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)
“Makes sense. I was tempted, but looking at SkyMiles rates for Delta routes I'm interested in, I can see where the colloquialism SkyPesos comes from. I think I'll pass 🤷🏻♂️”
“I'm moving to SLC soon, but from what I've noticed, the open table list changes frequently. I don't see any on it right now. How is the centurion lounge in SLC? Do you have to get on their waitlist to get in?”
“I'm in SLC. I think the Plat makes more sense, just for the lounge access alone. Open table actually does have restaurants in SLC, I believe there were 4-5 last time I checked. Everything else just comes down to which credits you'd use and what multipliers make more sense for your spending. Amex has Delta as a transfer partner which is more useful out of SLC.”
“Hello, my annual fee on my Venture X is coming up and while I’ve been able to naturally use the travel credit, I could have just been able to book directly with the hotels and airlines and earn elite nights with those hotels. I’m thinking of downgrading my Venture X to a Venture One to keep my 200k points but does anyone have any data points on being able to upgrade back to a Venture X. If I do downgrade I would probably run the Chase trifecta as I have the CFU, CFF, and CSP and I’m looking on t”
“I got this offer in email: "Apply to add the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and earn 90,000 Bonus Miles Plus $300 Statement Credit after you spend $4,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership." I saw that the current offer on website is "as high as 90k miles", so does this mean if I apply I'll get the top bonus? I have amex green already so i won't be getting a hard pull. submitted by /u/GreatN”
“is that essentially the same as Venture One? I'm not super into the 400 dollar annual fee but this seems like a well rated card.”
“Current cards: (list cards, limits, opening date) Discover IT Cashback $13,500 limit, May 2023 Chase Freedom Flex $10,500 limit, Dec 2023 Fidelity Rewards Cashback $20,000, August 2024 Chase Sapphire Preferred $14,800, June 2025 Chase Ink Unlimited $6,000, June 2026 FICO Score: 803 Oldest account age: 3 years 4 months for credit cards. Credit age is carried by student loans from almost a decade ago Chase 5/24 status: 1/24 Income: $86,000 Average monthly spend and categories: dining $300 grocerie”
“I am not sure if this is the right subreddit, so point me to where to ask if not. I’m planning to travel to Japan sometime next year, not sure when yet but I know CapOne has a promotion going on for transfers to Japan Airlines. I went ahead and created an account today but need to wait 60 days till I can use points to book. Should I go ahead and transfer all my C1 points over to Japan airlines with ongoing promotion or hold off until 60 day period is over? submitted by /u/iblueOblivi”
“Hi all! I truly travel for a living. I have 2 high annual fee cards that I'm taking a hard look at. I purchase all of my flights and pay for my hotels (that all get reimbursed by my company). Monthly spending is truly all travel and the like: flights, hotels, eating out, basic groceries, bars and personal. I'm finding that the Delta Reserve doesn't seem worth it anymore? I got the Bonvoy card last year when I realized I could get wayyy more points with it. I almost exclusively stay a”
“22, looking for advice on if I should jump into the travel redemption game or not. Typically fly abroad once a year via United. However, me and my partner are now long distance and I plan to be buying the plane tickets for us to visit each other (Southwest and United most likely given our locations) and expect my travel spending to go up compared to normal. Wondering if I should jump into the three Chase cards and leave my NF cards, some mix, or open to any other ideas on points travel and maxim”
“You spend $75k nice! Was that mostly category spend like 4x travel, 3x dining, online groceries? Or do you put 1x/all spend on it? If you can get a Ritz Carlton card and find value in it you can get a free AU which grants sapphire lounge access.”
“I don’t know if I agree with your assessment that the card will be positioned similarly to Alaska’s. Alaska is much more of a “big boy” airline in some ways than Southwest. The top tier card earns 3x on international spend and rent, 0.5x status points, 8 lounge passes, and comes with up to 125k annual companion fare miles. Alaska can offer these because 1) they have international partners and own-metal international business class on flights where their miles get outsize value, 2) people want th”
“I signed up for a new Delta Amex card. My tuition got me the 90,000 miles sign up bonus. My $120 in fees netted me at least $900 in value.”
“I was moving to cashback, but knowing Sky Harbor is an AA hub I thought the Strata Premier might make sense for me. Only card I have with Citi is the Custom Cash. I do plan to travel more in the coming year or two after getting engaged/married. My current CB cards: - Citi Custom Cash for grocery - Amazon Visa for Amazon - Verizon Visa for phone bill and gas - Fidelity Visa for catch-all - Savor is sockdrawered My current Travel cards: - Amex Platinum - for lounge access at Sky Harbor. Also use c”
“Title says it all! Here’s my template: • Current cards: • Discover IT Card, $7,000 limit, January 2022 • Chase Sapphire Reserve $15,000 limit, July 2026 • Chase Freedom Unlimited $4,500 limit, July 2026 • FICO Score : 766 • Oldest account age : 4 years 7 months • Chase 5/24 status : 2/24 • Income : $45,000 (self-employed in a line of work that requires and reimburses a lot of travel) • Average monthly spend and categories : • rent $1035 • dining $750 • groceries: $350 • ”
“As someone who holds the Southwest Premier and has flown Southwest literally since I was like 7, I’m genuinely curious what this card is going fo be. There’s a few possibilities for positioning, but the main two likely ones are either replacing the Priority or releasing a fourth, highest tier card. Unrelated, I really hope they’ll release a no annual fee card I can downgrade to if I decide I’m done with Southwest Cards but that’s just a selfish hope. Southwest did some polling a few months ago a”
“I recently used $200 credit for Delta Stays on my Delta Business Platinum card for a wedding nine months out. They’re a great couple couples so I know they’re never going to break up. So I foolishly used it for a room that had a great rate that was nonrefundable. First time I ever booked a nonrefundable room because I knew nothing was going to happen. They have since changed the hotel that everybody is staying at. I obviously want to stay at the same hotel as everybody else so now I’m out my $20”
“If you are talking about traveling in business class on points without paying 250k per seat per flight, you will find the same issues on chase”
“Were you able to balance $ vs miles at the end of the day? - just curious! I tried one whole week as Platinum. Crazy, right? - but just wanted to check it out. Took screenshot of odomter when left on Monday morning and another one when back home on Sunday evening, about 7/8 hrs per day. Made about $1300 ( Gross ) - drove exact 719 miles - not at all that impressive but miles well below earnings. My Cherry Picking income ranges from $100 to about $120 per day ( under 7/8 hrs ) - 50/60 miles per d”
“In that case, I'd try getting the Chase Freedom Unlimited and/or Freedom Flex. Unless you have specific hotels or airlines in mind, it's better to keep your rewards earning in points that are 1:1 transferable to a lot of different places, and it's easier to keep them all in one banking ecosystem so you only have one website to worry about. Since you already have the CSP which allows you to transfer points, the CFU and CFF can be used to earn transferable points instead of their usual”
“I don’t mind branching out, I don’t know what the pros or cons would be I guess? I genuinely don’t know anything. I guess maybe airlines because the chase card gets my pretty good Hyatt benefits as is.”
“My Dad has been a long-time AA loyalist, and has spent hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars on his Citi/AAdvantage Executive Platinum year after year due to putting heavy business spend on it (he buys lots of inventory). He easily hits Executive Platinum status each year, and family I’m surprised he isn’t Concierge Key yet. AA Miles and Loyalty Points are pretty much all he cares about, and it works for him. What I’m a bit worried about is Citi viewing him as credit cycling. His credit”
“I looked at the template and feel a little in over my head! I have only ever used Chase transfer to Hyatt for hotels. I haven’t figured out any of the other transfer options, I have like 200k pts I haven’t used. It’s the only credit card I have & I know almost nothing which is why I came to a community to ask.”
“There’s really not enough information here to provide any meaningful recommendations. Are you wanting to stay in the Chase ecosystem or branch out? What’s your travel style? What airline or hotel partners do you use the most? Fill out the template.”
“The best advice I can give is to just do the math. No one knows your financial situation and travel ambitions like you. It doesn't have to be precise; the point is to see if you're realistic. How much are you spending each month? How many points can you realistically earn each month? How much do I spend in key categories (flights etc.), and does it make a difference? What's your goal? If you have a destination in mind, how many miles does the flight cost? Or how many points do you ne”
“You have a pretty clear understanding of the benefits, already have a Savor (which you can transfer cashback from into Venture Miles), and don't want to coupon-book. The biggest negative is the lack of domestic airline transfer partners, but it sounds like you also have regular-enough international travel frequency to make use of the available transfer partners. I'd say you're a pretty ideal fit.”
“I’ll add and what you want to use your points towards. Redemptions should guide your card choice just as much as earnings.”
“4 months. https://www.doctorofcredit.com/citi-aadvantage-platinum-select-world-elite-mastercard-80000-miles/”
Ah, didn't think there were still links active. Good catch, thanks!
“I purchased two seats (one for me, one for my gf). Just discovered that it’s common for airlines to split the charges per person.”
I’m not seeing the 80k offer is there a link? Or it’s hidden?
“Hi, I live in northern virginia with super easy access to DCA, and about a 45 minute commute to IAD. I currently have the Venture X (covers my lounge access at both DCA and IAD) and the chase trifecta (freedom, flex, and sapphire preferred). I love my set up. Recently I flew AA and was given an inflight offer waiving the first year and then 99 every year after. Additionally they are offering 65K Bonus miles after 1K spending in 3 months. For reference I just completed the Amex gold 8K spending i”
“I currently have a chase sapphire preferred cc (have had it for around 4 years or so) and am considering switching to the venture x. Though it has a higher annual fee, I tend to go on at least two 10 to 14 day trips per year, so using the hotel credit is not an issue and the priority pass/access to venture x lounges would be nice. Chase changed some policies this year, making the points less valuable, and I just used all my points on flights so its a good time to change. I'd probably cancel”
“True Southwest flyers like us have mastered the art of getting up really early and checking in really fast lmao I use my skills on United now though.”
“As other have said, there no best card per se. Delta points are called Skypesos for a reason though; and the MQDs seem less beneficial for you because the whole family likely isn’t going to get upgraded. Do you bring a lot of bags on your family trip? The no baggage fees should be some value at least. Or do you only bring one bag and have status naturally without a card? These are things that can determine where you get additional value from a card. Stepping into award travel is a bit open. Wher”
“Spend 10k in 6 months. How good is this offer/card? submitted by /u/mandolin01 [link] [comments]”
“I want to Travel more frequently with my family (4). Right now, we strictly use Delta Amex(reserve) but I feel like I’ve been spending a ton of money and have been getting nothing much in return travel wise, especially with their rising prices. What is a better option? Does the Costco credit card have good perks for travel? I’ve also heard a lot about the chase sapphire reserve. submitted by /u/Hopeful-Horse3672 [link] [comments]”
“I already have a venture x that I acquired recently and a sapphire preferred which has sufficient points. I live near a small airport which serves only Delta and American. And unfortunately I have only recently found out that neither CSP or venturex transfer points to either airline. For someone who travels at least 2 times a year would an additional airline card be worth it? If so, which one gives better value points to ticket wise? I am mostly looking to get cheaper travel options+ checked bag”
“I booked a stay using Chase Travel thinking that I'd get the $250 credit (you can see the benefits here: https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/26Q3/sapphire/dual ) only to realize later the $250 credit only applies to "The Edit" stays which were notably more expensive in the area I'm staying in. Painful lesson, but I'm maybe I'm not alone submitted by /u/--flapjack [link] [comments]”
“Hi. So I live near an AA hub. Was going to book an AA flight and got an offer for $500 credit + $30k after 1k spend. But I know the regular bonus is 65k. What are redemptions like these days? Is the $500 credit + 30k worth it? submitted by /u/stixmike [link] [comments]”
“Chase because I like United but I fly out of a regional airport so not a united hub”
“Yes, except that Soutwest is transitioning from a point-to-point to hub-and-spoke service structure. So they won't even offer that in the future.”
“If I understand correctly, even if I book a $100 flight and cancel after 24 hours, I only get 1x $10 credit, not 10x $10 credits. So if I have multiple $10 Paze credits to use up, this won’t work unless I’m willing to bank $1000 in United flight credit. Am I right?”
So Southwest is just going to become like every other airline?
“Said this before, but I wouldn't be surprised if the bank lounges eventually limit access to those only flying on partners. So if you book Southwest with your Platinum, you don't get access to the Centurion (until you hit that $75k threshold). Corporate synergy makes too much sense there if lounge access continues to be a problem.”
Holland is part of carnival. Not sure what's transferable.
“I guess it depends how much your travel spend was on the old version of the card all $4100 doesn't have to be additional. You would only want to use the legacy Flagship as a 2x card and shift all travel category spending to the new card. But yeah this only gets you back to the value you had with the legacy version under the $49 annual fee rather than put you ahead, so it is definitely a downgrade in that sense.”
“Fiancee downgraded her CSP to Freedom a month or so ago, around the same time I took mine out post-nerf for the 100k SUB. We considered keeping hers open so that I could hit the SUB, move points to her, then dump all in Hyatt, but determined we couldn't hit the SUB in time for the October 1 deadline. Fast-forward to today, we've had an unexpectedly high amount of one-time expenses and will likely hit the SUB in time. If she re-upgrades to CSP and pays the fee, will she have the old trans”
“Hey everyone, I’ve got a cruise booking coming up soon and want to take advantage of the large deposit/payment to knock out a solid sign-up bonus. I’m trying to figure out which card makes the most sense to add to my lineup right now. For context, my current wallet includes: Chase Sapphire Preferred Citi Custom Cash Citi AAdvantage Costco Anywhere Visa Best Buy Citi BCU Cash Rewards Visa Signature (flat 2% catch-all) PayPal Debit (for 5% monthly cash back on groceries) Since my baseline categori”
“So I just got approved for the AMEX BCP yesterday but I want to pair it with the chase sapphire preferred because I will be traveling 2ish times per year. I actually need to book a hotel 3 weeks from now and then another flight/hotel in a month or so. should I apply for the CSP now or should I just wait considering I just applied and got approved for the Amex submitted by /u/Ill-Tax-90 [link] [comments]”
“Thank you for the rewards breakdown! Sounds like Chase operates a lot like Discover, so maybe Citi is the better option for me?”
“Current cards: (list cards, limits, opening date) • Amex gold, may 2024 • Chase Freedom Flex 20000 limit, December 2026 . • Chase Sapphire preferred 24000 limit, may 2023 • Bank of America cash rewards 25000, 6 years ago • discover 4000, 5 years ago • FICO Score: 780 • Oldest account age: 6 years , BofA • Chase 5/24 status: 1/24 • Income: 300000 • Average monthly spend and categories: • dining 1000 • groceries: 1000 • gas: $100 • travel: 400 • other: 1500 • Open to Business”
“Thank you for this sub and all the great advice. I’m new to the credit card game and got my first Amex about a month ago. I already racked up 400,000 points and used 240,000 of them to book two business class seats Miami to Dubai It’s insane how valuable credit card points are. $15,000 seats for free! (well $1,600 fee but basically free) I don’t think I’ll ever need to pay for flight tickets again, getting the CSR this week so excited for that. I love credit cards submitted by /u/Spi”
“I have a Amex business delta reserve card that i primarily use for personal expenses. There's no language saying that you can't use it (see https://www.reddit.com/r/CreditCards/comments/16jrdbe/can\_you\_use\_business\_cards\_for\_personal\_expenses/ ), but indeed the intended use is for business transactions. But I'm wondering how this applies to its benefits like car rental coverage. If i rent a car for personal use with this card, and something happens and I have to file a claim,”
“I'm sitting on a good amount of Amex points and wondering if there are tools i can use to make searching for point deals more efficiently submitted by /u/Bro1128 [link] [comments]”