Month 4 marks the exciting phase where the concept of Travel Credit truly begins to work its magic for couples. After diligently meeting spending requirements in the previous months to unlock sign-up bonuses, it’s time to leverage referral bonuses to significantly boost your travel credit accumulation. Remember, strategic spending is key; avoid unnecessary expenses that negate the value of your travel rewards.
Now, the strategy unfolds: each partner refers the other for credit cards within the same bank ecosystem. For instance, if Katie initially applied for a Preferred card, she would then refer Thomas to the same Preferred card. Conversely, Thomas, having acquired a Priority card, would refer Katie to the Priority card. This reciprocal referral system amplifies your travel credit earnings.
In this scenario, Katie earns an additional 20,000 points for referring Thomas, while Thomas himself accrues 60,000 points upon signing up. Simultaneously, Thomas referring Katie to the Priority card yields him another 20,000 points, and Katie receives 40,000 points for her new card sign-up.
Collectively, as a couple, this referral strategy nets them:
- 140,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points
- 100,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points
While these points are distributed across individual accounts, programs like Southwest and Marriott facilitate point transfers between members. This flexibility allows couples to consolidate their travel credit into a single account, streamlining redemption for specific co-branded rewards. For couples who are married or in the same household, this extends to Ultimate Rewards points as well, offering even greater control over your combined travel credit.
Months 5 and 6 are dedicated to meeting the spending requirements for this new round of cards, continuing the cycle of bonus accumulation. We’ll revisit our couple in Month 7 as they explore hotel and premium travel credit cards.
Month 7
Having successfully navigated the Sapphire Preferred and Southwest cards, the focus shifts to hotel and premium travel credit cards. This phase introduces more personalization based on travel preferences.
Katie opts for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card, capitalizing on a sign-up bonus (at the time of writing) offering three free nights, redeemable for up to 150,000 points value. Meanwhile, Thomas chooses the American Express Platinum card, attracted by its substantial sign-up bonus of 100,000 points, further enhancing their collective travel credit portfolio.
Months 8 and 9 are allocated to fulfilling the respective spending thresholds for these hotel and premium cards, maintaining the momentum of travel credit growth.
Month 10
It’s referral bonus time again! Katie refers Thomas to the Bonvoy card, earning 20,000 bonus points. The Marriott Bonvoy referral bonus for Thomas mirrors the sign-up bonus: three free nights, each valued at up to 50,000 points. This translates to a potential 150,000 points in value, although the practical application often involves redeeming the free night certificates for complimentary stays at Bonvoy properties, effectively utilizing their accumulated travel credit.
The selection of premium travel credit cards introduces an element of personal preference. Couples who primarily travel together might question the necessity of two premium cards with high annual fees like the Platinum. Many Platinum card benefits, such as hotel elite status, airport lounge access, and the Fine Hotels & Resorts Collection, extend to cover both partners during travel, maximizing the value of a single card’s travel credit perks for the couple.
The decision hinges on individual comfort levels with annual fees. Let’s assume Thomas refers Katie to the American Express Platinum card in this scenario.
Thomas earns 15,000 Membership Rewards points for the referral, and Katie secures 100,000 points upon signing up, further expanding their travel credit balance.
With this subsequent set of cards, their combined earnings reach:
- 215,000 American Express Membership Rewards points
- 320,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
Keeping Score: The Growing Travel Credit Tally
Let’s recap the impressive travel credit accumulation:
- 140,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points (estimated $2,100 in travel value*)
*Valuing Ultimate Rewards points at approximately 1.5 cents each. - 100,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points (estimated $1,400 in travel value*)
*Valuing Rapid Rewards points at approximately 1.4 cents each. - 215,000 American Express Membership Rewards points (estimated $2,150 in travel value*)
*Valuing Membership Rewards points at approximately 1 cent each. - 320,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (estimated $2,560 in travel value*)
*Valuing Bonvoy points at approximately 0.8 cents each.
This brings the grand total to an impressive…
775,000 points shared between them, translating to roughly $8,210 in travel credit value.
This comes with an associated $2,068 in annual fees, or $1,034 per person. The strategy effectively allows couples to share benefits and distribute costs while significantly building their travel credit. Crucially, the recommended cards offer annual recurring benefits that often outweigh the annual fees, further enhancing the value proposition of this travel credit approach. (For detailed calculations and charts, refer to the Travel Rewards tab).
Unlocking Deeper Travel Credit Strategies
The core principle of this strategy is simple: couples leverage reciprocal referrals to amplify sign-up bonuses with referral bonuses, and traveling together allows partners to share the benefits of each other’s points while managing individual card responsibilities. This synergistic approach maximizes their collective travel credit.
However, the Southwest Companion Pass represents an even more significant opportunity to supercharge your travel credit, and we’ve only scratched the surface.
A dedicated post exploring the Companion Pass and its integration with business travel credit cards is forthcoming. While the current strategy remains compatible, timing is crucial.
To maximize the Companion Pass, aim to meet the spending threshold for Southwest cards early in the calendar year. The qualification period aligns with the calendar year, starting January 1st. Earning 125,000 qualifying points within a year grants you Companion Pass status, allowing your designated companion to fly with you for free (paying only taxes and fees, around $5.60 each way). This incredibly valuable benefit effectively doubles the value of your Southwest travel credit.
Referral bonuses contribute towards Companion Pass qualification. In our example, Thomas, aiming for Companion Pass, would benefit significantly. He would start with 65,000 points from the sign-up bonus and an additional 10,000 points from referring Katie, accumulating 75,000 points towards the 125,000-point goal right away.
High sign-up bonuses at the beginning of the year are instrumental in swiftly achieving Companion Pass. Unfortunately, transferring Rapid Rewards points between accounts doesn’t count towards Companion Pass qualification, although that would be an ideal travel credit accelerator.
More details on the Companion Pass strategy will be shared in a future post. In the meantime, initiate your first round of card applications and bring your partner onboard to start building your shared travel credit!
Summary: Recommended Travel Credit Cards for Couples (in order)
Remember, you can adapt this strategy to other airline or hotel programs if they better align with your travel preferences, substituting Southwest and Bonvoy as needed. However, these two programs consistently offer exceptional value for building substantial travel credit.
