The bank cards that assist gas my luxurious journey

Each time I speak about journeys I take, it could appear to be I’ve a limiteless stash of factors. Spoiler alert: I do not. As a substitute, I be certain that to make use of the fitting technique to earn as many factors and miles as I can yearly.

There isn’t any secret or hack. I simply rigorously use the fitting bank cards in my pockets and comply with my golden guidelines to assist me preserve my premium journey way of life.

Whether or not it is redeeming factors for flights and lodges or getting access to lounges, here’s what I do to assist make my travels extra snug.

Put the king of premium bank cards to good use for flights

Considered as one of many final journey bank cards, The Platinum Card® from American Specific is synonymous with luxurious journey due to its perks (equivalent to lounge entry) and the attract it provides off from being a metallic bank card.

Airfare

Among the many Amex Platinum’s checklist of advantages, the cardboard’s potential to earn 5 factors per greenback spent on airfare bought straight with the airline or by means of American Specific Journey® (on as much as $500,000 in purchases per calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback after that) is what helps me probably the most when planning journeys.

This incomes charge for flights is the best of any bank card, other than reserving journey by means of an issuer’s respective journey web site, equivalent to Chase Journey℠ or Capital One Journey.

If my airfare prices $1,500 or extra, I’ll all the time cost it to the Amex Platinum. This manner, I earn not less than 7,500 Membership Rewards factors per transaction and construct up my factors stability all year long.

I made a decision on $1,500 as a result of I attempt to earn 100,000 Amex factors per 12 months. As a household of three, when our airfare is not less than $1,500 per individual, I web about 22,500 factors when utilizing my Amex Platinum. Touring not less than 4 instances a 12 months, the numbers labored out to not less than 90,000 factors per 12 months simply from airfare.

Amex’s 5 factors per greenback helps me construct up my factors stability quick sufficient to make not less than one redemption annually.

Just lately, that meant transferring 100,000 Amex factors to Air Canada Aeroplan to e book a nonstop one-way Polaris business-class ticket on United Airways from Sydney Airport (SYD) to Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX).

For reference, the money fare for a similar ticket averages $5,100, so my redemption equates to about 5.1 cents per level. That is far higher than 2 cents per level for Amex or 1.4 cents per level for Aeroplan, in response to TPG’s July 2025 valuations.

Associated: Is the Amex Platinum value it for a factors and miles beginner? I booked a visit to search out out

Lounge entry

However the premium journey expertise with the Amex Platinum is not restricted to flying; it begins on the bottom with Amex’s World Lounge Assortment community, which incorporates its spectacular assortment of Centurion Lounges.

That includes 26 lounges worldwide, Amex’s Centurion Lounges supply all the things from elevated meals and beverage choices to showers and personal rooms. Some actually have a youngsters’s playroom.

Journey days could be hectic, so I like having the ability to chill out in a lounge, get pleasure from free meals and drinks and let my child burn some vitality in a playroom. It is a great way to get that premium journey expertise, particularly if you’re not flying in a premium cabin.

What else to contemplate

Take into account that this card isn’t for everybody. To make holding it worthwhile, you must maximize its perks or use it usually for airfare purchases. In any other case, the $695 annual charge (see charges and costs) is tough to disregard, even in case you use its array of coupon book-style credit.

Associated: How to decide on a bank card for airport lounge entry

Maximize my secondary card for journey and eating purchases

The subsequent card in my pockets that helps me sustain my premium journey way of life is the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see charges and costs).

This card has been in my pockets for almost a decade, and it is all due to the broadly outlined bonus classes of journey and eating. Though all different journey incomes charges have modified as a result of card’s latest refresh, I am nonetheless retaining the cardboard.

Chase additionally has its personal set of Sapphire lounges, giving me entry to further lounges worldwide.

All different journey

Whereas the Amex Platinum is my main card for pricier airfare, each time I buy flights that value lower than $1,500, I all the time cost them to my Sapphire Reserve.

This helps me accrue Chase Final Rewards at a charge of three factors per greenback, every of which is value 2.05 cents, in response to TPG’s July 2025 valuations.

After October 26, when the Sapphire Reserve’s adjustments go reside for me, I am going to begin to earn 4 factors per greenback on airfare. Though I am going to cease incomes 3 factors per greenback on different journey purchases, I am going to nonetheless cost them to my Sapphire Reserve to earn Final Rewards factors.

Associated: This is why I am retaining the Amex Platinum after the Sapphire Reserve’s adjustments

Inns and eating

I’ve held off on having a cobranded lodge bank card for years now, as lodge loyalty applications can endure drastic adjustments to their award charts that always end in will increase to the variety of factors wanted for a free evening.

It is a safer wager for me to make use of my Sapphire Reserve for all lodge prices as a result of I am going to quickly earn 4 factors per greenback, barely greater than the earlier incomes charge, due to the cardboard’s latest adjustments.

Chase additionally broadly defines eating purchases as these made at eating places, meals carts, espresso outlets and extra.

So, moderately than fear about which purchases will qualify and if there’s an annual spending cap to maintain monitor of — as is the case with the American Specific® Gold Card, which earns 4 factors per greenback at eating places worldwide till hitting an annual buy cap of $50,000 (then 1 level per greenback for the remainder of the 12 months) and has some exclusions to what counts as a restaurant buy — I can use my Sapphire Reserve to earn 3 factors per greenback with out considering twice.

What I might do in another way

If I need to maximize my points-earning functionality, I ought to open the Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card.

With it, I am going to earn 2 miles per greenback on all my different purchases. That is particularly helpful now that different journey purchases on the Sapphire Reserve solely earn 1 level per greenback. By doing this, I develop the variety of my transferable factors.

I estimate this might present me with one other 20,000 to 30,000 Capital One Miles annually, which I might switch to companion airways that overlap with Amex and Chase.

Depend on a special card for fuel and grocery purchases

Driving in California is a truth of life and could be fairly pricey. Gasoline costs hover round $4.50 a gallon, so filling up two vehicles a number of instances a month is pricey.

To earn rewards and reduce that sting, I exploit my Citi Strata Premier® Card (see charges and costs). With it, I earn 3 Citi ThankYou Rewards factors per greenback spent on fuel, and there’s no cap on what number of factors I can earn.

One other easy approach I rack up rewards for journey is to place all my grocery purchases on the Citi Strata Premier, as these additionally earn 3 factors per greenback.

And now, Citi simply introduced American Airways as a switch companion, so I am going to have the ability to stretch my ThankYou factors even additional.

Go all in on 2-player mode

In my private expertise, having my partner who additionally has her personal set of journey bank cards is a sport changer.

She earns her personal transferable factors with Chase and Amex, in addition to American Airways AAdvantage miles together with her Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Choose® World Elite Mastercard®.

This provides us further factors and miles to play with, and I may even mix her Chase factors with mine, as Chase permits factors sharing with members of your family.

The knowledge for the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Choose has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.

Associated: Ought to my companion get their very own card or be added as a certified consumer?

Backside line

Premium journey redemptions for airline tickets or lodges are pricey, however due to some cautious strategizing round which playing cards to make use of for which purchases, I’ve collected half 1,000,000 factors and miles a 12 months with these particular playing cards, plus these held by my spouse, this fashion for almost a decade.

With out these spending guidelines in place, I would not have the ability to preserve my premium journey habits.

Everybody’s bills and journey targets are completely different, so it is vital you do what most closely fits your way of life and journey aspirations.

For me, paying over $1,200 for these three playing cards is sensible, as I simply recoup the associated fee by ensuring nearly all of my factors and miles go towards premium cabin redemptions on airfare — one thing that might in any other case value me over $40,000 a 12 months.

Associated: The perfect premium bank cards: A side-by-side comparability

For charges and costs of the Amex Platinum please click on right here.