I recently returned home from a long-anticipated trip to Hawaii, where I celebrated a milestone birthday and got to miss a week of freezing winter weather at home. The only thing that could make it better was getting to defray the costs by using the right credit cards. Here are four that my travel companion and I relied on during our trip.
1. A grocery standout
Since we were vacationing in the U.S. and staying in a vacation rental (as opposed to a hotel), I knew that I’d be leaning on one of my favorite cards for weekly use at home: the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (see rates and fees).
This Amex card earns a whopping 6% back at U.S. supermarkets (terms apply), and since the price of groceries is higher in the Aloha State, I was ready to give it a workout. I ended up spending $370 on groceries during the trip, which saved me quite a bit more on the cost of eating out — we were able to eat breakfast in our rental every day, along with one other meal most days.
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The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express also earns 3% cash back on gas purchases (terms apply). We opted to rent a car for just one day of our trip, so we could drive around the island and do some exploring, and the rental was extremely economical on gas, so I only used it to cover a fuel purchase of $13. Still, 3% is 3%!
2. A general travel superstar
This vacation allowed me to take advantage of my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which is a great general-purpose travel credit card (as opposed to one that’s tied to a specific airline or hotel chain).
I started planning the trip six months in advance, and was able to cover about two-thirds of one of the plane tickets with points by using Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book through Chase Travel. I earned 5X points per $1 I spent by doing so. I also used the card to pay for the vacation rental I booked through Airbnb — that was good for 2X points per $1.
Once we were in Hawaii, I used the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to pay for the small handful of restaurant meals I covered (my travel companion has a better card for dining; more on that below) as well as a few Lyft rides. So that meant 3X points per $1 on dining and until March 2025, 5X points per $1 on Lyft. I also used it for a few excursion bookings, including a whale-watching cruise where, sadly, we saw no whales. “Oh, whale!”
3. A great flat-rate earner
I don’t go anywhere for leisure purposes without visiting a museum or two while I’m there, and this trip was no exception. We visited three museums, and learned about art, military history, and Hawaiian history, culture, and wildlife. I covered admission costs and gift shop purchases (I’m a sucker for a good fridge magnet) with my Chase Freedom Unlimited®.
I originally opened this account last summer because I wanted a higher base rate on all my credit card purchases. It earns at least 1.5% cash back (earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards points) on everything, with higher earnings on categories like dining out (3%) and travel booked through Chase (5%). Plus, it has no annual fee, so it was an easy call to add it to my wallet.
4. A dining and ride-hailing champion
My travel companion elected to put his portion of our vacation expenses on just one card. The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card comes with a $95 annual fee (see rates and fees), but that card truly pulled its weight on this vacation. My travel companion used it to pay for more than $500 worth of restaurant meals, because it earns 4% cash back on dining. And he also used it to cover most of our rides around the city we stayed in, because through November 2024, cardholders can get a stunning 10% cash back on rides with Uber.
So there you have it — better living through credit cards. I’ll note here that the best strategy for taking advantage of credit card rewards is to pay your cards off in full every month. Otherwise, the interest charges on your purchases will more than eat up the points or cash back you’re earning. Tread carefully, and if you can’t afford to pay for something out of your checking account, don’t charge it on a credit card.
If you’re hoping to take your own tropical vacation, I strongly recommend that you take a look in your wallet and see how your credit cards can make it better by helping you defray some of your costs.
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