Having a credit card that earns rewards with so many redemption options and perks can sometimes feel overwhelming. Should you spend your rewards on cash back or travel? And is it worth using one card for its trip insurance at the expense of earning higher rewards with another card?
Credit card rewards often decrease in value over time, so it's a good idea to plan ahead for how you'll use yours next. What's more, insurance protection perks can be easy to overlook until your flight is canceled or your rental car breaks down.
If you're looking for inspiration on how to use your credit card rewards and perks, we cover some of the ways our CNBC Select team has used theirs.
Emily's flights to Asia
Affordable travel is one of the biggest draws of credit card rewards; from flights to hotel rooms and most things in between, you can book travel with credit card points if you have enough.
In the spring of 2019, CNBC Select personal finance editor Emily Canal and her now-husband made plans to visit family in Seoul, South Korea. Knowing it would be costly, she applied for the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees), which, at the time, offered a welcome bonus of 50,000 bonus points. (The card currently offers up to 150,000 points after spending $6,000 in purchases in the first three months.)
Between her and her significant other, who was also using his own personal Chase Sapphire Reserve to accumulate rewards faster, they hoarded enough points to fly round-trip, nonstop to Seoul from Washington, D.C.; only the fees had to be paid out of pocket.
A few years later, in 2021, Emily and her husband adopted a similar strategy to visit family in Seoul again — this time with their young child in tow. Planning several months in advance, Emily coordinated spending with her husband to cover the cost of three tickets to Seoul. Flying out of Washington Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., she snagged three round-trip tickets to Incheon International Airport outside of Seoul for 80,178 points, paying $236 in fees.
Emily's trips highlight how strategic planning and coordinated spending can make even expensive international flights achievable using credit card rewards.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a standout premium credit card with plenty of luxury perks and statement credits to justify its annual fee.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests.
- Up to $300 in annual travel credit each account anniversary year
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Top-tier travel and shopping protections
- High annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 150,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get $3,000 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase TravelSM, including The EditSM and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music — all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 — a value of $288 annually
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Jason's rental car backup plan
Sometimes air travel doesn't go as planned, and having a credit card with built-in travel insurance protections can give you peace of mind.
Jason Stauffer, senior credit card reporter at CNBC Select, ran into trouble when a delayed first leg caused him and his family to miss their connecting flight, leaving them stranded in Chicago. After talking with American Airlines and confirming there weren't any available seats for three people (himself, his wife and his child) for at least a full day, he decided on a different mode of transportation.
He and his family rented a car and drove nine hours back to their home in South Dakota, avoiding the long wait to be rebooked. Since he booked his original flight with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, all of the additional costs were covered by trip delay insurance: food, gas, rental car fees and all.
The Venture X trip delay insurance covers up to $500 for each purchased ticket for expenses paid when your trip is delayed by more than six hours (or requires an overnight stay). Plus, you, your spouse and your dependent children under the age of 22 are covered as well.
Not to mention, should anything have gone wrong with Jason's rental car, the Venture X's primary rental car insurance would've covered the vehicle for damages caused by theft or collision.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium credit card with a myriad of benefits and a lower annual fee than other high-end cards with similar features.
- Annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Travel
- 10,000 bonus miles after every card anniversary
- Unlimited complimentary access to 1,300+ airport lounges, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations
- Long list of valuable travel and shopping protections, including return protection, rental car coverage and trip delay reimbursement (Benefit(s) only available to accounts approved for the Visa Infinite card. Terms apply.)
- Limited bonus spending categories compared to other premium credit cards
- High annual fee
- High credit score requirement (excellent credit)
Highlights
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations and participating Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Foreign transaction fees
$0
Diana's holiday presents
Ahead of the 2025 Christmas holiday, CNBC Select editorial director Diana Ransom found a clever way to stretch her holiday budget. She noticed the Amazon Prime Visa (see rates and fees) was offering an elevated $250 Amazon Gift Card welcome bonus, exclusively for Prime members. While she does a mix of in-person and online shopping, this offer meant she could cover $250 in gifts purchased on Amazon.com.
The best part of the welcome bonus was that, as a Prime member, she instantly earned it after card approval. That gift card was then used to purchase holiday gifts for her two children — and she earned 5% cash back on Amazon.com purchases at the same time.
The Prime Visa currently offers a $150 Amazon Gift Card (instantly upon approval, exclusively for Prime members), but the card has historically offers higher bonuses around the holiday season and Amazon Prime Day. Plus, the card comes with extended warranty protection and purchase protection for up to 120 days after purchase, meaning you're covered if anything you buy is damaged, broken or doesn't work properly.
The Prime Visa is only available to Amazon Prime members ($139 for an annual membership and $14.99 for a monthly membership) but is very rewarding for Amazon purchases.
- High rate of return at Amazon and Whole Foods
- Easy-to-earn welcome bonus
- Requires an Amazon Prime membership
- If you choose the promo APR you won't earn rewards on those purchases
Rewards
- Earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership
- Unlimited 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare)
- 10% back or more on a rotating selection of items and categories on Amazon.com with an eligible Prime membership
- Unlimited 1% back on all other purchases
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 4% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Elizabeth's Iberian getaway
CNBC Select reporter Elizabeth Knueven is traveling to Spain and Portugal with her husband this June. Like Emily, she's a fan of the Chase Sapphire Reserve and used it to cover a large portion of their upcoming trip.
Firstly, Elizabeth used points to book intercity flights between Barcelona, Spain, Lisbon, Portugal, and Madeira (an island off the coast of Portugal) for $500, plus 5,300 points.
But a key part of their plan involved the Sapphire Reserve's $500 credit for stays with The EditSM, which is split into two biannual $250 credits. Since Elizabeth began planning in 2025, she was able to double-dip on some of her statement credits.
In Spain, Elizabeth booked a total of five nights: three at a five-star Hyatt Hotel in the Chase Edit program and two at a Hotel Indigo for $1,119 plus 29,000 points. She also applied one of the $250 biannual credits for The Edit and a $250 credit for select Chase Travel Hotels (a perk that's available through Dec. 31, 2026, with a two-night minimum required).
For her Portugal stay, she booked two nights at a five-star resort in Lisbon for $396 and redeemed the second $250 Edit credit. Thanks to the timing of the trip booking, Elizabeth was able to use both the second $250 Edit credit from 2025 and the first $250 Edit credit from 2026 on the same trip.
With statement credits alone, she secured a total of $750 in value — not counting the value from points spent. And while Elizabeth focused more on personalizing her and her husband's experience rather than maximizing redemption value, it's clear they're still getting their money's worth.
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At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
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