I’m in the middle of planning our next trip, and now that we’re traveling with 3 explorers, we have to account for an extra plane ticket and additional travel expenses. I’ve made an inventory of the mileage and points I’ve accrued through credits cards and am trying to figure out the best way to use them using the least amount. From the looks of it, a combination of 100,000 Delta miles, and 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards is saving me about $2,000 in travel expenses. Not bad.

So how did I rack up all these points? Yes, I’ve travelled a bit, but most of it has come through credit card rewards. I’ve signed up for a mix of airline credit cards and bank cards that offer extra points on dining and travel. Popular cards include Delta Amex and the 30,000 signup bonus miles you get after spending a certain amount within 3 months; and the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve cards, which allow you to earn 2 to 3 points per dollar spent on dining and travel, respectively. Let’s not forget about the 50,000 bonus points.

Deciding on the right credit card is tough, and I thought yesterday’s article on USA Today titled Travel rewards or cash back? Tips on finding the best credit card for you was a great resource to help you figure out what type of card to get, depending if you’re a big traveller or one that does smaller trips.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2017/02/28/credit-cards-travel-rewards-cash-back-tips/97038580/