Part 2 of Earning Points and Miles: Everyday Spending and Category Bonuses

Welcome bonuses are the quickest and easiest way to earn lots of miles and points. If you’re trying to meet a minimum spending requirement to earn a welcome bonus on a card, you’ll want to use that card until you meet the spending threshold. After that, if you have multiple credit cards, it’s also important to maximize your earning potential on everyday spending.

This post will cover how to earn more points and miles by using credit cards for everyday spending. In addition to paying all expenses possible on a credit card, it is important to make sure you are using cards that earn extra points on bonus categories when possible.

The first and most obvious thing I can say is stop using cash! Always use a credit card anywhere credit cards are accepted.  Put all of your spending on a rewards earning credit card. If you pay off the balance every month, you will never pay interest.

Bonus Categories

Some cards offer bonus points for dining, travel, gas, and many other categories.  For example, Chase Sapphire cards offer 2-3 points per dollar on spend at restaurants and on travel, depending on which Sapphire card you have.

Most airline and hotel co-branded cards offer bonus points for travel booked through the airline or hotel. For example, AAdvantage co-branded cards earn 2 points per dollar if booking a flight on American Airlines.

It is important to familiarize yourself with any category bonuses your card(s) earn. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns 2 points per dollar on travel and dining. This may not sound like a lot, but it adds up quickly because you are doubling your earnings every time you use a card that earns a bonus for the category in which you are spending.  

Which credit card should you use for everyday spending?

See also: Best Credit Cards for Everyday Spending

I put most of my spending on cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points and American Express Membership Rewards points because those are the points I value the most.  If you only use an airline or hotel co–branded card, you only earn miles or points with that airline or hotel program. But if you earn transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards points, you have the option to transfer to multiple airlines. In other words, you have more redemption options.

Cash-back cards have a purpose in some cases, but you’ll generally get more value out of Amex MR and Chase UR points.

Related post: 4 different types of credit card reward currencies for travel

The take-aways:

• Put all of your spending on credit cards
• Learn your category bonuses for your specific cards

Part 3 will cover shopping portals. This can boost your points quite a bit if you can remember to always use them when possible!

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