Treating Points Like Money

You should know by now that we over at Master Of Points value our credit card points highly! So when it comes to using them it's important to think of them just like you would your own hard earned money - because they are!

When people earn less valuable forms of money you often see people take the discounting of it one step further, saying "it's not real money so I can spend it on whatever and it doesn't really matter that I'm not getting the best value for it!" Wrong, wrong, wrong! just because you can't spend it to pay for literally anything doesn't mean it has stopped having real tangible value that you need to manage well. This is the big pit fall I see people running in to with these programs, they earn what could be a ton of value, and then waste it on things that they either:

1. Could have bought for less value with real money, or 
2. Didn't have much value them in the first place That they,
1. would not have bought if not for a desire to "simply do something" with their points

This is the enemy of getting the most out of your points, you have to look at them soberly for what they really are - less than money. But also carefully in that they still have a great deal of value, that's why you earned them in the first place right?

My strategy for handling this is pretty straight forward:

1. First find the value of your points
1. seek out the most valuable thing you can buy with points, 
2. find what it's worth in dollars
3. divide the cash value by the points value and judge all other uses by the result
2. Find what you'd like to spend it on
1. Find it's cost in points
2. Find it's cost in dollars
3. Divide the cash value by the number of points needed to buy it
3. Decide if it's worth it in points
1. Compare the number you got in step 1 to the number you got in step 2
2. decide if it's worth the points "discount" you'd incur
3. Move ahead or buy with real money instead

This might sound complicated, but it's really not, all you need to do is figure out a base of what any given point you have is worth, and use that as a yardstick for buying anything you'd like with your points. 

For example, if you can get $.02 on amazon for every point you have on your super trip saver card, but only $.01 for every point actually spent on travel with that card, you'd be a fool not to spend every point from that card on amazon, and pay for your travel out of pocket despite the word travel being printed on the card.

Read More

How to Get Those Great Photos While Traveling

(Affiliate links are used in this article)

When I'm traveling on points or otherwise, one of my favorite past times, is to get great photos to show off when I get back home, using a drone to get shots like we see in the tagline of this blog posts is just one of the many great ways to do so!

I've found that the best tool for the job is the one you're willing to take with you, I've had a ton of great results personally with just my iPhone, but that's not to say what you can do with a light and portable camera ends there. I've found that to really show off the big trip you just went on, a piece of professional camera gear is exactly what you need.

Fuji has a wide array of small and light travel cameras that you can take with you on your next big trip. The thing I like about using the equipment that they put out is, you get a life like capture of what you're really seeing there and now you can continue to live in the moment as you get photos to take home, and you won't disturb the people around you with with a big intimidating camera.

Carrying something small and portable with you, that still gets great images, on your next big trip is something that I can't over recomend, it will make the difference between a fleeting moment and something you'll remember for years to come.

Remembering and capturing your next big adventure can be the thing that really gets the most value out of your points for you, and in my opinion makes the next trip all that easier to earn! Purchasing a camera, or any other electronic you're likely to buy on line, can go a long way to hitting your next min spend, please be sure to check out the best credit card offers we've found recently before making any purchase like this.

Read More

How Do I Get the Most Value Out of the Points I Earn?

This is a common question that We've ran in to over the years, and the simple answer is - it depends, not all programs are made equally and thus not all points are equal, but there are a few things that you can do to try and get the most out of those hard earned points!

One of the methods, that I've had the most success out of is in finding programs that have a fixed value for points, for example a flight from LA to New york is always 2000 sky miles, or in a recent example I've personally taken advantage of: Marriott's points program is hard and fast that a category 1 hotel night is worth 7,500 points, and a category 2 night is worth 10,000 points, always. With this in mind, making the most of your points is simple, just find a category 1, or 2 hotel as part of your getaway that costs above average and use your points to book it! You get all the benefits of the more expensive room, but your cost in points remain same.

Something to keep in mind when working on a trip that involves the potential for a marriott stay is that currently Chase has a credit card offering for 80,000 bonus Marriott points when you meet the $3,000 min spend. If spent wisely (and if you maximise your earning with an authorized user - 7,500 bonus) this can easily be worth 11 nights in one of their category 2 hotels, or roughly $1600 for only a $3,000 min spend!

Read More

Should You Get a Business Card?

One of the questions that we often get is at what point should I consider getting a credit care for my business, and for good reason the rewards offered on business cards are great!

This question is often followed closely by the classic: I wish there was some way I an individual could take advantage of them. The answer to this question is simple, have you ever sold a good or service to another person? If the answer to that is yes, then Well I have good news for you! You are a small business owner!

Notably this is what's called a sole proprietorship, from a legal perspective before you start doing anything too big time with your business you should strongly consider forming an LLC talking to a lawyer, and a ton more legal work.

But for the sake of applying for a business credit card you're fine, simply fill out the application honestly put your name as the business's name choose to be a sole proprietor, use your social security number as the EIN (they tell you to do this right on the form) and apply!

Recommended Business Cards:

Chase Ink Preferred

Southwest Rapid Rewards

Read More

Hello World!

Welcome to the MasterOfPoints.com, a website built on the idea of helping everyone who reads us, to get the most out of the money you spend on your credit cards!

Founded in early 2018 we're a small group of credit card enthusiasts that work tirelessly to find the best deals bonuses and credit card offers out there. Be sure to check back often so you don't miss the truly awesome deals there are to be had out there.

Consider subscribing to our newletter so you never miss a post!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Read More