Every Credit Card I Keep (And Why) — $3,000 in Annual Fees Explained

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I pay almost $3,000 a year in credit card annual fees — and yes, that's more than our monthly mortgage. In this episode, I'm walking you through every single keeper card my husband and I hold year after year, showing you exactly how I value each benefit and how I personally decide whether a card earns its place in our wallet.

I also want to be really clear: what works for our family isn't necessarily right for yours, and I don't think it should be. That's exactly why my team has built card benefit calculators on the blog — so you can plug in your own life and see what actually makes sense for you. At the end, I've got three simple action steps so you can do your own credit card spring cleaning and make sure every dollar you're paying in fees is actually working for you.

ACTION STEPS:
- Take stock of every card you have open. Use the Travel Freely app to stay organized, or track everything in a spreadsheet.
- Review every card with an annual fee. Use the benefits calculators on Katie's website to assign your own values to each benefit and see if it's worth what you're paying.
- Make a plan. Use the "Ultimate Guide to Closing a Card" (linked in show notes) to understand the full evaluation process before canceling, downgrading, or keeping any card.

RESOURCES
- Detailed blog post on the Chase Sapphire Reserve: https://katiestraveltricks.com/sapphirereserve/
- Map of Chase Sapphire Reserve dining credit locations: https://katiestraveltricks.com/chase-sapphire-reserve-participating-restaurants/
- Overview article on the Chase Ritz-Carlton card: https://katiestraveltricks.com/the-complete-guide-to-the-chase-ritz-carlton-card/
- Episode on Citi ThankYou Points: https://youtu.be/8Zzdczsvti4
- Bank of America Museums on Us program: https://about.bankofamerica.com/en/making-an-impact/museums-on-us-partners
- Credit card spring cleaning post: https://katiestraveltricks.com/spring-clean-your-credit-cards-the-ultimate-guide-with-free-checklist/
- Ultimate Guide to Closing a Card:https://katiestraveltricks.com/ultimate-guide-to-closing-a-credit-card/
- IHG Rewards Credit Card Guide: https://katiestraveltricks.com/ihgrewardscards/

CHAPTERS
0:00 Why I Pay $3,000 in Annual Fees
0:44 Welcome to Points for Normal People
1:27 Chase Sapphire Reserve Deep Dive
4:42 Chase Sapphire Preferred
6:14 Chase Ink Business Cards
7:21 Sapphire Reserve for Business?
8:57 Earn & Burn vs. Stashing Points
9:46 Amex Membership Rewards & Blue Business Plus
10:30 Capital One Venture X
11:51 Citi ThankYou Points & Strata Elite
13:36 Airline Keeper Cards: Southwest
15:42 Hotel Keeper Cards Overview
15:57 IHG Rewards Club Select
16:40 World of Hyatt Cards
17:19 Chase Ritz-Carlton Card
18:56 Marriott Bonvoy Amex Cards
19:56 No Annual Fee Hidden Gems
22:38 Action Steps: Your Credit Card Audit

New Here?
Hi, I’m Katie from Katie’s Travel Tricks! I am here to help you learn the secrets that my family has been using for over a decade, using everyday expenses and welcome offers to supercharge your points earning. When you learn to do this, you can cover entire vacations every year.

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