Skip to main content
Advertiser Disclosure
We do receive compensation from some partners whose offers appear on this page. We have not reviewed all available products or offers. Compensation may impact the order in which offers appear on page, but our editorial opinions and ratings are not influenced by compensation.

Ascent-logo

  • Credit Cards
  • Banking
  • Brokerages
  • Loans
  • Mortgages
  • Knowledge
  • Latest Picks
  • Search Icon Click here to search

Credit Cards

Top Picks
  • Best of March 2021
  • Cash Back
  • Balance Transfer
  • Travel
  • 0% APR
  • Rewards
  • Bad Credit
Knowledge
  • Beginners Guide to Credit Cards
  • How to Rebuild Your Credit
  • Maximize Your Credit Card Rewards
  • Learn More About Credit Cards
Credit Card Tools
  • Compare Cards
Looking for a new credit card?

Explore the best credit cards in every category as of March 2021.

Get started!

Banking

Top Picks
  • Best Savings Accounts
  • Best Bank Accounts
  • Best Money Market Accounts
  • Best CDs
  • Best Checking Account Bonuses
Knowledge
  • Beginners Guide to Banking
  • Everything You Need to Know About Savings
  • Money Market Accounts Made Easy
  • Learn More About Banking
Looking for a place to park your cash?

Check out our top picks of the best online savings accounts for March 2021.

Get Started!

Brokerages

Top Picks
  • Best Brokers of March 2021
  • Best Online Brokers for Beginners
  • Best Options Brokers
  • Best IRA Accounts
  • Best Roth IRA Accounts
  • Best Robo Advisors
Knowledge
  • How to Open a Brokerage Account
  • Beginner's Guide to Brokerages
  • Learn More About Brokerage
Just getting started?

Explore our picks of the best brokerage accounts for beginners for March 2021.

Get Started!

Loans

Top Picks
  • Best Loans of March 2021
  • Best Personal Loans for Bad Credit
  • Best Loans for Debt Consolidation
  • Best Low-Interest Personal Loans
  • Best Personal Loans for Good Credit
  • Best Personal Loans for Fair Credit
Knowledge
  • Personal Loans Made Easy
  • Debt Consolidation Guide
  • How to Pay Off Debt
  • Learn More About Loans
Thinking about taking out a loan?

Before you apply for a personal loan, here's what you need to know.

Get Started!

Mortgages

Top Picks
  • Best Mortgage Lenders of March 2021
  • Best Mortgage Lenders for Poor Credit
  • Best Refinance Lenders
  • Best VA Mortgage Lenders
Knowledge
  • First Time Homebuyers Guide
  • Home Loans Made Easy
  • The Complete Guide to Refinancing
  • How to Get a Mortgage with Bad Credit
  • Learn More About Mortgages
Tools & Calculators
  • Mortgage Calculator
Compare Rates
  • Today's Mortgage Rates
  • Refinance Rates
  • 15-Year Mortgage Rates
  • 20-Year Mortgage Rates
  • 30-Year Mortgage Rates
  • Jumbo Mortgage Rates
  • VA Loan Rates
  • 5/1 ARM Rates
  • 7/1 ARM Rates
  • FHA Mortgage Rates

Knowledge

Knowledge Section
  • All Articles
  • Credit Card Articles
  • Banking Articles
  • Brokerage Articles
  • Personal Loan Articles
  • Mortgage Articles
  • Personal Finance Articles
Recent Articles
  • FHFA Extends Multifamily Forbearance Through June 30: What It Means for Property Owners and Renters

    Mortgages

    FHFA Extends Multifamily Forbearance Through June 30: What It Means for Property Owners and Renters
  • Demand for These Jobs Has Plummeted -- and Won't Recover Any Time Soon

    Personal Finance

    Demand for These Jobs Has Plummeted -- and Won't Recover Any Time Soon
  • Stimulus Check Update: Senate Could Vote on Relief Bill This Weekend

    Personal Finance

    Stimulus Check Update: Senate Could Vote on Relief Bill This Weekend
  • My Husband and I Ditched Our Jobs for a Month to Travel. Here's How We Did It

    Personal Finance

    My Husband and I Ditched Our Jobs for a Month to Travel. Here's How We Did It
  • The Ascent
  • Knowledge
  • Credit Cards

Want to Boost Your Travel Rewards? You May Want a Cash Back Card

by Lyle Daly | Jan. 20, 2020

The Ascent is reader-supported: we may earn a commission from offers on this page. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation.

Cash back and travel rewards aren't mutually exclusive anymore.

You might think that it's impossible to earn travel points with a cash back credit card. After all, you earn travel rewards with travel cards and cash back with cash back cards. Simple, right?

Although that seems logical, it isn't always the case. Some credit card companies are now blurring the line between their cash back and travel cards, effectively allowing you to convert cash back to travel points. And that's great news for travel enthusiasts, because once you understand how this works, it can help you earn hundreds and even thousands more points every month.

Young couple on a bus smiling and looking at something through the window.

Image source: Getty Images

How it works

Chase and Citi are the two biggest credit card companies that currently allow you to convert cash back rewards into travel points. To do this, you must have at least one of each type of card with that card issuer.

When you have both travel and cash back cards, you can transfer any cash back you accumulate over to your travel card. The standard rate is one point per $0.01 of cash back you transfer.

Let's say you have two Chase credit cards, a travel card and a cash back card. You have $500 in cash back available. Instead of redeeming that cash, you could transfer it to your Chase travel card, where it will become 50,000 points. It will then have all the same redemption options as any rewards you earned with your travel card, such as transfers to any of Chase's travel partners.

By the way, Chase and Citi only let you transfer cash back to travel cards in their own respective travel rewards programs, which are Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou® Rewards. You can't transfer cash back to one of their co-branded airline or hotel credit cards. If you have a Chase cash back card, you wouldn't be able to turn your cash back into miles on a Chase credit card with United Airlines.

Maximizing your travel points with cash back cards

When you're able to convert cash back to travel points, you can take advantage of spending categories where cash back cards earn better rewards. This gives you the opportunity to earn significantly more points on your everyday spending.

For example, imagine you have a travel credit card that earns three points per $1 spent on travel and dining, and one point per $1 on everything else. If you also have a cash back card that earns 5% on internet, cable, and phone spending with the same company, you can transfer that cash back to your travel card.

If you had used your travel card to pay those bills, you'd be earning one point per $1. Instead, you can pay with the cash back card, earn 5%, and send the cash back to your travel card -- effectively earning five points per $1.

Here's what makes this even better -- many of the best cash back credit cards don't have annual fees, so you'll be boosting your travel rewards without needing to pay anything extra.

A simple, effective travel rewards strategy

If you already have a travel credit card with Chase or Citi, there aren't any drawbacks to adding one or more of their cash back cards to your wallet. It's a smart way to earn more travel points on your typical expenses, and it won't cost you a thing. You will have more credit card bills to pay each month, but that's easy enough to manage with automatic payments or by setting yourself reminders.

Top credit card wipes out interest until 2022

If you have credit card debt, transferring it to this top balance transfer card can allow you to pay 0% interest for a whopping 18 months! That’s one reason our experts rate this card as a top pick to help get control of your debt. It’ll allow you to pay 0% interest on both balance transfers and new purchases until 2022, and you’ll pay no annual fee. Read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.

About the Author

Lyle Daly
Lyle Daly icon-button-linkedin-2x icon-button-twitter-2x

Lyle is a writer specializing in credit cards, travel rewards programs, and banking. His work has also appeared on MSN Money, USA Today, and Yahoo! Finance.

Share This Page
Facebook Icon This icon shares the page you are on via Facebook
Blue Twitter Icon Share this website with Twitter
LinkedIn Icon This image links to share the page over LinkedIn.
Email Icon Share this website with email

We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.

The Ascent is reader-supported: we may earn a commission from offers on this page. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation.

Related Articles

Credit cards on a desk image for Best Credit Cards for 2021

Best Credit Cards for 2021

Interest spelled out on a calculator image for Compare Credit Cards Side by Side

Compare Credit Cards Side by Side

Man holding cash image for How Do Cash Back Credit Cards Work?

How Do Cash Back Credit Cards Work?

Cyber security and computer screen image for How to Protect Yourself from Credit Card Fraud

How to Protect Yourself from Credit Card Fraud

Featured Articles

Best Credit Cards for 2021

Compare Credit Cards Side by Side

How Do Cash Back Credit Cards Work?

How to Protect Yourself from Credit Card Fraud


The Ascent Logo

The Ascent is a Motley Fool service that rates and reviews essential products for your everyday money matters.

btn_facebook-yellow btn_twitter-yellow btn_instagram-yellow

Copyright © 2018 - 2021 The Ascent. All rights reserved.

About The Ascent
About Us Contact Us Newsroom How We Make Money Editorial Integrity Ratings Methodology
Legal
Terms of Use Privacy Policy Accessibility Policy Terms and Conditions Copyright, Trademark and Patent Information
Learn
Credit Cards Banking Brokerage Loans Recent Articles

By submitting your email address, you consent to us sending you money tips along with products and services that we think might interest you. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please read our Privacy Statement and Terms & Conditions.

Back to The Motley Fool