It’s been some time since I last checked the credit cards in our wallets and the reward points we’re earning. We’ve used up some of our points, and some of the programs have lower balances than others. So, I’m making a few changes to get more points that can be transferred and to take advantage of bonuses that come with meeting yearly targets.
When we first started this blog, we joked in our bio that we were a husband who was into miles and points and his wife who didn’t really care. That has changed a bit (Note from Sharon: not much! I still really don’t give a crap, LOL!), but Sharon still doesn’t want to have to worry about which credit card to use for each purchase. I have more flexibility with my wallet than she does, and I can keep four or even five cards to maximize each spending category.
Joe’s Wallet
Here are the credit cards currently in my wallet:
Capital One Venture X
The Capital One Venture X is my everyday spending card. It’s used for everything that does not earn a bonus multiple with another card. If I were trying to meet a spending threshold for a sign-up bonus, I’d swap out this card for that one. If I find myself relying on this card too often, it’s a sign that I should start looking for a new card that offers a good sign-up bonus.
Wyndham Earner Business
The Wyndham Rewards Earner Business card is in my wallet because it provides 8X points for gas station purchases. End of story.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Sapphire Reserve keeps a place in the wallet for its 3X bonus on dining expenses.
World of Hyatt Visa
The final spot in my wallet is currently filled with the World of Hyatt Visa. This is because I’m on the fence if I’m going to go for the extra free night for spending $15,000 this year.
Virtual Wallet
Having Apple Pay on my phone and watch means that I don’t need to keep some cards with me that I would have otherwise needed to keep in my wallet. Here are the cards I use regularly but don’t have with me.
- Citi Premier – 3X supermarkets
- Discover – 5% cash back at drugstores
Sharon’s Wallet
I need to keep Sharon’s wallet simple. I try to ensure that she uses only one card for everything. Although I occasionally manage to convince her to split her spending between two cards, it takes some near-begging.
Hilton Surpass AMEX
This is the #1 card in Sharon’s wallet for multiple reasons. She uses it almost exclusively to reach the $15,000 threshold to earn a free night certificate. It also earns 6X points at supermarkets, gas stations and restaurants, which is much of her usual spending categories.
Capital One Venture X
I have her keep the Venture X in her wallet for places that do not (or do not like to) take American Express cards.
American Express Green Card
I let Sharon keep this card in her wallet (Note from Sharon: “LETS me.” Ha! He knows I won’t LET HIM take it out of my wallet). Seriously, the card does some great bonus categories, but we have more Membership Rewards than we need at the moment, and I’m focusing on Chase and getting more Ultimate Rewards.
Final Thoughts
Contrary to my advice, I don’t have an actual travel goal in mind right now. We have trip plans in place through the end of the year, but after that, we’re not sure. It all depends on what happens over the next several months and what points I need to use to make those trips happen.
I have some things in mind, but I want to keep my points diversified and not put all of my points into a single program until I figure it out.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
Cover Photo by Stephen Phillips – Hostreviews.co.uk on Unsplash
