Earning Miles Is Just As Much Fun As Spending Them

No, this doesn't mean I'm addicted to shopping or spending. It means I enjoy figuring out which card I should use for each purchase I make. It's fun. 

What do I consider when figuring out which card I should use?

There are several factors that I use:

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Chase's 5% bonus category calendar for 2015

Meeting a minimum spend requirement: Right now, I am trying to meet that requirement (aka: the amount you need to spend to get a reward) for my IHG card. That means most of my daily spend will go on that card until I spend the $1,000 in 3 months (that shouldn't take long). Once I meet the minimum spend, I'll be rewarded with 60,000 bonus points (hello free weekend stay in Austin). 


Bonus categories: I have the Chase Freedom card. That's good, because it means this quarter (January-March) I'm getting 5% cash back when I use the card at grocery stores, movie theaters, and Starbucks. Chase only allows you to earn 5% cash back on $1,500. After you reach that limit you'll only earn the traditional 1% cash back. But that's still a very lucrative 7,500 points (or roughly $75) per quarter! The other go-to card I have in my wallet is my Barclaycard Arrival Plus. It gives me a solid 2 points per dollar on every purchase. 



Travel goals: This one is important. A saying I've read several times before goes something like this: "the most important mile/point gets you where you want to go." In other words, it doesn't matter if you have 1 million American Airlines miles if it doesn't get you what you want! That is why it is so important to make your travel goals first. After that, you'll know the kind of miles you'll need. 

Playing this game is fun 

I enjoy the challenge of trying to earn as many points as I can for each dollar I spend. It doesn't make travel free. It just makes travel a lot less expensive. And "less expensive" is a good thing in my book, because it gives me the opportunity to do it more.

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