Earning Points on College

Episode 178 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, hosted by Cameron Laufer and Eric Holly, focused on maximizing points and miles around one of life’s most expensive milestones: college. The episode opened with a discussion about the demise of a popular Paze/Newegg workaround that had allowed users to earn 10x Ultimate Rewards points through select Chase Sapphire and Freedom cards. While gift card purchases at Newegg are no longer eligible, Cameron and Eric reminded listeners that opportunities still exist through other Paze merchants such as United, StubHub, Sephora, and Domino’s. The hosts also covered several noteworthy developments in the points world, including Chase’s rare 100,000-point Sapphire Preferred bonus, a 15% transfer bonus from American Express Membership Rewards to Avianca LifeMiles, new Chase Freedom quarterly bonus categories, and tighter restrictions on booking award tickets for friends and family through Qatar Airways.

The main discussion centered on strategies for earning rewards while paying college-related expenses. Both hosts emphasized that tuition payments, despite often carrying processing fees near 3%, can still make sense when used to earn lucrative welcome bonuses, elite status thresholds, free night certificates, or airline loyalty benefits. Eric highlighted the use of Gift of College gift cards purchased at grocery stores to earn bonus rewards before loading funds into a 529 plan, while Cameron discussed opportunities to pay expenses with credit cards and potentially reimburse oneself from a 529 account. They also explored ways to earn rewards on student housing, sorority dues, and other campus expenses, including using Bilt for rent payments and strategically timing large expenses to meet spending requirements.

The episode concluded with a discussion on helping college students build good financial habits while earning rewards. Both hosts favored keeping things simple, often recommending a single card setup such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Citi Strata Premier, or Amex Gold to maximize common college spending categories like dining and groceries. Authorized user cards were presented as a useful tool for parents who want visibility into spending and easier record-keeping for reimbursements. Cameron shared that his daughter’s newly approved Sapphire Preferred will likely become her primary college card, while Eric discussed tailoring card strategies to each of his children’s financial maturity and goals. The broader takeaway was that while college can feel like a financial “demotion” for parents, it also presents numerous opportunities to earn valuable points, miles, and travel rewards from expenses that would be incurred anyway.

Episode Links:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred Refresh
• Amex to Lifemiles Bonus
• Chase Freddom/Flex Q3 categories
• Qatar Booking Restrictions

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