Points Strategy

The right card, every swipe

Every card we track, across every category, in real ¢ back per $1 — then what a point is worth when you use it, and the value you forfeit if you don’t activate it.

✓ Data verified July 13, 2026
Your wallet earns
$6.77 / $100
on your real monthly spend mix
Best we track
$7.14 / $100
adding Strata Premier + Autograph
Left on the table
+$147 / yr
mostly gas & transit — modest gap
1

Earn — the full matrix

21 cards × 7 categories · your wallet rows highlighted · best in category in green
8.00¢ best in category * caps / portal detail — tap Wallet in your wallet

Swipe the table for more categories →

¢ per $1 = multiplier × the point’s typical-redemption value (AwardWallet, verified 2026-07-13). Transfer-well values — cash-out floors run ~1¢. Cash-back cards are face value.

Treat every ¢/$1 figure as the ceiling for a good redeemer, not a promise. The old per-category accordion is gone — the matrix is now the one earn view, sortable and honest. How we verify →
2

Use — redeem where it counts

The same point is worth under a cent or several cents depending on how you redeem
Transfer to partners sweet spots — Hyatt, Flying Blue promo
2.9¢+
Transfer to partners typical good redemption
2.0¢
Bank travel portal CSR × 1.5 through Chase Travel
1.5¢
Cash out statement credit
1.0¢
Gift cards often below cash-out
0.8¢

Transferring to an airline or hotel partner is where the outsized value lives. Cashing out locks in the fixed-value floor; a bank portal is usually only a little better.

3

Activate — value that requires action

Enroll, activate, register — or forfeit it
By Sep 14

Chase Freedom Flex — Q3 5% categories

Gas stations & EV charging this quarter. Activation is free; unactivated quarters earn 1%. Not in your wallet — activated, it would earn 10.05¢/$1 on gas.

Monthly

Amex Gold dining credit — $10/mo

Grubhub, Cheesecake Factory, Five Guys, Buffalo Wild Wings & Wonder. One-time enrollment; unused months don’t roll over. $120/yr against the $325 fee.

Ongoing

Amex Offers

Targeted statement-credit offers rotate weekly. Each must be added to the card before purchase — the single most-forfeited value on Amex cards.

Register

World of Hyatt — Bonus Journeys

Quarterly promo: registration required before stays count. Historically 2x–3x points on paid nights.

Mockup — all rates from verified P&P data (2026-07-13) · ¢/$1 = multiplier × typical point value
Build note: strategy.js swaps the earn accordion for the matrix renderer (data already in data.json); sticky Earn/Use/Activate tabs shared via ui-shared.js.