2024 ended up being a pretty good year for both travel and the points I earned. I was happy to add two more states (Texas and Colorado) to the list of states where I’ve seen concerts. It might seem a bit much that I went to four dates of the Something Corporate reunion tour, but one thing I want to eventually do is follow a band on their entire US tour. Texas is where I saw The Glorious Sons and then I traveled to Oregon, Colorado, and California for the Something Corporate shows. With the exception of the hotel in Denver, I used some form of credit card rewards to cover all my hotels and flights.
At the beginning of the year I was finishing up bonuses from cards I opened in 2023, then went on to open four new cards in 2024. I should finish up the newest addition to my wallet (the American Express Business Gold) this month.
These are my totals:
Bank of America: $681.39
I have a $95 annual fee card, but get $100 in airline credits from that card each year.
Chase: 102,418 Ultimate Rewards
US Bank: $1,078.95
I have a $99 annual fee card making the net here $979.95. I intend to cancel when the annual fee is due again.
American Airlines: 75,926 miles and 5 seat upgrades
The $99 annual fee was waived for the first year; I’ll cancel the card when it comes due.
American Express: 155,412 Membership Rewards
50,000 came from a checking account bonus. I have multiple annual fee cards, but those cards come with additional credits that either entirely offset the fee or come very close.
Marriott (referral link): With my $95 annual fee card, I get a certificate that can be used for any 35,000 point hotel night.
In addition to the annual fees, I paid another $528.85 in fees for paying rent and other bills that charge a fee for using a credit card. Often the fee is high enough that it wouldn’t make sense to use a regular card paying about 2% back, but charging my rent is an easy way for me to get the larger bonuses like the 175,000 Membership Rewards for $10,000 in spend that I’m finishing right now.
I’m not sure which cards I’ll pick up in 2025. There’s usually some elevated bonus that comes along that I end up getting. I do have my eyes on the Barclays Aviator Red since that will be discontinued at some point. I’m also going to be eligible to get a new Chase Sapphire (either the Preferred or Reserve), so that’s on my list to go for. I’m also considering doing some bank/brokerage bonuses this year. I’ll also be evaluating which annual fee cards I’ll keep in 2025 since the benefits have changed on some.
