Allie Hubers Most people think having multiple credit cards is overwhelming, but for me and my husband, it’s a strategic way to maximize credit card savings and earn valuable perks.
As an active duty military pilot, my husband qualifies for waived annual fees on premium credit cards thanks to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) and Military Lending Act (MLA). This means we can hold high-end travel credit cards without worrying about expensive annual fees, giving us access to incredible perks and rewards.
We each have an American Express Platinum Card, a Chase Sapphire Reserve, and a Delta Reserve Card—some of the most powerful (and expensive) travel rewards cards on the market.
We also hold an Amex Gold Card (4x points on dining and groceries), Amex Green Card (3x points on travel), Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card (6x points at Marriott), a Hilton Honors Aspire Card ($400 annual credit for Hilton Resorts), and Marriott Business Card. While managing our credit card portfolio has become practically a part-time job, the savings are worth it.
Last summer, we even used points to cover a dream trip to Iceland and Tenerife, where we saw Ed Sheeran perform. Thanks to our credit card rewards, we booked round-trip airfare, a five-star hotel in Iceland, rental cars, and a luxury resort in Tenerife, all without spending a dime out of pocket.
How we save thousands each year with our credit card savings
Owning multiple credit cards isn’t just about collecting points, it’s also about using them strategically. Knowing which card to use for every purchase has become second nature.
Most importantly, we pay off our credit cards each month, ensuring we never carry over a balance or pay interest on our statements. You can only reap all of the benefits from credit cards if you are financially responsible.
Here are the key ways we maximize our rewards to save over $23,000 per year.
Maximizing travel redemptions
Our biggest savings come from redeeming points for travel, including flights, hotels, and rental cars. We’ve used points to book international business-class flights, luxury accommodations, and car rentals—all significantly reducing our out-of-pocket costs.
For example:
- Our American Express Platinum card earns 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines, and we use these points to book flights almost exclusively. We also get access to the Amex Centurion lounges and Delta Sky Club while flying.
- The Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3x points on travel, with 1.5x redemption value when booking through Chase Ultimate Rewards. There’s also no foreign transaction fee, so I use this card almost exclusively when traveling abroad, as Visa is the most widely accepted.
- The Hilton Honors Aspire Card and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant cards give us free weekend nights for hotel stays, complimentary upgrades, lounge access, and free breakfast. The Hilton card automatically provides Diamond loyalty status, leading to free room upgrades and complimentary breakfast. We hardly pay for hotel rooms.
By leveraging multiple cards, we stretch our points to cover high-end travel experiences that would normally cost us thousands of dollars. For instance, we booked a stay at the 5-star Reykjavik Edition in Iceland last summer using Marriott Bonvoy points for a luxurious stay.
Strategic airline points transfers
While many travel experts recommend transferring points to partner airlines for better redemption rates, I prefer to transfer all my airline points to Delta.
As a frequent Delta flyer, this simplifies my travel planning and ensures I get maximum value. I don’t want my points to be sitting in a loyalty account with a random airline that I don’t use. I’d hate to have hard-earned points lingering in a forgotten account.
The Delta Reserve Card also gives us complimentary upgrades, priority boarding, and an annual companion certificate. This alone is worth the card’s annual fee (although we get this waived due to our military status). The companion pass can be tricky to use due to its restrictions and blackout dates; however, we have always been able to use ours for travel.
Maximize credit card savings by stacking travel and entertainment credits.
Many premium cards offer annual statement credits that can be used towards travel fees, streaming services, and more. We take full advantage of these, including:
American Express Platinum: $200 in airline incidental credits, $240 in digital entertainment credits (perfect for our streaming services), and $200 in Uber credits.
I use the airline incidental to cover award flight taxes across both cards. If I have leftover incidental credit at the end of the year, I use my Delta credit card to “apply miles” on a flight. This triggers the ticket as an award flight. The remaining dollar amount is coded as incidental costs.
Chase Sapphire Reserve: $300 annual travel credit, which applies automatically to flights, hotels, and car rentals. The annual travel credit is extremely easy to use—it’s one of my favorite perks. We each have our own Chase Reserve card, and the annual travel credit adds up to $600 for us.
Redemption in the Chase Travel Portal is 1.5c per point. For example, 10,000 points equates to $150 worth of travel. I use these points for non-Delta flights and rental cars, as the Chase Reserve provides rental car insurance as primary coverage.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: $300 Marriott property credit and free annual hotel night (worth up to 85,000 points).
This card earns 2x Marriott Points for all purchases, so we tend to charge most of our random expenses to this card. The monthly $25 dining credit is useful, but it can be difficult to remember to use.
Hilton Aspire: $50 quarterly airline incidental credit and $250 Hilton resort credit.
We hardly use this card, but the Diamond Hilton status comes in handy when we travel. The perks alone from this status, such as lounge access and complimentary breakfast, are worthwhile. The quarterly airline incidental is annoying to remember (in fact, writing this has triggered my memory to use the credit before the end of this quarter!)
These credits alone save us thousands per year and help offset the cost of our travel.
Checking for cash-back and bonus offers daily
Every morning, I check Amex Offers and Chase Offers to see what cash-back or extra point opportunities are available. It might sound tedious, but it only takes a few minutes to see which offers are new and trigger my memory for the offers I plan to use.
These deals often include bonus points on dining, shopping, and travel, along with statement credits for everyday purchases. We’ve received hundreds of dollars back just by activating and using these offers.
For example, I just saved $400 on Away Travel luggage with cash-back offers on our Chase Reserve cards. The offer was “Spend $500, save $200 on Away Travel”, which is essentially 40% off! This luggage is my favorite for travel, and their lifetime warranty is unmatched.
These type of credits are best utilized on purchases you’re already planning to make, instead of spending money just to save money. Amex and Chase Offers need to be activated on your card before each applicable purchase. Each card, even authorized users, has access to their own offers so you can double-up on some.
Maximizing every purchase with the right card for better credit card savings
Every purchase we make is intentional. We always use the card that offers the highest rewards for each spending category.
It can be hard for my husband to remember which card to use for purchases, but some of the most common categories include the following:
- Dining and groceries: We use the Amex Gold Card for 4x points at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets. For international dining, we use the Chase Sapphire Reserve for 3x dining.
- Flights and hotels: The Amex Platinum Card earns 5x points on flights, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve give 3x points on all travel.
- Cruising: The Chase Sapphire Reserve and American Express Green Card earn 3x points on all travel purchases, including cruises.
- Everyday spending: Our Marriott Brilliant earns 2x points on all purchases.
By being strategic, we maximize our spending to earn the most points with all of our credit cards. This allows us to get the most value out of every dollar we spend and rack up our points.
The bottom line
With 16 credit cards in our portfolio, we’ve mastered the art of credit card hacking to fund many of our travel experiences for free. While it requires careful planning and organization, the savings – over $23,000 last year alone – make it more than worth it.
For military members and frequent travelers, premium credit cards can be a game-changer. By using the right strategies, you can travel more, spend less, and enjoy incredible perks without breaking the bank.
Disclaimer: The strategies and savings outlined in this article are based on my personal experience and financial situation. Credit card benefits, rewards, and waived military fees are subject to issuer policies and may change at any time. While leveraging credit card rewards can lead to significant savings, it is important to practice responsible credit management, including paying balances in full each month to avoid interest charges. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Always research and evaluate credit card options based on your individual financial needs.
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