Aug. 26, 2026

The Credit Card Question Nobody Asks: Are You Routing Your Spending to Travel for Free?

The Credit Card Question Nobody Asks: Are You Routing Your Spending to Travel for Free?

Most people ask "Can I afford to travel?" Kunal Lakhwani, a real estate investor & self-taught travel hacker, turns everyday spending — including business expenses — into business-class flights & luxury hotel stays, without dipping into savings. He breaks down how to choose the right credit cards, avoid the mistakes that keep points sitting unused, & build a simple system that runs in the background of a busy life. This episode will change how you look at your wallet as you plan your next trip.

Ask Good Questions is broadcast live Wednesdays at 6PM ET on W4CY Radio (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com). Ask Good Questions is viewed on Talk 4 TV (www.talk4tv.com).

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WEBVTT

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The topics and opinions expressed in the following show are

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solely those of the host and their guests and not

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those of W4CY Radio, its employees or affiliates. We make

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directed to those show hosts. Thank you for choosing W4CY Radio.

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Welcome to the Ask Good Questions podcast, broadcasting live every Wednesday,

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6 p.m. Eastern Time on W4CY Radio at W4CY. com. This

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week and every week, we will reach for a higher

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purpose in money and life, as well as a focus

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on health and wellness. Now, let's join your host, Benita

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Bell Anderson, as together we start with asking good questions.

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Hello and welcome to the Ask Good Questions podcast. My

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name is Benita Bell Anderson. I am your host and

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we have got a fabulous show today that is going

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to be, I think, super, super helpful. This has to

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do with travel and using credit card points wisely. We've

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got a super guest who has figured out a whole

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new system for this. And I'd like to invite Kunal

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Lakwani to the podcast stage. Welcome.

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Thank you, Vanita, for having me.

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Yeah, you bet. Let me tell everyone a little bit

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about you. First of all, I'll say most people think

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that luxury travel is reserved for the wealthy or the

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obsessive points nerd who's got 47 screens available for him.

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He says he's neither. He's an immigrant who came to

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the United States. I believe it was from India, correct?

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That's right.

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And he's built a career as an engineer and stumbled

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onto a system where his everyday expenses generate enough credit

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card rewards to fund business class flights and high-end hotel stays.

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And he runs on Instagram something called rentals.and.runways, where he

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documents the art of travel hacking. And so he's turning

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credit card points into luxury travel experiences, which I think

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everybody should be interested in. Most people think this is

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out of reach, but he's built a repeatable system that

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doesn't require quitting your job or spending a lot of

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money you don't already have. So I'm hoping that our

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audience today is going to walk away knowing how to

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identify the credit cards that generate the most valuable points.

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Because I know I get credit card offers all the

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time and you just you don't know. And so we're

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going to talk about this. We're going to talk about

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how to find and book business class flights and luxury

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hotels and how to build a simple repeatable process. That's

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probably the most important thing. It works alongside a busy life.

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He says he's not a guru. He's someone who's figured

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this out while working a full-time job. So with that,

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is there anything that you'd like to add to that?

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I think that is the best introduction I've ever heard

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of myself. So thank you for that. Nothing to add.

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Well, I mean, so you're an engineer, right? And you're

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also a real estate investor. He lives in Colorado. How

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in the heck did you ever stumble onto travel hacking?

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And what made you realize that this would be something

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that you could be interested in?

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Yeah, so I, as you mentioned, I came to the U.S.

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as an immigrant. I came here to pursue my master's

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degree in computer science from Arizona State. This was about

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at this point, 12 years back now. So that's when I,

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as I landed here, I realized that having good credit

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always helps in the US. Like even when I was

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trying to rent my apartment, they wanted to pull my credit.

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I just landed, like I'm two days old in this country.

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So I don't have a credit history or a good

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credit score. So just getting an apartment for myself was

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a challenge without credit history so that's when i got

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exposed to at least first understanding what a credit score

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is what a credit history is and how do i

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go about building it so as part of that i

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my banker recommended that i get a credit card at

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that time it was called the chase freedom um I

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needed to achieve a few milestones in order to first

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get that card and also get a bonus. The bonus

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was minimal from today's standards, now knowing what I know.

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But at that time, it felt like a fortune because

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I could get $ 100 back if I spend $ 500, and

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I needed a new $ 600 Dell laptop. I'm like, perfect.

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I get a $ 100 discount, and this is the best

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deal ever. So that's how I got my first credit card.

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And that's when I understood the, the whole landscape of

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credit history, credit score, and what different types of credit

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cards are available. And I started educating myself from that

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point because I was interested in finding good deals. Um,

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and as part of finding good deals, I realized that

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credit cards can help me get that extra cash back

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and make the deal even better. Um, Through that process,

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I realized that the points that I am earning through

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my spend, instead of redeeming it for cashback or just

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focusing on cashback, I could potentially use those points to

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transfer to travel partners and then leverage it to get

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a 90%, in some cases, 100% discount on hotel stays

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or flights. So that's when I started looking into it further.

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And that's how I discovered travel hacking. It had nothing

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to do with my day job of software engineering. It

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has nothing to do with my side project or passion

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of real estate investing. But it probably has something to

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do with my mindset of being frugal and always wanting

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to find a good deal. Right.

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You described yourself as not a guru, why is that

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distinction important? What do you think?

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I think as a guru, there is a connotation that

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I'm trying to sell something. There is something in it

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for me. I'm trying to benefit out of this for

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myself without thinking about the benefits that I'm maybe providing

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to the listeners or, viewers of this show or any

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other place that i speak at that is not my

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intention my intention is to help everyone elevate their lifestyle

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as part of that elevation travel is a big piece

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because as we travel more we understand about different cultures

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we learn about different groups of people, how they live,

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how they interact, what is important for them, and so on.

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So it opens different avenues in our mind. And that

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is one benefit. Another benefit is we get relaxed. Let's

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say we just go on a luxury trip. We don't

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do anything. We don't even interact with people. That trip

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may not really open up uh, new cultures or new, um,

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mindset shifts in you, but it gave you like five

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days of, uh, relaxing time when you come out, come

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back home, uh, with better energy. So it eventually elevated

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your lifestyle. And in my case, I was, uh, I

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was never able to afford those $ 600, $ 1, 000 per night

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resort stays. But now with credit cards, I can achieve that.

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So that's what I want to share. And that is

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my intent, that the people that I'm able to touch

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and share this with, they are able to experience the

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same benefits that I experienced from travel hacking. It is

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not about me wanting to sell a particular course or

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a particular product I am teaching a system that I

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personally used and as a guru I think when someone

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calls themselves a guru they know everything and they are

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only preaching in my case I don't know everything I

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am here to share my journey and what I have

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learned but i also do want to listen from people

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who are in this for more years less years than

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me does not matter if there's an information that i

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don't have then that they have i am open and

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willing to listen to that learn from it and implement

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in my system That's why I treat myself as not

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a guru. I'm just sharing what I know.

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Right. Well, you know, the name, this name of this

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podcast has worked really, really well in calling it Ask

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Good Questions. That has been applicable to so many different things.

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And so like in this case, you know, the question of, well,

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can I afford to travel? I'm thinking that you would

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say that's the wrong question.

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That's right.

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What's the right question then?

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How do I travel? What do I need in order

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to travel? I think that is a better question because

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if you are asking, can I afford this? You are

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thinking about having to spend all of that extra amount

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that you maybe cannot afford or do not have income for.

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But if you ask, These are my expenses. This is

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my income. Without overextending myself, without putting a strain on

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my family or my financial situation, how can I still

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fulfill my desire to travel to exotic locations, in luxury,

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or it doesn't even always have to be luxury or exotic.

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It can be a remote location that fulfills your desire

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to learn about a new culture. But you have to

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take a flight. It can be an economy. It doesn't

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have to be a business class flight, but even economy

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flight can be expensive at times. If you're traveling with family,

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with kids, you need more than one or two tickets

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and that can get expensive as well. So everyone's style

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of travel is different. Everyone's budget is different. But everyone

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can and should travel, and this opens that door for

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all of us.

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Well, is there a mistake that you see people make

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that comes up again and again when they're first starting

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to try to earn points?

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Yeah, I think a lot of people get subscribed to...

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cards that we get sold while we are in store.

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Like if we visit Macy's, we have a $ 500 bill

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and at checkout, they would say, if you sign up

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for this credit card, you'll get a 10% discount. And

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instead of 500, you're only paying 450. In the moment, yes,

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it's a good deal. But if you think beyond just

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that one transaction, if you don't apply for that card,

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but apply for something different. How can you still get

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that same $ 50 discount on that transaction, but come out

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ahead even beyond that? And how does that one card

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affect your overall plan or framework to apply for cards?

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I think that is a mistake that many people make

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in the beginning.

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I think what you're saying is, begin with the end

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in mind. I mean, like Stephen, I'm thinking of Stephen R. Covey,

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who basically said, you know, so I think you're saying

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when you're going out to start implementing this, go with

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what is it that you want to achieve, right?

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Yes, totally. And that's where I think distinction between cards

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is important. Are you focused on cashback because you're tight

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on cash? Or are you focused on travel because your

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everyday expenses are already covered by your income and you

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are living below your means. And this is something that

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you are using as a tool to get better experiences

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than you can otherwise. So I think that is really

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important to begin with. Are you focused on that 10%

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cashback at Macy's or are you focused on that outsized

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value while you're traveling with your family. And with that

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in mind, we can figure out what are the right

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cards and what cards do you want to focus on?

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Well, do you think that you have to spend a

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fortune to start earning points?

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No, I think if we end up doing that, then

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we are actually going against the principle. Yeah. If you

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have to spend $ 2, 000 extra a month to achieve those points,

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and then maybe you are getting $ 1, 500 or $ 2, 500 in travel,

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then did you really benefit from the system? Not really.

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Well, let's get into the nitty-gritty.

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Yeah, let's do it.

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What parts are actually worth it in 2026? How do

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you discern which ones are worth it and which ones

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are overhyped?

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If you are being sold a card, I think by

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default it is overhyped. So I gave one example of

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the Macy's card because I think that is always the case.

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If we step a foot in Macy's, you get some

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printouts at the door, at checkout, everywhere. There are other

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store cards like that. Target will try to sell you

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a card with 5% cashback. Yeah.

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I can't think of any big box store that I

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haven't been in where they've tried to sell me a card.

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Yeah. So I typically consider those as a not good

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card for me because, and this is where the framework

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or the system comes in. It's not that those are

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bad cards or the stores are out there to get

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some money from you or there's a hidden agenda for it.

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I'm not saying that, but for my goal, which is

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00:16:31.990 --> 00:16:36.649
to travel, more in luxury or to places that I

233
00:16:36.909 --> 00:16:39.990
otherwise would not be able to afford, it does not

234
00:16:40.149 --> 00:16:46.080
sit in that framework. So that's why defining your goal

235
00:16:46.139 --> 00:16:49.759
is really important. Then it's an easy decision at that

236
00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:53.740
counter when they try to sell you that card. This

237
00:16:53.740 --> 00:16:56.320
$ 50 discount on my current bill, is that worth it

238
00:16:56.360 --> 00:16:59.679
to me? Or can I use a different card for

239
00:16:59.740 --> 00:17:03.500
the same spend? And maybe instead of $ 50 today, I

240
00:17:03.879 --> 00:17:07.460
am going to get $ 100 back. But there is delayed

241
00:17:07.509 --> 00:17:10.990
gratification because I will have to wait for a year

242
00:17:11.130 --> 00:17:16.109
to travel and then use this credit. So how are

243
00:17:16.130 --> 00:17:16.569
you going to.

244
00:17:16.529 --> 00:17:19.329
Choose that card, the card or cards that you're going

245
00:17:19.349 --> 00:17:19.650
to get?

246
00:17:20.599 --> 00:17:25.640
Yeah, so again, keeping that framework or end goal in mind,

247
00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:29.660
you are going to be presented with multiple options from

248
00:17:29.720 --> 00:17:32.970
different banks. Chase will tell you that this is the

249
00:17:32.990 --> 00:17:36.150
best card ever. American Express will tell you that these

250
00:17:36.190 --> 00:17:38.730
three cards are the best. You don't need any other card.

251
00:17:40.779 --> 00:17:44.940
But what are they offering? Are they offering, in my case,

252
00:17:45.220 --> 00:17:47.880
the initial example that I used for my first card,

253
00:17:48.220 --> 00:17:52.220
I was offered $ 100 cash back at that time. And

254
00:17:52.259 --> 00:17:54.420
it was important to me then because as a student,

255
00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:58.309
I was strapped on cash for $ 100. I was not

256
00:17:58.349 --> 00:18:01.220
thinking about travel at that time i was thinking how

257
00:18:01.259 --> 00:18:05.180
can i get this 600 laptop for as low as

258
00:18:05.240 --> 00:18:08.200
possible it helped me achieve that so it was a

259
00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:10.789
good card at that time today if i get that

260
00:18:10.849 --> 00:18:14.970
offer i am likely not going to take that because

261
00:18:14.990 --> 00:18:20.650
i have higher spend today as a family um every

262
00:18:20.710 --> 00:18:24.019
month my spend is not five under two thousand dollars

263
00:18:24.220 --> 00:18:30.339
it's going beyond $ 2, 000, $ 3, 000, $ 4, 000 in some months, unfortunately.

264
00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:36.180
So I can look at other cards. So that's when

265
00:18:36.259 --> 00:18:39.680
I open up my horizon that, okay, next three months,

266
00:18:40.329 --> 00:18:44.309
I have $ 6, 000 in spend coming up. Is there a

267
00:18:44.390 --> 00:18:51.650
card that offers me something better for that $ 6, 000 in

268
00:18:51.730 --> 00:18:57.309
spend over three months period? And today, I am looking at,

269
00:18:57.369 --> 00:19:00.630
let's say, Chase Bank. I'll talk about a rule in

270
00:19:00.670 --> 00:19:05.400
a few minutes why Chase is important, but Chase has

271
00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:10.839
a few cards that require a higher spend, like the

272
00:19:10.900 --> 00:19:15.400
Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Chase Sapphire Preferred. These are

273
00:19:15.700 --> 00:19:19.930
premium cards offered by Chase, and as premium cards, they

274
00:19:19.970 --> 00:19:23.859
have a higher annual fee, but with a higher annual fee,

275
00:19:23.900 --> 00:19:28.509
they also come with a higher bonus. So if we

276
00:19:28.549 --> 00:19:33.250
take an example of the Chase Sapphire Reserve, they require $ 6, 000

277
00:19:33.009 --> 00:19:39.450
in spend over three months. So in my case, that

278
00:19:39.509 --> 00:19:43.230
works out because I have predicted that in the next

279
00:19:43.269 --> 00:19:45.089
three months, I have $ 6, 000 in spend. They are giving

280
00:19:45.170 --> 00:19:50.410
me $ 150, 000 worth, sorry, 150,000 points. So it is more

281
00:19:50.650 --> 00:19:51.930
than $ 100 that I would get with that other card

282
00:19:51.950 --> 00:19:57.769
for spending $ 500. So this is a good card for me.

283
00:19:57.789 --> 00:19:59.089
But then now I look at the annual fee. It

284
00:19:59.170 --> 00:20:11.759
is a $ 800 annual fee card. Can I afford that

285
00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:18.140
$ 800 is my question now to myself. So I start

286
00:20:18.180 --> 00:20:23.019
breaking down the benefits that the card offers for $ 800.

287
00:20:22.220 --> 00:20:26.819
So in case of Chase Sapphire Reserve, they are offering

288
00:20:26.819 --> 00:20:28.180
$ 300 in travel. So I'm like, okay, my net fee

289
00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:29.700
is $ 500 instead of $ 800. So I can maybe justify it.

290
00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:41.420
There are a few more benefits. And eventually, it all

291
00:20:41.460 --> 00:20:46.440
depends on can you use that benefit or not? And

292
00:20:46.500 --> 00:20:47.880
how much is it worth to you?

293
00:20:48.819 --> 00:20:59.119
Yeah. Well, you're talking about redeeming. When do you decide

294
00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:02.440
whether or not you're going to redeem points or just

295
00:21:02.500 --> 00:21:08.349
keep accumulating? I know probably I have been guilty of

296
00:21:08.410 --> 00:21:14.109
just accumulating, accumulating, accumulating, and then I'll use it. But

297
00:21:14.789 --> 00:21:17.650
do you have a framework for deciding when you redeem

298
00:21:17.710 --> 00:21:19.359
versus just keep accumulating?

299
00:21:20.210 --> 00:21:25.519
Yeah. First of all, guilty that I have done that

300
00:21:25.579 --> 00:21:31.039
myself too for years. When I started in this, I

301
00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:34.019
thought that I need a big stash of points to

302
00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:38.990
really use it. And I was not optimizing my spend

303
00:21:39.460 --> 00:21:42.880
really to earn a good chunk of points. At the

304
00:21:42.920 --> 00:21:45.400
same time, I was not even redeeming it. I was

305
00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:49.160
holding the points for like this once in a life

306
00:21:49.980 --> 00:21:53.069
trip kind of, but I need like 2 million points

307
00:21:53.170 --> 00:21:57.710
and then I'll take one trip and that is it. Yeah.

308
00:21:58.250 --> 00:22:03.450
That mindset has changed as I have learned about the framework. So, um,

309
00:22:04.220 --> 00:22:07.859
There is a term in the points and miles community

310
00:22:07.900 --> 00:22:13.930
called earn and burn. As fast as you can earn them,

311
00:22:14.269 --> 00:22:17.430
try to burn those points. The reason is that the

312
00:22:17.470 --> 00:22:21.990
banks and the hotel chains or the airline programs, they

313
00:22:22.950 --> 00:22:27.369
devalue the points. Let's say you have 10,000 points. The 10,000

314
00:22:27.369 --> 00:22:34.529
points can probably get you at least a one-way flight

315
00:22:35.089 --> 00:22:40.309
within the U.S. from east to west coast or anywhere

316
00:22:40.349 --> 00:22:46.960
in between. If you find the right route, the 10,000

317
00:22:46.960 --> 00:22:50.900
points can even get you to your destination and back home.

318
00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:57.240
But if you hold those 10,000 points, in a year,

319
00:22:57.759 --> 00:23:01.539
that airline program can decide that Now this flight is

320
00:23:01.650 --> 00:23:07.720
worth 15,000 points. And now those 10,000 points are devalued.

321
00:23:07.799 --> 00:23:11.460
They are not really worth that much anymore. So that's

322
00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:14.920
why earn and burn is important. As of today, we

323
00:23:14.980 --> 00:23:18.329
know that this can be done. Do it. And then

324
00:23:18.369 --> 00:23:21.150
we'll figure out how to earn more points later.

325
00:23:23.289 --> 00:23:27.609
So you have... Well, so coming to the U.S. and

326
00:23:27.630 --> 00:23:28.519
you're an engineer.

327
00:23:29.859 --> 00:23:33.480
And you have also become a real estate investor. So

328
00:23:33.559 --> 00:23:36.920
how does paying business expenses, I think that, I mean,

329
00:23:37.019 --> 00:23:41.839
and I want to couch this in, some people are

330
00:23:41.859 --> 00:23:43.720
going to say, well, I don't have a business, but

331
00:23:43.779 --> 00:23:47.420
you've got, and that is a great option to be

332
00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:52.609
able to have your spend be for business expenses, but

333
00:23:52.670 --> 00:23:54.369
not everyone's going to have that. So I want to

334
00:23:54.390 --> 00:23:58.630
address that as well. But let's first talk about, you know,

335
00:23:58.690 --> 00:24:02.369
paying business expenses so that you gather up all these points.

336
00:24:04.130 --> 00:24:09.190
Yeah. So same philosophy applies for businesses as well. Instead

337
00:24:09.329 --> 00:24:13.569
of using the same card or using a debit card,

338
00:24:15.109 --> 00:24:17.730
think about the upcoming spend that you will have. There

339
00:24:17.779 --> 00:24:21.960
will be, each business will have predictable spend. There will

340
00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:25.460
be unpredictable spend as well, but what you can predict

341
00:24:25.500 --> 00:24:29.329
at least and time it, try to do that. In

342
00:24:29.390 --> 00:24:34.329
my case, for example, for rental properties, I have to

343
00:24:34.349 --> 00:24:43.940
pay for insurance each year. Instead of escrowing the insurance

344
00:24:44.799 --> 00:24:48.440
every month as part of my mortgage payment, I choose

345
00:24:48.539 --> 00:24:54.019
not to escrow my insurance. And then instead, I pay

346
00:24:54.059 --> 00:25:00.980
for my insurance annually. Now, this is where system becomes important.

347
00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:04.339
As an investor, I have to always make sure that

348
00:25:04.519 --> 00:25:08.579
I'm tracking my policies, I am tracking the renewal dates,

349
00:25:09.059 --> 00:25:13.759
and I'm making the payment on time. And I'm also

350
00:25:13.900 --> 00:25:19.920
timing my application for credit cards so that I can

351
00:25:20.579 --> 00:25:24.839
pay for those insurance policies and maximize the points that

352
00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:30.000
I will earn from it. If I'm not systematic about it,

353
00:25:30.819 --> 00:25:35.000
it's better to escrow insurance so that I'm never out

354
00:25:35.059 --> 00:25:40.559
of coverage. So you have to understand the framework, the

355
00:25:40.599 --> 00:25:45.440
benefits of it, what you can actually do. If this

356
00:25:45.500 --> 00:25:50.900
is overwhelming, don't do it because your intention may be

357
00:25:50.940 --> 00:25:55.720
right to actually earn the points and save some cash

358
00:25:55.829 --> 00:25:59.470
or money on the expenses that you already have but

359
00:25:59.529 --> 00:26:02.630
if you are not able to follow it then you

360
00:26:02.650 --> 00:26:06.289
will burn yourself out in this case you will your

361
00:26:06.329 --> 00:26:10.049
properties will be out of coverage and it can be

362
00:26:10.269 --> 00:26:14.410
more expensive that way if something comes up at your

363
00:26:14.450 --> 00:26:19.799
rental properties and you're not insured properly so um always

364
00:26:20.130 --> 00:26:23.279
there's a pros and cons you have to weigh the

365
00:26:23.319 --> 00:26:26.119
benefits in my case i am okay to do this

366
00:26:26.900 --> 00:26:30.460
um I have systems in place. I have spreadsheets to

367
00:26:31.079 --> 00:26:37.420
track my insurance policies. What's my due date? What is

368
00:26:37.460 --> 00:26:43.369
the amount? So I can see that I have $ 3, 000

369
00:26:41.690 --> 00:26:45.809
worth of policies coming due at two of these different properties.

370
00:26:46.910 --> 00:26:49.710
Can I apply for a card and pay for those

371
00:26:49.769 --> 00:26:54.299
two insurance policies at the same time and get some points?

372
00:26:55.369 --> 00:26:59.849
In case of business, you also have to do bookkeeping.

373
00:26:59.970 --> 00:27:05.329
So how do you track expenses across multiple cards for

374
00:27:05.369 --> 00:27:09.230
different properties and still pay your taxes on time the

375
00:27:09.269 --> 00:27:15.259
right way? It's the cost of the system. So always

376
00:27:15.319 --> 00:27:17.380
weigh if you are able to follow that or not

377
00:27:17.420 --> 00:27:20.960
and then build your system accordingly.

378
00:27:21.740 --> 00:27:24.119
Well, and you, I would just say that on your

379
00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:31.190
Instagram page, homepage, you basically have a lot of different

380
00:27:31.230 --> 00:27:33.990
videos that will explain these types of things, right?

381
00:27:34.849 --> 00:27:40.859
Yes. I talk more about redemptions because that is really

382
00:27:41.880 --> 00:27:45.920
what's motivating me. Until I did not redeem for my

383
00:27:46.039 --> 00:27:50.119
first trip, I was, what you mentioned, I was making

384
00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:55.779
that mistake of hoarding points and not using them thinking

385
00:27:55.819 --> 00:27:58.650
that I will use it for one big trip. But

386
00:27:58.789 --> 00:28:01.609
once I actually went on a trip using points and

387
00:28:01.650 --> 00:28:04.809
realized how much more fun it was when I did

388
00:28:04.849 --> 00:28:14.710
not have to spend $ 6, 000. Instead, I only spent like $ 1, 000.

389
00:28:11.359 --> 00:28:18.099
That's what actually hooked me onto this game or hobby,

390
00:28:18.299 --> 00:28:22.930
whatever you want to term it as. And now I'm

391
00:28:22.970 --> 00:28:27.660
a points millionaire. When I was hoarding it, I only

392
00:28:27.720 --> 00:28:34.089
had like 300,000 points over three years of doing this.

393
00:28:34.410 --> 00:28:37.930
And now every year I earn more than 300,000 points

394
00:28:38.109 --> 00:28:42.690
because I am able to burn it for the right redemption.

395
00:28:42.789 --> 00:28:46.650
And taking trips is what actually makes it fun. Otherwise,

396
00:28:47.269 --> 00:28:50.029
I will burn out of building the system and just

397
00:28:50.049 --> 00:28:51.470
earn points if it's not fun.

398
00:28:52.420 --> 00:28:57.799
Well, what if somebody isn't a real estate investor? Are

399
00:28:58.200 --> 00:29:02.519
there any kind of like, quote unquote, hidden spending categories

400
00:29:02.559 --> 00:29:05.490
that they could route to do the same thing?

401
00:29:05.509 --> 00:29:10.730
I think you have to look at every single spend

402
00:29:11.150 --> 00:29:13.430
that you make in your personal life. Even if it

403
00:29:13.490 --> 00:29:17.960
is not a business, you will have different categories of expenses.

404
00:29:18.880 --> 00:29:22.319
In some cases... Like, let's say you have a home

405
00:29:22.359 --> 00:29:27.259
improvement project. You need some landscaping done, for example. It

406
00:29:27.640 --> 00:29:32.819
is costing you $ 1, 000 to install a few bushes and

407
00:29:33.319 --> 00:29:39.049
maybe one or two trees, let's say. The landscaper will

408
00:29:39.089 --> 00:29:43.759
tell you that they will charge three percent to accept

409
00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:45.700
a credit card or they may even say that they

410
00:29:45.740 --> 00:29:48.519
only take cash or check they don't take a credit

411
00:29:48.539 --> 00:29:54.619
card there are services out there that will accept a

412
00:29:54.759 --> 00:29:58.099
credit card and then they will send or mail a

413
00:29:58.299 --> 00:30:04.420
check to your landscaper or any other service provider. They

414
00:30:04.440 --> 00:30:10.000
will charge a fee. They will charge 3% typically. Now

415
00:30:10.140 --> 00:30:18.380
think about how much you can earn for those $ 1, 000

416
00:30:16.740 --> 00:30:17.599
in expense.

417
00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:18.900
What's the benefit?

418
00:30:19.539 --> 00:30:23.140
Yep. So if that is worth it to you, then

419
00:30:23.220 --> 00:30:27.380
the 3% fee is worth it. A lot of times people,

420
00:30:27.519 --> 00:30:31.220
including myself in the beginning, I would think that, 3%

421
00:30:31.220 --> 00:30:34.440
is too much. I'm not paying for that. I will

422
00:30:34.549 --> 00:30:39.509
rather withdraw cash and then pay it directly to the landscaper.

423
00:30:40.349 --> 00:30:45.069
Or I would even think that if the service provider

424
00:30:45.089 --> 00:30:49.210
says they don't accept credit card, I don't have any

425
00:30:49.250 --> 00:30:51.690
other option but to pay with a debit card or

426
00:30:52.009 --> 00:30:58.339
a check or cash. So we should always treat every

427
00:30:58.420 --> 00:31:01.849
expense as a hidden expense. Some you can easily use

428
00:31:01.890 --> 00:31:05.440
a credit card, so it's already part of our habit.

429
00:31:06.099 --> 00:31:11.059
Some expenses we don't question and we route it through

430
00:31:11.240 --> 00:31:15.400
however we are told we can. In case of previous example,

431
00:31:15.420 --> 00:31:21.420
for insurance, renter properties need insurance. But guess what? If

432
00:31:21.460 --> 00:31:24.950
you are a renter, if you are a homeowner, you

433
00:31:24.990 --> 00:31:30.500
still need insurance. in case of your audience, a lot

434
00:31:30.579 --> 00:31:34.920
of the people have retired. You still need medical insurance

435
00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:38.690
and retired folks typically pay for their own medical insurance,

436
00:31:39.130 --> 00:31:42.650
not their employer. So in that case, it is still

437
00:31:42.690 --> 00:31:46.529
an expense. Our natural instinct is that we put it

438
00:31:46.609 --> 00:31:50.500
on autopay, on one card, or in some cases, escrow

439
00:31:50.519 --> 00:31:53.900
it with our mortgage or put it on a debit

440
00:31:53.940 --> 00:31:58.450
card and forget about it. Instead, Review it every year

441
00:31:58.529 --> 00:32:02.349
when it renews. Can you switch cards? Can you apply

442
00:32:02.390 --> 00:32:07.240
for a new card ahead of time? And that $ 2, 500

443
00:32:06.819 --> 00:32:11.579
home insurance that you are supposed to pay in two

444
00:32:11.619 --> 00:32:16.480
months from now, can you plan ahead? Club it with

445
00:32:16.599 --> 00:32:17.980
maybe another $ 1, 000 or $ 1, 500 of expense. And now you

446
00:32:18.019 --> 00:32:19.279
have $ 4, 000 of expense. Get a card that will give

447
00:32:19.299 --> 00:32:34.950
you three months to fulfill that $ 4, 000 requirement for 100,000 points.

448
00:32:36.109 --> 00:32:39.019
And now suddenly the same expense that was on auto

449
00:32:39.039 --> 00:32:41.599
pay that you were not thinking, but you still had

450
00:32:41.640 --> 00:32:45.420
to pay for, is now getting you 100,000 points, which

451
00:32:45.480 --> 00:32:48.960
can be worth up to $ 2, 000 if you travel with it.

452
00:32:50.519 --> 00:32:55.309
Well, how does somebody that has a busy life realistically

453
00:32:55.369 --> 00:32:58.210
manage something so it doesn't turn into a second job?

454
00:33:00.150 --> 00:33:05.890
Good question. It depends how deep you want to get

455
00:33:05.930 --> 00:33:11.579
into this. And if you are treating this as a

456
00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:15.299
hobby or something that you don't really actively think about,

457
00:33:16.099 --> 00:33:19.619
like I do, but you still want some benefit from it,

458
00:33:20.720 --> 00:33:25.750
you can give yourself six months, but Every six months,

459
00:33:25.769 --> 00:33:30.490
you'll apply for a new card. Okay. And if you

460
00:33:30.529 --> 00:33:35.680
want to do a bit more, either travel more or

461
00:33:35.720 --> 00:33:40.900
you have more energy or enthusiasm to build this further,

462
00:33:41.779 --> 00:33:44.720
think about maybe once a quarter, you'll apply for a

463
00:33:44.740 --> 00:33:48.400
new card. Okay. So in my case, I'll show you this.

464
00:33:50.670 --> 00:33:58.640
This is my... folder that has many credit cards over here.

465
00:34:01.470 --> 00:34:07.349
I mean, honestly, uh, half of them are probably now

466
00:34:07.430 --> 00:34:11.969
expired or I've canceled them. Um, but there are probably

467
00:34:11.969 --> 00:34:14.920
15 to 20 cards in here that are still active

468
00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:20.000
and I'm paying about $ 5, 000 in annual fee every year. Um,

469
00:34:21.079 --> 00:34:23.300
and this is between my wife and I, so it

470
00:34:23.360 --> 00:34:27.010
all depends on, how deep you want to get into this.

471
00:34:27.449 --> 00:34:32.070
Do you want to let it be fully passive and

472
00:34:32.429 --> 00:34:35.010
not really think about it? Go for one card a

473
00:34:35.030 --> 00:34:40.230
year and put all that insurance or a larger spend

474
00:34:40.389 --> 00:34:43.699
that you know comes up every year on that card

475
00:34:44.070 --> 00:34:48.400
and don't do anything else. I don't put a limit

476
00:34:48.440 --> 00:34:54.179
on myself. I think about my expenses. In this quarter,

477
00:34:54.719 --> 00:34:59.880
I have this expense, large expense. Can I move it

478
00:34:59.920 --> 00:35:02.860
to maybe two weeks later when I know that there

479
00:35:02.909 --> 00:35:05.989
is another expense coming up, which is also large? And

480
00:35:06.130 --> 00:35:09.289
club those together in a timeframe that fits well and

481
00:35:09.329 --> 00:35:12.710
then get a new card. And because I do this

482
00:35:12.789 --> 00:35:17.710
in two-player mode between my wife and I, it gets

483
00:35:18.170 --> 00:35:21.070
a bit more complicated, but I enjoy it. So I

484
00:35:21.090 --> 00:35:23.139
do it. You don't have to do it in two

485
00:35:23.159 --> 00:35:26.340
player mode. There are people in the community who have four, five,

486
00:35:26.400 --> 00:35:30.900
six players. So it gets even more complex. Yeah. So

487
00:35:30.920 --> 00:35:32.940
it all depends on your energy. Sorry.

488
00:35:33.380 --> 00:35:37.530
Walk us through a real trip that you book entirely

489
00:35:37.730 --> 00:35:39.329
on points. Give us an example.

490
00:35:42.769 --> 00:35:49.849
So I will, Let me talk about the framework real

491
00:35:49.889 --> 00:35:57.210
quick for a second. I treat points as currency. My

492
00:35:57.309 --> 00:36:02.489
points for me are worth two cents every point. So

493
00:36:02.530 --> 00:36:08.539
if I have 100,000 in points, if each point is

494
00:36:08.599 --> 00:36:13.739
worth two cents, that is $ 2, 000. If my redemption is

495
00:36:13.780 --> 00:36:17.579
going to be less than that, I will consider using cash.

496
00:36:18.840 --> 00:36:24.420
instead of using points. Now with that framework in mind,

497
00:36:25.039 --> 00:36:29.480
I book trips and if it is going to cost

498
00:36:29.519 --> 00:36:32.510
me less than two cents per point to pay for

499
00:36:32.570 --> 00:36:37.670
that trip, I'm going to use a real cash, even

500
00:36:37.710 --> 00:36:41.610
the credit card, but eventually pay with cash, not points.

501
00:36:43.650 --> 00:36:46.909
So I took a trip. This is where it all

502
00:36:46.969 --> 00:36:50.349
started for me or it clicked. Because I was earning

503
00:36:50.409 --> 00:36:55.559
points all this while without really seeing the end vision

504
00:36:55.659 --> 00:37:00.980
or end goal. And I, yeah, so I took a

505
00:37:01.039 --> 00:37:04.340
honeymoon trip. This was not fully paid with points. So

506
00:37:04.519 --> 00:37:07.789
it goes slightly against the question that you asked. But

507
00:37:08.889 --> 00:37:10.670
at that time, this was my first trip. So I

508
00:37:10.869 --> 00:37:17.800
did not know everything. So I booked my flight on Southwest. um,

509
00:37:18.090 --> 00:37:20.349
using cash. I did not pay with points because I

510
00:37:20.389 --> 00:37:24.849
did not know how to redeem for good value. Southwest

511
00:37:24.949 --> 00:37:30.110
is typically, uh, 1.4 to 1.5 cents per point. So

512
00:37:30.130 --> 00:37:32.840
I was like, this is less than two cents. So

513
00:37:32.880 --> 00:37:36.239
I should not use my points here. And then I

514
00:37:36.280 --> 00:37:39.960
moved on. I just paid using cash. And then I

515
00:37:40.760 --> 00:37:45.670
looked at the hotel. I was traveling to Hawaii, um,

516
00:37:46.469 --> 00:37:49.670
Maui to be specific, and Maui has some really nice

517
00:37:50.230 --> 00:37:56.110
Hyatt hotels, Marriott, Hilton, and so on. I really liked

518
00:37:56.269 --> 00:38:01.179
the Hyatt Regency in Maui. It was $ 600 a night.

519
00:38:02.000 --> 00:38:04.679
I was planning to stay there for six nights, so

520
00:38:05.380 --> 00:38:09.960
that's $ 3, 600 with resort fees and other taxes. You can

521
00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:11.480
round it up to maybe $ 4, 000. If I wanted to redeem.

522
00:38:17.639 --> 00:38:23.780
Points i needed 150 000 in points 150 000 in

523
00:38:23.860 --> 00:38:28.539
points based on the two cents per points framework should

524
00:38:28.579 --> 00:38:32.539
be three thousand dollars here i was getting four thousand

525
00:38:32.559 --> 00:38:36.599
so i'm like perfect this this is more than what

526
00:38:36.659 --> 00:38:40.469
my framework tells me to do um or redeem in

527
00:38:40.510 --> 00:38:45.349
terms of value so i'm outsizing my own framework so

528
00:38:45.409 --> 00:38:48.719
this is a great deal Let's book it. So my

529
00:38:48.800 --> 00:38:54.380
six nights at the Hyatt Regency in Maui was fully covered.

530
00:38:54.380 --> 00:38:56.980
$ 0 out of pocket for that $ 600 a night room.

531
00:38:57.420 --> 00:39:00.840
Because Hyatt does not even charge you for resort fee

532
00:39:01.219 --> 00:39:05.659
when you book on points. Oh. And resort fees is

533
00:39:05.699 --> 00:39:07.940
something I hate. I know.

534
00:39:08.090 --> 00:39:10.320
It can be super expensive.

535
00:39:10.739 --> 00:39:13.329
Yeah, and you don't really get much typically out of

536
00:39:13.389 --> 00:39:18.550
those resort fees. So... Not having to pay that, not

537
00:39:18.630 --> 00:39:23.800
having to pay for the room rate, great win. So

538
00:39:23.820 --> 00:39:29.659
that was my like first real redemption which covered four

539
00:39:29.679 --> 00:39:34.039
thousand dollars for six nights in maui instead i paid

540
00:39:34.119 --> 00:39:38.710
fifteen hundred fifty one fifty thousand points zero dollars and

541
00:39:38.789 --> 00:39:43.949
only paid for my flight from my home airport to

542
00:39:44.210 --> 00:39:50.400
maui and back so since then i've also figured out

543
00:39:50.460 --> 00:39:53.860
how to leverage points for Southwest the best way and

544
00:39:54.119 --> 00:39:59.340
also redeemed for flights. So now my, um, redemptions have

545
00:39:59.440 --> 00:40:02.780
changed or the vacations have changed to being fully covered

546
00:40:02.820 --> 00:40:07.030
by points. And I'm mostly paying for taxes, uh, generally

547
00:40:07.320 --> 00:40:11.929
because flight taxes especially are not covered by points. So, right.

548
00:40:12.570 --> 00:40:18.269
Right. Well, um, For people, I mean, there's a lot

549
00:40:18.309 --> 00:40:22.010
of people that listen to this podcast who are semi-retired

550
00:40:22.309 --> 00:40:26.630
or thinking about retiring. Is it too late to start

551
00:40:26.989 --> 00:40:28.789
building a point system?

552
00:40:30.739 --> 00:40:33.159
I don't think so. I don't think it is ever late.

553
00:40:33.860 --> 00:40:36.659
It's never too late to travel. It's never too late

554
00:40:36.679 --> 00:40:40.099
to learn a new skill. And this combines both of it.

555
00:40:40.460 --> 00:40:44.019
You have to learn a new skill to be more systematic,

556
00:40:44.320 --> 00:40:49.570
build a framework. And then you are rewarded with travel.

557
00:40:49.710 --> 00:40:55.460
So I think if I ever thought that I was late,

558
00:40:55.940 --> 00:40:59.760
then I only discovered this when I was 25 years old,

559
00:40:59.760 --> 00:41:04.320
12 years back. I could have said that I don't

560
00:41:04.380 --> 00:41:06.780
have credit history, so I can never qualify for a

561
00:41:06.800 --> 00:41:11.929
credit card and then just stop there. But instead, I

562
00:41:12.230 --> 00:41:14.860
changed the question. How can I do this? Or how

563
00:41:14.889 --> 00:41:15.840
can I get cards?

564
00:41:17.219 --> 00:41:17.760
Absolutely.

565
00:41:18.280 --> 00:41:21.139
And how can I even catch up to someone who

566
00:41:21.820 --> 00:41:25.739
was born here and had credit history from day one

567
00:41:25.800 --> 00:41:30.119
because maybe they were on their parents' credit card as

568
00:41:30.179 --> 00:41:33.210
authorized users. So they had good credit already. By the

569
00:41:33.250 --> 00:41:35.510
time they were 18, they could apply for any card.

570
00:41:36.550 --> 00:41:41.480
Well, how should they start? I mean, we could go

571
00:41:41.639 --> 00:41:44.480
on and on, I think, talking about this. But we're

572
00:41:44.519 --> 00:41:47.809
almost out of time. How should somebody start if they

573
00:41:47.909 --> 00:41:49.269
really want to start doing this?

574
00:41:51.050 --> 00:41:54.110
So I'll go back to what I said about cashback

575
00:41:54.150 --> 00:42:00.340
versus travel. Answer that question for yourself. See where your

576
00:42:00.420 --> 00:42:04.519
credit is at and what your habits are. If your

577
00:42:05.440 --> 00:42:08.849
natural habit is not... to keep an eye on your

578
00:42:08.909 --> 00:42:14.969
credit and you are not systematic enough to pay the

579
00:42:15.010 --> 00:42:20.099
credit card bill on time you are prone to carry

580
00:42:20.860 --> 00:42:25.679
balance on your cards this game is not going to

581
00:42:27.719 --> 00:42:31.570
last for long for you so think about your habits

582
00:42:31.650 --> 00:42:33.690
you don't you may not even want to change the

583
00:42:33.730 --> 00:42:36.610
habits but think if this is going to take you

584
00:42:36.650 --> 00:42:39.369
further along uh in a good way or is it

585
00:42:40.090 --> 00:42:46.480
are your habits against this hobby and they may not

586
00:42:47.260 --> 00:42:51.320
fit in your lifestyle or how you operate your finances

587
00:42:52.340 --> 00:42:54.739
i think that is really important to answer before you

588
00:42:54.800 --> 00:42:59.190
even get deep into this and then figure out a

589
00:42:59.230 --> 00:43:02.769
system for yourself that works. Like I said about the

590
00:43:02.789 --> 00:43:06.860
business spend, there are people who will be like, this

591
00:43:06.920 --> 00:43:11.920
is too much. This makes my bookkeeping harder. I cannot

592
00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:15.940
keep track of all my expenses across 10 different cards

593
00:43:16.019 --> 00:43:20.230
and then account for them when the time comes to

594
00:43:20.269 --> 00:43:26.010
pay taxes. Don't do it if that's the case. Make

595
00:43:26.070 --> 00:43:28.289
it easy on yourself. If you make it hard, then

596
00:43:29.079 --> 00:43:32.360
First three months, maybe it will make sense. It will work.

597
00:43:32.420 --> 00:43:35.519
But then fourth month, you will make a mistake. And

598
00:43:35.539 --> 00:43:38.699
then all the benefits that you gained in the first

599
00:43:38.719 --> 00:43:44.039
three months will go out the door. And then I'll

600
00:43:44.099 --> 00:43:49.139
also leave with three points that I always do when

601
00:43:49.179 --> 00:43:51.440
I get a car. I think that that is part

602
00:43:51.460 --> 00:43:55.579
of the system and that should be considered when you

603
00:43:55.619 --> 00:43:58.820
are getting into this. How are you going to scale

604
00:43:58.860 --> 00:44:02.820
this from one card to 10, 15, 20 cards? So

605
00:44:02.840 --> 00:44:07.210
what I do is we talked about the spending, combining

606
00:44:07.269 --> 00:44:11.889
the spend within the same period and applying the card accordingly.

607
00:44:13.269 --> 00:44:17.730
Once I figure that out, step one, once I apply

608
00:44:17.750 --> 00:44:22.969
for the card, I use an app called Travel Freely.

609
00:44:24.110 --> 00:44:26.949
You can use that app. You can find 10 other apps.

610
00:44:28.090 --> 00:44:30.789
You can even use spreadsheet. You can even write it

611
00:44:30.849 --> 00:44:34.449
down on paper if you're old school. Doesn't matter. But

612
00:44:35.429 --> 00:44:37.510
find a way to track that new card that you

613
00:44:37.590 --> 00:44:44.389
just applied. You're tracking the due date. You are tracking

614
00:44:44.929 --> 00:44:48.860
the annual fee. You are tracking the benefits because when

615
00:44:48.900 --> 00:44:52.880
the time comes to renew next year, is that card

616
00:44:52.900 --> 00:44:56.239
making sense? Should you downgrade or should you cancel the card?

617
00:44:58.030 --> 00:45:02.030
And keep track of the spend requirements. If you have

618
00:45:02.070 --> 00:45:06.469
to spend $ 4, 000 in three months to earn that 100,000 points,

619
00:45:08.070 --> 00:45:12.420
keep track, keep an eye on when that three-month expires

620
00:45:13.119 --> 00:45:15.260
and make sure you meet that spend. Otherwise, you are

621
00:45:15.300 --> 00:45:17.960
paying that annual fee but not really getting the sign-up bonus.

622
00:45:18.599 --> 00:45:20.719
Right.

623
00:45:20.739 --> 00:45:21.039
Okay.

624
00:45:22.570 --> 00:45:23.449
The next step I do?

625
00:45:24.050 --> 00:45:24.230
Yeah.

626
00:45:24.250 --> 00:45:25.650
Yeah. Yeah. Sorry.

627
00:45:26.469 --> 00:45:27.989
Well, we're almost out of time.

628
00:45:28.070 --> 00:45:28.699
So, yeah.

629
00:45:29.380 --> 00:45:33.099
Finish up with your most important steps. Yes.

630
00:45:33.420 --> 00:45:39.480
So, once I added to travel freely, I enable autopay.

631
00:45:40.699 --> 00:45:43.530
If you don't enable autopay and miss a payment, your

632
00:45:43.570 --> 00:45:47.510
credit history, credit score is going to get affected. You

633
00:45:47.570 --> 00:45:54.849
might be charged 25%, 30% in interest. And The benefit

634
00:45:54.889 --> 00:45:57.510
that you are going to get of traveling, all of

635
00:45:57.590 --> 00:46:01.070
that gets negated because you have to pay that interest.

636
00:46:01.530 --> 00:46:04.769
So that's my second step. And then third step, once

637
00:46:04.829 --> 00:46:09.429
I get the card and I have met the spend requirements,

638
00:46:09.530 --> 00:46:12.289
I'm not using it anymore. At that point, I add

639
00:46:12.309 --> 00:46:15.530
it to this folder so I know where the card

640
00:46:15.610 --> 00:46:19.079
is when I need it. It is not lost and

641
00:46:19.880 --> 00:46:22.360
I haven't dropped it somewhere and someone else is not

642
00:46:22.760 --> 00:46:27.300
using my card without me knowing. So that's my three-step system.

643
00:46:27.480 --> 00:46:28.400
Once I get a new card.

644
00:46:29.440 --> 00:46:32.900
So really, really quickly, where can people find you?

645
00:46:34.179 --> 00:46:36.980
I am on Instagram at rentals and runways. You can

646
00:46:37.019 --> 00:46:41.889
see the title on my, on the screen as well.

647
00:46:43.530 --> 00:46:43.849
That's it.

648
00:46:44.550 --> 00:46:49.329
Okay. So we are out of time. Thank you so much.

649
00:46:49.389 --> 00:46:53.409
This has been such helpful, helpful information. There's things I'm

650
00:46:53.489 --> 00:46:57.210
kind of going down this road, but you're just inspiring

651
00:46:57.250 --> 00:47:00.610
me to kind of step it up a little bit.

652
00:47:01.530 --> 00:47:05.110
So anyway, with that, thank you so much for joining

653
00:47:05.190 --> 00:47:09.800
us today. And thank you, everyone, for joining us on

654
00:47:09.820 --> 00:47:13.099
the Ask Good Questions podcast. We will see you next time.

655
00:47:16.869 --> 00:47:20.489
Today's episode is over, but we did ask good questions again,

656
00:47:20.570 --> 00:47:24.730
didn't we? Don't miss out as we broadcast live every Wednesday,

657
00:47:24.730 --> 00:47:31.030
6 p.m. Eastern Time on W4CY Radio at W4CY. com. Join

658
00:47:31.070 --> 00:47:35.090
Benita Bell Anderson next week for more conversations with experts

659
00:47:35.190 --> 00:47:40.739
on finances, retirement, behavioral finance issues, health and wellness, and more.

660
00:47:41.050 --> 00:47:44.960
Until then, remember to ask good questions.