My credit card setup allows me to easily visit friends and family living across the world. I’ve been able to explore places I thought I’d only see in my dreams, like the gorgeous walls of the Sistine Chapel and the historic grounds around Buckingham Palace.
Without the rewards I’ve earned from travel credit cards, none of this would be possible for me, as a young woman in my 20s.
I live within a relatively modest budget. My splurges typically center around dining experiences and concert tickets more than anything else. I mostly fly economy, stay in all tiers of hotels and generally prefer traveling with a companion. I pay less than $1,000 in annual fees for the five rewards cards I hold, but receive outsize value from each one.
Here’s how my travel credit cards keep me on the go as a budget-conscious person.
Go all in on transferable points and miles
If you take just a single piece of advice from me, let it be this: Get into transferable points and miles and learn how to use them.
I use Chase Ultimate Rewards points, American Express Membership Rewards points and Capital One miles to get pretty much everywhere. These currencies are super flexible, which makes it easy for me to transfer them to any travel partner I’d like.
The Chase, Amex and Capital One ecosystems give me access to 31 combined unique airline and hotel loyalty programs, so I’m rarely left without an option. Because I value diversity in my card strategy, I have one card in each program. All of my cards earn bonus points or miles in my frequent spending categories, so I’m always earning more than 1 point per dollar.
Chase Ultimate Rewards
My first travel rewards card is the one I recommend to anyone ready to learn about transferable points and miles. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) earns my favorite currency, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which TPG’s July 2025 valuations place at 2.05 cents apiece.
For a $95 annual fee, this card is hard to beat.
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
I use my Sapphire Preferred all the time. I swipe it at restaurants to earn 3 points per dollar spent on dining; have it linked to Spotify, Hulu and YouTube TV to earn 3 points per dollar spent on select streaming services; and keep it in my Apple Wallet to earn 2 points per dollar spent on travel purchases like subway tickets and parking garages.
I also like to book non-Hilton hotels with my Sapphire Preferred, especially since I’ve saved money using the card’s trip cancellation and interruption insurance.
Chase points transfer to 14 loyalty programs, highlighted by Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Singapore KrisFlyer, United MileagePlus, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and World of Hyatt.
However, because I have other cards that earn points that I can transfer to most of these currencies, I almost exclusively transfer my Chase points to Hyatt. Aside from Chase, Hyatt only allows transfers from one other loyalty program: Bilt Rewards.
I prefer to stretch my points and use them frequently, so I’m most often redeeming Chase points for stays at Category 1-3 Hyatt hotels. I’m more about finding a place to sleep once I arrive at my destination, so many of my redemptions are short and sweet to leave points in the bank for the future.
My most recent redemptions include a 17,500-point redemption for a two-night stay at a Hyatt Place near Atlanta to attend my sister’s graduation and a 9,500-point redemption for a one-night stay at a Hyatt Place near Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to celebrate my partner’s birthday.
I love a spontaneous trip, and these modest redemptions keep me going with room for more.
American Express Membership Rewards
As a big foodie and amateur home chef, the American Express® Gold Card is the easiest card for me to rack up points. At a $325 annual fee (see rates and fees), the Amex Gold is one of the more expensive cards in my wallet, but it’s easy for me to justify since I find so much utility in its bonus categories.
That’s because the Amex Gold earns 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter). This card also earns 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter).
These are my top two categories with the card, though I also enjoy earning 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline when I book flights with cash.
American Express Membership Rewards points are valued at 2 cents per point (per TPG’s July 2025 valuations) and transfer to 21 loyalty programs. This unlocks a number of options when I’m searching for award availability through tools like point.me (which has partnered with American Express) or Seats.aero.
I transferred 34,000 Membership Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to book economy seats for myself and my partner to get to Europe this May. I spent 12,000 points on two one-way economy tickets from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) on Virgin Atlantic. Then, 22,000 points got us economy tickets from Milan Linate Airport (LIN) in Italy to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) on ITA Airways, connecting to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) on Air France.
Capital One miles
Applying for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card was my first foray into more premium card options since the card charges the highest annual fee in my wallet ($395) and comes with the most travel-related perks.
When it comes to my strategy for earning and redeeming points and miles, the Venture X is my catchall card, ensuring I always earn at least 2 miles per dollar spent on every expense I pay. This card is my favorite to use when I go thrifting, shop at superstores such as Walmart or Costco and visit the hair salon.
TPG’s July 2025 valuations place Capital One miles at 1.85 cents per mile, and they transfer to more than 15 partners. This year, I’ve transferred Capital One miles to Air France-KLM Flying Blue to book two Delta Air Lines economy tickets for a domestic flight to get me and my partner to a wedding in Michigan.
I like keeping my balance of Capital One miles at a decent level so I can use them whenever the need arises, like for weddings.
Related: How to transfer Capital One miles to airline and hotel partners
Earn points for rent
If you’re a renter, there’s really no reason to pass up the no-annual-fee Bilt Mastercard® (see rates and fees) to earn points on rent (up to 100,000 Bilt Points in a calendar year) with no transaction fee (see rates and fees).
To earn points, you must make at least five transactions on your card each statement period (see rewards and benefits).
This was the second rewards card I applied for, and it fits perfectly into my strategy despite having similar earning categories to my Sapphire Preferred.
That’s because I leverage Bilt’s monthly “Rent Day” to earn double Bilt points on the first of every month (excluding rent, up to 1,000 bonus points), so those 3 points per dollar I’d typically earn on dining multiply to 6 points if I decide to dine out at the beginning of the month. I also like to pay my utility bills on the first with Bilt. This way, they’re easy to remember, and I earn 2 Bilt points per dollar spent in the meantime.
TPG’s July 2025 valuations place Bilt Rewards points a 2.2 cents per point in value.
The thing I love most about my Bilt points is that they transfer at a 1:1 ratio to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, which is arguably my favorite airline loyalty program that (coincidentally) isn’t a partner of any other transferable credit card currency.
I live in the southeastern U.S., so it could be surprising that I’m such a major fan of Alaska Airlines’ loyalty program. Because I live 90 minutes from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), I find myself flying with American Airlines often. Alaska Airlines’ Oneworld partnership with American Airlines means you can often snag high-value award flights on American when you book with Alaska miles.
From Charlotte, I’ve flown round-trip to Louisville, Kentucky, for 9,000 Alaska miles on American. I frequently find Alaska deals on American flights that would cost nearly triple if I were to use American Airlines AAdvantage miles.
Through Bilt, I earn free flights in less than a year just by paying rent, an expense I can’t avoid. I see my Bilt points exclusively as Alaska miles. As long as Bilt continues to partner with Alaska, I’ll remain a fan of this program.
Related: Should you pay your rent with Bilt? We crunch the numbers
Don’t forget about the perks
My credit card strategy is less expensive than some when it comes to annual fees. Still, I want to get the most value for my money, so I am careful to maximize these benefits whenever I can.
Lounge access
The Venture X is my lounge access card, allowing me to enjoy spectacular Capital One lounges when I’m flying through an airport that has one. The good news is that the issuer is frequently expanding its lounge footprint, so I’m excited to watch the number of available options grow in the future.
Beyond that, I enjoy Priority Pass access to thousands of lounges worldwide. My favorite just happens to be an Escape Lounge at my small local airport, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) in Greenville, South Carolina. The food and drinks that my travel companions and I have enjoyed in that lounge take a sizable chunk out of the $395 annual fee.
Travel portal credits
While I prefer booking directly with hotels and airlines 90% of the time, I’ll jump into issuers’ travel portals when I have credits. The Venture X and Sapphire Preferred help me save on bookings each year, thanks to annual credits.
For one, my Venture X provides an annual $300 travel credit, lowering my effective annual fee to $95 each year. This year, I used it to take $300 off three nights at the Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World, so we ended up paying just $314 for the entire stay. That helped take a lot of the sting away from the hundreds of dollars I spent to see The Killers play a concert on that trip.
The Sapphire Preferred’s $50 Chase Travel℠ hotel credit is another simple credit that I used to lower the cost of a necessary stay. Before we ended our European vacation, we stayed at a Best Western near LIN in Italy that offered free shuttle service for our early morning flight. The credit lowered our stay to $162, which I found to be a good deal for a night in May.
Related: How to use the $50 hotel credit on the Chase Sapphire Preferred
Take a dip into elite status
Once I was satisfied with all the transferable points and miles I was bringing in, I decided my setup needed a cobranded touch. I’m still not particularly loyal to a hotel brand, but I appreciated the midlevel perks of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, with a $0 introductory annual fee, then $150 (see rates and fees) that I’m able to justify.
As someone who had never enjoyed elite status before, the two perks I received from this card made me a believer.
Hilton elite status
The Hilton Surpass comes with automatic Hilton Gold status. Though Gold is a mid-tier status level, it seriously packs a punch thanks to its daily food-and-beverage credit in the U.S. or free continental breakfast perk. (This is often a full hot breakfast, as I found from my stays at the Cosmopolita Hotel Rome, Tapestry Collection by Hilton and the Canopy by Hilton London City.)
My partner and I have also received complimentary room upgrades and late checkout perks with status. Plus, earning 80% more points on paid stays helps us continue to build up our stash for future redemptions.
As someone who was previously skeptical of just how much I could get from elite status, consider me a fan of Hilton Gold.
National Car Rental elite status
The Hilton Surpass also offers complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status after you enroll in the Emerald Club program. Again, I hadn’t considered what car rental status could actually offer me until I tried it out.
It’s true — skipping the rental counter, choosing any car from the Emerald Aisle and adding a second driver for free are all worth it.
After a long travel day, the last thing you want is for your rental car to hold you up. But when my partner and I rented a car from the National counter at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) this summer, we were in and out during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, and it was all thanks to my status. I’m never going back.
Related: Why the Hilton Surpass won me over as someone who didn’t want a cobranded card
Bottom line
There’s more than one way to enjoy the world of points and miles. And, in my opinion, you don’t have to be an expert or insist on first-class flights to come out ahead. My preferences differ from some of my colleagues, but we ultimately all find value in travel credit cards.
I love that I’m able to say “yes” to wedding invites, visit my friends and take fantastic trips without digging into my savings accounts. I truly believe that points and miles should work for you, and I keep my rewards balances in a good place for less than $1,000 in annual fees. That’s a win for me.
Related: Why transferable points and miles are worth more than other rewards
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold, click here.
For rates and fees of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
For rewards and benefits of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Surpass card, click here.