How to Use Your Chase Sapphire Reserve Edit Credits With Points Boost 🏨

It's been frustrating trying to make the most of the Chase Sapphire Reserve Edit credits, so let's break down how they actually work.

Last year, the Reserve got a refresh and added $500 per year in "Edit" credits. These credits apply to hotel stays booked through the Chase Travel Portal at properties categorized as Edit Hotels. Cardholders get $500 annually, split into $250 to use January–June and another $250 for July–December. The credit requires a minimum two-night stay, and Edit hotel stays come with some nice perks built in: a $100 property credit, daily breakfast for two, early check-in when available, and a welcome amenity.

I wrote previously about how I used the Edit credit for a quick weekend getaway to Las Vegas — alongside the Edit credit, I also used the StubHub credit and the $150 dining credit on that trip.

The real sweet spot? Combining the Edit credit with the Points Boost feature in the Chase Travel Portal. Points Boost is a seemingly random sale on properties. booked in the portal. It changes constantly, so it's worth checking regularly. 🔍

Here's what that looks like in practice:

I searched properties in my hometown of San Diego and found the Kona Kai, with Points Boost cutting the points needed in half — just 46,207 points. Here's the trick: once you add the reservation to your cart, use the points adjuster to shift enough of the cost to cash to trigger the Edit credit. That credit gets applied to your cash payment on your Reserve card, and you pay the rest with points.

For this reservation, we adjusted the points to 33,500 plus $254.20 in cash. Pay that $254.20 with your Sapphire Reserve, and within a few days you'll see a $250 credit hit your account — bringing the total cost of a two-night stay down to just $4.20. 🤯

A few more finds using this same combo:

• Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa (Edit + Points Boost)
• Wayfinder Waikiki (Edit + Points Boost)
• Marquesa Key West — 41,513 points, dropping to just 28,500 points for two nights once you factor in the $250 Edit credit
• Isla Bella Beach Resort (Edit + Points Boost)

One catch: the portal only lets you filter for Points Boost or Edit Hotels, not both at once. My suggestion is to filter for one, then manually cross-check against the other. If you get lucky and a property qualifies for both, plus the hotel credit, you've hit the trifecta. 🎯

Still confused? Want a strategy session to see if this offer is right for you? I offer 30-minute credit card audits for just $100. Book your session here.

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? Join my Travel Coaching Program and we will design your personal strategy to travel for almost FREE and guide you through the process. Right now, you can use the promo code "FREETRAVEL" to get $50 off the program. 

Or you can pay a travel planning fee and we will find all the best points and miles deals for your trip! 

***In honor of every new paid client, we will make a donation of 10% to one of our favorite charities.

Do Co-Branded Credit Cards Ever Make Sense? ✈️

I love flexible points, they have taken my family of five all over the world! But a new client asked me something great the other day: does it ever make sense to apply for a hotel or airline branded credit card?

Short answer: yes, it absolutely can. I've personally held several branded cards over the years, including:

• British Airways
• Iberia
• Atmos
• Hilton
• Hyatt
• Marriott
• American Airlines
• Southwest Airlines

So when does a co-branded card actually make sense? Here are a few scenarios where it can be the right move:

• You have a specific destination in mind. A co-branded card can cover your flights or stay outright. When we went to Hawaii, our Hyatt credit card covered all four nights of our stay. More recently, the American Airlines card covered our flights to Tahiti. 🌴
• You're chasing the Southwest Companion Pass. A solid strategy here is applying for two Southwest cards to rack up enough points to earn the pass.
• Some co-branded cards unlock genuinely flexible points. British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, Aer Lingus, Qatar, and Vueling all earn Avios, which transfer freely between these programs. So a co-branded card can actually be a backdoor into a whole flexible points ecosystem.
• You live near an airline's hub, or want cardholder perks. Think free checked bags or lounge access — perks that pay for themselves if you're already flying that airline often.
• Atmos points have gotten a lot more flexible lately, since Alaska is now partnered with more than 30 different airlines — many of which fall outside the usual flexible points partners. 🌍

The bottom line: there's a lot that goes into choosing the right card for your travel style, but co-branded cards absolutely have their place in the mix.

Want a strategy session to see which points work best for you? I offer 30-minute credit card audits for just $100. Book your session here.

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? Join my Travel Coaching Program and we will design your personal strategy to travel for almost FREE and guide you through the process. Right now, you can use the promo code "FREETRAVEL" to get $50 off the program. 

Or you can pay a travel planning fee and we will find all the best points and miles deals for your trip! 

***In honor of every new paid client, we will make a donation of 10% to one of our favorite charities.

Client Case Study: Turning 200,000 Points Into Real Savings ✈️

 

Client Case Study: Turning 200,000 Points Into Real Savings ✈️

I met with a new client this week who's planning a true bucket list trip: the Arctic, Norway, and the Cotswolds. She'd already booked several hotels before we sat down together, but here's the thing — she was sitting on more than 200,000 Citi points and had no idea how far they could go.

We got to work switching her existing hotel reservations from cash to points, which saved her $600 right off the bat. 💰 Then we booked one of her internal flights with points instead of cash, saving her another $200. She's now working through her remaining hotel reservations to see how much more she can save.

This is exactly why we love flexible points — they can flex to cover whatever part of your trip needs it most. 🙌

I get it, spending points can feel hard sometimes. You can read about the top five reasons why it's hard to spend those points. But here's a good reminder: points don't gain value the longer you sit on them. Cash does. So hold onto your cash, and let your points do the work.

Want a strategy session like this one? I offer 30-minute credit card audits for just $100. Book your session here.

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? Join my Travel Coaching Program and we will design your personal strategy to travel for almost FREE and guide you through the process. Right now, you can use the promo code "FREETRAVEL" to get $50 off the program. 

Or you can pay a travel planning fee and we will find all the best points and miles deals for your trip! 

***In honor of every new paid client, we will make a donation of 10% to one of our favorite charities.

Starbucks and Delta: How The Changes Affect You

You can earn miles by flying, sure, but sometimes it's faster and easier to rack them up through everyday purchases instead.

One of the simplest ways to earn Delta miles is to link your Delta SkyMiles account with your Starbucks Rewards account, so every latte run also earns you a few miles. And by the way — you can earn Delta miles through Airbnb stays too!

Now, Delta and Starbucks are changing how this partnership works. Here's what's new:

• You'll need to have flown Delta within the past 12 months to keep earning miles at Starbucks. This is a big one — if you're a heavy Starbucks drinker but an infrequent Delta flyer, pay attention here.
• The program is moving back to a flat 1 mile per $1 spent on eligible Starbucks purchases, replacing the old model where miles were earned only when reloading your Starbucks balance in certain tiers. One nuance worth noting: reloading your card won't earn miles anymore — it's the purchase itself that counts.
• Double Stars on Delta travel days are sticking around — so on days you're flying Delta, your Starbucks purchases still earn double Stars. 🌟

This change kicks in August 5, 2026. 

If you've already linked your accounts, Delta is giving you a grace period through October 5, 2026 to get a qualifying flight in and keep earning, regardless of your flying history before that.

If you're not linked yet: wait to link your accounts until after August 5th, you'll get 12 months of automatic earning eligibility from the start — even without a Delta flight on the books yet.

You can connect your accounts here

If this all gives you a headache, and you want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? Join my Travel Coaching Program and we will design your personal strategy to travel for almost FREE and guide you through the process. Right now, you can use the promo code "FREETRAVEL" to get $50 off the program. 

Or you can pay a travel planning fee and we will find all the best points and miles deals for your trip! 

Or you can book a consulting call with us for just $100. I would love to help you make priceless family memories affordable. 

***In honor of every new paid client, we will make a donation of 10% to one of our favorite charities.

Do You Qualify For The Chase Sapphire Preferred 100,000 Bonus Offer 💳

With the huge 100,000-point bonus offer for the Chase Sapphire Preferred on the table, several clients have called asking if they qualify. Let's break down who's eligible.

The offer: 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after $5,000 minimum spend. The card carries a $95 annual fee, offset by a $100 hotel credit. Read here for ideas on how to use Chase points. We value this offer at $1,000, though you can easily squeeze more than $2,000 out of these points if you use them well.

⏰ This offer ends July 30th at 6am PST, so don't wait if you're considering applying. Thank you for using my referral link. 

So, who qualifies?

Chase has shifted its language to a "once in a lifetime" rule. That means if you've ever had this card — even if you closed it years ago — you most likely will not qualify. 😬

A few important nuances, though:

• If you currently have (or previously had) the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can still qualify for the Preferred bonus, as long as you've never held the Preferred itself.
• If you were only an authorized user on someone else's Sapphire Preferred card, you're still eligible to apply for this bonus.
• Some people who opened a Sapphire Preferred back in 2010–2012 and closed it in 2016–2017 are reporting success applying for this new offer. If you fall into this category, you may see a pop-up during the application stating you're not eligible for the bonus, which gives you the option to cancel before submitting.

And of course, the usual Chase rules still apply:

• 5/24 rule — you can only be approved for 5 credit cards (across all banks) in a rolling 24-month period
• Credit score — generally 670 or above
• Age — must be at least 18 years old
• Income — must show enough to reasonably cover monthly expenses plus the $95 annual fee

Still confused? Want a strategy session to see if this offer is right for you? I offer 30-minute credit card audits for just $100. Book your session here.

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? Join my Travel Coaching Program and we will design your personal strategy to travel for almost FREE and guide you through the process. Right now, you can use the promo code "FREETRAVEL" to get $50 off the program. 

Or you can pay a travel planning fee and we will find all the best points and miles deals for your trip! 

***In honor of every new paid client, we will make a donation of 10% to one of our favorite charities.

Chase 100,000 Bonus Offer Ends July 30th

"We Don't Travel Enough for a Card With an Annual Fee" — Let's Do the Math

I caught up with a friend last week, and naturally, the conversation turned to travel. He'd just gotten back from a trip through Europe, but he mentioned he'd be feeling it in his wallet for a while. ✈️ The silver lining: his flight had a mechanical delay, so he filed an EU261 claim and is set to get $700 back per ticket.

That's when I asked the obvious question: "Are you using points and miles?"

His answer was one I hear all the time: "We don't travel enough for a card with a $95 annual fee to be worth it."

So let's actually run the numbers on that. 👇

The Math on a $95 Annual Fee

Right now, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® has a welcome offer of 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points — but only through July 30th.

Here's what that's actually worth:

• Cashed in at 1:1: at minimum, $1,000
• Transferred and maxed out strategically: up to $2,000

And the $95 fee practically pays for itself. The card currently comes with:

• A $100 hotel credit (that alone covers the fee)
• A year of Apple TV+, on us
• A DoorDash membership plus $10/month in credits
• A $120 Global Entry credit

Add it all up, and you're not just breaking even on the fee — you're coming out ahead before you've booked a single flight.

"But I Barely Travel"

Here's the thing: my friend travels to Hawaii every few years and heads to Colorado every so often. That's plenty. He doesn't need to be a road warrior to make 100,000 points work for him — a single trip to Hawaii, or even a weekend away with his wife at a local hotel, easily puts those points to use.

You don't need to travel constantly for points and miles to be worth it. You just need one or two trips a year — and most people already take that many.

Want to See If You Qualify?

If you're on the fence like my friend was, it's worth a few minutes to check. Read the full offer details and apply here →

If this all gives you a headache, and you want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? Join my Travel Coaching Program and we will design your personal strategy to travel for almost FREE and guide you through the process. Right now, you can use the promo code "FREETRAVEL" to get $50 off the program. 

Or you can pay a travel planning fee and we will find all the best points and miles deals for your trip! 

Or you can book a consulting call with us for just $100. I would love to help you make priceless family memories affordable. 

***In honor of every new paid client, we will make a donation of 10% to one of our favorite charities.

Speed Up Your Points Earning with This Staples Hack 🏃

Speed Up Your Points Earning with This Staples Hack 🏃

Earning points can feel slow sometimes, but here's one way to speed things up: buy Visa gift cards when they go on sale at Staples.com with your Chase Ink credit card.

If you have the Chase Ink Business Cash card, you earn 5x points at Staples and Staples.com — and beyond office equipment, supplies, and furniture, Staples also sells gift cards to plenty of your favorite brands, including:

• Target
• Door Dash
• Airbnb
• Southwest
• Uber
• Panera
• Domino's

Once in a while, Staples puts its Visa gift cards on sale, which means no activation fee. 🎉 A couple of things to know before you stock up: the store limits how many gift cards you can buy per purchase, and we've heard some reports of compromised cards, so it's worth being cautious. These sales also move fast, so don't wait around if you see one.

Still, 5x points on gift card purchases is a serious win. What can you do with a Visa gift card? Obviously, you can use it to pay for stuff, but you can also load it onto certain utility bill accounts, insurance and more. 

If you don't have this card yet, right now the Ink Business Cash is offering $1,000 cash back or 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after $8,000 spend. Curious if you qualify for a business credit card? Read here to find out. And if you want ideas on what to do with 100,000 points, check out this post.

Want a strategy session to see if this offer is right for you? I offer 30-minute credit card audits for just $100. Book your session here.

Want more personal help using points and miles for almost FREE travel? Join my Travel Coaching Program and we will design your personal strategy to travel for almost FREE and guide you through the process. Right now, you can use the promo code "FREETRAVEL" to get $50 off the program. 

Or you can pay a travel planning fee and we will find all the best points and miles deals for your trip! 

***In honor of every new paid client, we will make a donation of 10% to one of our favorite charities.