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Best Credit Card Strategies to Maximize Travel in 2025
Rob DuBoux
January 10, 2025
Planning your dream vacation in 2025 doesn’t have to drain your savings. By strategically setting up the right credit cards, you can unlock travel rewards, exclusive perks, and valuable points—all without extra spending. That’s right. By using these credit cards with your normal spending, you can travel more for less. It’s easy.
Having the right mix of credit cards will provide you with a ton of flexibility to maximize your point earnings. This guide introduces the five essential types of credit cards to maximize travel:
Everyday Rewards Card for frequent daily spending.
Catch-All Card for non-category purchases.
Premium Travel Card for exclusive benefits.
Targeted Rewards Card for specialized spending.
Flexible Bonus Card for welcome bonuses and adaptability.
Every traveler is unique as well as your comfort level of opening credit cards. Your credit card setup should match your lifestyle, and comfort level ensuring you get the most from every swipe. However, having at least one of these cards in each category will get you in good position to travel more for less.
Everyday Rewards Card (For Frequent Daily Spending)
Purpose:
Your go-to card for everyday expenses like dining, groceries, and gas, the Everyday Rewards Card builds the foundation of your rewards strategy. This is that card you will pull out most of the time.
Top Picks for Travel Enthusiasts:
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Card:
Earn 3% back on dining, groceries, and entertainment.
Perfect for travelers who value dining and international usability (no foreign transaction fees).
Must pair with Capital One Venture or Venture X card to convert cash back to points.
American Express Gold Card:
Earn 4x Membership Rewards® Points on dining and U.S. supermarkets and 3x points on flights.
Includes perks like a $120 dining credit annually.
Excellent transfer partners.
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
Earn 3x Ultimate Rewards® Points on dining and U.S. supermarkets
Ideal for beginners getting into the points and miles game.
These cards are your “go-to” when you purchase groceries or going out for dinner. Use these cards primarily for this purposes.
Catch-All Card (For Simplified Spending)
Purpose:
Not every purchase fits neatly into your Everyday Rewards Card category. The Catch-All Card offers flat-rate rewards, keeping things simple and rewarding for general spending. Use this card for those unique purchases. Some of these cards require additional credit cards to covert cash back to points and miles.
Top Picks for Travel Enthusiasts:
Chase Freedom Unlimited:
Earn 1.5x miles on every purchase.
Zero annual fee.
Need to have a Chase Sapphire or Ink Preferred card to convert cash back to Ultimate Rewards
Citi Double Cash:
Earn up to 2% back on all purchases (1% when you buy, 1% when you pay).
A straightforward option with no annual fee.
Requires having the Citi Strata card so that the cash back can be converted to points.
American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card
Earn up to 2 Membership Rewards points for every $1
Limited to $50k per year
Requires applying for a business credit card
Capital One Venture X
Earn up to 2 Capital One points for every $1
High annual fee but can be used in the Premium Travel Card category
These cards are your “back-up” card for those expenses that aren’t your everyday expenses, like groceries and dining.
Purpose:
The Premium Travel Card is for those who want luxury travel perks, such as lounge access, travel credits, and concierge services. Did I say lounge access?
Top Picks for Travel Enthusiasts:
Chase Sapphire Reserve:
Earn 3x points on travel and dining.
Get $300 in annual travel credits and access to Priority Pass™ and new Sapphire lounges.
The Platinum Card from American Express:
Earn 5x Membership Rewards Points on flights and prepaid hotels.
Access over 1,400 airport lounges and enjoy up to $1,500 in annual credits.
Capital One Venture X:
10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
$300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel
Access over 1,300 airport lounges, including the exclusive Capital One Lounge.
These cards transform travel into an elevated experience. However, they all have high annual fees. So make sure you can use the elevated benefits.
Targeted Rewards Card (For Specialized Spending)
Purpose:
The Targeted Rewards Card focuses on specific categories that might otherwise go unrewarded, like rent or gas.
Top Picks for Travel Enthusiasts:
Bilt Mastercard:
Earn 3x points on dining, 2x on travel, and 1x on rent with no fees.
Points are transferable to top travel partners.
Citi Custom Cash Card:
Earn 5% back on your top eligible category each billing cycle - this includes gas.
Limited to $500 per month but perfect for gas purchases
Use these cards primarily for rent and gas. The Citi Custom Cash is an excellent choice for gas. However, you will need the Citi Strata card to convert the cash back to points.
Flexible Bonus Cards (For Versatility)
Purpose:
The Flexible Bonus Cards are those cards you are seeking the big from welcome bonuses. When you receive these cards, use this card for all your purchases and forget about the cards mentioned above. The welcome bonuses are time sensitive and you don’t want to miss out on the welcome bonus.
Top Picks for Travel Enthusiasts:
The Platinum Card from American Express:
Welcome bonus of 80,000 Membership Rewards after meeting the spending requirement.
Typically has elevated sign up bonus of over 80k during the year.
High annual fee, but offset by credits
Chase Ink Business Preferred (and Cash, Unlimited):
Massive welcome bonus of 90,000 points after meeting the spending requirement.
Go for the trifecta and get the Chase Ink Cash and Chase Ink Unlimited to further capture those Chase Ultimate Rewards
Requires applying for a business credit card
These cards are perfect for boosting rewards strategically, especially during major purchases or promotional periods. These are only a few and new sign up bonuses come up often. So keep up to date with our newsletter for more details.
Conclusion
Maximizing your travel rewards in 2025 starts with building the right credit card setup:
The Everyday Rewards Card covers routine spending.
The Catch-All Card rewards non-category purchases.
The Premium Travel Card unlocks luxury perks.
The Targeted Rewards Card optimizes specific expenses like gas and rent.
The Flexible Bonus Card is for that amazing sign up bonus
Having at least one of these cards from each category will set you up for a ton of flexibility and points. But remember: responsible card use is the key to long-term success. With the right strategy, your next vacation might be closer than you think.
We love hearing from you! Share your travel stories, tips, or ask us burning travel questions. Ask me a question or advice on points and miles or other travel questions. Who knows, your story might be featured in our next newsletter!
✨ Safe Travels & Happy Landings! Thank you for flying with us on this newsletter journey. Until next time, keep your passports ready and your adventures grand!
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