Used a travel rewards card for 6 months and it actually paid off way more than I thought

I always heard people say you gotta be careful with points cards or they'll trap you in debt. But I got a basic no fee one back in March for a trip to Austin. Put all my normal spending on it, paid it off every month. Just checked my balance and I got $230 in statement credits. That's almost a free flight. Anyone else had a card that surprised them in a good way?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair_nguyen1mo agoMost Upvoted

Yo same thing happened to me! I grabbed a Chase Freedom Unlimited last year thinking I'd just get a few bucks back and ended up with like $180 in cash back in 8 months. I was honestly shocked because I didn't change my spending at all, just used the card for gas and groceries instead of my debit. The key was literally just paying the full balance every month on autopay so I never got hit with interest. Now I'm looking at a trip to Denver next spring and it'll basically be covered by points. It's wild how little effort it takes if you're already budgeting.

rileygarcia1mo ago

Exactly, it's crazy how fast it adds up. I did the same thing with the Citi Double Cash and ended up with a few hundred bucks just by using it for everything I normally bought. The autopay for the full balance is the only way to go, otherwise that interest wipes out all the gains.

west.casey1mo ago

@blair_nguyen my buddy did the same thing and paid for a whole flight to Austin with his cash back.