Earning/Redeeming Credit Card Travel Rewards — Points Driven Traveler

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Credit card travel rewards are points or miles that the bank issues in exchange for using their card. For cash back cards the points earning rate is usually a certain percentage (usually 1–5%) per dollar. For travel cards their earning rate is usually a certain number of points per dollar. The specific rate can vary depending on the credit card, issuer and purchase category. Higher earning rates are usually reserved for premium cards that include an annual fee, but usually have other exciting perks. Marshall gets flustered on the detailed earning structure of each card but he goes along because he enjoys the benefits. But continue to stick with me.

First I want to go over two terms that you may encounter when researching this topic. The first is Travel Hacking. The nickname for the hobby of using credit card travel rewards to get free/less expensive flights and hotel stays. It is a completely legal activity. I suppose it gets its name because it feels like “hacking” the system to get something for free. The other process is called Churning. This is the process of opening credit cards just to get the sign up bonus, using the points and then closing the…