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TPG Talks episode seven: Credit card strategy during COVID-19
Richard Kerr
Contributor
Richard Kerr is a veteran naval officer and founder of the Award Travel 101 Facebook community. He’s one of the foremost experts in points and miles strategy, featured in Forbes, US News, Money Magazine, Kiplinger Personal Finance and presented at #SXSW 2017. Richard has visited over 45 countries, lived in England and Japan, and spends his spare time dissecting loyalty program award charts to maximize the value of points and miles. Richard holds a BBA in International Business and has his wife and two small children in tow for his travels as often as possible.
May 30, 2020
•
3 min read
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With travel at a slow down and plenty of credit card benefits going unused, now is the time to audit your credit card portfolio and reassess what should be in your wallet. On this week's TPG Talks webinar, we were joined by Credit Cards Editor Benét Wilson and Points & Miles Editor Ariana Arghandewal.
Benet and Arianna shared a recap of all the changes to credit card bonus categories, including what you should consider before closing or opening cards as well as specific card recommendations — to perhaps put in the sock drawer or add to your wallet. We concluded by looking into the future of the card industry. If you've been wondering how all of the changes to card benefits and perks should affect your wallet, make sure you watch the replay of this week's talk:
Show Notes
- 6:25 - Recap of Recent Credit Card Changes and Relief including New Bonus Categories and Waived Annual Fees
- 12:50 - Things to Think About Before Changing Cards
- 15:15 - What Happens if You Get a Refund to a Canceled Card
- 16:51 - Considerations for Getting a New Card
- 22:58 - Card Recommendations
- 27:09 - Cards to Use to Book Future Travel
- 28:40 - Great Sign Up Bonuses Right Now
- 31:15 - Cards for Beginners
- 35:01 - The Future of the Credit Card Industry
- 38:01 - Panelists Personal Comfort on Traveling Now
- 40:50 - Clarifications on Downgrading and Upgrading Cards
- 42:36 - Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR)
- 45:42 - Trip Protection Coverages
- 48:19 - How to Manage Multiple Cards
- 50:37 - Timing Credit Card Applications
- 51:57 - Maximizing Authorized Users
- 53:56 - Understanding Your Credit Score
- 54:20 - Closing Thoughts
Follow on reading and important links
- Amex announces limited-time perks for select Amex Membership Rewards, Delta, Marriott and Hilton cards
- Earn up to 5x on groceries across select Chase-issued travel cards
- Chase adds limited-time Sapphire benefits to help grounded travelers
- Citi announces changes to help cardholders maximize benefits during coronavirus
- How credit scores work
- The ultimate guide to credit card application restrictions
- Credit cards we're using most during the pandemic
- When can you downgrade your credit card account?
- Sapphire showdown: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve
Bottom Line
TPG Talks is a series of live webinars hosted by team members from The Points Guy, covering various aspects of the travel, credit card and loyalty industries. Join from anywhere in the world on any device to learn tips and tricks that'll get you closer to your next dream vacation.
For a list of previous sessions, visit our TPG Talks hub page, or click on any of the links below for individual recaps:
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Apply for Capital One Venture X Business
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Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for businesses with high spending
TPG Editor‘s Rating
Go to reviewCard Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
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Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
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- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month