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Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad

105. The Best No Annual Fee Credit Cards for Points and Miles

Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad

Alex, Pam and Jess

Places & Travel, Education, Society & Culture, How To

4.9 • 734 Ratings

🗓️ 3 December 2024

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Thinking about diving into points and miles but feeling overwhelmed by annual fees? You’re not alone! In this episode, we’re breaking down our favorite no-annual-fee credit cards and those with annual fees waived for the first year. These cards are not only budget-friendly but also offer incredible rewards to help you travel more for less.

Chase Freedom Flex: A Keeper in Every Wallet
Alex kicks off the episode with her top pick, the Chase Freedom Flex. This no-annual-fee card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points and offers 5% back on rotating categories like PayPal and grocery stores. With a 20,000-point welcome offer after spending just $500, this card can easily cover a one-way flight to Europe. Alex highlights how pairing this with a Chase Sapphire card allows you to transfer points to travel partners, unlocking even more value.

Chase Ink Business Cards: Pam’s Love Language
Pam shares her favorite no-annual-fee business cards, the Chase Ink Cash and Chase Ink Unlimited. These powerhouse cards earn Ultimate Rewards points on categories like office supply stores and internet or offer a flat 1.5% back on every purchase. With a whopping 75,000-point welcome offer (after spending $6,000), these cards are a cornerstone of her strategy for racking up points.

Maximizing American Express Options
Jess introduces the Amex Blue Business Plus card, a no-annual-fee option that earns 2X Membership Rewards points on every purchase up to $50,000 annually. She also mentions the Hilton Honors card, which comes with no annual fee and Hilton Silver status, unlocking perks like the fifth night free on award stays. For anyone looking to maintain Hilton points without paying a fee, this is a fantastic option.

Waived Annual Fees: United and American Airlines Cards
The team also highlights cards like the United Explorer and Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select, which waive their annual fees the first year. These cards offer valuable perks like free checked bags, priority boarding, and extra award availability for flights.

No-Fee Travel Wins
From Alex’s PayPal points strategies to Jess’s tips on tracking targeted offers, this episode proves that no-annual-fee cards can still pack a punch. Whether you’re just starting with points and miles or looking to add another card to your wallet, these recommendations are the perfect way to travel smarter without extra costs.

 

 

Links For This Episode: 

 

Links For All Things Travel Mom Squad: stan.store/travelmomsquad

 

Episode Minute By Minute:

  • 00:30 – Introduction: Why No-Annual-Fee Cards Matter
  • 01:37 – Chase Freedom Flex: Rotating Categories and Welcome Offers
  • 06:00 – Pam’s Favorite: Chase Ink Business Cards
  • 16:00 – American Express Options for Hilton and Membership Rewards
  • 23:00 – United Explorer and AAdvantage Platinum Select Benefits
  • 30:00 – Wrapping Up: Maximize Value Without Annual Fees

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

looking to earn points of miles but wary of spending too much money on annual fees. If so,

0:04.6

this episode is for you. Keep listening as we share our favorite no annual fee and waived annual

0:09.4

fee first year cards. Welcome to Points Talk with the travel mom squad. We are three moms who

0:16.1

discovered how to leverage credit card welcome offers to get hundreds of thousands of dollars of travel expenses

0:21.8

for nearly free. We've used credit card points of miles to take vacations to places like

0:26.7

Hawaii, Paris, Greece, Maldives, Japan, and so much more. And the best part? We each still have

0:33.6

800 plus credit scores. Imagine being able to take the vacation of your dreams for nearly free.

0:39.3

It's totally possible and we're here to show you how. Hey, I'm Alex. And I'm Pam, Alex's mom.

0:47.2

And I'm Jess. Let's talk points. So when I first got started with points and miles, one of my biggest

0:53.5

hesitations was annual fees.

0:56.1

I know a lot of you can relate and you are looking to expand your collection of cards with no annual fees or at least no annual fee of the first year.

1:04.8

So today we're going to be covering some of our favorite cards that fall into those categories.

1:10.0

Alex is going to kick it off with some of our favorite cards from Chase, the best bank ever.

1:16.0

So Alex, why don't you go ahead?

1:17.9

Yeah.

1:18.2

So one of my very favorite no annual fee cards.

1:21.6

So this is a personal card is the Chase Freedom Flex.

1:24.9

So what I love, well, first of all, this card earns Chase Ultimate Reward

1:29.2

Points, which are our absolute favorite. It is technically a cashback card, but if you have an

1:35.4

annual fee Chase card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Reserve or Inc. Business Preferred,

1:40.5

you can take these points, move them to one of those cards, and then trace them out

1:45.6

to travel partner. So you will need an annual fee card, but you'll only need one. So it's not like

...

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