Who doesn’t love free stuff? What about over $18,000 worth of free stuff every year? That’s the amount of annual travel benefits my husband and I receive at zero cost. And why is it free? Because as the spouse of an active-duty military member, the annual fees on all of our Chase and American Express® cards are waived, for both myself and my husband.
People play the points-and-miles hobby in different ways. Some try to collect as many American Express® cards as possible once they learn fees are waived. Others hold just one or two cards and keep things simple. And then there are what I like to call the marathoners.
I fall into that camp. I’m always mindful of my Chase 5/24 status because I try to pick up new Chase business cards between personal card welcome offers. That means I’m not rushing to grab every single Amex card available — doing so would push me far over 5/24 and lock me out of Chase cards for years.
With that strategy in mind, here’s how my husband and I rack up nearly $18,000 in free annual benefits from the cards we hold.
Myself (P1) Annual Benefits — About $11,000 Total
American Express® Cards — $7,720
The Platinum Card® from American Express (x2 because I hold two in my name) – $4,570
- $200 Airline Fee Credit (usually used for United Travel bank credit)
- $300 lululemon Credit
- $400 Resy Credit
- $300 Uber Cash
- $300 Digital Entertainment Credit
- ~$170 Walmart+ Membership Credit (~$14/mo; used on one card only)
- $100 Saks Fifth Avenue Credit
- $600 Fine Hotels + Resorts® property credit
- There are also other credits like a $200 Ōura credit, Clear Credits, etc. but I personally don’t use those so I won’t include them here.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (x2 because I hold two) — $2,200
- Free Night Reward (valued at ~$500 for this breakdown, though we often get $700–$1,000+)
- $200 Airline Fee Credit
- $400 Hilton Resort Credit
- Hilton Honors Diamond status (upgrades + free breakfast credits)
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (x1) — $950
- 85K Free Night Award (valued at ~$500 but can easily exceed $600+)
- $300 Dining Statement Credit ($25/mo)
- Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status (free breakfast, upgrades, lounge access). I will add approx $150 in value due to free breaksfast credits and upgrades.
Chase Cards — Approximately $3,340
Chase Sapphire Reserve® (x2 as I hold two of these in my name) — $1,600
- $300 Travel Credit
- $300 annual StubHub® credit
- Priority Pass™ Select membership (I value our lounge visits at approx. $400/year in free food, but only one membership is needed so I won’t count this value twice)
United Club℠ Infinite Card — $540
- $99 Instacart+ membership
- $240 in Instacart statement credits
- United Club℠ lounge access — we use this 1–2x/year, saving ~$150–$200 in food for our family
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card — $400
- 7,500 anniversary Rapid Rewards® points (~$100)
- Free checked bags & preferred boarding — valued at about $300 for us
Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card — $800
(Only available via upgrade from the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card; not open for direct applications.)
- 85K Free Night Certificate (valued at ~$500 but often redeemable for much higher)
- $300 Annual Airline Fee Credit
- Priority Pass™ Select membership with unlimited guests (I don’t value this here since we use CSR’s membership)
Total for me (P1): approximately $11,000 in free benefits.
My Husband’s (P2) Annual Benefits — About $7,450 Total
American Express® Cards — Approximately $5,650
The Platinum Card® from American Express (x2 as he holds two in his name) — $4,400
Same benefits as mine — two Platinum Cards. We don’t use the Walmart plus memhership on his accounts.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card — $1,100
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card — $150
- $150 Hotel Credit
- Other benefits like the companion certificate or dining credits aren’t used by us, so I didn’t include them
- We mainly keep this card for the 15% discount on Delta award flights
Chase Cards — $1,800
Chase Sapphire Reserve® — $600
- $300 Travel Credit
- $300 StubHub® Credit
World of Hyatt® Credit Card — $200
- Free Night Award (Category 1–4) — valued around $200, though often redeemable for more
United Card — $99
- We mainly use the complimentary Instacart+ membership
- He would have United Club access if traveling alone
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Priority — $100
- Value from 7,500 anniversary points
- I don’t count checked bags/preferred seating since my card already gives us those benefits
Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card — $800
Same benefits as my card above.
Total for P2: approx. $7,450 in free benefits.
Grand Total: Over $18,000 in Free Annual Benefits
What’s Next for Our Strategy?
My husband still needs:
- The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
- Another Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
But American Express limits you to five credit cards, and he’s already at the max (Blue Business® Plus, Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business Card, Blue Cash Everyday®, etc.). We’ll need to close a couple before opening new ones. I’d also like him to get another Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® so we can eventually upgrade to a second Ritz-Carlton™ Card.
For me, I’m also at the Amex 5-card credit limit. When my Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card hits its one-year mark, I’ll close it and pick up my second Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant®. I also want to try and get another Boundless this year.
And since you can hold five American Express charge cards (Platinum, Gold, Green, etc.), I plan to add more Platinum Cards — while still being mindful of Chase 5/24.
We have slowly added all these cards to our lineup over the years but everyone approaches it differently. Collect what you feel comfortable with, so you can also have thousands of dollars of free benefits EACH year!
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