Opening new cards strategically to cash in big welcome offers of points to get our little fam to that next dream vacay is a KEY part of our saving on travel strategy!

Yet, when not working on a new minimum spend, I find myself using some tried and true cards…these guys will NEVER leave my wallet and help me earn the most travel ongoing via our normal everyday spend.

As a busy mom, I don’t have time to juggle 7 cards to maximize EVERY.SINGLE.CATEGORY of purchases. Simple is best in this stage of life, so I like to fully optimize my spending for travel with these top tier 4 cards (when not working on a new minimum spend)!

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

First up, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card! If I could only pick ONE of these four cards to keep forever- this Sapphire wins, without question.

Chase points are UNMATCHED in their flexibility and value.

And the Sapphire is always rewarding me for doing what we do best – eat and eat (responsibly of course:)).

We’re talking a stunning 3x points on things like online groceries and dining out…this is hugeeee for our larger family!

I personally like to keep a fair amount of our ongoing monthly expenses on the Sapphire, for two reasons:

1. Chase points are the MOST value points to me
2. I want Chase to continue to think I am a very valuable customer (i.e. increase odds of future card approvals)

The points earned on our Sapphire transfer to SO many clutch airline and hotel partners. Like Air France for dirt cheap flights to Europe. Or Hyatt for luxury hotel stays for $0 and soooo many less points than if you were to use those points in your travel portal.

It is pretty easy to continue to have a healthy stash of Chase points via their business card offers (bonus points that these cards don’t impact your personal credit long term and have no to VERY low annual fees!). These cards are for sure the MVP of our indefinite points earning strategy…and you probably qualify for a business card and don’t even realize! (See if you’re eligible HERE!)

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is our “homebase” card and a KEY part of our big picture saving on family vacations strategy!

DO NOT skip on this one, the #1 travel rewards card to have in your wallet!

💳 Learn how to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card HERE!

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

I’d be totally lost without my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

2x points on EVERYTHING! This is my “catch all” card for higher value purchases that don’t fit into a high multiplier category on other cards. Gymnastics tuition, Car Insurance etc.

The Venture X card allows you to earn 2x points on all those random, have to make any way expenses!

I LOVE using my Capital One MILES specifically for flights (their airline transfer partners are amazing!). And don’t even get me started on the lounge access.

GAME. CHANGER.

Guys, this card gets you unlimited entry to over 1300+ lounges worldwide…complete with comfy seats in a quiet and clean space, free food, and a place to feel all fancy schmancy before your vacation! (One you lounge…you neverrrrr go back! And this card gives it to us for free!)

Yes, at first glance the annual fee on this one is steep. HOWEVER, if you look at the annual credits it provides it truly does nullify that annual fee and then some.

• $300 annual very easy to use travel credit
• 10,000 yearly anniversary points (worth a MINIMUM of $100 in travel)

This way for the the full breakdown on this card. If you spend at least $300 on travel a year on average, the Venture X is a no brainer.

💳 Learn how to apply for the Capital One Venture X HERE!

Forever Keeper American Express Card

I love having a long term strategy for diversified stashes of points – this ensure we are getting the very LOWEST rates on travel at all times.

Although credit card affiliate rules prevent from naming this card explicitly (see the link below!), this one is my 3rd “never leaving my wallet” travel saving tool.

HERE’S WHY:

• 4X points on groceries and dining out (highest multiplier on these categories of ANY card!)
• The ability to earn points instead of cash back via Rakuten!
• Fairly easy to use annual credit to offset the annual fee!

This card easily puts enough affordable travel BACK in our pockets for the spend we are going to have to do anyway – that we really would be losing money to not keep this one in our forever wallet!

💳 See all the best flexible point travel rewards card HERE!

Chase Freedom Flex®

Then there’s my unsung hero- the Chase Freedom Flex®.

(Referral Link. All information about the Chase Freedom Flex® has been collected independently by Wayfaren. The Chase Freedom Flex® is no longer available through Wayfaren.)

I say this card isn’t a great REDEEMING card, but it is a fantastic EARNING card.

Meaning there is no value when it comes to redeeming points for travel (no airline or hotel transfers), buttttt this card is a phenomenal way to EARN points.

***Here’s the KEY: Every quarter, you get 5x points on rotating categories.

These were the rotating categories on the Chase Freedom Flex® in 2024:

• Q1: January–March: Grocery stores, fitness clubs, and self-care and spa services
• Q2: April–June: Hotels, restaurants, and Amazon
• Q3: July–September: Gas stations, EV charging, movie theaters, and select live entertainment
• Q4: October–December: McDonald’s, PayPal, pet shops and vet services, and select charities 

There is a $1,500 cap each quarter on this 5x bonus, but when possible we really try to max that out EVERY quarter!

These Chase points can then be moved over to our #1 “homebase” Sapphire above and thennnnn transferred out for some WILD value on family vacations!

💳 Learn how to apply for the Chase Freedom Flex® HERE!

(Referral Link. All information about the Chase Freedom Flex® has been collected independently by Wayfaren. The Chase Freedom Flex® is no longer available through Wayfaren.)

How this all fits together

When we aren’t working on a minimum spend, THESE are the cards that are strategically earning us the most valuable points for nearly free vacations.

SIMPLY, for us it may look like this (but simplify this AS MUCH as you want!):

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: All lower value everyday autopay type expenses (even though it may only earn me 1x point, I need simplicity in this season, and of ANY bank I want Chase to think I am a valuable customer most!)
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: All higher value “don’t fit in a category” everyday expenses
• Forever Keeper Card #3: All online grocery orders + dining out
• Chase Freedom Flex®: Switch to this card if an expense fits into a 5x quarterly category (i.e. all Gas on this card for Quarter 1)

(Referral Link. All information about the Chase Freedom Flex® has been collected independently by Wayfaren. The Chase Freedom Flex® is no longer available through Wayfaren.)

I get a wholleeeee lot of DMs about cancelling and downgrading cards once they are no longer serving you beyond that welcome bonus.

• SIMPLY: If it’s not one of these 4 cards, it is very likely on the chopping block (or at least getting a HARD look at the value to annual fee cost ratio!) to downgrade or cancel after the one year mark!)

And nowwwwww if you’re curious the best way to OPTIMIZE all these amazing points that you’re earning for nearly free travel, don’t forget to grab our FREE Points 101 guide here! Ground ZERO for starting to turn all those Target runs into bucket list vacations!