Miles and Points Travel

A few ideas to help you get the bonus

You have your shiny new card and you are excited to get the stack of miles or points for signing up. You realize you have only a few months and the panic sets in. Where to begin? Ordering from DoorDash a few times isn’t going to cut it. Neither is filling your tank twice a month (although that is getting to be a bigger chunk of $$ each time).

There are many ways to add spend to your card without breaking a sweat. For some, eating out takes a huge chunk out of the pie (see what I did there?). For others, airline tickets or hotel stays will cover it. But what else is there? If you don’t have a bunch of travel coming up, or you’ve met half of the spend and are stuck, here are a few ideas to help you out.

• Pre-pay a few of your normal bills; electric, water, meal kit plans, vet, car insurance, home owners insurance, rental insurance, etc.
• Grab a one-time payment during the bonus period for things like gym memberships, your toll account, load up your Amazon account, your Apple account, things that you know you’ll use. Just make sure you can cover these expenses when the statement is due.
• Gift cards-you can pick them up at the grocery store when you are doing your normal shopping, or at a big box store.
• You can also use your new card to put a down payment on a car (verify with the dealership to see how much they accept and any restrictions).
• If you have home repairs, check with your contractor to see if they accept credit cards. If not, ask if you can leave your card at Home Depot or Lowe’s or wherever they are purchasing the materials.
• Some schools will allow credit card payments. Check with your college or private school to see if it is an option.
• Pay your real estate or income taxes. This one will require a fee, but if you’re in a jam, it might make sense to bite the bullet so you don’t lose out.

There are many ways to get creative! If you get stuck, you can always drop us an email and we’ll try to help you out.

The lesson here is not to get so excited for a huge sign up bonus without having a plan in place. Paying fees to earn your points is never the goal. It’s best to have an idea in advance, so when your card arrives you are not worried about how you’re going to get to the finish line.