How Much Money I Made From Credit Cards In 2024

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

➡ To reiterate what I said in the video, I’m very humbled by how many referral points I earned last year, but please understand that I don’t share those numbers to brag, I share them to be transparent and express my gratitude to each and every one of you who support me. I truly do my best to utilize my points in a way that benefits the channel and helps us all learn together and I hope that’s clear through my content. I can’t thank you enough! 💲 Download MaxRewards: maxrewards.app.link/spencer (Code: SPENCER)

[@thebeasthydre8606]

I appreciate the transparency but I think for next year maybe just do the video without the referral point included except for like a shorter segment at the end or something so people have a more realistic points breakdown. I think the referrals being included over and over in the middle of the video is a little irrelevant to most that don't have a platform to get as many referrals. Appreciate the videos, just my two cents.

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

@@thebeasthydre8606 That's a really great idea. I could include it in it's own section and not spend as much time focused on it. Thank you for the recommendation!

[@RichardMorrison1976]

If these were *my* numbers, I would 100% make a video just to brag about it, lol.

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

@@RichardMorrison1976 Hahah I'm definitely blessed!!

[@DaIton-]

Putting everything out on a spreadsheet really puts into perspective how great of a tool credit cards are for people who use them responsibly

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

I’m really glad you enjoy this format! Getting into the weeds through a spreadsheet is one of my favorite things to do across all my finances, especially credit cards, so I love getting to share that with y’all.

[@vitiligoboi]

Its really cool that you were able to do this! I think its even cooler that you helped Caleb Hammer with his simpler budget application when it came to the credit card section!

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

I’m really glad you enjoyed this one! And I’m super stoked to help Caleb out as well. Gonna be great to chat with his audience on a more personal level!

[@WroteItLikeABook]

Love how you emphasize that this is something everybody can do, credit card game is definitely scary to a lot of newcomers, so it’s very cool to see, great vid Spencer!

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Absolutely! With the right strategy in place, earning hundreds of thousands of points a year is very doable, referrals aside. Thanks so much for the comment as always!!

[@BobI-jb4rk]

Congrats on your prosperity 💰. Your hard work and natural talent is paying off !

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Thank you so much Bob! That really means a lot. Every one of your comments is very appreciated!

[@Fish4Points]

That's awesome you earned that many points and cash when it comes to CC points. keep up the great work. I am trying to get better about using a spreadsheet to at least keep up with me and my wife's 5/24 status.

[@Thehubb1]

To be clear everyone should be paying their STATEMENT balances in full every month. Not necessary to pay the card balance in full and actually not optimal. Happy spending this year everyone!

[@reneecopeland1095]

Wonderful presentation. Congratulations for all of your earnings!

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

I really appreciate that Renee! Thank you so much!

[@antiquehealbot6543]

I just booked my very first business class trip using points. Can't wait to fly that flight. 63000 Chase points for 2800$ ticket was crazy good. I know this is not THE BEST redemption but I'm pretty happy with this.

[@DS-vl3vx]

Congrats! Just starting my points journey. Getting the preferred in the mail on Wednesday. Hoping to see results like that.

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Wow, that's awesome! Congrats on that! That's almost exactly the redemption I made for my flights to Croatia and that was a really amazing experience.

[@soapa4279]

You kidding? 63K points for business class is amazing, regardless of the cash price

[@jpknowledge8852]

Way to go man!!! Absolutely killing it 👏🏾 🙌🏾 Keep on rolling with your success 💪🏾

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

You're the man JP, thank you so much!! Same to you!

[@peterchen205]

Congrats man! Excited to see this video next year (with potentially more earnings)

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Thank you so much Peter! I'll definitely continue the welcome offer grind this year, so I'm hoping to do even better... we'll see!

[@hector-1810]

Don’t be too shy about your referrals. You explain the game well, which is why you have an audience. And you need to hold all cards to show you have experience and are actively participating. You earned those referral points❗️👍

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Thank you so much Hector! That really means a lot. I appreciate the comment a ton 👊🏼

[@arenmartinez1043]

Great video. I’ve recently started watching your journey and you inspire me to get more credit cards. Obviously apply with caution. Can’t wait to see where you plan on using those citi points.

[@arenmartinez1043]

Also when you apply for chase business credit cards, does the 5/24 rule apply ?

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Thanks so much! I'm excited for you to get into the credit card game more as long as you do so responsibly as you noted. Definitely keep me updated!

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

The 5/24 rule still applies, but if you get approved for a Chase business card it won't add to your 5/24 count.

[@JPANMoney]

Amazing! Super thorough and eye opening, great job!

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Thank you so much! That means a lot.

[@SunnyMoneyCCT]

Jeesh and I thought I did good with just 400k points in 2024 , 630k points in 1 year is awesome! I love the layout of these videos and honestly prefer the longer format so keep it up!

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

That's still amazing dude! Those Ink cards really helped me out this year for sure. I was fortunate to get a bunch of elevated offers which is kinda the name of the game at the end of the day!

[@SunnyMoneyCCT]

@ yeah that 120k on the Ink Preferred I just missed out on but I did get 2 90k offers on ink unlimiteds

[@Josh__TG]

Its awesome to see this . Although many of us wont get that many referral points , its still possible to travel and stay hotels for free at least once or twice a year depending on personal spend and transfer partner knowledge. Great vid ! 😎

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

This is exactly what I was hoping to portray in this video so thanks so much for saying the comment! I really appreciate it.

[@SunBePraised]

Hey Spencer, I've been in the game for some time myself and have a similar origin story. Humble beginnings, an average 9-5, low personal spend, and meager PTO. Thanks to strategic credit card usage, I've been able to travel all over the world by learning how to accumulate and redeem points - something I otherwise would never ever be able to afford. To date, I've been to Japan several times (I go once a year now) and go to Europe once a year, all on points earned from my regular everyday spend. The beauty of what you're showing is that it's real and it works. Thanks for sharing your journey and strategies. Can't wait for the next one. Congratulations on your success! PS Good call on closing that garbage Gold card - AmEx cards are GoldC coupon books masquerading as status symbols.

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

This is so amazing to read, thank you for sharing! I'm super happy that you've been able to use credit cards responsibly and make memories you may not have been able to otherwise. That's foundation of everything here on my channel. Getting to read your experiences is such an awesome feeling cuz I know exactly where you're at! Super thankful to have you in the community. Thanks so much for the kind words!

[@Pxlz.]

Never been this early to an upload

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Haha I appreciate you a ton!! 🥉

[@jamesyu613]

Nice amount and can’t beat free in traveling

[@fernyferny5547]

Hey spencer hope you see this comment. I was wondering how we can refer people to credit cards. Are you able to make a short video or can you simply explain in your reply please. Thank you and great work

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Hey there! All you have to do to refer people is go to your card account and find the "refer a friend" button. Then you can share that link with those who need it! I mentioned how the Diamond members of the Credit Community Discord (in my description) get the ability to share referrals with the community, but that's just one option of many.

[@zandokanism]

It would be nice if you shared how much money you spend on each card to see if is more relatable.

[@MoneyGreenNeen]

This makes me want to take a look at my 2024 year. What’s the best way to view rewards for chase and capital one? Guess I’m gonna have to break out the calculator for amex 😂

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Luckily Chase gives you the ability to see what you earned over the past 12 months through their website, but I don't think Capital One was as easy. To be honest, it took me a long time to find all this info across the board and I had to use every individual statement to do it, but it was well worth it!

[@AlanScottTravel]

Great year! Excited to see how you do in 2025!

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Thank you so much Alan! Super grateful to have your support on this journey.

[@ClaudineMoll]

Hey Spencer, thank you for the transparency! Having so many cards, do you have a balance in all of them every month? Im starting to get more cards than I can efectively spend every month, and was curious to understand what is the best strategy. should I do 1$ charges to make sure they ahve a balance or does that not matter that much? Thanks!!

[@TravelBossNas]

That’s awesome Spencer. That makes me want to do the same for me and p2. Very curious what it will be

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Thanks so much! Super stoked for yall. That 2 player strategy can provide some serious value!

[@bohrtim]

Hey man, I asked this a few days ago on a different video, but can you tell me more about the 4% back you get on the Amex Biz Gold for your editing? What category does it fit into? Do you use PayPal? Does it matter?

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Sure thing! It codes as U.S. Electronic Goods and Software. I don't use PayPal or anything, I just complete the payment through my editors payment portal as you would any other online purchase.

[@soapa4279]

Man referrals is where it's at

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

It's an amazing tool that I'm blessed to be able to utilize, that's for sure!

[@Polo1928-v2e]

Your missing anything on the Amex gold it is coupon book.

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

I assume you meant "not missing anything" and I'd agree with you! It can be amazing for certain folks, but doesn't fit my current strategy.

[@DamonCassidy]

When you taking me on a trip??

[@shawn.credit]

Put in a good word to Citi revamp that Citi Strata Premier design immediately the card has to be the cheapest looking ever. The Citi Premier was still plastic but had a premium look I couldn’t bare to carry it but with a design revamp I’d product change back to it from my Custom Cash.

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Hahah dude don’t get me started. Their cards sure earn well but they’re built so poorly.

[@falf9003]

Spencer, good on you to leave civil engineering. I'm in year 13 and still looking to transition out into something else! It's terrible working for someone else haha

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Thanks so much man! I know exactly how you feel. I highly value the work us civil engineers do, but having the ability to work for myself and (hopefully) produce meaningful content for folks is a true blessing. Keep me updated on your journey!

[@LucasAlmeida-ql9mh]

can u give the layout for the doc?

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Just added it to the description under the card links!

[@TravelBloggerBuzz]

Pfffft, is that all? :-) Just made a blog post about how I doubled my annual burning to 2 Million miles & Points from prior years. Been at this since before you were born lol. If I could only make videos with such a high production value like you...and oh, time too lol. You need to start traveling internationally more, there is not much challenge in domestic travel imho, cheers.

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

That's amazing. I definitely didn't redeem quite as many as you, but I feel like I did a pretty good job last year as you'll see in the next video. Over time I'll start to travel internationally more, but as of right now I don't have as many opportunities to until my gf gets more PTO. Of course I could go alone, but that's not as fun for me. Thank you for the kind words man!

[@ab3040]

Please be careful writing off your vacations. I know I'm just a random viewer, but if any accountant says they can be 100% written off on taxes, they are dead wrong. Everything is deductible until you get caught. I just don't want to see you in a stressful IRS audit

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Thank you for the heads up! Always important to do your research for sure.

[@Just_Stevo]

Yooooo. Who has a NLL amex green referral?

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Unfortunately can't help you out here but I appreciate you watching Stevo!

[@dylanschang6386]

I guess I just dont understand your logic for cancelling the Gold. You're right about the credits and not using them and all that hassle, but you easily broke even and got positive value from the referrals alone. I guess I appreciate that you're trying to not let referrals sway your opinion and review of cards, but I feel like you could keep the gold open and say "hey if I didnt have all these referrals, I'd probably close the card". I don't think anyone thinks you're ingenuine or cheating by having a YT channel that lets you do referrals. It's not like you'd go out and say the gold is the bees knees for every user BECAUSE you get the referrals

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

I completely understand your confusion. I think the one thing I'd hone in on is the fact that I didn't "easily" break even. To avoid too long of an explanation here since I covered it in detail in that video, there are a lot of intangible reasons to keep or cancel a card that we don't always consider (opportunity cost, ease of use of credits, forcing ourselves to spend more money than normal to get "positive value" etc.) so it's not always as simple as a math equation necessarily. As for the referrals discussion, you're not wrong, I could keep it open and let people know that referrals are the reason for it, but I'd rather play this game as if I'm a normal credit card user since that's how I believe genuine content is created. I don't disagree with you at all, this is just how I prefer to do business.

[@SOXGATORS]

😊

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

He doesn't quit! 👑

[@AhmadKhwajazada]

First

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

I feel like y'all are at war for the first place finish lol. So close every time 🥈

[@canadianaviator]

Good sir can u share that spreadsheet pls??

[@SpencerJohnsonOfficial]

Just added it to the description under the card links!

[@oZmarkHam]

Hi you are more of a KZbinr than MEAB style :) If you'd like 4x + feel free to reach out :)