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There is a lot of chatter out there from folks who think that it’s financially responsible to get rid of your credit cards. While it’s true that credit cards charge ridiculous amounts of interest, if you play the game right, they also have incredible benefits. You can earn free hotel stays, flights, complete vacations, or simply get cash back.

So, how do we play the game? You don’t have to be the ultimate credit card guru to do so. Below, I will break down our simple credit card strategy for earning a ton of miles!

Easy 3-Step Credit Card Strategy

Step 1: Pay Your Credit Cards in Full Every Month

This might be obvious to some people, but I want to make it clear. There are no rewards credit cards out there that will be worthwhile if you are paying credit card interest. This means you need to pay the full balance of your credit card every month.

If you need help budgeting to ensure you do not overspend, check out mint.com for FREE planning. Mint.com will track every dollar you spend and help you budget your expenses.

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Step 2: Pay for Most Things with Your Credit Card

Aside from my mortgage and auto loans, I pay for nearly everything with a credit card. This means our phone bill, groceries, clothes, food, and travel all get charged to a credit card.

Why? Well, that means with each purchase I am earning points or miles. Debit cards do not typically offer perks and leave you missing out on awesome rewards.

However, you must remember step 1! If you put all your purchases on a credit card, you need to pay it off in full every month to avoid interest charges.

Keep in mind that certain companies charge a credit card fee. In this case, you should use a debit card or cash instead. Some examples I have come across recently are my air conditioning repair man and my son’s college tuition.

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Step 3: Choosing the right card is imperative!

You will want to choose a great everyday credit card with a low annual fee that has multiple transfer partners.

What’s so important about having multiple transfer partners? Well, it’s fine to have a United Credit Card if you love United, but then you can only use your miles on United.

I prefer to have options when it comes to booking travel, so I choose credit cards that allow us to transfer points to multiple airlines.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card checks these boxes and I would highly recommend looking into getting one if you are starting your journey to earning miles.

We love the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for a lot of reasons. The main reason is they have amazing travel partners including United, Southwest, JetBlue, Emirates, Hyatt, Marriott & more. This card also has a low annual fee, ensuring your benefits outweigh the cost.

In the Chase Sapphire Travel Portal, you get 1.25 cents per point. Most other credit cards offer a 1 cent to 1 point exchange, so you get 25% more with the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

We most often use the rewards for Southwest Flights and Hyatt hotel stays.

BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• Chase Ultimate Rewards is one of the best rewards platforms out there with a large number of travel partners including United, Southwest, JetBlue, Emirates, Hyatt, Marriott & more. There are 13 Ultimate Rewards partners to whom you can transfer points.
• Earn 5x on all travel purchases when purchasing through the Chase Travel Portal
• Takeout & dining out 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
• 3-fold increase in online grocery shopping (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
• Travel Credit of $50 per year on hotel stays booked through the Chase Travel Ultimate Rewards program

• Anniversary Bonus of 10% Every year that you keep the card, you’ll earn 10 percent more points on your total spending. In the event that you spend $10,000 in a calendar year, you’ll receive 1,000 bonus points.
• If you redeem your Chase Sapphire Preferred card at 1.25 in the Chase Travel Portal, you’ll still get all of the benefits you’ve come to expect from the card.
• For 1.25 cents per point, redeem at the Chase Travel Center
• Complimentary Twelve-month subscription to DoorDash and DashPass
• There are no fees associated with foreign transactions.
• A comprehensive package of travel and purchase protection

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The Points Guy has a great beginner’s guide to points and miles if you want to jump deeper into strategy! Check it out here.

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The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

There are a lot of cards out there that have bonuses on different categories like gas, office supplies, or grocery stores. They are fine, but I just don’t have the time to calculate which card I should use for what.

Instead, I always keep a card in my wallet that offers 2% back in points which can be redeemed for travel or cash.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card claimed its place as the best of Capital One cards. This is a simple rewards card, and that is really its strength.

BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• You earn 2 miles for every dollar spent. These miles can be used to reimburse for travel purchases or transferred to their airline partners
• Receive up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® fee – TSA Pre✓ is amazing, (you can check out my review on why we love it here)
• Low annual fee

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Click here to view current Credit Card Sign-Up Bonuses!

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Managing credit cards wisely isn’t just about avoiding debt, it’s about harnessing their potential to work in your favor. By following a straightforward strategy like paying off your balances each month, using your cards for everyday purchases, and carefully selecting the right card, you can maximize benefits without falling into the pitfalls of high interest charges.

Whether it’s earning miles for a dream vacation or simply accumulating cash back for everyday expenses, the key is consistency and mindful spending. So, don’t shy away from credit cards; instead, learn to use them as a tool to enhance your financial flexibility and enjoy the rewards they offer.

You Might Also Like:

OUR 5 FAVORITE CREDIT CARDS FOR FAMILIES WHO LOVE TO TRAVEL

HOW WE FLEW TO HAWAII ON ONE CREDIT CARD SIGN UP BONUS AND HAD 20,000 MILES TO SPARE

3 TRAVEL HACKS YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR TRAVEL DREAMS REALITY

Pin for Later – Earning Miles 101: Our Simple Strategy to Maximize Our Credit Card Miles

Reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.