Traveling Expats

It’s imperative to prioritize the most valuable points.

Although, it’s important to consider each individual’s unique needs and circumstances, we generally advise newcomers to the points and miles world to begin with a credit card offering a generous welcome bonus, an annual fee of approximately $100 or less, and a diverse range of redemption options to choose from.

When commencing your journey in the realm of rewards points, it’s prudent to prioritize Chase Ultimate Rewards points. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card serves as an optimal gateway card to begin accumulating these points.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a standout option for those seeking a travel credit card. With an impressive signup bonus, reasonable annual fee ($95), and high point value, it’s an excellent choice for first-time users.

You will experience an array of new benefits, including a $50 yearly Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5X points on travel bought through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3X points on dining, and 2X points on all other travel expenses, among others.

Another significant advantage of this card is that it allows you to transfer Chase points. Thus, it can be combined with other Chase cards that are exceptional point earners to maximize rewards.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is especially advantageous because it offers comprehensive travel insurance, making it ideal for rental car bookings and award flight reservations. By using this card for fees and taxes, you can benefit from excellent luggage, delay, and other benefits.

In my opinion, Chase Ultimate Rewards points are the most valuable points available due to their transferability to Hyatt because Hyatt offers award stays for as low as 3500 points per night, even at higher-end hotels, which usually cost around 30K – 35K points per night.

Add Chase Ink Business to earn even more valuable Chase points.

While a business card may seem impossible if you don’t have a real business but the reality is that almost everyone today has a side hustle. Even those who sell goods occasionally using platforms like Ebay or Facebook Marketplace can benefit from having a business card.

We make sure to carry our Ink Business Cash® Credit Card at all times, so we can take advantage of the 5x points/dollar reward when purchasing gift cards from office supply stores. Each month, we buy gift cards for frequently visited shops such as Amazon, Home Goods, and Gap. By doing so, we accumulate 5x points instead of the typical 1x or 2x points, which significantly boosts our rewards.

This card offers 5x points per dollar spent at Office Supply stores, on cell phone service, internet, and cable expenses (up to a maximum of 25K annually). With the added advantage of a substantial sign-up bonus and no annual fee, it is an absolute must-have.

How to earn more Chase Points on 1% Chase reward categories.

As previously mentioned, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card offers 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3X points on dining, and 2X points on other travel expenses. However, it only provides 1X points on all other purchases. To earn 1.5X points on all purchases, we use the Ink Business Cash® card.

It’s particularly important to maintain a sufficient balance of Chase reward points. After all, one can never have too many of them!

In the early stages of earning points/miles, it’s recommended to concentrate on acquiring Chase cards, primarily due to the 5/24 Rule for Chase. If you’re not familiar with this rule, please refer to the blog post “Earning Points/Miles for Beginners” for more information.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have or to share any successes or just to say hello! Your presence and engagement mean a great deal to us.

Betty and Lee