This is mostly a post for Americans but the principle applies in the UK and everywhere:

Little update.

I orgininally wrote this entry in June 2024. It is now November of the same year. This credit card ended up tallying up to $1200+ worth in credit card points that I will be able to use for travel! We used this card for about 3 months for all our grocery expenses, my birthday shopping (shoes and a t-shirt – it was kind of frugal), cafe visits (not that many) and a few of Jason’s relatively high business expenses. The welcome bonus IS what made this card very worth applying for. Did I even give you an invitation link? What is wrong with me! Here it is: …. to be added asap …. (remind me please!)

It absolutely amazes me how many free perks American banks are willing to offer to new customers. Jason and I just signed up to another credit card with Chase and if we spend $4,000 in the next 3 months we will receive a huge amount of free points that we can use for future travel! Basically: FREE hotel stays, or, if we get enough points between us: free flights. I wish everyone would make use of what is free on the table.

Life is hard, take the freebies.

(like REALLY, please take the free stuff! It adds up, and to my knowledge it is tax free!)

Obviously it isn’t always easy to meet the spending amount. $4,000 is a lot of money. But Jason has to buy a flight to the East Coast later this week and might need a dentist visit, too. If you are in the USA then you know that between these two we already might hit this (horrifying) $4,000 spending goalpost.

The car needs new brakes and we need to buy groceries over the coming 3 months. I think we’ll have to spend $4,000 in total, regardless if we like it or not. Signing up for the credit card means that we will get more than 10% ‘refund’ (in points rewards) of the money spent on our unavoidable expenses. Who wouldn’t take that money? It’s so much money.

I’ll share the link to the credit card that I was offered by Chase below. Please remember, it’s only a great deal if you can pay off your credit card bill each month.

However, however.. If you have unavoidable expenses that you will have no choice but to put on a credit card either way, then you might as well apply for this card and get the perks. Because the alternative is to have put debt on your old credit card and get nothing in return for it.

Here is the invitation to the card that got me $1200+ on credit card points to use towards travel ! :

Earn 75,000 bonus points with either Chase Sapphire card. I can be rewarded if you apply here and are approved for the card.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19n/NZE2UCYG4Y

(Limited-time offer – $300 Chase Travel℠ credit + 60,000 bonus points with Chase Sapphire Preferred. I can be rewarded if you apply here and are approved for the card.) If you do want to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card then please use my link:
www.referyourchasecard.com/19P/L00YQN6TY8

My motto is to sign up to referral perks whenever I see them and can qualify.

I never get around to accurately calculate how much money I got for free each of the last years for signing up to things. In 2023 we got at at least $500 of literally free money between us.

(For credit card signups and my Revolut invitations, for which I unfortunately only have limited invitation links that expire after 30 days.)

And then there are the savings I get using the mobile phone provider that I am using. (I pay $15 a month and get 5GB data included in my plan.) To me it’s wild that anyone would use any other mobile phone service provider. That’s a story for another time.

Don’t leave free money on the table.

This particular credit card might not be for you, but there are other offers popping up from time to time, take them when you see them, because they add up.

See you soon, Birgit.

If you have no choice but to spend it then at least collect rewards along the way. These small amounts add up.

p.s. These invitation links expire, my apologies if the link above has gone out of date and the offer is no longer available.