In a world where everyone is comparing themselves to one another because of social media and other factors, one of my favorite sayings is “you do you.” This also applies to the points-and-miles hobby. You do you! Please don’t compare yourself to others. There are countless strategies for earning points and miles, each with merit. What credit card points and miles strategy sounds good to you?

 

I Just Want One Free Trip

Many of you may just want to test the waters. Can you really earn points and miles for one trip? You don’t even know if you want to be all-in—you just want to see if it’s possible. In that case, just pick one card (the card_name is our favorite right now). Take that one card and put ALL your normal spending on it to meet the minimum spending requirements. Collect the points you’ll earn from the welcome offer and plan that trip.

If you want to pay for your flight AND hotel stay, you may need another credit card or have a spouse or partner apply for one. It is totally doable and not too good to be true!

 

 

I Want to Take One Trip a Year With Credit Card Points and Miles

Maybe your goal is to take a trip once a year. In that case, your strategy will be to open about two cards each year. In the meantime, you will need to decide what to do with the cards you got last year. You might wonder from year to year whether you should cancel a card—we get that question from readers all the time. We don’t cancel many of our cards, but we often downgrade them to no-annual-fee cards.

When deciding which new cards to get each year, consider those with elevated welcome offers. You don’t want to apply for a Delta card when the bonus is 35,000 miles and then see it go up to 60,000 or 70,000 miles a month later. We try to keep you updated with the high welcome offers so you’ll always know which ones will give you the best options when you’re ready for a new card.

Many people are concerned about annual fees and get caught up in that. It can actually impede their progress. While some cards waive annual fees the first year, many don’t. However, it is always worth paying an annual fee the year you get that welcome offer because welcome offers are nearly always worth more than the cost of the annual fees. Often, annual fees are even worth paying in the long run, year to year, for the benefits the cards give you. You have to decide what works for you.

Just know that if you want to take one trip a year, your credit card points and miles strategy will involve applying for two to four cards a year. A lot depends on whether you are going with a spouse or a friend who is paying their way.

 

 

I Want to Save On Travel, But I Don’t Want to Pay An Annual Fee—EVER

Believe it or not, that can be a credit card points-and-miles strategy. You can find some cards that don’t have annual fees (or cards that have the annual fees waived in the first year). It is pretty surprising how many cards there are that fit this bill!  You could focus on earning points and using them to reduce your travel costs, but their welcome offers are generally lower than those for cards with annual fees. You won’t be able to travel as often if that is your strategy, but you’ll keep your annual fees lower. 

 

I Want To Build Up a Stockpile of Points and Miles for Emergencies

Have you ever needed to fly at short notice and had to pay a premium price? Or maybe you just needed to get away and get some R&R—that’s an emergency in my book, too!

In that case, your credit card points and miles strategy will be to build up a stockpile of points. Consider building up that stockpile before using any points or miles for a trip. You are a saver, and you want to be prepared. In that case, plan to apply for the first card, and when you are close to receiving your bonus, plan to apply for your next card. If you have a spouse or partner, have them apply for a card. Don’t forget about referral bonuses!

With this strategy, I would get four (or maybe slightly more) credit cards a year. Nothing like the peace of mind that comes with the ability to travel when you need to (like when I went to London to help out my daughter when a grandchild was sick). That would have been a costly last-minute trip, and I would have had to think twice about going.

 

I Don’t Want Miles Because I Have a Fear of Flying

First, you aren’t alone. Many of my friends and others (including celebrities) never fly. But if you can drive to destinations and staying in hotels for free would be ideal. This credit card points and miles strategy will be all about the hotels or the transferrable points credit cards. You may never have to pay for a hotel again!

 

 

I’m Type A. Give Me All the Points & Miles I Can Get

Hey! You are my type of person! That is why I have earned millions of points and traveled worldwide! If that is you, you aren’t so concerned with annual fees. You know their benefits outweigh the costs, and you constantly look for that next credit card. Your spouse applies as often as you (with your guidance), and you earn 500,000+ points a year.

My strategy has always been to constantly be working on a minimum card spend. I want ALL those bonus points! I seldom take a break. Either my husband or I meet the minimum spend on a card. When I am close to meeting it, I apply for our next card, and we do it all over again!

Do you need to be like me? Absolutely not! You do you. Make this fabulous hobby work for you—get what you want out of it!

 

 

 

Bottom Line

Please don’t compare your credit card points and miles strategy to ours. You decide how far you want to take this hobby. Just a little warning, though—once you’ve traveled for free or nearly free, your strategy may change!

 

Related Posts

Podcast 108. What Type of Points and Miles Traveler Are You?

Help for Beginner Points and Miles Enthusiasts

A Common Credit Card Points and Miles Misconception