How to Manage Multiple Travel Rewards Credit Cards

Managing multiple travel reward cards can be daunting, but with a strategic approach, you can maximize your points and enjoy fantastic travel benefits. It is important to keep track of which travel cards you have, and offer the most value to you. Here's how I do it.

Create a chart of Your Travel Reward Cards 

It is a good idea to create a chart to track bonus categories, points earned, minimum spending requirements, and other card details. This chart serves as a roadmap for maximizing your rewards. Here is my chart for the hotel chain credit cards I use most. Your chart will look different depending on the credit cards you have, and what your travel goals are for the year. Note that these cards have additional benefits not listed in my chart, however, the purpose of this chart is to help me track when to use which card to earn the most travel points possible. Also, note that some cards have an annual fee, however, for many cards the benefits outweigh any fees.  An example of additional perks offered on some credit cards is free checked bags, global entry, higher rewards rates, priority boarding, etc. 

When I am not working towards a sign-up bonus, the above chart helps me track which cards to use first for my travel hacking theory. You can create your travel hacking theory based on your credit card portfolio. Important considerations in developing your travel hacking strategies are factors in the chart above such as bonus categories and minimum spending requirements for free nights, but also if the card offers an annual statement credit, redemption options, and your travel goals. There are many different types of travel credit cards. Do the hotel credit cards have co-branded hotels where you want to travel next? Does a specific airline that you have a cobranded card with travel to your next travel destination? Perhaps general travel cards are right for your next card such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Capital One Venture. General travel credit cards are also a great way to earn free travel rewards. Some general travel rewards credit cards offer a statement credit for travel-related expenses, which is a nice feature for travel costs not covered by a co-branded card. A caveat to this is the purchase has to be coded as "travel" per the credit card company. Make sure to check the details of the credit card offerings prior to applying. 

How to Decide Which Travel Reward Credit Card to Use First?

Based on your spending habits, prioritize travel cards with bonus categories that align with your expenses. I am prioritizing the Amex Hilton Surpass card first because the Hilton Free Night Certificate is more valuable than the other free night certificates offered on my cards for a minimum spending amount. For example, I get a second free night certificate on my Hyatt card, however, that is only available for a category 1-4 hotel. On my Marriott Bevy card, I get a free night award for a stay of up to 50,000 points if I spend $15,000. However, on my Hilton Surpass card, I get an award stay for a standard room at many hotels, not limited by category or points. See our posts on Hilton Free Night Certificates here. Which cards to use first will also vary based on your travel goals. If you are planning a trip that requires a large amount of airfare, you may prioritize airline credit cards. Or perhaps you have enough points to cover your hotel stays, you would again would prioritize airline cards to earn free flights. 

Purchase Gift Cards at Stores in Your Card's Bonus Category 

To maximize points, purchase gift cards at stores within bonus categories. For example, buying Amazon gift cards at supermarkets allows you to earn bonus points on future Amazon purchases. Since a bonus category on the Amex Surpass card is groceries, when I am at the supermarket, I am also picking up gift cards for other places. For example, we buy on Amazon a lot.  So I pick up gift cards for our estimated Amazon spending for the week or month and charge it to my American Express Hilton Surpass card. This allows me to earn 6 points per dollar spent on the Amazon Gift card since it was purchased at a supermarket, which I would otherwise only earn 4 points for (new Hilton Surpass rules have 4 points per dollar at certain online stores).  Check out our post on gift cards here.  

Plan Ahead to Get The Most Travel Reward Points 

Anticipate upcoming expenses and purchase gift cards accordingly. For instance, I buy Disney gift cards at supermarkets to earn bonus points and spread out expenses for our upcoming Disney World trip. This not only gets me more points per dollar on my spending at Disney World but also helps ease the cost while we are there as I am spreading it out over a longer period of time. Instead of spending a lot of money at once while at Disney World, I am adding $50-100 per week to my supermarket spending, which for us is easier to swallow. To check out more of our budget trip to Disney World check out. Another factor to consider is do you have a big purchase coming up in the near future? If you do, perhaps it is a good time to sign up for a new credit card and earn a welcome offer. 

Where to Charge Expenses Not in a Bonus Category

This will vary for everyone, but for my family, we tend not to have too many expenses in the bonus categories of the Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card. However, I still like earning the second Hyatt Free Night Certificate offered on this card. So when we have expenses that are not in a bonus category on a different card, I use my World of Hyatt Credit Card. Again, this is only when I am not working on a new card’s sign-up bonus and if I do not have a gift card for the expenses purchased at a bonus category on a different card. 

Manage Minimum Spending

After reaching the minimum spending requirement on one card, shift your focus to the next card on your list to maximize benefits. Keep track of each card's requirements and adjust your strategy accordingly. This process will look different for everyone. Which cards to use first next depends on which travel reward credit cards you have, what their bonus categories are, your family's spending habits, and what trips you have in mind for the next year. This strategy will also vary if you are working towards a sign-up bonus on a new card. 

Consider Long-Term Travel Goals- Where To Travel Hack Next Year?

Notice that this year, I am not working towards any airfare credits. There are a few reasons for that. Our next trip this year is Disney World, for which I used Delta Travel Credits from our trip to Switzerland for the airfare. Our other trip this year is likely to be a location we can drive to. This means I used no airfare travel rewards for our trips in 2024. Since I have some Jet Blue points and American Express Travel points saved up, it is likely to already cover most of whatever airfare we decide to use in 2025. Also, my Person 2 has not yet applied for a Jet Blue credit card. So once I figure out my 2025 travel goals, if we need more airfare miles than we have, I could have my Person 2 apply for the Jet Blue card. So for me, 2024 will be a year in which I am earning a lot of hotel travel rewards. With my current plan by the end of 2024, I will have earned:

Free Night Certificates

2 Hitlon Free night certificates

2 Hyatt Category 1-4 free night awards

1 Marriott 35,000 points free night award

1 Marriott 50,000 points free night award

Points 

If I spend only the minimum spend listed on the chart above I will earn:

-180,000 Hilton Honors points (6 points per $ on bonus categories X $15,000 min spend on each Surpass card)

-60,000 Marriott points on the Marriott Bevy card

-18,000 Marriott points on the Chase Marriott Bonvoy card 

-15,000 Hyatt points on the World of Hyatt Credit Card- this could have been more, except we do not have much spending on the bonus categories for this card. 

Also, keep in mind that a large number of travel rewards come from welcome offers you get on a new rewards credit card. To continually be able to cover travel expenses with points, working towards a welcome bonus becomes important. The chart above helps figure out where to charge everyday purchases when you are not working toward a signup bonus on a new card.

Keep track of statement credits available on different cards and be sure to take advantage of bonus rewards categories. Use a chart like the one above or a separate one to track just rewards programs benefits. For example, some benefits of a credit card rewards program may include access to airport lounges, statement credits for certain purchases, or other credit card rewards. 

Live Within Your Means:

This is assuming I will spend $78,000 even on my credit cards in 2024. This will be highly variable for every household. Depending on your household income and your monthly spending. We live in a large city, where costs are high so we have a larger monthly budget than many. We also have 2 kids, and 2 dogs which have more costs as well.  You can travel hack and earn free travel even on a much smaller budget. That is the beauty of using travel rewards, it is moldable to everyone's usual spending habits. 

Remember, the key is to use your travel reward credit cards or gift cards purchased with your travel reward credit cards for ALL of your household purchases. So we pay our car insurance, daughter’s piano lessons, homeowner’s insurance, gas, groceries, etc. on our travel credit cards. It is important to live within your means, and not overspend.

Travel hacking is using your everyday spending to earn travel points, it is not about spending more just to earn extra points. Going into debt for travel rewards is not worth it and it will affect your credit history. Credit card debt will hurt your credit score and credit utilization ratio which will hinder your ability to continue to be approved for a new credit card, lower your credit limit, and reduce sign-up bonuses availability.  Also, keep in mind that each credit card issuer will have different due dates.

When juggling different cards, be sure to track each card's due date to avoid any late fees or interest charges. Check your financial institution to see if they offer credit report monitoring for free. Many bank accounts or credit card companies offer free credit monitoring. To follow our basic checklist of travel hacking theories check out our post. 

By following these steps and adapting your strategy to your specific circumstances and goals, you can effectively manage your travel reward cards and maximize your points for unforgettable travel experiences.