These Are My 10 Golden Rules for Maximizing Credit Card Rewards

At Upgraded Points, we’re passionate about earning travel rewards and never missing an opportunity to share our tips, tricks, and processes. Under all that passion, however, is a foundation of responsible card management.

Having a structure for card management is a personal endeavor to earn as many rewards as possible. It additionally serves to preserve credit, an important asset. Preserving a good credit history and maintaining a high credit score is easier with a track to follow. With nearly 2 dozen active cards, I follow a list of self-imposed rules to manage them.

Here are my top 10 rules to maximize the rewards I earn and keep my credit strong.

1. Earn the Welcome Bonus Offer

While simple in theory, new cardholders have unintentionally missed qualifying for one of the most important benefits of applying for a new credit card: the welcome bonus offer.

This mistake can cost hundreds, even thousands, of dollars in rewards. I don’t want to be one of those cardholders.

Once approved for a new card, I note the approval date, as that is when the clock starts ticking to meet the minimum spending requirements. I also note the deadline for completing those spending requirements. I then subtract 2 weeks and make that my new deadline, which allows time for purchases to go from pending to complete, adjustments for any returns I make, or revelations of any error in calculating my spending total. Tracking the date I open a card is also important if I want to cancel or downgrade a card later.

2. Pay Off the Card Each Statement Period

The value of the rewards earned on my credit card can be significant. I don’t want to negate that value by paying interest on balances carried over from one statement period to another.

There is some debate about whether you should make more than 1 payment each statement period or pay off the statement in full before or after it closes. I’m a pay-when-I-have-the-money person, sometimes making several payments during the statement period. It’s worked well for me.

3. Set Up Auto Pay

With so many rewards credit cards, the potential for missing a payment is real. Setting up auto pay ensures you make an account payment without human interaction. Plus, when auto pay is set up, I receive an alert when the payment will be drawn, and I can then choose to make a manual payment.

4. Know the Benefits of Every Card

Once I’ve been approved for a card, I go to my card account and review the benefits, enroll in those that require enrollment, and make note of the ones I’ll use. I return to this section periodically to track my progress.

When I fail to do this, I increase the chance I’ll miss out on hundreds of dollars of benefits.

For example, to receive up to $200 in Uber Cash each year, I must add The Platinum Card^® from American Express to my Uber account as a payment method. I find this information in the benefits section in my account online. If I fail to review all the card benefits and do not understand the requirements, I risk hundreds of dollars in potential value.

5. Get More in Benefits Than the Annual Fee

Knowing the level of value I receive from a card compared to the economic outlay is one of the most important aspects of having a travel rewards card. I complete this exercise with every card at its renewal anniversary to ensure I receive sufficient value.

For example, the annual fee on my Chase Sapphire Reserve^® is $550. I need to receive more than that amount in value for it to make sense to keep the card.

At each card renewal, I list the benefits I used during the year and then decide to keep, cancel, or downgrade the card.

• $300 travel statement credit
• Priority Pass Select Membership (8 uses)
• DoorDash credits $60
• Chase Sapphire Lounge access (1 use)
• Ultimate Rewards points earned on the card 46,754 times 1.5 cents each when redeemed via Chase Travel equals $701 or transferred to airline or hotel partners for a total of $935 or more (2 cents per point)
• Chase Offers $126

I receive more than enough value from the Chase Sapphire Reserve card to justify keeping it. The list doesn’t even include the value of Ultimate Rewards points I’ve transferred to my Chase Sapphire Reserve card from my Chase business cards and personal Ultimate Rewards-earning cards.

6. Use the Right Card for the Right Purchase

Using the right card for the right purchase is key to earning as many rewards as possible. Here’s a sample of spending categories and the cards I use regularly.

• Flights: Chase Sapphire Reserve card or airline-branded credit card
• Hotels: Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card, Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card*
• General Travel: Chase Sapphire Reserve card
• U.S. Supermarkets: American Express^® Gold Card
• Gas Station: American Express^® Business Gold Card, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
• Office Supply Stores: Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card
• Drugstore: Chase Freedom Flex^®
• Dining: Amex Gold card
• Department Store: Chase Freedom Unlimited^®
• Large Nonbonus Category Expenses of $5,000 or more: The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express
• Other Nonbonus Category Expenses: Freedom Unlimited card

This list changes based on spending promotions, statement credit offers, spending thresholds to earn free hotel night certificates (i.e. Marriott), Chase Offers and Amex Offers available, and other incentives.

*The information regarding the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

7. Monitor Transactions

It might be overkill, but I have a routine I call “morning finances.” Whenever I’m not traveling, and occasionally when I am, I review my credit and bank accounts almost daily. I want to ensure statement credits are posted properly, review unrecognized transactions, and generally manage my accounts.

Monitoring transactions frequently helps me promptly catch errors and receive the best value possible. Failure to monitor them means I may miss reimbursements, rewards, and benefits.

8. Know My Oldest Card and Keep It Open

One important factor contributing to my credit score is the longevity of my credit. Knowing which card is my oldest card and keeping that card open helps keep my credit score healthy.

Keeping my oldest card open also improves the average age of my credit accounts. Fortunately, my oldest card does not have an annual fee.

9. Review My Credit Report

I like to review my credit report periodically to check for errors. Additionally, I want to monitor any inquiries, balances, credit utilization, and other factors that could affect my credit score.

Several card accounts have credit monitoring and credit report access. I use Chase Credit Journey most frequently.

10. Downgrade vs. Cancel

If I am paying a high annual fee on a card and not receiving enough value, I might consider canceling the card. Instead, if there’s a downgrade path available, I can downgrade to a card with no annual fee or a lower annual fee. For example, I have downgraded an Amex Platinum card to the American Express^® Green Card* and even an Amex Gold card.

It can be better to downgrade a card than lose a portion of my credit limit by canceling the card. Downgrading may also preserve any rewards I’ve earned and not yet redeemed.

*The information regarding the American Express^® Green Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Final Thoughts

It’s a myth that having too many credit cards hurts your credit score. A credit score can stay strong as long as cards are managed responsibly. I try to keep my score between 820 and 840 to remain eligible for the best premium travel rewards cards. Plus, having a strong credit history and credit score opens the doors for other opportunities in life.