Earning points and miles with credit cards is a valuable strategy for anyone who wants to travel more for less while maximizing their everyday spending.
By leveraging the perks of travel rewards credit cards, you’ll earn points or miles that can be redeemed for flights, hotel stays, and more.
I’ve been practicing and researching how to earn points and miles with and without credit cards since 2015 and I’ve learned a lot along the way.
So I’ve compiled a list of some do’s and don’ts that are important if you want to stay organized and keep your credit score in check.
If you follow these 5 do’s and don’ts of using your new travel rewards credit card, I’m confident that you’ll be off on the right foot and ready to earn some precious point sand miles to use for your next trip!
If you haven’t learned about earning points and miles yet, you’ll want to read my post on points and miles myths debunked.
Disclosure: Traveling Franklins is part of an affiliate sales network and at no cost to you, receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as MileValue.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.
What to do with your new Credit Card
So, you’ve done the work, have a good to excellent credit score, you’ve done the research, and you’ve decided to apply for a new travel rewards credit card. And boom! You’re approved! Congratulations!
But now what? What should you do to make sure you get the most out of your new credit card and start earning points or miles toward your next adventure?
Need help choosing the right travel credit card for your travel goals? I’ve got you covered! Check out all of my credit card links here.
Add your new credit card to all the apps
When you get a new travel rewards credit card, one of the first things you should do is add it to all the relevant apps that you use. If you don’t know what those are, check out the list below and my post points and miles apps you should download today for a more comprehensive list.
These apps can help you keep track of your rewards, card activity, and travel plans, making it easier to maximize your rewards and help you stay organized.
Travel Freely: The Travel Freely app is designed to help keep track of your credit card rewards and help you know when it’s safe to apply for your next card. It offers resources and advice so you can make the most informed decision when choosing a credit card. It’s also user friendly and easy to use.
The Points Guy: The TPG app is a comprehensive resource for travel rewards enthusiasts. It was the first site that I found to help me learn about points and miles. Now they have an app! This app is great for when you want to see the estimated points earned from purchases and which credit cards will earn you the most rewards.
Award Wallet: Award Wallet stores all of your rewards program information in one place. You can track your rewards balances, expiration dates, and redemption options for multiple programs, including airlines, hotels, and credit cards. You can also set up alerts to notify you when your rewards are about to expire or when there are changes to your account. It will even save all of your travel confirmations for you!
The quicker you can add your new travel rewards credit card to these apps, the better organized you’ll be, and can stay on top of your rewards and card activity, making it easier to maximize your benefits.
Familiarize yourself with the card’s rewards program
Making yourself familiar with your shiny new travel rewards credit card program is crucial to maximizing your benefits and avoiding missed opportunities. Each card has its own set of perks, credits, and rewards structure, so it’s important to take the time to understand how your card works.
- Review the card’s benefits, such as welcome sign up bonuses, spending bonuses, and travel credits.
- Take note of any bonus categories that earn extra points or miles, and make sure you use your card for those purchases (unless you’re working on a welcome sign up bonus).
- Check if your card offers any annual statement credits, such as travel or dining credits, so you can take advantage of those as well.
To help me with this, I like to use the Cardpointers app.
I use the Cardpointers Chrome extension to help add all credit offers for my AMEX and Chase credit cards in just one click. This way I don’t have to scroll through and add them one by one. I never miss an offer!
I also love how the Cardpointers app keeps track of my category bonuses to maximize my spending. It also sends me alerts when my monthly or annual credits are about to expire. It’s a lifesaver.
Use your new card for all expenses and everyday purchases
If you applied for a new travel rewards credit card, I hope one of the reasons was because it offered a nice hefty welcome sign up bonus.
Welcome sign up bonuses always come with a minimum spend requirement. If so, it’s important that you begin putting all expenses and everyday purchases on your new credit card immediately.
The sooner you meet the minimum spend, the sooner those points will be in your account. These bonuses can earn you a significant number of points or miles simply by spending what you normally would.
It’s a game-changer!
The minimum spend requirement is typically a certain amount that you must spend on the card within a specified time frame, often the first 3 months of account opening, in order to qualify for the welcome bonus.
For example $4,000 within the first 3 months of account opening. Account opening is the day that you get approved, not the day you receive the card.
This requirement may seem daunting, but it’s not as hard as you may think. By using your new card for all expenses and everyday purchases, you could easily meet the minimum spend and grab that welcome sign-up bonus.
Unfortunately, many people don’t know how much they actually spend on a monthly basis. If you ever shop at Costco, it’s very likely you can put a dent in that minimum spend pretty quickly.
Check out this post about ways to save money for your next vacation. I have some tips in there about how to monitor your spending so you know exactly how much you’re spending and on what.
Tips for meeting a new minimum spend requirement
Hopefully, you already know how you’re going to meet the minimum spend requirement, but here are some tips in case you don’t:
Put all your bills and everyday spending on the new card: If you can meet the minimum spend without changing all your bill payments, that’s fine. But regardless of that, you should always put your everyday spending on your new card. You’d be surprised how much money you spend in a month (or 3 months) on everyday purchases.
Make a charitable donation: Consider making a charitable donation using your new card to help you meet the minimum spend requirement while also supporting a good cause. It’s also a tax write-off!
Always pay the dinner bill: Be that friend that always offers to pay when you go out to eat and just have everyone pay you back. If friends try to use their debit card to pay, I always insist on putting it on my credit card. Someone should benefit from this purchase, so why not let it be you? You can make them pay you back easier with apps like Zelle, Venmo, or Splitwise.
Pay for a friend’s or family’s purchases: Offer to pay for a friend or family member’s purchase using your new card and have them pay you back. You can make them pay you back easier with apps like Zelle, Venmo, or Splitwise.
Save big purchases for the new credit card: If I have a big purchase like furniture, Christmas gifts, a new laptop, or office equipment I always try to save that for a new credit card welcome sign up bonus. Those purchases can help you reach a new minimum spend quickly.
Join all the loyalty programs
Joining all the loyalty programs that you can think of is an important step to take if you want to maximize your travel rewards. Plus, almost all of these programs are free to join. The sooner you join these programs, the better.
Why? Because some loyalty programs require that you have been a member for a certain period of time before you can transfer points to travel partners or purchase bonus points. This waiting period could be anywhere from 30 to 90 days. By joining all the loyalty programs as soon as possible, you’ll ensure that you’re eligible for all of these benefits when the time comes.
I use Award Wallet to manage all of my loyalty programs in one place, including hotel loyalty programs such as Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt, as well as airline loyalty programs such as Delta, Southwest, and American Airlines. It’s free, but they have a pro version as well.
Once you give Award Wallet access to your loyalty accounts, it will keep track of everything for you and notify you when your points are about to expire. The user interface is old, but once you get into it, you’ll see that it’s an essential tool for earning points and miles.
Start thinking about your next trip
One of the most exciting parts of getting a new travel rewards credit card is starting to plan the trip you’ll be using the points and miles for. Because thanks to your new card welcome sign up bonus, you’ll be able to do it for almost free!
This will keep you motivated to meet that minimum spend and educate yourself on how to maximize your rewards. Maybe you’ve always wanted to visit Europe, or perhaps you want to explore the beaches of Hawaii. Whatever your dream destination is, use it as motivation to earn as many points as possible and make your travel dreams a reality.
Before you start planning, check out these posts:
What Not To Do with your new Credit Card
Don’t worry about bonus spending categories
When you first get a new travel rewards credit card, it’s easy to get caught up in trying to maximize your rewards by using the bonus spending categories. However, if you’re working on a minimum spend to earn a welcome sign up bonus, it’s important to focus on hitting that spending minimum requirement first.
The value of a welcome sign up bonus will always outweigh any extra points you may earn from using bonus categories. So, don’t stress too much about bonus categories in the beginning.
In fact, focusing on one credit card can actually make things easier for you. You won’t have to constantly juggle multiple cards and try to remember which one to use for each purchase.
If you’re worried about missing out on extra points, the Points Guy app can be a helpful tool. It provides a report of estimated points earned and another report for the estimated points you may have missed. However, remember that this is only relevant if you’re not working on a new welcome sign up bonus.
So don’t worry too much about bonus spending categories when you first get your new travel rewards credit card. Focus on hitting that minimum spend requirement to earn your welcome sign-up bonus and then you can start thinking about how to maximize your bonus categories.
Don’t miss your welcome bonus deadline
This is seriously the worst feeling and biggest mistake you can make with a new travel rewards credit card, missing the deadline to earn the welcome bonus. Most cards have a minimum spend requirement within the first few months of account opening to earn bonus points, miles or cashback. It’s important to know exactly when your deadline is so that you don’t leave any points or rewards on the table.
Apps like Travel Freely will send you a reminder of your welcome bonus deadline, but you can also see it in the bank app for the credit card. Put it on your calendar, set reminders, and do whatever you have to do so that you don’t miss this deadline!
Remember, the welcome bonus can be the biggest haul of points or miles you can earn with your new card, so make sure you meet the minimum spend requirement on time. Don’t leave any rewards on the table that could go toward your next trip!
Don’t overspend
With any new credit card, it can be tempting to spend money that you don’t have. After all, you want to earn as many points or miles as possible to use toward your next trip. But it’s important to remember to be disciplined and not to overspend.
Think of your credit cards like a debit card and you can only spend money that you have.
Create a budget and stick to it. Use your credit card for regular expenses, such as groceries or gas, but avoid impulse purchases or buying things you can’t afford just to earn more points or miles.
You can also set up alerts to keep track of your spending and credit card balance. Many credit card issuers offer email or text alerts when you’re nearing your credit limit or when a large purchase is made. This can help you stay on top of your spending and avoid going overboard.
Don’t forget to pay your balance on time
One of the most important things to remember when using a credit card is to always pay your balance on time. Failing to do so can result in late fees, interest charges, and worst part even damage to your credit score.
To avoid missing a payment deadline, set up automatic payments or reminders. Don’t ever carry a balance on your credit card. Paying interest fees will negate any benefits that come with your new travel rewards credit card and it will be worthless to keep it.
Paying your balance on time and in full not only helps you avoid fees and charges but also helps you build and maintain a good credit history. A good credit score is important for getting approved for future credit cards with even better rewards and benefits.
So always prioritize paying your balance on time and in full. By doing so, you can enjoy the benefits of your new travel rewards credit card without worrying about any negative consequences.
Don’t close your credit card account too soon
When you start to get into earning points and miles with travel rewards credit cards it can get overwhelming when you start to accumulate more and more credit cards. It can be tempting to start canceling them once you’ve earned the welcome bonus. DON’T!
One of the main factors that credit bureaus use to calculate your credit score is your credit utilization ratio, which is the percentage of your available credit that you’re using. Closing a credit card account can reduce your overall available credit, which can increase your credit utilization ratio and negatively impact your credit score.
Credit card companies also frown upon “credit card churning” and they have the right to deny doing business with you in the future and put you in credit card “jail”. So you never want to cancel a credit card if it’s been less than a year from account opening.
Plus, the length of your credit history is another factor that affects your credit score. Closing a credit card account that you’ve had for a long time can shorten your credit history and potentially hurt your score.
To maintain your credit utilization ratio and credit history consider keeping the card and using it once in a while for specific purchases. If the credit card has an annual fee and you don’t believe you can benefit from it any longer, you may want to downgrade the card to a no-annual fee card rather than cancel it.
When it comes to canceling or downgrading the card, there are many factors to consider. But what you should never do is cancel or downgrade a credit card that is less than one year old.
If you’re not quite ready for credit cards, read this post about easy points and miles strategies that don’t require credit cards to help get you started with!
Want to Travel More for Less?
