Credit Card Points
Use the Right Card to Earn Points and Use those Points to Fly!
We get to travel as often as we do because we optimize our credit card points. We would encourage you (if you are able to pay off your balance completely each month) to look into credit cards with points programs that actually reward you for money you are already spending - not just one point for every one dollar spent.
When you start using the card that is going to earn you the most points per purchase, you can accumulate enough points for flights pretty quickly. These are the three we keep in our pockets for daily use - we’ve linked them below as they all offer pretty significant sign-up bonuses just for using them to buy the things you were going to need anyway.
American Express Gold:
Offers 4X points on restaurants and eligible U.S. supermarket purchases, 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel, and 5X points on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel. All other purchases earn 1X point.
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
Offers 3X points on dining, online groceries, gas and EV charging, select streaming services, and eligible vacation rentals. Earns 5X points on travel booked through Chase Travel, 2X points on other eligible travel purchases, and 1X point on all other purchases.
Capital One Venture:
Offers 2X miles on all everyday purchases! Earns 5X miles on eligible hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Flights and other purchases generally earn 2X miles.
If you’re ready to sign up and want extra points, click the referral link buttons below
How to Maximize Points Earned
Strategy 1 | Use the Right Card in the Right Place to Maximize Earned Points
Know your card!
Target, Costco, Amazon and Walmart, Home Depot and Lowe’s do not count as grocery stores. That’s where your Capitol One card with it’s 2x points per purchase comes in. Doctor’s Office or the Vet? Same.
At Trader Joe’s or Safeway? Out to dinner with friends? Grab that American Express Gold for 4x points.
Getting gas or bingeing Netflix? You want the 3x points with Chase Sapphire.
Strategy 2 | Know your Card’s Perks So You Get Your Annual Fee’s Worth
Amex Gold ($325 annual fee): Offers up to $120 in annual Uber Cash, $120 in dining credits, $100 in Resy credits, and $84 at Dunkin’. It also includes Hertz Five Star status, travel protections, and no foreign transaction fees.
Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95 annual fee): Includes one year of complimentary Apple TV, DoorDash DashPass, eligible $10 monthly DoorDash promotions, a $100 annual hotel credit through Chase Travel, and up to $120 toward TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS every four years. It also offers strong travel insurance, rental-car coverage, and no foreign transaction fees.
Capital One Venture Rewards ($95 annual fee): Offers up to $120 toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry every four years, Hertz Five Star status, and a $50 experience credit on eligible Lifestyle Collection hotel stays booked through Capital One Travel. Additional perks include travel protections, no foreign transaction fees, flexible travel redemptions, and access to exclusive entertainment experiences.
Strategy 3 | Look for Transfer Bonuses to Minimize Your Points Transferred
We make our points go further by utilizing transfer bonuses (for example: We have transferred 1000 Amex points to Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club when they offered a 40% transfer bonus, so we banked 1400 Flying Club points for every 1000 Amex points transferred). You have to search for these, but they hold incredible value when you find them.
When you save so much money not buying flights, you can splurge more on food, hotels, and activities. We even just flew business class with points! We recommend using The Points Guy for all things points (including transfer bonus information) for those of you interested in learning more.
Strategy 4 | Find the Deals!
The key to getting the most out of credit card points is flexibility. Know the area you want to see, but use multiple airports - as regional flights can often be purchased separately for super cheap - and search for dates with a little flexibility. (The kids can miss a day or two of school). Use tools like Google Flights to find inexpensive routes and dates, then check airline loyalty programs for award availability (Note: Airline Loyalty programs are free, but you will have to join them to transfer your credit card points). Websites like Point.me and Seats.aero can help you find award flights across multiple airlines for a small fee, making it easier to spot great deals. Transferring points directly to airline partners can often deliver much better value than booking through a credit card travel portal. We’ve had the best luck on Air France and Virgin Atlantic but we just booked tickets to Southeast Asia on Delta for 36k per person each way! (And, yes, the kids are missing 2 days of school because that’s when the deal was.)
Hot Tip: Find the flight deal first, then transfer your points only after confirming availability.