42. High-Yield Strategies for Solo Points Earners with Dr. Erin Casey
Dec 18, 2023
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Dr. Erin Casey, a retired hematologist-oncologist turned hospitalist, shares her high-yield strategies for earning over one million points as a solo points earner. She discusses challenges faced by solo earners, credit card strategies, and maximizing the value of points for travel. The episode concludes with tips and advice for solo points earners.
Solo points earners can still achieve high levels of points by strategically utilizing credit cards with higher earning potential based on their typical expenses.
Dr. Erin Casey's strategy as a solo points earner involved signing up for new credit cards, earning welcome bonuses, and leveraging additional strategies like Rakuten and the Chase Inc. Business Cash card to maximize points earning and redemptions.
Deep dives
Summary of the main ideas - Part 1
Solo points earners are not limited in their points earning ability and can still achieve high levels of points. The guest on the podcast, Dr. Erin Casey, earned over 1 million points in a year as a solo points earner. Her strategy involved getting credit cards with higher earning potential based on her typical expenses, such as groceries, dining, and travel. She also emphasized the importance of utilizing bonus categories, like the five times points for office supply spending with the Chase Inc. Business Cash card, and using cashback platforms like Rakuten to maximize points earning. By being strategic and utilizing available resources, solo points earners can earn significant amounts of points.
Summary of the main ideas - Part 2
Challenges faced by solo points earners include having fewer expenses and not having a second player to contribute points. However, these challenges can be overcome by identifying and leveraging available resources. Dr. Erin Casey shared that, as a solo points earner, she doesn't have as many expenses or business-related spending, but she still found ways to get good redemptions from her earned points. By being strategic about purchases and focusing on points-earning cards with higher earning potential for her typical expenses, such as groceries, dining, and household expenses, she was able to accumulate a significant number of points worth thousands of dollars in travel. She also mentioned the importance of utilizing Rakuten and the Chase Inc. Business Cash card to further maximize points earning.
Summary of the main ideas - Part 3
Dr. Erin Casey's strategy primarily focused on signing up for new credit cards and earning welcome bonuses. She recognized the value of new cards and their ability to earn large amounts of points through sign-up bonuses. She shared that in her first year as a solo points earner, she obtained 12 new cards, including a mix of personal and business cards. However, she highlighted the importance of being mindful of the 5/24 rule and pacing out credit card applications. She also mentioned the significance of choosing cards that offered points for purchases aligning with her spending habits and focusing on cards with higher earning potential, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve, AMEX Gold, and Chase Inc. Business Cash card. By strategically applying for and using these cards, she earned a significant amount of points.
Summary of the main ideas - Part 4
Dr. Erin Casey utilized various strategies to earn points beyond new credit cards. She highlighted the importance of using Rakuten for online shopping to earn additional points and maximizing the benefits of the Chase Inc. Business Cash card, especially its 5x earning category for office supply spend. She shared how she used this card to purchase store-specific gift cards at office supply stores, allowing her to earn more points for everyday expenses. Additionally, she mentioned leveraging card-specific offers and paying for expenses for others to earn more points. Dr. Erin Casey also emphasized the importance of keeping track of points and being strategic in point redemption. She explained how she focused on earning points with a higher redemption value, primarily using them for international flights, upgrades, and hotel stays. Her overall strategy involved utilizing available resources and being proactive in earning and maximizing points.
Today, I’m joined by Dr. Erin Casey, a retired hematologist-oncologist turned hospitalist. As a solo points earner without high expenses, Erin wasn’t sure if she could earn as many points as those who play the points game with a spouse or friend. Yet, she implemented a strategy to maximize her points, and if you’re in a similar situation, you can too.
Tune in this week to discover how Dr. Erin Casey earned over one million points in 2023 without having a two-player strategy. Erin is sharing the specific challenges she faced with minimal expenses. Learn how to start identifying the highest-yield points strategies for you and your specific needs.