Are Travel Credit Cards The WRONG Choice? (The TRUTH)

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  • Опубликовано: 2 дек 2024

Комментарии • 105

  • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
    @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад +3

    Download MaxRewards: maxrewards.app.link/spencer (Code: SPENCER) 💲
    If you want to learn more about my new credit card strategy as a whole, watch this video next: ruclips.net/video/9IWd07wFt2I/видео.html 🎥
    What are your opinions on the team travel vs. team cash back debate? 👇🏼

  • @jimmyjames6492
    @jimmyjames6492 Год назад +1

    Thanks for the info + video!

  • @JPBuffet
    @JPBuffet Год назад +2

    I think the gamification of the travel setup and redemption is the reason I love travel cards.

  • @ow5966
    @ow5966 Год назад

    I have to say you can purchase your airplane tickets with your cash back as well. So you can be team cash back if you wanted to. They're just higher value transfer points out of the airlines

  • @seand99x
    @seand99x Год назад +7

    Team Hybrid! Points and miles to get you where your going & then cash back to give you some money to spend while your there!

    • @davisj20824
      @davisj20824 Год назад +1

      This is the way to go.

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад +2

      That's not a bad strategy at all! I like it.

    • @Ben..E
      @Ben..E Год назад

      Same, Team Hybrid. I don't plan on doing a whole bunch of travel, but got the Venture X, as it is too easy to make up for the Annual Fee and using it for the catchall to build up miles. (already have >150k united, and 65k delta). I haven't tested this but I think I could transfer files from the VX to a classic Spark Card to get 1 to $0.01 cash back if necessary, and will be getting a Savor 1 as well to add to the travel miles (or just cash back). I've upgrading from older cards with low interest rates to maximize cashback on Groceries, Restaurants and Gas and OnlineShopping, using the AAA Travel card and AMEX Blue Everyday. No plans for more AMEX or Chase cards, will get the Citi Custom Cash in a few months.

    • @seand99x
      @seand99x Год назад

      Sounds like a solid plan: me personally I am using Chase, Citi, and Amex cards as my main set up I think I have a good mix so far of both points cards and cash back cards, Obviously, Can always be better LOL. I have heard good things about the AAA travel card. @@Ben..E

  • @rmknicks
    @rmknicks Год назад +1

    I'm def team travel. I just product changed my CFU last week and re-applied for it this week. A nice little 20K UR point boost top off. I could listen to you talk credit cards all day...I'm obsessed.

  • @boondoggle4820
    @boondoggle4820 Год назад +2

    One good thing about cash back is that life happens, and if you have a card that gives you at least a base of $0.01 per point, you always have the option of redeeming your points in an emergency. For example, my hot water heater recently went up, and it costs a few thousand dollars to replace it and bring the entire setup up to code. If someone was really in a bind and they were saving up Chase or Citi points for travel, they could redeem those points to help cover emergency expenses if needed.

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад +1

      That's a really strong use case for Chase or Citi cards for sure! I'm sorry to hear about that water heater though man.

  • @usaprojectx
    @usaprojectx Год назад +5

    Nothing made me more excited than seeing a newly uploaded video just in time for my lunch break

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад +1

      I'm always happy to provide!! Thank you for watching and for being a top 3 commenter today! 🥉

  • @chrisoverbey5937
    @chrisoverbey5937 Год назад

    Yeah, if you’re going to be “team travel”, you better know how to construct and run an algorithm. If you can be savvy about doing that, the rewards are definitely there

  • @alexwalker8103
    @alexwalker8103 Год назад

    Love this video. Good work.

  • @SledgeIncTeam
    @SledgeIncTeam Год назад +2

    I think the best option is having both but I also believe that cash back is the best option for most people.

  • @TheCreditFrog
    @TheCreditFrog Год назад +8

    Being on Team Travel is really an art form. Like you mentioned, there are so many different ways to prioritize travel benefits, and I also prioritize experiences as well! I know I do a lot of domestic travel, but I’d definitely like to do aspirational travel one day, and the only way I’ll do that is through points because I’m not spending $5,000 on an airline ticket no matter how nice it is!

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад

      That’s a great way to put it. There’s just so many interesting things you can do with a travel setup compared to a cash back setup in my opinion. I think about aspirational travel in the same way as you too. I’d love to do it one day but I’ll only ever do it with points. But at the same time, I’ll use points to cover my domestic trips to save me cash out of pocket. It all depends on preferences!

  • @DoremonUCR
    @DoremonUCR Год назад +4

    I’m team travel, but I have some CB cards or cash out options. Some people are so hardcore team travel. On certain subreddits there are so many people who choose vacation spots based on award availability. Like they have to maximize their travel reward setup. That’s insane to me. Reward travel is meant to subsidize places I wanna go, not be dictated based on award availability and getting atleast X value for my points.

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад

      I would tend to agree with you that people take it way too far. I don't fall anywhere near that side of the spectrum haha.

    • @docsays
      @docsays Год назад

      - straight facts. When i travel i want to go where i want & when i want! I firmly believe my cards should help me do that, not the other way around.

  • @steve_rogers_usmc1990
    @steve_rogers_usmc1990 Год назад +2

    I think this is why the C1 duo is so strong because you can belong to both teams with the Savor One being a cashback card that can also convert those cash rewards to the Venture X as miles. Great video!

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад

      I completely agree! Same thing goes for the Chase trifecta and Citi trifecta in my opinion. Having that flexibility is a much better way to go about it in my eyes. Thanks for being here as always man!!

  • @MattWelterOfficial
    @MattWelterOfficial Год назад +3

    You bring up a ton of good points in this video Spencer. I think overall I'm pretty similar to you in that I'm mainly team Travel but I do have some cash-back cards as well, and I do like having that as an option if I do need it any point. I personally really value experiences over material things and so I really liked that concept that you discussed, and valuing experiences is a huge reason I'm on team travel. Like you discussed too, having these points at my disposal really pushes me to go out and travel, because I'm able to do things I otherwise wouldn't have, if I didn't have the points. Great video as always Spencer!

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад

      I'm happy to hear you found this one valuable! I think for people our age, it's really easy to get wrapped up in trying to build that net worth to where we don't take as many trips as we should, so I like to think of my travel cards as a way to push me to do that more. I'm glad you seem to feel the same! Thank you for watching man!

  • @KevinYang
    @KevinYang Год назад +1

    For someone who loves to maximize value and lock in deals, it pains me to *not* get the best value I can for the work I put in. That said, I'm sure most people aren't like me and cash back fits their lifestyles perfectly, easy and still great value! Either way, definitely team (aspirational/luxury) travel here!

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад +1

      I get that for sure!! I’m honestly trying to break myself of that habit of only trying to get the best value, but that’s because I lean more towards team domestic travel. For those international trips, getting a high cpp is key!!

  • @druiz012
    @druiz012 Год назад

    I am so team travel I just upgraded my Sapphire Perferred to a Reserve and I have a Venture X. Lets go team!

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад

      Haha I love it!

    • @druiz012
      @druiz012 Год назад

      With trips planned for Sept, Oct, Jan, Feb and March it will pay for itself in 3x travel, and priority pass restaurants. Plus a visit to the Sapphire lounge in Boston.

  • @kyletavarez
    @kyletavarez 2 месяца назад

    I am on team money lol. I want to maximize what I can

  • @chrisv4920
    @chrisv4920 Год назад

    Excellent video Spencer as always man. Personally I’m a hybrid player, recently I got my discover it card, and that little card is quite strong and impressive with the cash back

  • @will4390
    @will4390 Год назад

    I’m split team cash back and team travel as well!
    Weird question I know … but what brand of shirt is that ? (From a military guy)

  • @dhruvsriv789
    @dhruvsriv789 Год назад +1

    I've been Team Travel, but all I do is hoard miles and not spend them.
    Thinking of jumping to the other side.

    • @davisj20824
      @davisj20824 Год назад

      Same. At one point I had over 200,000 Chase UR points, but no travel plans in sight so Cash Back.

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад +1

      Without using your points, they're worthless, so maybe team cash back is a better fit for you!!

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад +1

      At least with Chase you can redeem for cash back at a good rate too!

  • @fogrunr5075
    @fogrunr5075 Год назад

    Team hybrid😊
    22 days in a Cebu high-rise Airbnb condo for $280. Then 3 Days 2 nights in a luxury hotel for $85.
    The two cards used:
    Chase Sapphire Reserve
    WF Autograph
    Groceries c/o Capital One SavorOne.
    Dining SavorOne/Sapphire Reserve.
    FoodPanda delivery AMX Gold.
    Catch all is Capital One Venture.

  • @CreepahKillahRSA
    @CreepahKillahRSA Год назад +3

    Cash back is absolutely great and I have nothing but love for all the cash back cards and aficionados. I’m on team travel because I find this stuff fun and I want to feel the accomplishment of getting a luxury redemption I otherwise wouldn’t pay for. My priority isn’t really saving money, but getting redemptions I would not otherwise book in cash. Meanwhile, if you have a family and can’t travel much or simply want to save money, cash back is the way to go.

  • @ImStillStealingSteel
    @ImStillStealingSteel Год назад +2

    14:44 OMG!!! This is not gonna be a thing until they make ALL networks available. Right now its just credit card wallet within a card. 😂😂😂

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад +1

      While it's very restricted right now, it's still definitely a thing in the sense that it works for specific use cases. I don't personally use it, but I like the creative approach to it!

    • @ImStillStealingSteel
      @ImStillStealingSteel Год назад

      @@SpencerJohnsonOfficial - “Right now”??? Spence, this thing launch in 2016. 7 yrs to get their ish right. They recently lost Amex. And according to their site, Feb 8th 2023 new customers will no longer be able to add Visa cards issued outside of the UK/EEA to their Curve account.

  • @gwm55
    @gwm55 Год назад

    This is a really solid video Spencer! Super helpful when people choose either travel, cashback or both. But for me and my partner we want to travel the world!

  • @LukesPointsandMiles
    @LukesPointsandMiles Год назад

    Love these kinds of videos! What are you looking at as far as your next trip? Economy or Lie Flat Boss Man Travel?

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад

      Thank you Luke! Well I actually just used up a bunch of my points pretty recently for some domestic travel that I'm gonna talk about in a future video. Pretty exciting stuff in my opinion!

  • @brandonpatterson4987
    @brandonpatterson4987 Год назад

    Your camera be shakin'

  • @sterlingjones4108
    @sterlingjones4108 Год назад +1

    Cash back!!!

  • @fredfinger7092
    @fredfinger7092 Год назад

    Maybe I am excessively frugal but I just can't see how you can spend enough on a credit card to generate a meaningful free trip, even with the sign-up bonuses. Does it take years? Does one need to spend profligately? Does it only work if you are charging business travel that you can get reimbursed for or deduct? Am I just missing something obvious?

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад

      Good question! I would say that almost every signup bonus you hit on a travel card is enough to get you a free domestic trip or a really nice international flight or something. For most every annual fee travel card you’re looking at anything from 60k-150k points for free travel right now which is why SUBs are so powerful. It would take a lot of folks a few years to earn that many points from natural spend. I don’t have high spend myself, but SUBs help me accumulate the points I need personally.

    • @fredfinger7092
      @fredfinger7092 Год назад

      @@SpencerJohnsonOfficial Thanks so much for your answer! I am clearly missing something. Say I got a Cap 1 Venture card. It has 75,000 points SUB. That's only worth $750, right? I can maybe fly to Florida or California for that. But where could I go internationally? Toronto? There must be a step that I'm not understanding.

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад

      Ah yes so the way to get way more than $750 of value is through transfer partners. Most every big lender have cards that give you access to their transfer partners (which the Venture card does) and through those transfer partners you can get much more than 1 cpp in value from your points. A lot of times people target at least 2 cpp which means that those 75k points would be worth $1500. If you're doing aspirational travel internationally, you could find 5-10 cpp in some cases meaning 75k points would be worth $3750 to $7500. It all depends on your travel habits and exact itineraries though. I believe I talk a bit more about this in my "why i have so many credit cards" video along with a few others. @@fredfinger7092

  • @MattClausen
    @MattClausen Год назад +3

    As I’m moving to team Travel, one thing that’s important to me is always having an escape hatch for cashing out if I need to. But subsidizing travel is WAY better than constantly saving.

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад +1

      That's a completely justifiable way to go about it! That's why I like lenders like Chase and Citi where you can still redeem for cash back if you need to. I agree with the last part of your comment too. Using points to help push me to travel has been huge in my journey so far!

  • @DJOctober
    @DJOctober Год назад +1

    As a person who newer to the credit card travel and cash back game, about 7 months or so, these videos are incredibly valuable as it helps determine what my set ups will look like.
    If anything, I’ve learned both sides and strengths and weaknesses BUT, you don’t have to choose a side, you can be a hybrid of both and adapt based on current situations!
    Loved your breakdown man! Keep the videos coming!
    Side note: the Centurion card & JP Morgan reserve cards are my ultimate card goals for many years down the road, but I hope not too many!
    My boy Odin, hi again!
    - Ivan

  • @CesarJoel
    @CesarJoel Год назад

    Great overview of the differences and advantages of both sides Spencer! Team Travel ✈️

  • @johnmckinstry6057
    @johnmckinstry6057 Год назад +2

    Right now, I think of myself as being on team hybrid because I have a few cards that are strictly cash back and I have some that have the versatility to be used as travel in addition to my hotel cards. I can also see myself staying that way now because I use the cards that are going to give me the highest rewards in the categories where I spend. I agree with you that people on team travel are more limited on what cards they can get since most cards except for the Amex MR point earning cards can be used for cash back. There are definitely more cards out there that cater to those on team cash back. I do like the Chase and Citi cards the most because of the versatility that they offer and I'm building up my points with both lenders so that I can use them in the future for travel when I get the CSP and possibly the Citi Premier. This is a great video in covering the differences between team travel and team cash back! Btw, I like the background in your new videos!

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад +1

      I think team hybrid is the way to go!! That's why I love Chase and Citi cards too. The fact that you can redeem at a good cash back rate while also opening yourself up to major travel redemptions is a big plus in my eyes. Thank you so much for watching as always John! I'm loving that new blue badge on you. Pretty sleek!

    • @johnmckinstry6057
      @johnmckinstry6057 Год назад

      ​@@SpencerJohnsonOfficialYes, I love that blue badge! So far it's my favorite one, after all, blue is one of my favorite colors.

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад

      Well it looks great for now but I'd say the next colors will look great as well! 😆@@johnmckinstry6057

  • @SpencerChewitt
    @SpencerChewitt Год назад +1

    Nice video Spencer! I recently was thinking about this too. A lot of the premium cards with high annual fees are glorified a lot on the internet, and for good reason, but honestly most people won’t benefit as much from them. Cash back is always the most straightforward.

  • @bennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
    @bennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn Год назад

    Hey, I'm famous! Thanks Spence! I appreciate your perspective early in the video... In hindsight, my comment seems a little whiny, but I guess my point was that one "team" isn't objectively better than the other (despite what some might say), and actually a hybrid setup might be best for some (like yourself). Really appreciate this detailed video! I'm a long time watcher/commenter/subscriber... keep it up, you're almost at 10k subs! Are you still working your engineering job as well, or did you say you're a full-time RUclipsr now?

  • @woodzy883
    @woodzy883 Год назад +1

    Great video and explination Spence. Team travel definitely all have cashback cards. As sledge would say. Cashback is for the gift shops lol. And Amazon. I really like chase even though I started them late but I use amex the most "partly because I am trying to spend out of pop up jail." Even in team travel outside of domestic and international camps you have two other camps that could be a whole video. Team journey and team destination. So airline and hotel focus

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад +1

      You're the man! And that's how I think of cash back cards within a travel setup too. Especially when you consider our travel cards only get us to the destination and give us a place to sleep... the rest is out of pocket if you don't have any cash back cards. There's no easy answer for every single person, but I think a good mix is healthy. And that's a great point about airline vs hotel cards. I'll likely make a full video on each of those topics at some point.

    • @SledgeIncTeam
      @SledgeIncTeam Год назад +1

      Payapal Mastercard or some type of cashback card/cards are a must! It's the only way to make travel completely free. Unless you never plan on leaving the hotel, points can't pay for everything and even then, there may be airline taxes and resort fees.

  • @JonsCreditAndTravel
    @JonsCreditAndTravel Год назад

    Great video Spencer contrasting the path and methodology regarding cash back cards and travel cards. It does seem easier to transition to team travel from team cashback and not the other way around.

    • @SpencerJohnsonOfficial
      @SpencerJohnsonOfficial  Год назад +1

      Thanks so much Jon! I would agree with you for sure. That transition from cash back to travel is pretty simple in comparison to going the other way. But you can always get the best of both with a good Chase or Citi setup which is nice too!

  • @ithinkmynameismoo5e
    @ithinkmynameismoo5e Год назад

    How much monthly spend/how many cards do you think it takes to make Max rewards (paid) worth it?

  • @berryzedzero
    @berryzedzero Год назад

    I'm out of the game.

  • @Toast0808
    @Toast0808 Год назад

    OPTIONS not “optionality” 😂

  • @jun.oshima
    @jun.oshima Год назад

    I was team travel until recently, now I'm pro cashback. I used to horde MR points for first class tickets, but they are becoming somewhat of a unicorn status. In fact, even business class tickets are a rarity these days. So I decided to liquidate it all into Virgin Atlantic miles with a 30% bonus, and now I just use WF Autograph card for all my purchases. Cashback is cool, I'm kinda over dealing with travel points. I guess I'll just take economy tickets with all the stored VA mileage from now on🙃

  • @XavierCarter9129
    @XavierCarter9129 Год назад

    Hell no!

  • @zyonbarreto1
    @zyonbarreto1 Год назад

    Hey Spencer, super glad I stumbled on your channel! Loving the content! I’ve got the Cap 1 Quicksilver and I’m looking to possibly upgrade that, but I also want a good travel card and a solid cash back card as well. Any recommendations on a good pairing?

  • @Toast0808
    @Toast0808 Год назад +1

    Team Cash Back!

  • @AnthonyFinAtlanta
    @AnthonyFinAtlanta Год назад

    I am focused on travel rewards but if I was going for cash back I would focus on transferrable currency cards that let me cash out the points for cash back. The reason for that is because travel credit cards usually have much bigger bonus's than cash back cards. As I try to maximize the value I get from travel bookings I would try in this case to maximize the value I get in each application.

  • @jasonalvarodiaz1303
    @jasonalvarodiaz1303 Год назад

    Can we see you 1v1 daniel Braun in bball one day??

  • @MikeMaye
    @MikeMaye Год назад

    I'm definitely team travel and I optimize all my cards and points. However, I do have a couple cash back cards and I do like having them. There's no wrong team as they both have benefits depending on your lifestyle... Great vid as always Spencer 💥

  • @mordymitrani4187
    @mordymitrani4187 Год назад

    Ty for your content just an opinion I think you can say we are still buying material things if we use travel cards

  • @andyyylin
    @andyyylin Год назад

    the thumbnail looks something right out of Brian Jung 😂

  • @SOXGATORS
    @SOXGATORS Год назад

    👍🏻

  • @ItsMeCJ
    @ItsMeCJ Год назад +2

    1

  • @AhmadKhwajazada
    @AhmadKhwajazada Год назад +2

    First