I started the hobby of travel hacking back in 2015. I’ve learned that one of the quickest ways to earn miles and points for travel is through credit card sign-up bonuses and pending. My friends were shocked when I told them I have 9 credit cards specifically to earn points for travel and an additional 2 credit cards that doesn’t earn me anything. I keep the 2 credit cards because I had opened them when I was in college, so they hold the longest history for me. Because of that, it only helps my credit history and score to keep them around, and they also have no annual fees. Of the 9 travel credit cards that I have, I use 3-4 for all of my expenses depending on what the spending promotions are for each card. I’ve written a post of the 4 travel credit cards that I use here in the post My Favorite Travel Credit Cards.
You may be wondering if my credit score has suffered. The answer is: No, it has actually improved! It wasn’t always like this. I opened my first 2 credit cards in college when I was 17 years old, spent the money irresponsibly, credit score suffered a bit, but that was a learning experience. I have since learned a lot about credit cards, got into the hobby of travel hacking, and my credit score is above (on average) 800.
As you can see in the above pie chart, opening credit cards only account for 10% of your credit score. The big thing to keep in mind when calculating credit score are the payment history (35% of the score) and amount owed (30% of the score). Therefore, it’s super important to pay your balance due by the due date, and to keep your debt at a minimum. I’ve been taught that you want to keep the debt owed to credit line under 30%. For example, if you have a total credit line of $10,000, then you want to keep your total debt under $3,000.
Here is the list of the travel credit cards that I keep (in no particular order), the perks of each card, and why I use/keep them:
Chase Sapphire Reserve– Annual fee $550
Perks: $300 annual travel credit, Priority Pass Select membership, primary coverage on car rental insurance, no foreign transaction fees, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check fee reimbursement, trip delay reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, redeem points in Chase’s travel portal, 3x points for spend on dining, air travel, and hotels.
Why I use it: In addition to the credit card perks listed above, the best way I use the points earn on this card is by transferring to airlines and hotel partners for free flights and stays. For most partners, the transfer ratio is 1:1 and the time to transfer points is usually instant. I’ve transferred points to the following partner programs: British Airways, Flying Blue, Southwest Airlines, IHG, Marriott, and Hyatt. There are more partners listed on Chase’s travel portal.
Citi Premier– Annual fee $95
Perks: 3x points for spend on dining, air travels, hotels, groceries, and gas stations, extended warranty on items purchased, no foreign transaction fees, and redeem points in Citi’s travel portal.
Why I use it: To transfer to airline partners at a 1:1 ratio like Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Flying Blue, and a few other airline partners listed on Citi’s website.
Chase Freedom (no longer available to new applicants, but look into the Freedom Flex card)- Annual Fee $0
Perks: 5x points/cash back on rotating category spend with $0 annual fee.
Why I use it: Pairing this with my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I’m able to turn the cash back earnings to Chase points and transfer those points to airline and hotel partners for travel.
Marriott Bonvoy Amex (no longer available to new applicants, but you can apply for a similar card with Chase)- Annual fee $95
Perks: Annual free night award at Marriott property 35,000 points or less, Amex offers, transfer points to airline partners (not the best way to use these points, but it’s an option), 15 elite night credits towards status, 6x points on Marriott spend, 2x points for everything else, no foreign transaction fees, and Amex customer support is usually really good.
Why I use it: I love staying in hotels and Marriott has many properties worldwide. Currently, I have Platinum status with Marriott and I’m working towards Platinum lifetime status. I mostly put my Marriott spending on this card for more points. Alternatively, I can transfer Chase Ultimate Reward points to my Marriott account.
World of Hyatt– Annual fee $95
Perks: Annual free night award at a Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel, Discoverist status, 5 nights towards status, 9x points on Hyatt Hotel spend.
Why I keep it: The free night alone pays for the card itself. I have also received upgrades with just a Discoverist status. I really enjoy staying at the nicer Hyatt properties, so I usually charge my Hyatt spending on this card. Alternatively, I can transfer Chase Ultimate Reward points to my Hyatt account.
IHG Rewards Club Premier– Annual fee $89
Perks: Annual free night award after card anniversary, Platinum Elite status, Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check fee reimbursement, 25x points on IHG Hotel spend, 2x points on gas, groceries, and restaurants, and no foreign transaction fees.
Why I keep it: The card pays for itself if you redeem the annual free night award and also use it to pay for Global Entry application.
Southwest RR Premier– Annual fee $99
Perks: 6,000 anniversary points
Why I keep it: I don’t fly Southwest too often, but I do like to use them as my positioning flights on either coast. The 6,000 RR anniversary points is a nice perk since buying those points will cost more than $99. I like to transfer Chase UR points to top off my Southwest account when needed because I don’t fly Southwest often (therefore don’t put spend on my Southwest card), so the earning rate/categories on my Chase Sapphire Reserve is better. (I may consider closing this card in the future.)
Hilton Honors Amex Surpass– Annual fee $95
Perks: Gold status (the benefits of Gold & Diamond status was free breakfast, but this perk is being eliminated by Hilton), 12x points on Hilton Hotel spends, 6x points on restaurants, supermarkets, and gas station spend
Why I keep it: For the free breakfast at higher end Hilton properties, but with breakfast being eliminated, I may downgrade to the no annual fee card.
AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard– Annual fee $99
Perks: Free checked bag, preferred boarding, 25% statement credit for in-flight purchases, $25 annual wi-fi credit, 2x points on AA spend
Why I keep it: I initially got this card for the bonus miles to top off my account for a flight. I fly AA a lot because I’m based in DFW, so with my status I already get free checked bags and preferred boarding. I’m keeping it to earn AA miles and if/when I lose my status, I’ll still get a free checked bag and preferred boarding.
I’m looking into getting 2 more travel credit cards, and one of them being the American Express Gold card. I’ll update this post as I open and close any cards in my portfolio.
Tips for Beginners:
After opening so many cards and trying to keep track of them, I did make some spending mistakes, like putting gas spend on the “wrong” card. It’s all a learning curve, so don’t get too caught up on always using the right credit card for maximum earning points.
Keeping an Excel spreadsheet and labeling each of my credit cards has helped me keep track of what category spend to put on each card, their payment due date, and etc.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Please use your credit cards responsibly. Don’t spend what you can’t pay in full at the end of each billing cycle. Incurring interest charges on the credit cards almost makes the points not worth earning because you’re having to pay more for the points in the end. I speak from experience because I was a bit irresponsible with credit cards when I was in college (so no judgement), but you do want to be careful. If you have multiple credit cards, you’re going to want to use spreadsheet (or something similar) to stay organize and on top of those annual fees, due dates, and category spending.
Happy Travels!
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