Tulsa family • points-first travel
Hey! We’re the Cobbs.
We fund real family vacations with credit card points — and show you exactly how, with the receipts to prove it.
Work With Me 1-on-1
I get a ton of the same questions in my DMs, so I opened up consulting. Bring your card strategy, a specific trip you’re trying to book, or the “which card next?” question — we’ll talk it through, no pressure.
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Cards We Actually Use
Not every card that exists — just the ones in our family’s wallet, and the specific reason each one earns its spot.
Bilt Palladium
Our #1 for a reason: it’s the only card capturing points on our mortgage — spend we were completely missing before. And Bilt points transfer 1:1 to some of the best partners in the game, including World of Hyatt, Japan Airlines, and Alaska’s Atmos Rewards (Bilt is the ONLY card that can transfer to Alaska). Best everyday earning ecosystem we’ve found.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
The best beginner travel card, full stop. If you’re just stepping into the travel-points world, this is the on-ramp — a reasonable $95 annual fee, real transfer partners, and a points system that actually clicks. Heads up: Chase recently refreshed it and trimmed the Hyatt transfer ratio from 1:1 to 4:3, which stings a little — but between the new bonus categories and the $100 hotel credit, it still delivers real value at the entry level.
Capital One Venture X
The card that basically pays for itself. Between the $300 annual travel credit (used through the Capital One Travel portal) and 10,000 anniversary miles every year, the perks cover the fee. It’s our favorite entry into premium travel cards — but get it EARLY in your journey, because Capital One is notoriously strict about how many recent accounts and inquiries are on your report.
Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select
A strategic play, especially on an elevated welcome offer. Catch a big AA miles bonus and pair it with the transfer points from one of the cards above, and you can line up free flights on American AND a free hotel stay from a totally separate points balance — the kind of stack that turns one trip into almost entirely “free.”
What’s In My Wallet
Every card we currently carry — the full lineup, no gatekeeping. Here’s exactly what’s in our family’s wallet right now and what each one does for us.
Bilt Palladium
Our new everyday catch-all. It earns 2x on basically everything, so it’s taken over the “just tap it” role the Venture X used to play for us — plus it earns on rent and mortgage, which almost nothing else does.
Capital One Venture X
The travel-perks anchor. We keep it for the $300 annual travel credit and the 10,000 anniversary miles every cardmember year — those two alone more than cover what the card costs us.
Capital One Savor
Our Venture X’s partner in crime. It supercharges our Capital One miles on the categories we spend the most in, then those miles pool right alongside the Venture X for bigger redemptions.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
The card we point beginners to. If you’re stepping into travel points for the first time, this is the friendliest on-ramp — approachable annual fee, real transfer partners, and a points system that actually makes sense.
Chase Freedom Unlimited
A points multiplier for the Sapphire. On its own it’s a solid everyday earner, but paired with the Preferred it quietly pumps up our Chase points balance so our travel redemptions go further.
Chase Freedom Flex
Same game as the Unlimited, different angle. We lean on its bonus categories when they line up, then funnel all of it into the Sapphire to supercharge the balance when it makes sense.
Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select
Our American Airlines plug. Every other ecosystem we earn in doesn’t touch AA — this is the card that lets us stack AAdvantage miles so we’re not locked out of American’s award space.
Discover it Cash Back
A steady rotating-category earner that rounds out the wallet and keeps some cash-back flexibility in the mix alongside all the points cards.
Hilton Honors
A Hilton-ecosystem earner — but full transparency, we grabbed this one mainly for the welcome bonus to help stack points toward a specific goal.
Hilton Honors Business
Same story as its personal sibling. Between the two Hilton cards’ bonuses and free night certificates, we’re stacking toward something big for the family. (More on that… eventually.)
Stay in the Loop
Drop your email and I’ll send the good stuff when it’s worth your time — new card offers, points strategies, and things I can’t always fit into a TikTok. No spam, no set schedule, just the useful stuff.