How To Track Credit Cards and Rewards

As you determine your strategy for accumulating points and miles, keeping track of which rewards you have across various airline, credit card, and hotel programs can seem daunting at first. However, thanks to AwardWallet's powerful and easy-to-use features, as well as other simple strategies, you can quickly and easily make a well-informed and data-driven strategy for choosing credit cards to apply for and which points and miles you can redeem.

How To Track Credit Cards, Rewards & More with AwardWallet

Tracking rewards with AwardWallet is very easy! The app and website are integrated with hundreds of travel, dining, and shopping loyalty programs, as well as major credit card brands. Rather than having to log into multiple accounts at once and open a wide variety of apps and browser tabs, AwardWallet provides a simple, one-stop shop to see how many points you have in each program you are a member of. Want to see how many Delta miles you have as well as Starbucks stars? This easily can be done in AwardWallet.

AwardWallet can do more than just track the amount of points and miles you have. You can also track free night awards and room upgrades, store travel documents (such as passports, visas, and vaccine cards), and get notified when the number of points or miles in a loyalty program changes.

In order to learn how to track rewards in AwardWallet and add accounts, check out our article on tracking points with AwardWallet.

How To Track Credit Cards and Sign-Up Bonuses With Travel Freely

Another way to track which credit cards are in your wallet and their sign-up bonuses is with Travel Freely. Travel Freely has a really simple user interface that enables you to track which cards you have, and adding cards to Travel Freely is quite easy on both the mobile app and the website. You can easily track when an account was opened, the user who holds the account, whether or not it is active, and if you've achieved the welcome bonus. Furthermore, Travel Freely also automatically fills in the sign-up bonus and spending required to receive those points, although these can be customized depending on the offer you have applied for.

Keeping track of annual fee deadlines, welcome bonus deadlines, and whether you are above or below 5/24 is easy, too. These can be found on the Card Stats screen.

Based on your 5/24 status, which cards are in your wallet, and whether you have a business, Travel Freely will also recommend cards to apply for with its CardGenie feature.

You can filter CardGenie's suggestions by card category, issuing bank, fees, reward programs, and the bonus spend required.

How To Track Cards Using a Spreadsheet

One additional option for tracking cards is using a spreadsheet. While it may seem like a less shiny alternative to an app, tracking in a spreadsheet does have its advantages. If you are traveling in areas with limited or no internet connection, you can download and edit your spreadsheet directly to your phone, tablet, or computer without having to worry about loading times. In addition, you can quickly and easily track more data about your cards in one easy-to-read sheet.

Here are some of the data points about your credit cards and credit card applications that we recommend tracking:

• Card status: Applied, denied, opened, or closed
• Card name
• Creditor: The bank issuing the card
• Date applied: The day you applied. Likely the day that you'll have a credit inquiry generated on your report
• Date approved: The day your account was opened, on which your minimum spend time clock starts
• Date activated: When you enable use of the card online or on the phone
• Date closed: The day you've closed your credit account
• Account number: Perhaps only fill in the last four numbers
• Rewards account: What type of rewards are being earned
• Rewards account number: The loyalty account number associated with the rewards account
• Application URL: URL visited to complete the application
• Credit limit: Line of credit provided on this card
• Credit bureau: Which credit bureau(s) were used to check your creditworthiness
• Personal or business card: Which type of account this is
• Name or business name on the account
• Address on file
• Email address + phone number on the account
• Bonus details: The bonus associated with the card and the spending required to earn it
• Deadline for minimum spend: The date you must complete the spending by
• Annual fee: List its price and due date

An example of an Excel spreadsheet created to keep track of credit card applications

Another advantage of tracking in a spreadsheet is that you can choose how much credit card-related data you want to display. If you only want a spreadsheet that shows card product, payment due dates (which you can use built-in spreadsheet software reminders to alert you as these dates approach), and credit limit, a spreadsheet might be better for tracking this information than a full-fledged app. Additionally, you can use a spreadsheet to incorporate data that an app might not have, including offers and promotions available and transfer partners for each card.

Use a Personal Finance App To Track Repayment Dates on Each Account

Did you know personal finance apps also can track when your credit card bills are due? Apps such as Mint include built-in integrations with nearly every financial institution in the United States and display account standing, due dates, and credit limits. They also can monitor net worth, investment portfolios, and spending. You can use Mint's built-in features to alert you when bills are due and when bills have been paid.

Enable Auto-Pay on Your Accounts

In addition to tracking repayment dates with a personal finance app, you also should set up auto-pay on all credit card accounts so you do not miss a payment. When you open a new account, immediately set up auto-pay. Missing a payment can lead to high interest rates on money borrowed, late payment fees, and dings to your credit score.

Choose the Right Cards

When planning which cards to use, you should determine which cards give you the most points on your spending while also providing you with rewards that can fund your travel. That way, you can minimize the number of cards you apply for and maximize the amount of points you receive. Once you determine the main cards you will be using for most of your spending, only carry those cards around in your wallet, unless you want to use a credit or meet a welcome bonus minimum spending amount on a different card. Keep your remaining cards in a safe yet easy-to-access space.

For me, I typically revolve my spending between three cards in my everyday wallet. I typicaly carry one or two of these cards in my iPhone Wallet, which sticks on the back of my iPhone with MagSafe and has built-in Find My technology, so I will be alerted with its most recent location if it is detached. I carry additional cards in a separate, larger wallet, and will use them when I need to (like when I want to use the monthly dining credit on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card).

Final Thoughts

In order to have a successful points and miles earning strategy, keeping track of your rewards and cards is essential and keeps you organized. Whether you use apps like AwardWallet or Travel Freely or use your own spreadsheet, you can easily come up with the best credit card and reward tracking method that suits your needs.

What do you use to track your credit cards and rewards? Let us know in the comments.

AwardWallet Tip of The Day

Did you know you can filter the accounts in your AwardWallet account dashboard? Use the Accounts Filter search field at the top right of the dashboard to view only a particular program or a subset of your loyalty accounts tracked by AwardWallet.
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