I want to share the actual mechanics of a travel points strategy that doesn't require you to spend irresponsibly or be obsessive about optimizing.

The entry point I recommend: Chase Sapphire Preferred. $95 annual fee, 60,000-point sign-up bonus (worth roughly $750-900 in travel if transferred to airline partners), and 3x points on dining. The key feature is that points transfer to airline and hotel programs — United, British Airways, Air France/KLM, Hyatt, and others.

The one thing most people get wrong: they redeem points through the Chase travel portal (1.25 cents per point) instead of transferring to partners. Transferring to Hyatt and booking a category 1 hotel can yield 4-5 cents per point. Transferring to Air France Flying Blue during a promo and booking a business class seat to Europe can yield 6-8 cents per point. The portal is for convenience; the transfers are for value.

My rule: I never carry a balance. The interest on credit card debt eliminates any points value within a month. This isn't controversial in travel hacking communities but it's worth stating explicitly: this strategy only works if you pay in full every month. If you carry debt, cancel the card and stop.