Waller and Jung suggest that people have a clear objective on what they want to do with their credit card rewards when they get started, whether that be covering the cost of a trip to Paris or getting enough cash back to purchase a gift for a friend or family member. For example, one of Jung’s first goals for saving up points was to fund his parents’ trip to South Korea, since they haven’t been back to their home country since they moved to the U.S. over 25 years ago.
While most people likely won’t be able to earn 1 million points on their credit cards with their everyday spending, and they might not want (or be able) to make regular international trips, both Jung and Waller believe that people can reap more from their credit cards, whatever their goals are, if they choose cards that match with their lifestyle.
“I look for credit cards to compliment my lifestyle,” Waller says. “If I did a lot of grocery shopping, I would make sure to get a card that works best for my grocery spend.”
