I love that glorious moment of being approved for the next credit card and thinking about where those miles and points will take me. Recently, my travel buddy was approved for the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. After a celebratory high five and embrace for 40,000 Delta miles came the question of “How am I going to spend $1,000 in 3 months?” For those like me who don’t have many large bills to pay, spending so much seems like quite a challenge. Here are 6 ways how to meet minimum spend on your credit card to earn those sweet miles and points!
Related posts:
- Travel 101: What is a resort fee?
- Travel isn’t always for pleasure: Humanitarian Travel
- How I paid taxes with a credit card…For a Profit!
In This Post
How to Meet Minimum Spend?
I’m going to show you six ways how to meet the minimum spend on your credit card so you can earn the bonus miles and points. You may consider paying for your purchases other ways, but there are often extra benefits offered by your credit card that make them the better choice.
Appliances on a Credit Card
Before you run into Sears or Home Depot to purchase the latest and greatest washing machine and dryer combo that can wash, dry, and fold your laundry, consider a new credit card. Appliances are not cheap, so why not earn a free vacation with a large purchase?
Some big box retailers have zero percent offers for opening up a line of credit, but be sure to weigh the benefits of each card.
First off, you may never use that department store card again after this purchase. And you can’t use the department store card for purchases at other stores. When comparing the two, you’re going to get far more usage and benefits from a travel credit card than a department store card.
Really, would you rather save $100 from a 6-month 0% interest rate loan… or would you like to earn enough miles to fly you and a “+1” on a vacation? The choice is pretty clear!
Tuition on a Credit Card
Tuition is a necessary evil. The cost is high and increases every year. Some reports have college tuition inflation as high as 8-10% yearly!
Did you know that many colleges are flexible with how you pay for your courses? Be careful and ask whether or not the college will add a 3% “convenience” credit card fee to your bill.
While in school, if there’s no fee for using a credit card, ask your student loan providers to send you the full amount of tuition. Then you can pay your tuition with your credit card to rack up as many points as possible!
Just make sure that you pay off your credit card in full immediately so that you don’t get stuck paying any interest.
If you’re already finished with school but are still paying off your student loans, see if your student loan lender accepts credit card payments without charging a fee. To save even more money, consider refinancing your student loans with SoFi or another student loan lender. When you use our SoFi referral link, you’ll earn $100!
Electronics on a Credit Card
Whether it be the latest iPhone or that new 80” TV for the man cave, credit cards are ALWAYS the best when figuring out how to meet minimum spend. Along with racking up miles or cash back, many credit cards have other benefits to make them the best choice.
And most premium credit cards offer extended warranties that extend the manufacturer’s warranty. Better yet, premium credit cards have better customer service, which makes filing a claim far easier than dealing with the manufacturer.
Taxes on a Credit Card
While many of us hate paying Uncle Sam, it can actually turn into a profitable situation! Lee recently actually made money while paying his taxes.
In his post, he shows you how to meet minimum spend requirement while paying your taxes. The average taxpayer owes over $9,000 in taxes, which is more than enough to earn a welcome bonus on most credit cards! Looks like this can be a turnkey way to meet the minimum spend on that shiny new card.
If you do have a lofty amount of taxes to pay, make sure to maximize your reward by having a large enough credit line. Taxes aren’t fun, so accomplishing a free trip or cash back can ease the pain a bit!
Meet Minimum Spend on Down Payment on a Car
While I wouldn’t recommend purchasing a car just to earn miles and points, if you are looking to purchase, I would highly recommend making your down payment on a credit card. One thing to keep in mind is interest rates. If you do not have the cash to pay the credit card right away, this may be something to contemplate. And if this is your situation, you may want to reconsider buying a new car until you have more money saved up.
For example, the American Express Delta SkyMiles Gold card is a great credit card for racking up miles – but can come with a hefty interest rate. If you charged $4,000 for your down payment and paid the balance off over time, the interest would erase the value of the points.
Also, use your credit card as leverage when purchasing. Some dealerships do not accept payment for vehicles through a credit card, while others have a maximum that they will allow. When considering a dealership, make sure to ask this upfront.
If the dealership that you want to buy from doesn’t accept cards, but another dealership does, use them to negotiate against each other. “I want to buy from you, but you don’t accept credit cards. XYZ Dealership down the road really wants my business. They have a competitive offer and are willing to take my card. What can you do for me?” Ask that question and see what they’ll do for you. As Lee always says, “You don’t get what you don’t ask for!”
Travel on a Credit Card (my personal favorite!)
If you are an avid traveler, you want to earn maximum miles and points on this trip, so you can save money on your next trip. It’s almost like you never have to stop traveling!
Along with earning miles, certain credit cards offer benefits when you use them. For example, if you have the co-branded credit card of the airline you are flying, you may be able to have priority boarding, waived checked bag fees, access to the lounge, and so much more. Here are benefits such as Travel Protection and Travel Interruption for when your trips go awry.
And if something goes wrong, some cards offer premium benefits such as Travel Protection and Travel Interruption for when your flight gets canceled or delayed. Some even provide primary or secondary insurance coverage on rental cars. This enables you to save money by declining the daily insurance charges offered by rental car companies.
The Bald Thoughts
One of my main goals in blogging is to help readers better understand how credit cards work and how to maximize their benefits. Being a millennial, my generation has been fed the notion of “credit cards are bad” by our parents, creating a misconception of what credit is and the effective use of credit cards. I’m here to change the narrative of credit cards, one blog post at a time.
Today, we talked about how to meet the minimum spend requirements on a credit card. Are there other topics that you’d like me to cover? Please leave your suggestions in the comment section below.
Have you made any large purchases on your credit card? What was it? Was it for a special promotion like to meet minimum spend? Let’s hear it in the comment section!
Thinking of getting a new credit card? To see the best credit card offers available, go to our credit card marketplace to find your next card.
Great tips! I paid for a car down payment with a credit card, resulting in over 4,000 points. One thing I’ve done when I’m close to meeting the minimum spend but a few hundred dollars short is to buy Amazon gift cards (or add to my Amazon gift card balance). I know I’ll spend the money soon anyways, and it gets me over the line on the minimum spend.
Thanks Miguel. Glad you were able to use your card for the down payment! I do the same with gift cards when promotions or spend bonuses are available.