Opening and using travel rewards credit cards can help quickly boost your stockpiles of points and miles across a variety of loyalty currencies. While some travelers prefer to focus on just one or two cards, I prefer a wallet chock-full of plastic — including airline cards, hotel cards and my personal favorite: transferable points cards.
For every purchase I make, I strive to select the best one … except for those times when I deliberately choose what many would describe as the “wrong” one — but for a good reason.
Here are some examples of when the seemingly suboptimal credit card is actually a better choice.
Related: How to choose the best credit card for you
When you’re pursuing a welcome bonus
One of the quickest jolts to your loyalty program account balances can come through welcome bonuses on top credit cards.
If you’ve just opened a new card, you almost certainly have to spend a set amount of money in a defined amount of time to take home that massive haul of points or miles (unless you open a card with a bonus after a single purchase).
If you’re worried about falling short of that spending threshold, it’s absolutely worth it to swipe the new card, even if the earning rate is lower than another card in your wallet.
As an example, several years ago, I was targeted for an upgrade offer to the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card with the chance to earn 150,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $4,000 (at the time) on the card within my first three months of card membership.
The current offer for the Hilton Honors Aspire card is to earn 150,000 points after spending $6,000 in purchases in the first six months.
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I wasn’t too worried about spending that amount, but I wanted to make sure I hit that threshold to get the stash of welcome points. As a result, I shifted some non-bonus-category spending from my Chase Freedom Unlimited® to the Hilton Aspire.
The information for the Hilton Amex Aspire card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Here’s why that might appear to be a bad idea based on TPG’s January 2025 valuations:
- Hilton Aspire: 3 points times 0.6 cents per point equals 1.8 cents (or a 1.8% return)
- Freedom Unlimited (when paired with a Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card): 1.5 points times 2.05 cents per point equals 3.1 cents (or a 3.1% return)
Sacrificing 1.3 cents in value seems like a pretty poor decision — until you factor in that hefty Hilton Aspire welcome bonus.
Think of it this way: If I spend exactly $4,000 before the three-month window ends (and all those purchases were at merchants that wouldn’t otherwise earn a bonus), I’m not only earning 3 Hilton points per dollar spent. I need to consider that every dollar gets me that much closer to the 150,000-point haul. And when you allocate those 150,000 points across the $4,000, you get 37.5 points per dollar.
In other words, for every non-bonus-category dollar I spent on the Hilton Aspire (up to $4,000), I effectively took home 40.5 points. That boosts my return to 24.3% — over eight times as lucrative as the Freedom Unlimited.
Related: The best rewards credit cards for each bonus category
When you’re booking a United Airlines or Alaska Airlines flight
There are many reasons to carry cobranded airline cards in your wallet — from waived checked bag fees to companion tickets and inflight discounts. However, some carriers have a slightly more restrictive policy when it comes to accessing these benefits, including United Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
In order to enjoy a free checked bag on a domestic, United-operated flight by holding a card such as the United℠ Explorer Card, you actually need to purchase the ticket with that card, according to the terms and conditions:
“The primary cardmember and one traveling companion on the same reservation are each eligible to receive their first standard checked bag free; authorized users are only eligible if they are on the same reservation as the primary cardmember. To receive first standard checked bag free, the primary cardmember must use their United Explorer Card to purchase their ticket(s) (this purchase requirement is waived for flights completed during the 90 days following the account open date) and include their MileagePlus number in their reservation. First standard checked bag free is only available on United- and United Express-operated flights; codeshare partner-operated flights are not eligible.”
That isn’t a terrible value proposition since it awards 7 United miles per dollar spent on these purchases (2 miles earned with the card and 5 miles earned as a MileagePlus member). However, I also have the Chase Sapphire Reserve® in my wallet, and this card earns 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on a variety of travel purchases.
Plus, TPG’s January 2025 valuations peg Chase Ultimate Rewards points at 2.05 cents apiece — and these points are transferable to multiple partners — while United miles are worth 1.35 cents per point. Since Chase points are more valuable than United miles, the Sapphire Reserve seems like a better option, right?
Not so fast, because doing so will likely prevent me from checking my bag for free.
Let’s put this in a concrete example and say that I’m booking a round-trip flight from my home in Florida to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD). The total price of the ticket is $400, so here’s a snapshot of how much I’d earn by swiping the two cards above:
- United Explorer Card: 7 miles (2 miles with the card plus 5 miles as a MileagePlus member) times $400 equals 2,800 miles (worth $37.80, per TPG’s January 2025 valuations)
- Sapphire Reserve: 3 points times $400 equals 1,200 points (worth $24.60, per TPG’s January 2025 valuations)
Plus, if I need to check a bag on the flight, using the Sapphire Reserve is the wrong choice since I’d be on the hook for that additional $35 fee each way (if prepaid at least 24 hours before departure). Suddenly, I am losing $70 out of pocket for using the Sapphire Reserve. The United card is the right choice here.
Likewise, a similar rule exists for those who hold the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card. The card’s perks come with one free checked bag for any cardholder who purchases airfare with their card and up to six additional guests booked on the same reservation, as noted in the terms and conditions:
“Any cardholder who has an open account at the time of travel and up to 6 guests traveling on the same reservation may check 1 bag free of charge on qualifying reservations. Qualifying reservations include flights marketed by Alaska Airlines and operated by Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air or SkyWest (codeshare flights operated by other carriers are not eligible). Primary cardholder must be an Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan member. Baggage restrictions apply. See alaskaair.com/freebagfaq for complete baggage rules. Payment with the Alaska Airlines credit card is required to qualify for this benefit.”
The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature earns just 3 miles for every dollar spent with the airline.
Another card, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express, for example, would earn more points on direct purchases with the airline, as it offers an incredible 5 American Express Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with airlines (on up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) — a return of 10%, per TPG’s January 2025 valuations.
Using another example here, let’s say you’re paying for a $500 Alaska Airlines fare with either of the two cards. Here’s what you could expect to earn:
- Alaska Airlines Visa Signature: 3 miles times $500 equals 1,500 miles (worth $21.75, per TPG’s January 2025 valuations)
- Amex Platinum: 5 points times $500 equals 2,500 points (worth $50, per TPG’s January 2025 valuations)
Here’s the kicker, though. If you need to check two bags for two travelers, you’re going to pay an extra $70 ($35 per bag) if you use the Amex Platinum, erasing the extra $28.25 you’d net in points earning by a longshot. Therefore, the Alaska card is the better option here.
Related: United Airlines baggage fees and how to avoid paying them
When you’re using an offer
A final time when you’d want to swipe a less-obvious card is when you’re using a discount or promotion — like Chase Offers or Amex Offers. In many cases, the bonus points, miles or dollars off you’d enjoy with these offers will more than make up for any points or miles you missed out on by using the “wrong” card for the purchase.
As an example, we have previously seen an Amex Offer for 20% cash back (up to $50) on your cellphone bill. This appeared on The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, a card that typically offers just 1 point per dollar spent on these purchases.
A better option would be a card like the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, which awards 5% cash back (or 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent if you have the right combination of cards) on up to $25,000 in combined yearly purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each calendar year.
Here’s how this normally breaks down for a $200 cellphone bill:
- Business Platinum Card: 1 point times $200 equals 200 points (worth $4.10, per TPG’s January 2025 valuations)
- Ink Business Cash: 5 points times $200 equals $10 (or 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $20.50, per TPG’s January 2025 valuations)
However, when you factor in the Amex Offer, you’d enjoy another $40 off by swiping your Business Platinum Card, making this a much better option.
Related: The best time to apply for these popular travel credit cards based on offer history
Bottom line
As you can see, there are a number of scenarios where the “wrong” card is actually right for a given purchase. It may appear that you’re sacrificing some points or miles — or you may actually get fewer points or miles — but in many cases, it’s worth it. Whether you’re working toward a welcome bonus or trying to get the best deal for your purchases, it’s critical to carefully consider all aspects of a credit card before deciding which one to swipe.
Related: Cash back vs. travel rewards: How to choose a credit card
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