My Strategy for Getting Free Travel Using Credit Cards

I’m not a points hoarder with spreadsheets and secret airline charts. I’m a landscape photographer who likes to travel without paying full price. I’ve stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Park City, the Stein Erikson in Park City, and Hilton properties in Moab, all for free. I’ve booked flights to photography destinations across the American West using points earned from groceries, gas, and streaming subscriptions. The credit cards do the heavy lifting.

I’m also autistic. Systems work for me. A credit card strategy is a system. Each card has a specific role. Specific spending categories. Specific redemption paths. I don’t have to think about which card to use at the grocery store because the system is predetermined. Gold card for groceries. Platinum for flights. Hilton cards for hotels. Decisions made once, executed automatically. That’s how my brain operates best.

• Amex Platinum – Airline perks & transfer partner power
• Amex Gold – Foodie spend = serious points
• Hilton Aspire – Free nights + elite status
• Hilton Surpass – Backup points builder for Hilton stays
• Capital One Venture X – No think earner
• Delta Skymiles Platinum – Delta perks + free flights
• Chase Sapphire Preferred – Ultimate flexibility with points
• Chase Amazon Prime – Everyday Amazon spend = free travel, eventually

Now let me show you how I use ’em.

The Travel Credit Card System

1. American Express Platinum, The Premium Flyer Card

The American Express Platinum earns 5X Membership Rewards points on flights through Amex Travel or directly with airlines. $695 annual fee. Global Lounge Collection access. $200 hotel credit. $200 airline fee credit. $200 Uber credits.

This is my premium flyer card. 5X points on flights booked through Amex Travel or directly with airlines. Those points pool with Gold card points into one Membership Rewards balance, then transfer to airline partners for maximum value. The Global Lounge Collection has saved my sanity during layovers. Quiet corners, snacks, and free Wi-Fi. The $200 hotel credit works on Fine Hotels and Resorts or The Hotel Collection through Amex Travel. I’ve used it for completely free stays at the Pendry Park City and the Montage Park City, including a $100 property credit, late checkout, and breakfast for two. The $200 airline fee credit covers seat selection including Delta Comfort+ upgrades. The $200 Uber credits fund a monthly free meal via Uber Eats. The $695 annual fee is steep. But between the hotel credit, airline credit, Uber credits, and lounge access, the credits alone total $600 in annual value before counting a single point earned. For someone who flies regularly to photography destinations, the math works.

2. American Express Gold, Turning Groceries and Dining Into Flights

The American Express Gold earns 4X Membership Rewards points at US supermarkets and restaurants. $250 annual fee. $120 dining credit. Uber Cash. Points pool with Platinum into one Membership Rewards balance.

My everyday foodie MVP. 4X points at US supermarkets and restaurants means my weekly grocery run and dining habits are funding my next trip. Those points combine with Platinum points in one Membership Rewards pool, which I transfer to airline partners for flights or book through the Amex portal at 1 cent per point when I’m in a rush. The $120 dining credit and Uber Cash offset the $250 annual fee significantly. It’s like getting paid to eat. I use this card for every grocery purchase and every restaurant meal. The points accumulate fast because food is a daily expense. Over a year, grocery and dining spending alone generates enough points for a domestic round-trip flight. The system works because I don’t think about it. Gold card is always the card I pull out for food. Automatic category matching. No decision fatigue.

3. American Express Hilton Aspire, Free Luxury Hotel Nights

The American Express Hilton Aspire provides Hilton Diamond status automatically. Free Weekend Night Reward annually. 14X points on Hilton stays. $250 resort credit. $550 annual fee.

My luxury hotel card. Hilton Diamond status comes automatically with the card. That means room upgrades, late checkout, and free breakfast at every Hilton property. The annual Free Weekend Night Reward is the headliner. I used mine at the Stein Erikson in Park City, a night valued at $1,800. Free. 14X points on Hilton stays stack fast. The $250 resort credit applies to qualifying properties. I’ve stayed at Hilton properties in Moab, Vegas, and Denver without spending a cent. The Waldorf Astoria Park City. The Hoodoo Moab. All free through a combination of the free night reward, points, and Diamond status benefits. The $550 annual fee is justified by the free night alone if you redeem it at a premium property. For a photographer who needs accommodation near shooting locations like Moab and Park City, this card eliminates hotel costs entirely at Hilton properties.

4. American Express Hilton Surpass, The Backup Points Builder

The American Express Hilton Surpass earns 12X points at Hilton properties and 6X on dining, groceries, and gas. Free night after $15,000 annual spend. $150 annual fee.

The secondary Hilton card that builds points fast through everyday spending. 12X at Hilton. 6X on dining, groceries, and gas. Those multiplied categories mean Hilton points accumulate quickly even when I’m not staying at hotels. Free night reward after $15,000 in annual spend. At $150 annual fee, this is a low-cost way to stack Hilton points alongside the Aspire. I use the Surpass for gas purchases on every road trip in Estes. Fill up at a gas station, earn 6X Hilton points. Those points combine with Aspire points for free hotel nights at destinations across the American West. The system works because both Hilton cards feed the same points balance, creating a larger pool for redemptions.

5. Capital One Venture X, The No-Think Travel Earner

The Capital One Venture X earns 2X on everything, 5X on flights, and 10X on hotels and rentals through Capital One Travel. $300 annual travel credit. Lounge access. $395 annual fee.

When I don’t want to think about which card to use, I use this one. 2X miles on everything. No category matching required. 5X on flights and 10X on hotels and car rentals through Capital One Travel. The $300 annual travel credit gets used up fast on hotel stays for weekend getaways to shooting locations. I erase travel charges using miles. Uber rides, hotels, flights, Airbnbs, anything coded as travel disappears from my statement. Or I book through the Capital One travel portal using points directly. If the Amex and Chase systems feel too complex, Venture X is the simple solution. One card. Flat rate on everything. Generous travel multipliers through their portal. The $395 fee minus the $300 credit means I’m paying $95 net for a premium card with lounge access and strong earning.

6. American Express Delta SkyMiles Platinum, Delta Flights and Companion Tickets

The American Express Delta SkyMiles Platinum earns 3X on Delta purchases, 2X on restaurants and groceries. Free first checked bag. Priority boarding. Annual companion certificate. $250 annual fee.

I only use this card when I fly Delta. But when I do, it pays off. 3X SkyMiles on Delta purchases. Free first checked bag saves $35 each way. Priority boarding. The annual companion certificate is the real value. Buy one ticket, get a second for just taxes. That’s essentially a buy-one-get-one-free plane ticket on any domestic Delta flight. I use SkyMiles for domestic flights and short-haul trips. The companion pass has paid for itself multiple times over. I check for Pay with Miles deals to offset ticket costs. Salt Lake City is a Delta hub, which makes this card particularly valuable for my home airport. For anyone who flies Delta regularly, the companion certificate alone justifies the $250 annual fee.

7. Chase Sapphire Preferred, The Swiss Army Knife of Travel Cards

The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns 2X on travel, 3X on dining, 5X on Chase Travel bookings. Points worth 25 percent more through Chase portal. Transfer partners include Hyatt. $95 annual fee.

My first real travel card and I still use it. The Swiss Army knife of travel rewards. 2X on travel. 3X on dining. 5X on Chase Travel bookings. Points are worth 25 percent more when booked through the Chase portal. Transfer partners include Hyatt, where I once booked a $400 per night room at the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City for 15,000 points per night. The $95 annual fee is the lowest on this list for a card with this much flexibility. High ROI. This is the card I recommend to almost everyone starting out with travel rewards. Simple. Powerful. Flexible. The Chase Ultimate Rewards ecosystem connects to excellent airline and hotel transfer partners. For someone building their first travel card strategy, start here.

8. Chase Amazon Prime Card, 5 Percent Back on Every Amazon Gear Purchase

The Chase Amazon Prime Card earns 5 percent back at Amazon. No annual fee with Prime membership. Cash back applies to travel purchases.

Technically not a travel card. But it’s part of the system. I use the Chase Amazon Prime card for every Amazon purchase. Photography gear, camping equipment, last-minute chargers, clothing, all the stuff I buy for adventures. 5 percent back at Amazon adds up fast when you’re outfitting a 4Runner and buying camping gear regularly. I use the cash back to offset travel purchases. 5 percent isn’t something to sleep on when you’re spending hundreds on gear annually. No annual fee with Prime membership. The card feeds the overall system by reducing the cost of the equipment that makes my trips possible. Every piece of gear bought through Amazon at 5 percent back is effectively a travel discount.

How the System Works Together

Stack multipliers. Match every purchase to the card with the highest earn rate for that category. Groceries on Gold. Flights on Platinum or Venture X. Hotels on Hilton cards. Gas on Surpass. Amazon on the Prime card. Dining splits between Gold and Sapphire depending on the situation. Every dollar spent earns maximum points by routing it to the right card. No wasted spending.

Transfer smart and redeem flexibly. Move Amex and Chase points to airline and hotel partners for better value, often scoring 2X or more versus booking direct. Use Venture X to erase miscellaneous travel charges. Mix and match by booking a flight with points and a hotel with a free night certificate. That’s a full trip for next to nothing. You don’t need 20 cards or a PhD in loyalty programs. You need the right cards used the right way.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the single best travel credit card to start with?

Chase Sapphire Preferred. $95 annual fee. Flexible points that transfer to excellent airline and hotel partners. 25 percent bonus through the Chase portal. Simple to understand and use. It’s the best entry point into travel rewards. Once you’re comfortable, add category-specific cards like the Amex Gold for dining or a Hilton card for hotels.

How much do you actually save per year with this system?

Thousands. The Hilton Aspire free night alone can be worth $500 to $1,800 depending on the property. The Delta companion certificate saves the cost of a domestic ticket. The Amex Platinum credits total $600. Combined with points earned from everyday spending redeemed for flights and hotels, my total travel savings easily exceed $3,000 to $5,000 annually. The annual fees for all 8 cards total roughly $2,535, but the credits, free nights, and points far exceed that.

Is managing 8 credit cards overwhelming for someone with sensory or executive function challenges?

Not with a system. Each card has one job. Gold for food. Platinum for flights. Hilton cards for hotel points. Venture X for everything else. The decision is made once and executed automatically. I don’t stand at a register deciding which card to use. The category determines the card. Autopay handles every bill. The system removes decisions, it doesn’t add them.

Are the annual fees worth it?

Yes, if you use the credits. The Amex Platinum has $600 in built-in credits against a $695 fee. The Hilton Aspire’s free night is worth more than the $550 fee at premium properties. The Venture X’s $300 travel credit reduces the effective fee to $95. The Chase Sapphire at $95 pays for itself with a single hotel transfer to Hyatt. Only keep cards where the credits and benefits exceed the fee for your actual usage.

Can I use this strategy to fund photography and adventure travel?

That’s exactly what I do. Free hotel nights in Moab for landscape photography trips. Flights booked with points to reach remote shooting locations. Amazon cash back on camera gear and camping equipment. Uber credits for meals on the road. The system turns everyday spending into funded adventure travel. My grocery bill literally pays for nights at properties near the landscapes I photograph.

Your Spending Already Funds Travel

Every dollar I spend on groceries, gas, dining, Amazon gear, and flights is earning points toward my next trip. Free hotel nights in Moab. Flights to photography destinations. Lounge access during layovers. Companion tickets for friends. The credit card system runs in the background while I focus on the adventures that matter.

You don’t need to be a points expert. You need the right cards, a simple system, and the discipline to let your everyday spending work for you.

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