit-card.html high multipliers (at 0.7 cents per point), priority passes, partial global entry credit, and various travel insurances all for no annual fee! only problem is usbank may not have transfer partners you want.”
Venture X first every time if it’s a card you’ll ever want.
I’m gonna miss the one transaction for 70k offer. That’s such a dream.
“Also, per the terms: $300 Annual Hotel Benefit : The Citi Strata Elite ℠ Card wants you to make the most of your trips. Once a year, take up to a $300 annual hotel credit when booking a hotel stay of two nights or more through Citi Travel ® . This very clearly says you need to book a hotel stay of 2 nights or more through citi travel. You only booked 1 night. Maybe the chat was confused and shouldn't have told you that 1 night qualified, but it's very clearly stated in the terms that you”
“You are meant to send to transfer partners You should get a cashback unless you have interest to learn how to play the whole game VentureX is interesting since its 2x everything and has both options available for you but if you dont usually do transfer partners just get a 2% and call it a day to save AF”
“Yeah I guess the big benefits of the BOFA card are not only the restaurant credit, but the 4 separate PP accounts, not to mention the unlimited guests.”
“I lean more towards the Ritz card, mainly because I can get a lot of value out of the Marriott Free Night Credit and the 3 upgrade certificates. I also fly out of airports with Sapphire lounges somewhat often. I've been to the Sapphire lounges at LGA and BOS, and they were both excellent. I might just keep both the PRE and RC cards though, because you can give 3 people Priority Pass memberships with the PRE, which I've given to family members. If I use the $450 credits on the PRE, I'”
“It's always amusing to me that so many people that get into travel CCs, see all the perks, yet rarely travel. There's "aspirational", and then there's wasting money. Even the low AF airline CCs, if you're not checking bags to offset them, you likely won't come out ahead.”
“I love the venture X, no coupon book. My goal is to minimize spending not spend more through the AF on items I wouldn’t buy to begin with like on Amex plat. I’m looking to get the Strata premier next as I fly AA and EVA often. EVA has lots of availability for first class mile tickets to Asia. Otherwise Robinhood gold card is a great option.”
“Note that Discover is owned by Capital One now. 40k miles after $1000 spend is not a public offer for the VentureOne - are you sure that's available to you? The Discover It also does not traditionally have $200 on first $500 - where did you see that?”
“Autograph is seriously underrated, the travel even counts towards Lyfts (confirmed) and Airbnb (yet to try it)”
“I would count out the travel portal. It’s marked up by 5% or more so you’re losing compared to just getting 3% back direct, plus the downsides of a travel portal. They also just added an FTF so if needed for international travel that becomes problematic. VX would be good to get for at least 1 year strictly for the SUB, no FTF, Visa Infinite, lounge access (for only 1 person), and maybe the travel portal since it’s 5x/10x and they price match. Assuming you don’t mind using the $300 travel credit.”
“I been waiting and thinking about getting the VentureX for my travel card. I have Capital One SavorOne already and I know they pair well. I also have a robinhood GC, so it’s just better than VX for points back everywhere. But I want to be traveling more and I know within the next year I’d use the $300 travel credit whether it’s for a hotel or flight. So that’s covered My plan is: SavorOne: Groceries and Dining 3% (convert to points with VX bc I don’t use my Cashback points for anything except st”
“Rakuten has 12% deal on stubhub today for those looking to use their second half credit for the year on their sapphire reserve submitted by /u/LectureForsaken6782 [link] [comments]”
“I usually take one domestic trip a year, this is the main reason I held off on a travel card since I felt like it wasn't enough to be beneficial. However, later this year and next year I have several weddings to attend on top of that. Majority of flights are through Alaska as it's the primary hub, but also frequent Delta. Lmk if there's any other info needed • Current cards: • Credit Union CC $11,500 limit, 11/2021 • Capital One Savor $2,000 limit, 3/2026 • FICO Score: 718 Expe”
“I just took a look at my options for Medellin with Air Canada and while the flights are cheaper, they each had around 10-15 hours of layovers unfortunately. Regardless, I appreciate it and I get the principle of what you are saying which is just to check out other airlines and see if they are included on the partner network with better deals. Thanks for showing me that.”
“For me, having multiple types of points means you'll get more welcome bonuses and more optimization. This means more total points and you'll also have a backup in case one bank freezes your cards. On top of that, many transfer partners overlap. I have 4 different types of points, and I don't have a problem with that, but I also understand some people just want a simple setup. If you decide to downgrade, the only downgrade that makes sense is the OG Freedom with rotating categories.”
“My worry is how I would really divy up that points split, in order to even earn that many points. I do like the premise of teh CSP + Flex and Savor + VX, but like you mentioned it might not be best tailer for me. I don't think cancelling would be smart but if I was to prod change what do you think would be a good strategy.”
“Orlando to Bogota booking through Air Canada Aeroplan and flying Avianca is 20,000 mile plus $71 each way (set award price regardless of cash price). So for 2 people would have been 80,000 miles + $284. That would have gotten you 1.65 cents/point compared to $1600 in cash (normal for economy is probably in that 1.3-1.4 cent/point range) Could also book LATAM through Qantas for 23K or LATAM through Virgin Atlantic for 25K each way And Orlando to Medellin is also the same price through Air Canada”
“CSP probably doesn't make sense for you because you like the Capital One duo. However, a Chase and Capital One hybrid setup does make sense for a lot of people. The CSP by itself probably won't earn enough points, but if you combine it with the Freedom Flex and/or Ink Cash then your points will add up. Chase has better hotel and domestic airline partners than Capital One, so if you travel domestically a hybrid setup could make sense.”
“I can give the most recent example. Flying to Orlando to Medellin Colombia for a wedding with my wife. Travel dates were July 28th to August 3rd. Paying cash for the flight would be around ~1600 roundtrip. Through Lifemiles (Avianca), this same trip is 131,560 points + 285 dollars which if I am not mistaken is right around that same ~1600 mark”
“I’m relatively new to credit cards and approaching two years with my oldest card, the Discover it, which I rarely use now. I opened the Chase Sapphire Preferred in January because I already banked with Chase. About two weeks ago, I added the Capital One Savor. My original goal was always to build the Capital One duo by eventually getting the Venture X, and I’m already pre-approved for it. I graduate next year and have several trips planned, including domestic travel this fall and 2–3 trips next”
“Hey guys, Each time I travel, I look for opportunities to use my Capital One points with a transfer partner to get a potential deal. However, it seems that each time I have done this - the points needed to book the flight is almost the same dollar equivalent as booking the flight with cash and using the travel eraser tool. I would like to ideally get the most out of my points, but just not finding deals like some of these youtubers show in their videos. Is there something I am missing on how to”
“Now that we're in second half of year most might still have their $150 stubhub credit sitting in their back pocket waiting to be used. Today only, 7/15; Rakuten is doing 12% CB (Check or paypal transfer) or 12x AMEX MR points through stubhub using their extension. Grabbing some concert tickets I've been eyeing up myself to use the $150 Sapphire Reserve credit. Also reminder to checkout with Paze to get an additional 10x Chase points and potentially use a $10 off $10 or more slot if you h”
“Specific to US domestic travel. I'm cautious of using airline alliance partners because of limited availability and routes domestically. Has anyone had luck transferring into alliance partners for domestic travel? Is the 30% transfer boost to Virgin Atlantic worth it for the limited flexibility? Thanks! submitted by /u/ManyNanites [link] [comments]”