A day of credit card rewards optimizing

Point maximizing for paying for and upgrading my travel experiences is one of my hobbies.

Yesterday, April 1 stood out as a day where I made more plays towards maximizing my rewards than normal. Just wanted to walk through some of the decisions made to earn additional points, use credits, and book future travel. I'll note that I'm an admitted credit card churner. However, yesterday I was not working on a signup bonus. Hopefully this helps someone new to the game. Got paid on Friday, didn't spend any money until Wed. April 1.

BILT – Palladium – 1,327 points – Paid my mortgage with Bilt Palladium card using $39.81 Bilt cash. – 1x – $1,327

BILT – Palladium – 2,000 points – Paid my utilities on double point rent day (Gas, Electric, Water, Wastewater, Garbage) – 4x – $500

Chase – Freedom – 650 points – Waited for April 1 to trigger Amazon rotating category to pay for some yard supplies – 5x – $130

Chase – Ink Cash – 2,000 points – Purchased (2) $200 fee waived Visa gift cards at Staples to use for upcoming vet appointment. My vet charges a 3% fee for credit cards, no fee for debit cards – 5x – $400

Citi – Strata (no AF) – 600 points + 600 Bilt points (Rakuten) – Purchased flee, tick, and heartworm prescription for my pup. Pet Supplies is my chosen category on the card – 3x Citi TY points + 3x Rakuten (Bilt) points. – $200

Hilton – Aspire #1 – $50 quarterly credit used towards United Travelbank

Hilton – Aspire #2 – $50 quarterly credit used towards United Travelbank

Hilton – Booked two nights for a stay in May at the Chicago Oak Brook Resort – Will use the two $200 Hilton resort credits.

AMEX – Gold – $10 credit – Uber Eats pickup. Local restaurant chicken and waffles – $3.81 after credit

AMEX – Gold – $7 credit – Loaded into my Dunkin app.

Total points earned: 7,177

Total spend: $1,230 + $39.81 Bilt cash. Note mortgage spend not included.

Credits used: $117

Future credits allocated: $500 ($400 Hilton resort credit + $100 United Travelbank)

Effective multiplier for the day: 5.83x. Note mortgage spend not included.