How to earn 100k points on my favorite travel rewards credit card
If you’ve spent any time on my website or socials, you know what a huge credit card rewards nerd I am.
Well, my #1 favorite travel rewards card recently upped the sign-up bonus, and I needed to share it with cheer parents who are looking to save big on travel next season. This card saved me $1,566 last season alone
Summer is a fantastic time for cheer families looking to earn a sign up bonus for a new card. The summer months are generally pretty heavy with cheer expenses: new uniforms, practice wear, backpacks, comp fees starting, tuition, choreography... it adds up really fast.
Earning extra points on spending that I was going to do anyway? F*@k yes, I will take that fat stack of points, thankyouverymuch 🤑
If you’re new to the credit card rewards came, or you’re looking for a simple way to supercharge your points balance, you’ll definitely want to check out the massive sign-up bonus that Chase is offering right now for their Sapphire Preferred card: 100,000 points 🤯 Usually they offer 75,000, so this is definitely the time to apply if you've been eyeing this card.
This has long been my #1 favorite rewards card for my family. It’s also the card I recommend for people who are just starting to get into the credit card rewards game for the first time. Chase recently updated the bonus categories, so now there are even more categories where cheer families spend a lot of money (we'll get into that in my next post).
In this post, I'm breaking down exactly how to earn the 100,000 point sign-up bonus. In my next few posts, I'll share how to maximize your earnings and how to get the most bang for your buck redeeming points. I'll also walk you through how to use points to get exempted from stay-to-play at Varsity events!
Quick disclaimer: I am not a financial professional and I'm not making any specific or personalized recommendations for anyone- make sure to do your own research. This post is informational only!
Step 1: Apply & get approved
As with any credit card, you'll need to apply and be approved by Chase. This credit card typically requires a pretty good credit score. If your credit score is under about 700, it's probably unlikely that you'll be approved. I've included my referral link in this post that will also give me a bonus if you are approved, but you can also just google 'Chase Sapphire Preferred sign up bonus' and you'll get to the same place 😇
Step 2: Pay the annual fee
The Sapphire Preferred card has an annual fee of just $95. I get way, WAY more than $95 in value from this card every year- I'm talking thousands of dollars saved in travel expenses some years. The annual fee will be added automatically to your first statement, so you don't need to do anything other than pay it.
Step 3: Spend $5000 in the first 3 months
Credit card sign up bonuses always ask you to spend a certain amount in a specified timeframe. It's pretty common to see a 3 months window, which is how much time you'll have for this bonus. If you spend at least $1700 per month on your regular everyday stuff (think groceries, gas, restaurants, and oh maybe.....CHEER), you will hit that $5000 easily. Just make sure you know the deadline to earn your bonus, because the banks are not going to give you an extension.
Next time, I'll share with you how to maximize the points you earn with the Sapphire Preferred card so you can turn those 100,000 points into well over $1000 in hotel or flights. Seriously.
Ready to learn more about how to stop overpaying for cheer travel with credit card points? Grab my free e-book here!