How to Earn Millions of Points and More Listener Q&A

Summary of How to Earn Millions of Points and More Listener Q&A

by Chris Hutchins

1h 4m•January 28, 2026
Listen to Episode

Overview of How to Earn Millions of Points and More Listener Q&A

Chris Hutchins answers listener questions on how he accumulated a massive points balance, whether it's worth chasing points, and practical tactics for earning, protecting, and using rewards. He covers signup-bonus strategies, how to generate extra spend (legally and practically), business-card opportunities, credit-score effects, when paying fees makes sense, simple cash-back alternatives, and issuer-specific notes (Bilt, Amex, Chase, Wells Fargo, etc.). He also shares his current thinking: he plans to burn a lot of points in 2026 and is leaning toward more cash-back or simpler setups for many use cases.

Key takeaways

  • The biggest drivers of large point balances are signup bonuses + not redeeming for several years. Points hoarding can be risky because programs devalue.
  • Signup bonuses typically deliver far more value than everyday spend, but you’re still trading away potential cash-back.
  • Number of accounts matters much less to your score than credit utilization at statement time—pay before the statement if utilization is high.
  • If you prize simplicity: 2 cards + 2–3 targeted signup bonuses per year captures most of the value (the 80/20).
  • Business cards open a lot of additional bonus opportunities and can avoid personal credit-report impact; many informal gig activities qualify as a business.
  • Paying a fee to put big items (taxes, tuition, property tax) on a card can make sense only when it’s the difference between meeting a welcome bonus or getting outsized value. Taxes can be efficient due to relatively low processor fees (Pay1040 ~1.75%–1.85%).

How Chris built a huge point balance (how it happened)

  • 15M figure is an attention-grabber; Hutchins cautions that points aren’t “free” — they replace possible cash-back.
  • Recent year snapshot:
    • He and his wife opened ~11 cards in 2025.
    • Across currently open cards (~40), a conservative average bonus might be ~150k points → ~6M points just from current open-card bonuses.
    • He estimates ~1.7M points from the 11 cards opened in 2025.
    • Big single offers: Venture X Business multi-part bonus ≈ 400k on ~150k spend.
  • Other contributors: elevated personal/business spend in recent years (production costs, reselling gift cards, group trips), promotional transfer bonuses (e.g., 2x transfers), shopping portals and Rakuten, and normal flight/hotel activity compounded over many years.
  • A long period of low travel (young kids, pandemic) led to accumulation without burn.

Signup-bonus strategy & limits

  • Constraints to opening cards: approvals, available spend to meet minimums, and mental overhead.
  • Typical minimum-spend for bonuses:
    • Personal cards: ~$3k–$6k
    • Business cards: ~$5k–$20k (some are much higher)
  • Practical cadence:
    • Hutchins’ sweet spot: ~1–2 cards per quarter (more if you distribute openings across household members).
    • If you have multiple household “players” (spouse, adult kids), you can scale sign-ups and spread spend.
  • Business-card opportunities:
    • Many activities qualify as a business (freelance, reselling, social media, consulting) and you don’t need revenue before applying.
    • Amex often sends NLL (no-lifetime-language) mailers for business offers that have different eligibility wording — this can lead to multiple business-card bonuses legitimately.
  • Chase Sapphire rules:
    • Sapphire Preferred/Reserve bonuses are effectively once-in-a-lifetime per product; you can get both bonuses if you don’t hold both cards simultaneously.

Practical spend hacks & what Hutchins did to increase spend

  • Volunteer to pay group/shared expenses and get reimbursed.
  • Pay company or travel costs personally (when allowed) and collect reimbursement.
  • Run business activities that naturally create card-eligible spend (production, assistants, reselling gift cards, group-trip management).
  • Use rent/mortgage payment tools (eg, Bilt) to convert housing expenses into card spend (subject to fees and program rules).

Credit score & account management

  • Having many cards itself is not usually damaging; what matters is utilization at billing statement date.
    • Example: Hutchins’ score dropped into the mid-600s when several cards reported very high statement utilization; paying them down before or soon after can restore score rapidly (he saw +45 points after a paydown).
  • Actions to protect score:
    • Pay down balances before statement close if utilization would be high.
    • Build reminders (or use apps) to avoid high reported utilization.
    • Business cards often don’t show on personal credit reports (reduces impact).
  • Never carry a revolving balance to “play the game.” That kills value and multiplies cost.

Fees: when paying to use a card makes sense

  • General rule: a fee to use a card is you “buying points.” It only makes sense if the fee + points purchased produce net value (e.g., unlocking a signup bonus or status that is worth more).
  • Common fee cases:
    • Daycare, tuition, property tax—fees are usually 2–3%: only worth it if it enables meeting a signup bonus or very valuable status redemption.
    • Paying taxes: two good processors (Pay1040 ~1.75%; ACI ~1.85%). These fees can be worthwhile if they let you meet welcome-spend thresholds or pick up valuable status; don’t expect huge dollar gains unless tax amount is large.
    • Bilt rent/mortgage: Bilt’s structure can meaningfully boost points on housing spend (see Bilt section), but the mechanics and options are complex.
  • Practical note: small arbitrage (e.g., 0.8% spread) on small sums is not worth time; evaluate absolute dollar impact and hassle.

Simplicity & cash-back alternatives

  • If you prefer easy/simple:
    • Use two core cards that cover most categories and do 2–3 signup bonuses a year at most.
    • Consider cash-back cards that are “set and forget”:
      • Robinhood card: ~3% on everything (no balance). Good single-card simplicity if you want flat cash-back.
      • Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite (requires $100k assets for Platinum Honors): up to ~3.5% travel & dining, ~2.625% on everything else (effective if you can meet asset requirement).
      • Coinbase/Coinbase Card may provide higher rates if you meet asset thresholds.
    • Points-to-portal travel booking options (e.g., Bilt portal) can act like simple “cash-back-on-travel” without needing transfers/award searches.

Special topics & issuer notes

  • Hotels vs airlines:
    • If your primary need is hotels, cash-back may be better (hotel loyalty programs are fragmented and many hotel points have low per-point value). Exception: Hyatt points often yield outsized value.
    • Hotel welcome free-night certificates (Hyatt, Marriott) can be very valuable if you can use them within the certificate rules.
  • Costco:
    • No “perfect” Costco card; wholesale clubs often code as grocery for some cards (e.g., Venmo card historically), but most premium earn rates are modest.
    • Optimize for a strong all-around card (2x points or ~3% cash-back) and use that at Costco; consider paying for an Executive Membership if you spend enough.
  • Clear membership:
    • Clear can save time at airports; several Amex cards (Platinum, Business Platinum, Green, Hilton Aspire) include Clear credits that offset Clear’s ~$199–$209 fee.
    • Amex Green (lower annual fee) can be a “profit” play if you’d otherwise pay for Clear.
  • DoorDash credits:
    • Hutchins typically doesn’t optimize heavily; credits can be used for grocery/convenience/gas store pickup — use only if it fits natural purchases.
  • American Airlines status game:
    • American’s top-tier status is relatively “cheaper” to buy via credit-card spend than some other carriers (example cited: ~$180k–$200k spend on certain Amex business product to reach top tier, often cheaper than United).
    • Some business-card mechanics let employee/authorized-user spend count toward loyalty, effectively making status cheaper for two people.
  • Bilt (detailed follow-up promised):
    • Hutchins discloses Bilt is a sponsor; he previously liked Bilt points pre-sponsorship.
    • The new Bilt products and earning structures (as of Jan 16, 2026) are confusing but potentially valuable: paying rent/mortgage through Bilt + holding certain Bilt cards can materially boost effective points on housing spend (examples: Palladium 2x + housing multiplier → 3–3.33x effective on housing up to housing spend).
    • Bilt account conversions: existing Bilt accounts converting to Wells Fargo Autograph will not create a new hard pull; selecting a new Bilt card will be a new account and can affect 5/24-like status.
    • Hutchins plans a full Bilt deep dive and tier list in a future episode.

Practical action plan (what to do next)

  • If you want simplicity and good returns:
    • Pick two versatile cards that match your top categories, and aim for 2–3 signup bonuses/year.
    • Automate reminders to pay before statement close if balances are high.
  • If you want to scale points:
    • Use household pooling and business cards to spread approvals and spending capacity.
    • Prioritize signup bonuses (highest per-dollar returns) but track total spend and opportunity cost vs cash-back.
  • If you have a large bill or taxes to pay:
    • Compare fee processors (Pay1040 vs ACI) and calculate if the fee + point value nets positive against a cash alternative.
  • If you have cluttered point balances:
    • Make a plan to burn down balances in 2026 (Hutchins’ plan) — map realistic travel redemptions or high-value transfers and set calendar reminders to use expiring certificates.

Useful links & resources Chris mentioned

  • All the Hacks AMA: allthehacks.com/AMA (submit questions)
  • Cards tracker & offers: allthehacks.com/cards
  • Episode 221 (deep dive on credit): allthehacks.com/221
  • Newsletter sign-up (free): allthehacks.com/email
  • Note: Hutchins referenced prior episodes and third-party tools (Pay1040, ACI) and sponsors (Bilt, Fabric, Gusto, Notion, Gelt) for services and deeper dives.

If you want a distilled “starter kit” version (two-card setups for either points or cash-back, plus a 3-bonus/year calendar), I can produce that as a one-page checklist.