How I Earned 325,000 Credit Card Points from my Wedding

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In this video, I’ll explain how I earned 325,000 points and a Hilton Free Night Reward from my wedding expenses.
As these expenses totaled more than $50,000, it was important to get a return on that large expense on spending that I was already going to do anyway.
In these situations, there are unique circumstances that come up that I think we all can learn from.
Of course, welcome offers play a big part in getting the best value back, but depending on the situation, it may not be the best choice for you.
I used the Amex Business Platinum card, the Amex Blue Business Plus card, the old Amex Hilton Business card, and the Bilt Mastercard.
So, definitely watch this video to get ideas on how to tackle your next large business expense and get the most value back for your specific situation!
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📚 Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:33 Approaching Big Spend
03:42 Cards
14:15 Outro
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📜 Advertiser Disclosure / Disclaimer:
Some of the products that appear on this website are from companies from which I will earn an affiliate commission or referral bonus. The welcome offers in this video is not up to date as this video describes a past event for entertainment purposes only. Please check the official issuer websites for the most up to date welcome offers. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available.
I am not a financial advisor, accountant, or lawyer and do not provide financial, tax, or legal advice. This video and any ideas presented in it are my opinions and are provided for entertainment purposes only. Please do your own research and consult your own financial, tax, or legal professional for specific advice.
#creditcard #creditcardrewards #wedding

[@TheCreditFrog]

Note: The new standard welcome offer on the Amex Business Platinum card is to earn 150,000 MR points after spending $20,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of card membership (can be as high as 250k - 300k if you're able to find it!)

[@SolidLiquidFox]

Credit Frog breaking hearts out there. Sorry ladies. This man is taken.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Haha! 😎

[@SolidLiquidFox]

@@TheCreditFrog 😁

[@ChaseYokoyama]

😂

[@jmiller3579]

I mean yes he’s the whole package lol lucky wife there!

[@ShannonLeeSD]

Plot twist: Credit Frog married to get credit card reward points.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Hahaha! That would be so sad. The rewards are the cherry on top, but having the wedding that we wanted was the priority!

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Part of me loves when larger expenses come up knowing that I'm gonna get a few free trips out of those purchases despite them hurting my pocketbook at the time. Much better outcome than using a debit card as long as you use your credit cards responsibly! Awesome video as always Stan 👊🏼

[@TheCreditFrog]

Haha, you know what - same here! Not that I like spending money, but when a large expense comes up, it's like a mini-strategy session on not only how to see if the expense can be done cheaper, but for what has to be spent, how can you get the most amount of return back from that spend. Definitely wouldn't use a debit card/cash for these since large expenses are where you can get the highest return through welcome offers or other benefits or spend targets! I appreciate it Spencer!

[@sheilaa1333]

Hahaha. Yes - it’s the first time I was happy paying my auto insurance (after recently discovering I could use a credit card to pay).

[@jorlouski]

Awesome video Stan!! Congrats on earing all those points and more importantly, for tying the knot!!!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much! Yes, getting married was great, but it was also nice to earn some points at the same time!

[@jimmyjames6492]

Thanks for the great information + video!

[@TheCreditFrog]

You're welcome, Jimmy James!

[@jw0ng23]

gratz on the wedding and earning those valuable travel pts. Appreciate the meticulous breakdown of your earnings

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much Mike! Of course we gotta get some points back for that big spend! Happy to hear you enjoyed the breakdown 👍!

[@MattWelterOfficial]

Absolutely loved this video Stan! Like you, I had to plan/optimize for large spend last year during my wedding planning season, and had some similarities (spent to the $15k Hilton FNC & used the Free Night during honeymoon, and of course going for higher offers that typically would be out of the realm of my organic spending). Getting the Biz Platinum definitely sounds like it made a lot of sense to you, especially with that 150k offer (no Lifetime language makes it even sweeter)! Great video Stan!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much Matt! Yes, the $15k FNC is such a great move when it comes to higher spend. If not for a big expense up front, definitely something to think about that could be spread throughout a calendar year. Once a budget is set, it makes it easier to target welcome offers and benefits that make sense for your situation. To be fair, I probably would have gotten more value out of the newer 250k-300k offers on the biz Platinum going on now, but sadly, with these things we can't time our spending to the best welcome offer - the card just has to be around as is, and you have to make do with what's available. Like you said, though, NLL isn't bad too, haha! Appreciate it bro!

[@clausellray3949]

Nice way to use those credit cards Thanks for sharing keep that content coming

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks Clausell! Will do!

[@HowToCredit]

Stan the man!! This was 🔥

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much!

[@MontyTheCardNerd]

Incredible value you got from your wedding spending! Proud to say that I achieved similar successes with my wedding spending in 2022 (6 or so SUBs with a couple of cashback bonuses to directly offset all the fees). Thanks for sharing Stan!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Of course, Monty! I'm glad to hear that you also got great value from your wedding as well. Welcome offers are so critical with this because of all the credit card fees that seemingly a lot of vendors charge! Definitely wasn't prepared for that, but being net positive in the end is what's important, whether it's CB, points, or maybe a mix of both!

[@DugrozReports]

Love your content, Stan!!! I especially appreciate the good audio - makes it easy when I can listen but not watch!!!! (car, shower, etc). I would say something like "no way I'd value the Dell credit at 100%," but you also used an Uber-Conservative value of 1 cpp, so I'd say those things cancel out. Props!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks Dugroz! Yes, audio is super important, and I'll admit, I also do a lot of YT listening when I'm commuting, which is very frequent since I have to drive a lot to get to work. Yeah, I understand that it may be hard to value the Dell credit at 100%, but in my case, it's only 3 semi-annual periods where I could certainly purchase office goods at Dell that I needed anyways. And yeah, I like to use conservative values so then when it works out better, I'm always pleasantly surprised!

[@AnthonyVenture]

I thought I was the only one watching everyone in the shower. 😳

[@TheCreditFrog]

@@AnthonyVenture

[@phoenixfats1190]

Excellent intro and disclaimer. Always pay your balance in full and on time. Any thoughts on a video doing the math on how the interest will eat away at the ROS? Congrats on the wedding, an important time to be celebrated.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Absolutely! It's so easy to get carried away with things like this so it's important to know where you stand before you get started - and that is hopefully to not hold a balance! I've never looked into the math for that, but I imagine it'd be quite high. If you're CC APR is 20%+ and you're only getting 10%-ish ROS with a welcome offer, it doesn't take math to understand that your gains will be eaten away super quick!

[@JuanGarcia-hr1wf]

Great video Stan on accumulating all those points 👏

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much Juan! Gotta get something back for that larger spend!

[@JuanGarcia-hr1wf]

@TheCreditFrog Totally agree. Similar to my 120K SUB for 15K spend on Amex Business Platinum and 175K SUB for 8K spend on personal platinum

[@TheCreditFrog]

@@JuanGarcia-hr1wf Aww nice! Way 2 go nailing that 175k Amex Platinum welcome offer - that must feel real good 😎

[@getsugatenshoFTW]

Ay congrats Stan! Interesting approach on large spend offers. I opted for completely signup bonuses and earned 360k points on 23k spend (200k offer on biz plat, 100k offer on ink preferred, and 60k AA on aviator red). Next up is the sapphire preferred (75k offer!) More stressful this way, but now this has got me thinking of picking up a surpass for the FNC

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks! Wow, that is incredible return for $23k! And congrats on also getting the elevated 75k CSP offer! Yeah, in hindsight, maybe the Amex BBP wasn't the best choice for maximization since I probably could've earned a whole lot more with a different card, but because of my circumstances, that was what I went with. The Surpass right now would be a great pickup with its current limited time welcome offer for 130k HH and 1FNC after $3k spend in 6 months. Totally doable and a great option. Bonus points if you could hit $15k in the next 7 months too for that 2nd FNC!

[@OperationNonsense]

That’s over 6 points average per dollar spent, very impressive value ratio.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Yes, I'm pretty happy with it! I think I could have maximized more, but given my circumstances, it was the right route for me!

[@ItsMeCJ]

Man, I’m glad you got to take advantage of the FNC for $15k spend on the HHB before it changed. Did I hear that you got 25k MRs on the BBP as a welcome offer? If so, that stinks but kudos to you for not being bummed out about that. This was a solid way to earn points on your wedding expenses. Now….since you’re rich in points, where’s the next trip?! 😃😃😃

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks CJ! Yeah, me too. It was such a nice perk of the card - still salty that they got rid of it. Also yeah, that BBP offer was terrible, but at least I had one when I was ready to get it. The offers now ok that card are much better! Not sure what the next trip is going to be, but we’ll see!

[@SpencerChewitt]

Nice breakdown of the points you earned from the wedding Stan! Is there gonna be a part 2 where you breakdown how to turn girlfriend into wife? Or do I need to figure that part out myself

[@TheCreditFrog]

I appreciate it Spencer! Haha, I don't think there's a step-by-step guide to that. The moment you try too hard to figure that out is where things fall apart. You just know when you know!

[@ChaseYokoyama]

Who's looking to get married so we can score some credit card points?! 👀 Those large expenses don't hurt as much when you score points like this in return.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Hahaha! Well let’s not get carried away with the Spaving! It does help though if you can plan out those larger expenses so you can get some decent return back!

[@charlesbaker4225]

Do you have the link to the Amex business plus 50K bonus!?

[@TheCreditFrog]

Man, I wish! I've seen it on incognitos like a month ago, but I haven't seen it recently. I'm sure it'll show up again at some point soon!

[@wanderingdoc5075]

Great breakdown Stan. How can the Dell credit be valued at full? Like how would your life be any different if you didn't spend $600 on Dell every year? Business electronic upgrades are generally not that common (especially being forced to order from Dell), so I think we have to admit a lot of this spend is forced "because you have the Dell credit"

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks Wandering Doc! Yeah, good question, I think it's just timing it to when you have electronics to upgrade. For example, things I've bought from Dell that I still use are monitors, gaming chairs, external hard drives, and the like. Most of these exceed the $200 statement credit so that's why IMO, the spend that I do can be valued at full. The Biz Plat will not live past the first year, but even if it did, the Dell credit (and the others) are going away by the end of the year, so we'll have to see what other credits replace them!

[@wanderingdoc5075]

@@TheCreditFrog Good points! After watching your video you got me thinking to maybe spend the 15k on the hilton biz card to get that FNC haha

[@TheCreditFrog]

@@wanderingdoc5075 Gotta act fast!! I think the Hilton biz FNC is going away by 7/1 so you still have time, but not much!

[@wanderingdoc5075]

@@TheCreditFrog I think I'll just throw 13k estimated tax payments on there to get my FNC (also the 215K Hilton points from the SUB)

[@TheCreditFrog]

@@wanderingdoc5075 Damn that's sexy 🤩

[@user-wh1ti5cl2c]

Thank you for the video. And congratulations on your marriage, I wish you happiness. I love the way you break down the numbers. $50000 for a marriage, That is a worthy number. A far cry from the hundred dollars I spent on mine. But on the bright side I did get married by reverend love.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Of course, Dave! I appreciate the well wishes. That's so awesome that you were able to spend so little on your wedding. What matter the most is the quality of the marriage, and as long as you are both happy, that's all that matters! I'm a little jealous, but I wouldn't trade our wedding day for anything, and it's now a wonderful memory that both me and my wife can share together and with our friends and family.

[@user-wh1ti5cl2c]

@TheCreditFrog I got such A bargain for my wedding because I had no money. I was 19 years old and a $100 was a lot of money back then. Of course that was over forty years ago now. I'm happy for you. If I ever see you I'll buy you a drink, I will be the older man with the hat

[@TheCreditFrog]

@user-wh1ti5cl2c I would really like that!

[@MasonsTurtle]

My wedding was around $15,000 but held in Shanghai with only like 100 guests.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Very nice Mason! Awesome that you were able to keep those wedding expenses down since the average is around $30k now. Weddings continue to get more and more expensive, but depending on what you're looking for, you can get a lot for less!

[@DugrozReports]

$3,000 in Iowa, 2001. :)

[@TheCreditFrog]

That’s awesome Dugroz!

[@jwil4286]

so, where did you go for your honeymoon? Waldorf Astoria Maldives?

[@TheCreditFrog]

Haven't gone yet but will be doing some very nice properties for sure! 👍

[@zsm5833]

little curious how much you have spent in total for the wedding. no offense, but imo if you wanna pursue Hyatt Lifetime Globalist status you might actually earn it faster by self-hosting the wedding and booking rooms at Hyatt properties

[@TheCreditFrog]

Although I won't reveal this number for privacy reasons, I'll say that it was at least $50k. Honestly, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist was not on my radar since I almost never stay at their properties. Flexible points was my primary goal, and then Hilton FNCs after that. If I could do over and guarantee card approval, I would have gotten Amex Business Gold 150k, and re-rolled a Hilton Surpass card, but the threat of pop-up jail would have derailed that plan so I stuck with what I had.

[@zsm5833]

@@TheCreditFrog I mean its not like you must choose one to do it, you can pursue Lifetime Globalist and working with the SUBs at the same time. And since you get the CIP (or in the future idk) the points can be transferred to Hyatt in case you need to stay (like anniversary or Valentines), and paired with Globalist status you have the similar benefits as the Marriott Platinum

[@TheCreditFrog]

@@zsm5833 Yeah, you're right. You can definitely run that spend side by side with welcome offers. URs can get great value with Hyatt transfers, no doubt. I wish Marriott had a good rewards program too, but it just can't compare with Hyatt. Thanks for the suggestion, I'm going to look into it more!

[@paulsheppard4124]

No chase business ink preferred??? That’s what I used to pay for my HVAC

[@paulsheppard4124]

Shoot I literally commented this 12 seconds before you mentioned it 😂

[@TheCreditFrog]

Haha, yeah. Would have LOVED to use the Ink Preferred, but it wasn't in the cards this time around!

[@nubianpwr]

The best decision you made (excluding marriage), was to "not" get a 2nd Amex Bus Gold in order to avoid tracking more credits👏🏾😀 The only disappointing part of this happy story were the FTFs you had to pay using Amex cards - bizarre - because they can do better. I imagine the wedding was a beautiful one! May your days be filled with much happiness Stan😊🙏🏾

[@TheCreditFrog]

Haha! I knoww, but I would have had so many more MR points! The fact that I'm statement credit burnt really didn't help my optimization, but for my personal sanity, definitely a great decision. Yeah, the CC fees super sucked, but apparently it's super common in the wedding industry. I appreciate the love Nkosi, and your constant support. It means a great deal that you've been a member for over a year now! Thank you so much brother! 👊

[@nubianpwr]

@@TheCreditFrog right back at ya brother👊🏾 I admire & gain from the high quality of ur content😊

[@AnthonyVenture]

This was a MASTERCLASS! Amazing stuff Stan, I was really waiting for this video and I loved the total value you got out of it, this is why this game is so great! Ps. Please tell me Marriott Sponsored your wedding 😂😂😂 - but seriously, very happy for you both and cheers to many many happy years!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much Tony! Haha, yeah with larger spend comes larger rewards so it was nice to implement this type of strategy for this pretty much one-time big expense! I really appreciate the well wishes! I wish I had a hotel sponsor, but sadly it wasn't in the cards!

[@IceIcelce]

Aaaaaandddd it’s gone from the honeymoon. Grats!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Hahaha! Yeah, basically. Although, we booked our honeymoon with points before the wedding, so this kind of helped replenish the pot! Appreciate the well wishes!

[@ItsMeCJ]

First!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Aww CJ. Almost!! 🥈

[@ItsMeCJ]

@@TheCreditFrognoooo! 😤

[@theclown888]

Spoiler alert: By spending a lot of money.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Accurate.

[@AhmadKhwajazada]

First**

[@TheCreditFrog]

You got it!

[@AhmadKhwajazada]

Firat

[@TheCreditFrog]

Congrats Ahmad! You are first! 🥇 🏆

[@ItsMeCJ]

Ahmad still cheating I see. What’s rule #1 Ahmad?!

[@JonsCreditAndTravel]

Well played Stan!!! I want to be like you when I grow up Congrats again on the nuptials.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thank you so much Jon!! I appreciate you and what you do for this credit card community. I'm glad you're also enjoying the custom emojis!!

[@JonsCreditAndTravel]

I should be the one thanking you Stan. You are the one with the much bigger audience. You are the one reaching people with great content. I really appreciated your approach to not adding any personal cards to your set up for 5/24 reasons. The mix of biz cards and cards you already held was spot on the perfect plan. Leaving some points on the table doesn't really matter when you can make them up later on with SUBs. Im your padawan Master Jedi. Frog On!!!!