Travel More, Spend Less: The Power of Travel Credit Card Points

I'm always the one in my group pushing for a new adventure. We'll get to talking about some amazing destination, picturing ourselves lounging by a pool or enjoying a fantastic meal with a view. We get so excited, planning and figuring out if we can make it happen. But then someone mentions airfare, and that's when my excitement deflates. It's always the biggest chunk of our potential budget.

This realization hit me years ago when my family lived 1400 miles from my hometown. We were always traveling back and forth. Three-day road trips were fun but getting old quick and flights were just too expensive. That's when my father-in-law, a former travel agent, suggested we sign up for a mileage loyalty program with Continental Airlines.

Before long, we were getting credit card offers from Continental offering award mileage for every dollar spent. We've changed cards a few times since then, but having a credit card with travel perks and rewards has been a game-changer for our family of six. From flying our kids back and forth to university in Canada to exploring Europe and beyond, our rewards credit card has made travel affordable and accessible.

I've encouraged many friends to consider the same, but I know credit cards can have a bad reputation. However, with a disciplined approach, the benefits can outweigh the risks. That's why our family's go-to credit card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve. These cards offer incredible travel benefits that have enriched our lives and made our travel dreams a reality.

Lest you run away from this blog post frustrated that I’m pushing a credit card, read the list of benefits and consider if this could be the solution for you or your family to get out and see more of the world.

Take a look at the travel power of these credit cards:

1. **Travel Rewards**: Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Sapphire Reserve allow you to earn valuable points on your purchases, which can be redeemed for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. The Preferred earns 2X points on travel and dining, while the Reserve earns 3X points on these categories.

2. **Sign-up Bonus**: Both cards offer generous sign-up bonuses, typically after you meet a minimum spending requirement within the first few months of opening the account. These bonuses can be worth hundreds of dollars in travel rewards. Current offer for the preferred card is 60,000 miles. (That’s equivalent to 2x mileage reward flights!)

3. **Redemption Options**: You can redeem your points for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal at a higher value. Additionally, you can transfer your points to various airline and hotel partners for potentially even greater value. (We are United mileage members and often fly United, but these points are not dedicated to one airline, you may transfer to a list of partners including Southwest, JetBlue and AirCanada)

4. **Travel Insurance**: Both cards offer a suite of travel insurance benefits, including trip cancellation/interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, and travel accident insurance. (Future blog post about how this benefit saved the day after a major trip disruption while abroad)

5. **Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit**: The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a statement credit for either the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee, making it easier to breeze through airport security. (If you have TSA PreCheck you know how valuable this is….$100 credit makes the Reserve annual fee of $550 already more affordable)

6. **$300 Travel Credit (Reserve) $50 Hotel Credit (Preferred): Receive up to $300 in statement credits as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your Reserve card annually. Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel for Preferred card.

7. **Airport Lounge Access**: The Chase Sapphire Reserve provides complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, giving you access to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide.

8. **No Foreign Transaction Fees**: Neither the Chase Sapphire Preferred nor the Chase Sapphire Reserve charges foreign transaction fees, making them ideal for international travel. (If you have traveled abroad you know how quickly these charges add up…our kids in Canada use this card to save on all of their credit card purchases)

9. **Rental Car Benefits**: Both cards offer primary rental car insurance coverage when you use your card to pay for the rental, potentially saving you money on expensive rental car insurance.

10. **Hotel Benefits**: The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers benefits when booking through the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, including daily breakfast for two, room upgrades, and other perks.

11. **Purchase Protection**: Both cards offer purchase protection, which covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft, up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.

The benefits of these cards has had me contemplating making owning one of them a prerequisite for friendship. 😂🤔

(Not really but oh, the trips my girl crew and I could have taken had we all been using this to its fullest potential!)

Use one of the links above to apply and I can gain rewards allowing me to scope out new locations for future adventures!!!

The strategy for racking up miles is quite straightforward. We put EVERYTHING on our credit cards. Our businesses each have one and then we have one for personal expenses. Yes we still keep a budget and yes we pay off our cards in full every month. It takes discipline and being in touch with your finances to avoid late fees and interest charges but the rewards are worth the annual fee.

In an ideal world all of my clients would have one of these cards or one that is equivalent BEFORE planning their next big trip. For my travel savvy readers who already have one of these cards or if you just applied take your travel power to the next level and sign up for this resource for free on how to maximize your reward points!