Our top 6 tips for maximizing credit cards when moving
Quick summary
Whether it's down the street or across the country, moving can be a pain — and an expensive one. It's shocking how much good boxes cost, and that's not even touching the decor you'll purchase for your new place or the takeout food you'll order while your kitchen is packed.
But if I've learned one thing in my time in the credit card world, it's that a big expense is just an xopportunity to earn some serious rewards. So, when I decided to move, I knew I had to go in with a plan.
Before I set up my strategy, I polled my fellow TPG staffers who had moved recently about how they maximized their moves. Here are our top tips.
Set a rewards goal
Before picking out which cards you'll focus on during your move, consider your rewards goals for the next few months. If you want to reward yourself with a dream vacation after the move is done, for instance, you'll want to focus on earning travel rewards that can make your dream a reality.
I decided instead to focus on earning cash back to help offset the cost of my move. Because of this, I'm putting my Chase Sapphire Reserve® away for a few months to focus on the cash-back cards in my wallet, like my Prime Visa and Citi Double Cash® Card (see rates and fees).
Related: How to choose your best credit card strategy
Earn a new bonus
The best part of having a lot of expenses coming up is that you can use them to earn a valuable welcome bonus on a new card. Olivia Mittak, a cards writer at TPG, opened the American Express® Gold Card just before a big move and used moving costs to help her earn its welcome offer.
If you've had your eye on a new card for a while — especially one with a high spending requirement you would typically struggle to meet — opening it ahead of a move is a great way to put all your moving expenses to good use by earning a valuable bonus.
And if you don't already have your eye on a specific card, check out our guide on the best current welcome offers for some inspiration.
Maximize bonus categories
Double-check the bonus categories on all your cards for any that will help you in the move. Moving shakes up multiple areas of your life, so you may find that your spending habits change beyond buying tape and bubble wrap.
The Amex Gold is a great one-two punch for moving. It earns bonus points on all the takeout you'll order while you're packing and unpacking. Ellie Nan Storck, TPG's managing editor for hotels, used it to earn bonus points on her supermarket pantry restock when she set up her new place.
Additionally, think about your cards that can be helpful in new ways during a move. I realized, for instance, that I could buy most of my boxes and moving supplies at an office supply store to take advantage of the 5% bonus-earning category on my Ink Business Cash® Credit Card.
Pay extra attention to cards that have rotating bonus categories or bonus categories you can choose. If you have the Citi Custom Cash® Card (see rates and fees), for example, you may opt to use it to earn 5% back at home improvement stores for the month of your move when you're spending a lot there, even if that isn't your typical go-to bonus category for that card.
The information for the Citi Custom Cash® Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: The best rewards credit cards for each bonus category
Earn on nonbonus spending
Of course, you'll spend plenty of money during a move that won't fall into any card's bonus categories — like hiring movers. In these instances, make sure you have a solid flat-rate earner in your wallet.
Madison Blancaflor, TPG's managing editor for content operations, used her Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card for her recent moving expenses. By doing so, she earned 2 miles per dollar spent on irregular purchases that wouldn't earn bonus rewards on her other cards.
Related: 7 reasons to get the Capital One Venture Rewards card
Take advantage of 0% introductory APR
We typically advise against carrying a balance on your credit cards, but a card with an introductory 0% annual percentage rate is a great option for the times you need a bit longer to pay off big expenses. These cards allow you to carry a balance without accruing interest for a period of time, giving you some cushion to pay off your charges without having to worry about your balance increasing during that period.
Gabe Travers, a senior director at TPG, considered multiple buy now, pay later options during his move and decided to open the Chase Freedom Flex® to take advantage of the card's 15 months with 0% APR perk on purchases and balance transfers (then a variable APR of 18.99% - 28.49%).
Related: How to use a 0% APR credit card as an interest-free loan
Utilize merchant offers and shopping portals
We always recommend checking your credit card's merchant offers and shopping through shopping portals to save (and earn) even more, but they can be especially helpful during a move.
This may seem obvious for items such as home decor, but keep an eye out for all sorts of deals — some TPGers have been able to get bonus rewards on things like appliances and utilities, too.
Related: Save cash and earn bonus points on utilities and insurance
Bottom line
Moving can be stressful and expensive, but it can also be a great opportunity to earn valuable rewards. Before embarking on your move, make a plan to maximize your earnings on everything from packing tape to new appliances. With these TPG-approved strategies, your rewards will move up as you move out.
Related: How I went from no credit score to financing a house in 2 years