Cash back gave me $47 a year. Points gave me the world.
Welcome back to your 3P Weekly Tip.
This week’s blog gets into the mechanics of why Ultimate Rewards points beat cash back: the transferability, the partner ecosystem, the math. It’s worth a read.
But I want to tell you something more personal today.
For years before I learned this system, I had a cash back card. A good one. I was proud of it. I earned 1.5% back on everything, and at the end of the year I’d get a statement credit for somewhere between $40 and $80.
I felt responsible. I felt like I was winning.
Then I learned what I was leaving on the table.
That same spending, run through a Chase Sapphire Preferred and redeemed through transfer partners, would have been worth $600 to $800 in travel. I was cashing out at the minimum, about a penny per dollar spent, when I could have been getting four to five cents per dollar in flight and hotel value.
The cash back felt real because it showed up as dollars. The points felt abstract until I actually used them. And that’s exactly why the credit card industry is happy for you to keep your cash back card.
The moment points clicked for me wasn’t when I read about it. It was when I booked flights to Europe for my family and paid $150 in taxes and fees. That’s when abstract became very, very concrete.
This week’s blog breaks down the mechanics.
Cash back gave me $47 a year. Points gave me the world.
More next week.
Swipe Smart. Go Far.
Cassie Jemilo, Owner of 3P Travel
Follow 3P Travel on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok
cassie@3p-travel.com
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