Who here plays the points and miles game to help fund their coaster habit?

This is more of a coaster adjacent topic, but given the demographics of this place (older, middle income and up) I figure I can’t be the only one who’s gotten into the points and miles game. Anyone else out there? If so what’s your set up.

Before I go into my set up I will first admit, I’m not one of those churners, I tend to look to cards I will use for years and try to keep them fairly stable. Anyways here’s my setup:

-Premium card: Chase Sapphire Reserve. I love this card. While the $550 annual fee is steep, it’s super easy no hassle $300 annual travel credit instantly knocks the AF down to $250. If I’m spending on this card, I’m making sure it’s in its bonus categories (travel and dining.). For instance, when staying at Disney, I make sure to charge everything in the parks to my room so that it comes through coded as a hotel charge and I get 3 points on the dollar. I occasionally use the lounge access, but my main benefit going forward is to use it for is redeeming my points for flights, specifically international business flights. I’m leaving the country for the first time in years soon, and my new goal is to try and do this once a year. To do so I plan to take advantage of the portal 1.5 cents multiplier. It’s also going to be my go to card abroad with its no foreign transaction fee benefit and the fact it’s a Visa.*

-Everyday Card: Chase Freedom Unlimited. This is a recent edition, I’ve been annoyed lately with how many places aren’t accepting Amex lately or how some theme park restaurants aren’t coded as such. That’s where this card will come in and be my main card I use in theme parks, and one of two options for my default card. It earns 3x back on dining and drug stores and 1.5% back everywhere else. While it’s marketed as a cashback card you actually earn Chase Ultimate Reward points which I can then transfer to my Sapphire Card and use there for travel.

-Hotel Branded Card: Amex Hilton Honors Surpass. This is my oldest reward card, I’ve been a Hilton guy for a very long time, initially making my choice when back in the day because this card gave me free breakfast at every Hilton by granting me Gold Status. Gold doesn’t get free breakfast anymore (you get a breakfast credit for two people at the properties that don’t give free breakfast for all) but I’m too deep in and still enjoy the benefits. No matter how remote the park is, you can guarantee it at least has a Hampton Inn nearby. I’m 2-3 years away from getting lifetime Diamond Status with this chain. While Hilton points are not worth much compared to other chains ($0.005) they throw a stupid amount at you. As a Diamond I get 10 base points on the dollar, then 10 bonus points, currently and usually most of the year they also run a double points promotion which nets me another 10 points for a total of 30. This card adds 12 points more on the dollar for a grand total of 42 points (or 32 points if no promotion.). That’s a return of 21% (or 16% no promotion) per dollar. On top of that, for the cost of a $150 annual fee I get a $200 Hilton credit (paid out because this is Amex on a quarterly basis which is never a problem for me) so Amex pays me $50 a year to own this card. Spend 15k on the card and I also get a free night certificate good for any base room at any property in the Hilton line up (minus the Vacation Club places.). One last saving tip on redeeming points, if you book with points a standard room for 5+ nights, your fifth night is free. This card also has a base rate of 3x points, 4x with online shopping, 6x on gas and groceries, which works out to 1.5% base, 2% online, 3% gas/groceries. This card is my gas and grocery card, and was (and still will be depending on need) my everyday card. Thanks to that, I have usually been able to swing 10-20 nights for year free, usually a week at a really nice place like Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego or Hilton Marco Island FL (with the help of my certificate,) my week in Williamsburg every summer (usually the Embassy Suites) and a shorter stay in a really expensive location at a midrange hotel. I get Diamond on my own, and don’t always stay at a resort every 6 months plus I don’t need the higher AF so that’s why I’ve never upgraded to the Aspire.

Airline Card: Currently blank, but not for long. For years I was a Southwest Airlines loyalist, and pretty much exclusively flew domestically with them but due to the changes they are implementing this year (no more two bags fly free, no more credits that never expire, reserved seats) they have completely obliterated any reason I chose to fly with them and accept their reduced network, no interline agreement, no international routes and no first class. Im in the process of using up all my miles I had with them and will stop flying them in early 2026. I’m in the process of moving over to Delta full time, while as a mostly solo traveler the SW cards never made much sense, however Delta’s do. Probably going to go with the Platinum for now (lounge access isn’t a must, but I do like that MQD boost and 15% off award bookings and given Amex’s family rules it’s better for me to get this welcome bonus now and apply for the Reserve later) but I’m waiting until Sept/Oct because I would like to use that companion certificate to start taking my nephews on a trip in the summer somewhere, and having that start now wouldn’t allow me to book summer trips.

*I know I could potentially get more money per point with transfer partners but it’s a hassle, and overlooks an added benefit, when you book a flight through a portal, it gets booked as a cash flight with the airline, and therefore earns those airlines points. While it may not yield the 2 cents per points they bloggers brag about, my travel isn’t really flexible so I’m unlikely to get that anyways so I’ll take the 1.7 cent redemption (factoring in my airline point gain.) Especially when most of my spend for UR already earned 3 cents on the dollar. 5% return all said and done is nothing to scoff at.

Yeah, I play the credit card rewards game, but not quite to that extent. I go with the no fee cards, and of course pay everything in full every month. Not so much for funding the coaster habit, but to cover general travel.

Main credit card - Amex Hilton Honors. We use this as our main card for monthly expenses like grocery, gas, and restaurants. 3X points for most everything. I have had an Amex card of some form for 35+ years. And yes, Hampton Inn is our go to place, with the occasional Tru thrown in.

Airline card(s) - I use Chase United, wife uses Citi American Airlines. I used to take 3-4 trips per year for work, and the company used United almost exclusively. We don't fly much anymore, but we have amassed over 300,000 miles between us over time. We can probably fly 5 round trips free(ish).

Costco - Chase Marriott. Not much use on this one, usually just Costco and Costco gas. Kind of just a filler card that I opened to get the bonus points plus a free night.

Cashback - Discover. Use this one for online purchases, and the quarterly 5% cash back categories. This is another card with a 35+ year history.

At this point we are really just collecting hotel points and airline miles to fund our travel after next years retirement.

I don't have the mental bandwidth to really play the games, so I just use a Citi card that's 1% back on everything, another 1% back for payments, so effectively 2%. And obviously never carry a balance.

Rule zero of this game is always keeping a zero balance from month to month. You most certainly lose if you start paying interest. Nothing wrong with “cashbacking” it’s a viable option and the double cash card is one of the better ways to do it.

Just a Marriott rewards card at this point. We get upgraded rooms including club access when it’s available and free stays with the points. We used points at a brand new JW in Clearwater last year and they upgraded us to an ocean view and gave us breakfast.

I have three, plus an oddball. I do not churn.

Amex Delta Platinum. Annual fee of $350. I make that back (and then some) each year with the Companion certificate, which is more or less a BOGO offer on a low-to-mid fare class coach ticket. I'm using it this year on a round trip to Salt Lake, which was $550, so I've netted $200 already. Other ways to knock down the cost: $10/month for restaurants on RESY's platform; a sporadic $10 rideshare credit; and a 15% discount on SkyMiles awards. It returns about 2-3% on groceries, depending on how I redeem the SkyMiles. There are other bonus categories, but other cards in my wallet are better values for those. The other perks don't matter much anymore. I qualified as a Million Miler on Delta last year, so I am now permanent Gold Elite/SkyTeam Elite+. But if you are a frequent-but-not-that-frequent Delta flyer, it comps one bag for everyone on your reservation plus lets you board between the SkyTeam Elite pax and everyone else. These have become more valuable now that Delta has made it much harder to qualify for status.

Chase Sapphire Reserve. As noted above, this has an effective annual fee of $250 if you have any travel expenses at all. I knock a little more off that with sporadic $10 Lyft credits. It returns at least 4.5% on travel and dining---3x points, and they can be redeemed for 1.5 cents/dollar through their travel portal. My net earn after fees is somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.5%, which is reasonable, and it is better in years I have large travel expenses. It also provides primary insurance on rental cars. I don't really use it for anything else, becuase the other perks are subsumed by other cards, primarily....

...the Amex Platinum. I've had this one the longest. It is expensive--$695. That gets knocked down by several credits: a $240 credit towards media, which I put towards NYT and Disney+; a $200 credit on airline fees on a designated airline (which I usually don't max out, see below); my CLEAR+ membership ($160); Global Entry ($120 every 4-5 years); and a sporadic Uber credit here and there. This used to grant unlimited access to Delta SkyClubs; we are now limited to 10 days per year, wth a $50/day fee after that. I will probably pay for a few days, but not that many. Interestingly, I can also grant my kids/partner 10 days each for a $195 secondary card fee per person. That makes traveling as a family very pleasant, and is cheaper than the SkyClub executive membership. This also includes Priority Pass (as does the CSR), and the Amex Centurion lounges (these are generally nicer than SkyClubs). It comps Gold status with both Bonvoy (Marriott/Westin) and Hilton. It also comps status at several rental agencies--I usually use National, at which it comps Executive Aisle. Sometimes this means I get to choose the color of my Camry, but every once in a while it comps a convertible or a sports/muscle car at the standard rate. It returns 10% on flights, and 2% everywhere else.

Spending decisions are pretty simple: travel and restaurants go on the CSR. Groceries go on the Delta Plat. Airfare and media goes on the Amex Plat. Most of the rest goes on the Amex Plat if it is accepted, the CSR if not. None of these have foreign exchange fees, so currency is a non-issue.

The oddball is the free version of the Disney Visa. This is not worth having for rewards (though I am getting 5% this quarter on the first $1K of groceries, gas stations, and restaurants). But, it does have a few random perks when visiting WDW/DLR, including some dining and merch discounts plus a couple of exclusive character meet and greets (Darth Vader!). It sometimes gets you early access to general-public resort discounts. If you aren't an annual passholder, magic keyholder, and/or DVC Member, but do go to WDW or DLR periodically, it is worth having.

Oh yeah, I forgot, I have the Disney Chase Visa as well, but I never use it. Basically I just show it for the random perk. We also have used Capital One overseas (any of their cards), because there are no foreign transaction fees.

Touchdown:

While it may not yield the 2 cents per points they bloggers brag about

I haven't found many CSR or MR redemptions that hit 2 cents either, but that could be because I'm not a particularly opportunistic traveler.

I play the game, but not as intricately as some of you.

Discover gives 5%, changes quarterly so you need to pay attention, but this quarter is grocery stores and the last quarter of the year is always amazon, so 5% around Christmastime is nice.

Amoco/BP Visa gets me 18c/gallon off when combined with their rewards program and also 3% on groceries

Bank Of America gives 5% on travel expenses

Everything else goes on Capital One which gives 1.5% on everything.

Also of note, no one in my household can remember this except for me.

Think I'm running the same points game as Brian.

Delta Amex Plat - Groceries and Food Purchases

Amex Plat - Everything Else

Chase Sapphire Reserve - Anywhere that won't take the Amex, which is rare to be honest.

All the spend on the two Amex goes to Delta in the end, have not paid for airfare in over a decade. The Chase points are saved for typically a cruise or something that gets the 1.5x multiplier, but that takes some time as I don't rack up many points on that card quickly.

I go with whatever offers are present if it is something needed on whichever card is offering.

Debit card is like new, it never gets taken out or used, ever, CC companies give back any fraud purchases, and with the rewards it's a no brainer. Never understood the logic of people stressing over someone else seeing your card info in a restaurant, or buying from some random website, it literally does not matter, they just refund, cancel, and overnight me a new card. Though if the US would up their game on proper card machines, and contactless payment, your card would never actually leave your possession. But we seem to be 10 years behind the developed world over here.

It's not park related, but the most useful card I have for day to day is the Capital One Savor card. It has an annual fee now, but I'm grandfathered in from many years ago with no annual fee and unlimited 4% cash back on all restaurant purchases.

I saw awhile back that there was thoughts that maybe the credit cark perks would go away in order to make the swipe fees go away. Seems like that chatter has gone away.

I would think that would be unlikley given the current executive and legislative branches.

TheMillenniumRider:

The Chase points are saved for typically a cruise or something that gets the 1.5x multiplier

I've found that rental cars through the Chase portal are surprisingy good deals. I am sure if I hunted I could match it externally, but I'll take the easy version instead. That's particularly useful at locations that do not have an Emerald/Executive Aisle at National; in those locations I'm willing to rent from whoever offers me the best deal.

Pleasant side-bonus: If you pay with CSR points, you get the benefit of that card's primary loss/damage insurance.

Honestly, we all pay for our rewards, the rewards are paid with a portion of the profits banks make with swipe fees. The thing is, we all pay more for everything because of those fees. The house (ie banks) always win, this game is only a way to partially claw back those fees.

That said when debit card swipe fees were reduced by law, consumer prices did not fall as promised by the stores, so, I prefer the status quo where I can get a little back from the banks then just let Walmart, target and others keep it all for themselves.

I keep it simple and only use the CapitalOne Quicksilver card. It gives me 1.5% cash back on all purchases and no annual fees. I pay in full every month so zero interest.

I travel a bit for work so I have Hilton Honors. (not a cc) I use the points I accumulate from work travel for personal travel. I usually score several free nights a year.
I made Diamond for the first time last year but hope to drop back to Gold in 2025.
My work travels often take me close to parks, so if the weather is good I take advantage. I plan to hit Great America and Adventureland next month while traveling for work.

Uncle Steve:

I made Diamond for the first time last year but hope to drop back to Gold in 2025.

I hear you. I made Diamond back in 2019. The good news is I racked up a ton of points and had my own reserved parking space at the Hampton I was living in for work. The bad news is that I lived in that hotel for a year. That sucked.

But with Covid and a few more long term stays I ride the Diamond status for 4 years.

Same for renting cars through National during that time frame. Executive Elite is great and all but it’s pretty bad when National tells me to take the vehicle in for an oil change.

To be a lifetime Diamond you need to earn Diamond status a total of 10 times and amass either 1,000 nights of stays or 2 million base points. As most of my stays are at their lower tier properties (Hampton Inn) and I was just barely making Diamond most years (60 nights) I thought it would take until near my retirement to reach that. But then came Covid. Normally when you pay for a room at Hilton you earn 10 base points for every dollar spent and there is no other way to earn them (or boost them for that matter) however starting I want to say in June of 2020 and going through the end of March 2022 every Hilton point, including the credit card points, became a base point. I recognized how valuable that could be early on, and started charging everything I could on that card, when I finally started traveling again in February of 2021 and boy did I travel then, mostly staying at Hiltons. I chose to not cash in my points and instead continue to pay the cash rate (most of that year was double points so I was earning 42 base points per dollar.) In 2021 and 2022 I qualified for Diamond on points by March. I never totaled it up how much I made, but it’s why I’m so close, if it was up to nights I’m still way short (325 nights) but on points I’m within striking distance, even though this year is the year is just my 10th year as a Diamond.

This reminds me of the movie Up In The Air, which is one of my favorites ever...

Alex: We're two people who get turned on by elite status. I think cheap is our starting point.

Ryan: There's nothing cheap about loyalty.

If you are into this topic, follow The Points Guy: www.thepointsguy.com. He's one of the best travel bloggers out there and posts all sorts of cool stuff related to this topic (among other great travel related topics).

For me, I'm on team "Chase Sapphire Preferred" and charge 95% of my personal expenses to this card...and as others have said, I never carry a balance (suckers bet).

The points I earn gets me a couple of free stays a year or a car rental. I'm not savvy enough to play the points game to the fullest extent to maximize every possible benefit. That will just make me crazy. I just charge away and whatever points come my direction; I take advantage of.

On a side note, I live on the NJ Shore and many mom-and-pop businesses in this region now charge a fee if you pay with a credit card (mostly restaurants). Drives me bonkers but when this is the case, I typically just pay in cash and save the 2% (or whatever) surcharge.