8 Ways to Maximize Credit Card Points (April 2024)

A huge number of credit cards come with amazing rewards programs. Each time you charge a purchase to one, you’ll rack up valuable perks in the form of cash, miles, or points.

Of course, you won’t get any of those rewards without using the card, so it’s time to spend. Here are eight great ways to maximize credit card points and other perks you get from credit card companies.

Many credit cards offer higher point values for spending in certain categories or during different quarters of the year. If your card does, modify your charging activity to match it.

For example, if you like to get away from home and travel, you may want to use your Chase Sapphire Reserve® card and purchase travel through Chase when booking hotels and renting cars since it offers 10X points after the first $300 spent on travel purchases annually.

You’ll also receive 3X points on travel purchases, but only after you earn your $300 annual travel credit. Pay attention to those high reward offerings.

Review your budget to determine exactly what you need and want to spend money on each month without going over your income threshold. Make a point of charging as many of those expenses as you can.

Then, use the money in your checking account to pay off the bill.

You’ll give your rewards credit card a massive workout, and your repeated on-time credit card payments will be reflected nicely in your credit score. On-time payments are the single most important factor in determining your credit score.

It’s easy to overspend if you’re not keeping track of what you charge, so be sure to keep an eye on your spending to avoid high-interest credit card debt.

Let’s say you go out for dinner with a bunch of friends. At the end of the meal, you find that the entire bill is $400, and everyone’s portion is $50.

Take hold of the check and say, “Anyone mind if I get this? You can give me the cash or send your portion to me with an app!” Examples of money transfer apps include Venmo, the Square Cash App, and Zelle.

Assuming they’re in agreement, you get to claim a big pool of points, miles, or cash without going over budget. Just be sure to forward the money they send you to your credit card company without delay.

Many credit cards offer generous signup bonuses just for opening the account. As long as you spend the required amount within a few months of getting the card, you’ll attain a large sum of bonus miles, points, or cash back.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred®, for instance, currently offers a large sum of points worth a pretty penny when redeemed for travel for meeting the minimum required spending amount within the first three months from account opening.

If you’ve decided to invest in new furniture or purchase some other costly item (and have the available funds to pay for it all at your disposal), using the card to score that big bonus is smart.

Nearly all the major credit card issuers will let you transfer the rewards you’ve earned to their travel company partners. The value of those rewards may increase by doing so.

For example, one point may be worth 0.7 cents when redeemed for various travel accommodations on the issuer’s website or travel portal, but if you transfer your points to an airline or hotel loyalty program, you could earn upward of 1 to 2.5 cents per point, sometimes more.

So, if you plan to use your points or miles to cover the price of hotel rooms or flights, consider moving the rewards to the issuer’s partner loyalty programs first. Then, when you cash them in, you’ll get the best deal for your rewards.

To make your reward-accumulating life simple without the worry of credit card debt, have your recurring bills, such as insurance, utilities, a cellphone, and gym membership, automatically paid for with a rewards credit card on file.

Then, have your credit card account(s) automatically paid off each month from the cash in your checking account.

The points will add up fast with virtually no effort. Imagine you have a Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card and charge about $1,200 on a monthly basis. That’s roughly $14,400 a year.

Since this card gives an unlimited 1.5 points for every $1 spent, you’ll earn about $217. That’s not a bad deal just for paying your regular monthly bills!

Almost all credit card issuers allow primary account holders to add authorized users. If you do add an authorized user, they will have a credit card with their name on it and your permission to use it.

Multiple people paying for all kinds of things with your account will help accumulate more rewards faster. Some cards will even give you bonus points for adding an authorized user when you first get the card.

The United Explorer Card from Chase, for example, will give you 5,000 miles when you add an authorized user, as long as they make a purchase within the first three months of you opening the account.

Yet, while these piggybackers can help you collect a lot of points, you’ll be responsible for paying the credit card company for all that stuff. Be sure to explain the rules first: no charging unless they can and will give you the money unless otherwise agreed to.

Chances are strong that your rent is the largest expense you have, so it would be nice to build rewards each time you pay for it. Some landlords or property managers will accept credit cards; however, this is an “only under special circumstances” method of point accumulation.

Merchants are charged an interchange fee of approximately 1.8% per transaction. Your landlord will most likely pass that fee on to you, which will result in the value of your points being significantly eroded.

So, only take advantage of this option when your card offers higher rewards than the added fee you may be charged. When it does, you’ll come out ahead.

Remember, the only way to turn a profit with credit card rewards is to keep your balance at zero. Track your spending activity on a daily or weekly basis, and stop charging when you know you’ll have trouble paying the entire amount due.

If you don’t, you’ll roll over debt and interest will be added to the amount you owe. When you’re concentrating on maximizing credit card rewards, it’s easy to get excited and spend more than your checking account can realistically handle.