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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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Say yes to the (bridesmaid's) dress: How credit cards can reduce your wedding costs
Emily Thompson specializes in beginner content as a credit cards editor. She taps into her prior experience as a high school English teacher to help others demystify credit scores and unlock experiences that credit card rewards can make possible.
September 30, 2024 • 12 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Quick summary
Participating in a wedding party can lead to significant out-of-pocket costs, including travel, attire and gifts.
Strategic use of rewards programs can help offset expenses by redeeming points for travel or earning rewards on purchases.
Some rewards programs are more versatile than others, especially when booking cruises or group travel, so flexibility in earning and redeeming is valuable.
Cash-back cards offer a straightforward way to reduce costs, while certain cards provide features that simplify splitting group expenses.
What to consider
Not all rewards programs allow redemptions for cruises or every type of travel, so check options before booking.
Quarterly or category-based earning rates may require activation and have spending caps.
Some offers or promotions mentioned may no longer be available.
What you'll miss from the article
Detailed strategies for maximizing rewards on wedding-related purchases, including how to combine earning, redeeming and group payment features.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
There's nothing like being asked to be a part of someone's special day. Whether it's via a thoughtful gift box or an excited phone call, when a sibling or close friend asks you to be in their wedding party, you're almost certainly going to say yes.
And then, after a week or a few months, you'll find yourself swiping your card to pay for your dress (or suit or tuxedo). And dress alterations. And shoes. And a gift. And booking your trip to Mexico for the bachelorette (or bachelor) party. And wait, there's a dress code for the trip? Suddenly, you might realize that your seemingly simple "yes" is turning out to be pretty expensive.
I've been in my share of weddings over the past decade, so when my best friend got engaged two years ago and asked me to be her maid of honor, I knew what I was signing up for. But since this isn't my first rodeo, I also knew that I could take advantage of my credit card rewards (both redeeming and earning) to navigate the extra spending without having to skip this year's holiday shopping.
In fact, if you play your cards right, you can book your own celebratory trip after the wedding is over to reward yourself for surviving the whole thing. Here's how to do it.
My strategy
Earning points on travel
The best and easiest way to use points and miles to offset bridal party costs is to use them to cover travel expenses. I know this. I stay ready for this. So after I agreed to be my friend's maid of honor, I had zero trepidation about the destination she would choose for the bachelorette party. I had over 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points sitting in my account and I knew how to use them.
That's why when the bride told me she wanted to go on a cruise for her bachelorette party, I cringed on the inside. My beloved Chase Ultimate Rewards can take me to a lot of places, but onto a cruise ship is not one of them.
It was time to switch strategies. If I couldn't use my points to cover the trip, I would make sure I was earning points from paying for it.
When we were ready to book, I reached for my trusty Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees), which earns 2 points per dollar spent on most travel, including cruises. Before I went to the Carnival website, however, I also checked the merchant offers on my Chase account. I was thrilled to see an offer for $40 back on a Carnival purchase, and I immediately added it to my card.
KRISTY TOLLEY/THE POINTS GUY
When I started navigating the booking process, I realized it would be easier to book all six of our reservations at the same time. I volunteered to put the expense on my card and let everyone pay me back.
We booked during a sale and paid just $292 each, so our total cost for the six of us was just over $1,750. At 2 points per dollar, I earned 3,503 Chase Ultimate Rewards points on the booking.
According to TPG's September 2024 valuations, these points are worth 2.05 cents each, making these worth just over $71.
Combining the merchant offer and the value of the points I earned, I ultimately saved $110 by booking the cruise on my card.
This savings alone may not seem very impressive, but fortunately the bride is also budget-conscious and selected a bridesmaid dress from Amazon that costs under $100. This means that the $292 I had set aside for the cruise now covered both my cruise and my dress, with my savings factored in.
Using points for travel
Even though I couldn't use points for the cruise itself, my Chase Ultimate Rewards points still came in handy. After we booked the cruise, I also had to book a flight from my home in Nashville to get to our port. While we got a great deal on the cruise itself, we were going over a holiday weekend, so good flight deals were minimal.
Had I paid cash for my flight, it would have cost more than the cruise itself. Plus, when I read TPG's recommendation that I fly in a day early and stay at a hotel near the port, I knew my travel cost would be even higher.
These aren't lucrative redemptions, but using points to book my travel for the cruise allowed me to save around $500 in out-of-pocket costs.
Earn points for everything else
For the rest of my wedding celebration expenses, I used my Chase Freedom Unlimited® (see rates and fees) and Chase Freedom Flex® (see rates and fees) to replenish my Chase Ultimate Rewards points stash.
XAVIER LORENZO/GETTY IMAGES
One of the 5% earning categories for the Freedom Flex that quarter was PayPal, so I used it to get five points per dollar spent on anything I used PayPal to purchase. For the more unusual things I paid for, like dress alterations, I used my Freedom Unlimited to earn 1.5 points per dollar spent. Keep in mind you have to activate the 5% categories each quarter and it is good for up to $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter.
If you're in a wedding, there's a good chance you'll need to travel for both a bachelor/bachelorette party and the wedding itself. Covering this travel with points and miles is the easiest way to manage your largest expense.
As you work out your points and miles strategy, keep in mind that you won't have much date flexibility in your booking, so you likely won't be able to get the best deals when you book these trips. Plan to spend more of your points and miles for your wedding party travel than you would if you were going for a great deal.
Use a cash-back card
Another great way to help offset the costs of being in a wedding is to take advantage of cash-back rewards. They offer a simple, direct way to cash in on your extra purchases, so you don't have to add anything to your already overwhelming wedding to-do list.
The Citi Double Cash® Card (see rates and fees), for example, allows you to earn unlimited 2% cash back (1% when you buy and 1% when you pay) on all your purchases.
With a card like this that earns cash back, you can easily redeem your rewards for a statement credit to reduce your out-of-pocket wedding expenses.
It's fairly easy to find a card that will earn extra points on your supermarket and streaming charges, but it can feel tricky to decide which card to use when you're spending in less popular categories like shoe stores and makeup counters.
Fortunately, you actually have some great options when it comes to cards that help you earn points and miles from your wedding celebration spending. These are some of our top picks:
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Current bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Annual fee: $95
THE POINTS GUY
Why it's a great choice: With this card, you'll earn unlimited 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, in addition to unlimited 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
TPG's September 2024 valuations peg these miles at 1.85 cents each, meaning you'll get a good return on all your purchases, whether you're paying for dress alterations or the bespoke cutting board the bride wants.
Plus, Capital One miles are simple to redeem. You can use them to pay off travel purchases made in the past 90 days directly from your statement, so you don't have to worry about transferring them to travel partners if you don't want to. With this option, you can book flights on whatever airline offers the best cash prices for flights on your travel dates and simply redeem your welcome bonus miles to help cover that cost.
Learn more: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Chase Freedom Unlimited
Current bonus: Earn a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Annual fee: $0
Why it's a great choice: Normally, this card earns 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases and 1.5% back on all other purchases.
In addition to the strong earning potential this card offers, the flexibility it provides makes it a real winner.
On its own, the Freedom Unlimited is primarily marketed as a cash-back card, so it's perfect if you want to keep your redemption simple and get a reliable high percentage back on all your purchases. However, if you also hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) card, you can transfer the rewards you earn on your Freedom Unlimited to Chase's full range of travel partners and get even more value.
Regardless of how you choose to redeem your points, this card provides excellent earning potential on every wedding-related purchase.
Current bonus: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 on eligible purchases in your first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Annual fee: $325 (see rates and fees)
Why it's a great choice: With this card, you'll earn 5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App™, 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) and at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline, amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App and 2 points per dollar spent on car rentals booked through amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App, and on cruises booked through amextravel.com.
You'll only earn one point per dollar on all other purchases, but what makes this card great for many wedding celebration purchases is Amex's Send & Split feature (enrollment required).
This feature allows you to put group purchases on your card, request payment from others through Venmo or PayPal, and receive their payments directly as a statement credit. So if, for example, your bachelor or bachelorette party is somewhere like Nashville, you can put all of the restaurant meals on your card and then split all the charges through the app at the end of your trip.
This way, you'll earn the full 4 points per dollar spent on the group charges (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) but skip most of the hassle of getting everyone to pay you back.
Agreeing to be part of a wedding party can be an expensive commitment, but the right cards and strategy can help you make the most of your extra expenses.
Whether you opt to redeem points to cover your expenses, earn cash-back on your wedding celebration purchases or build up your points for a future trip, your credit card rewards can keep you smiling through the whole season.
For rates and fees link of the Amex Gold Card, click here.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
