Many miles and points credit cards offer bonus earning categories but then get in their own way with earning caps – why do they do this?
As a business owner with a Chase Ink card that offers 5x points on travel spend for the first $150,000/year, I prioritize spend on this card through the bonus period. But I often charge far more than $150,000 annually in travel spend. Once I cross $150,000 annually (the same multiplier applies to online advertising spend too), it drops to 1 point per dollar. At this point, I have no incentive to use this card above others in my wallet as I once did.
The Chase Ink card is not alone in this limitation. American Express offers 5x points for flights booked directly with an airline but only up to $500,000/year. The American Express Gold card caps its 4x restaurant earnings at $50,000/year. The Chase Freedom and Discover It card limit quarterly categories at 5x points but only up to $1,500/quarter.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
