8 Ways to Maximize Credit Card Points (2026)

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 Citi Strata Elite℠ Card card and purchase travel through Citi when booking hotels and renting cars since it offers 12X points.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

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Chase Sapphire Reserve®

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★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

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• Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
• Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
• $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
• Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
• Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music — all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 — a value of $250 annually
• Member FDIC

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Intro (Purchases) N/A

Intro (Transfers) N/A

Regular APR 20.24% - 28.74% Variable

Annual Fee $795

Credit Needed Good/Excellent

Additional Disclosure: Non-Monetized. The information related to Chase Sapphire Reserve® was collected by CardRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardRates does not receive commission for this product.

You’ll also receive 6X points at restaurants. 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 Citi Strata Premier® Card, 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.

Citi Strata Premier® Card

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★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

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• Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
• Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
• Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
• Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
• No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases

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Intro (Purchases) N/A

Intro (Transfers) N/A

Regular APR 19.49% - 27.49% (Variable)

Annual Fee $95

Credit Needed Good/Excellent

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Additional Disclosure: Citi is a CardRates advertiser.

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.

Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

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Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

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★★★★★ 4.9/5.0

at Bank Of America'ssecure website

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• 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.
• Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on everyday purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.
• Earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through the Bank of America Travel Center.
• Use your card to book your trip how and where you want - you're not limited to specific websites with blackout dates or restrictions.
• Redeem points for a statement credit to pay for travel or dining purchases, such as flights, hotel stays, car and vacation rentals, baggage fees, and also at restaurants, including takeout.
• 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 17.49% - 27.49% will apply. A 3% Intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days your account is open. After the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 5%. Balance transfers may not be used to pay any account provided by Bank of America.
• This offer may not be available elsewhere if you leave this page. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.

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Intro (Purchases) 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases

Intro (Transfers) 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days (Balance Transfer Fee 3% for 60 days from account opening, then 5%)

Regular APR 17.49% - 27.49% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers

Annual Fee $0

Credit Needed Excellent/Good

Additional Disclosure: Bank of America is a CardRates advertiser.

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.