Managing Travel Credit Card Benefits with AI

If you’re someone with travel credit cards, you probably understand the struggle of keeping track of all the benefits and credits. Between annual fees, monthly statement credits, travel perks, and free hotel nights, it’s a lot to manage. If you don’t have a proper system in place, you might be losing out on valuable rewards.

For a while, I relied on spreadsheets and calendar reminders, which was… well, a bit of a hassle. It worked, but it also consumed a lot of time. Now, though, I’ve started using ChatGPT to help me keep track of my benefits.

Here’s how I’m using AI to manage my perks, and how you can do the same.

Tracking Credit Card Perks: Why It Matters

Travel credit cards can be quite valuable, especially as annual fees continue to increase. Before diving into calculations, it’s wise to reconsider any cards with hefty fees. The challenge, however, lies in actually taking advantage of the perks you’re paying for and keeping a close eye on what you’ve used and what’s left.

Take the Amex Gold card, for instance. Cardholders enjoy various benefits, including:

• Monthly $10 meal credits for Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, or 5 men.
• Up to $84 per year at Dunkin.
• Uber Cash worth up to $120 for rides or food delivery ($10 monthly).
• Up to $100 for dining at associated restaurants, with a cap of $50 twice a year.

If you don’t keep track month-to-month, it’s easy to forget about these benefits. Many perks come with expiration dates; they won’t roll over into the next month, or even six months in some cases, like with Resy credits.

This is where ChatGPT can act as a personal perks assistant. Simply let ChatGPT know whenever you use any of these credits each month.

Using ChatGPT as Your Credit Card Benefit Tracker

Every time you redeem benefits from your cards, just send a quick note to ChatGPT. For example, you might say, “I spent $169.32 on my Chase Sapphire Aliserve’s $300 annual travel credit.” This way, ChatGPT keeps a tally and informs you about what you’ve used and what’s still available.

You can ask questions like:

• “How much have I used in Amex Gold credits this year?”
• “What’s my current balance for my Chase Sapphire Reserve $300 travel credit?”
• Assign reasonable values to things like lounge visits and free hotel night certificates to assess whether the card is worth keeping.

For example, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I value a lounge visit at $25. It helps measure against the card’s $795 annual fee.

Why is This Method Better Than Spreadsheets?

Spreadsheets are static and cumbersome, requiring regular updates. With AI, you engage in a natural conversation, and it handles the calculations for you.

The flexibility is where the real advantage lies. For instance:

• You can customize values for various perks.
• You can ask questions anytime, like, “Did I use my airline credits with the Hilton Aswire Card?”
• Track your cards over time, including renewal fees and anniversary dates.

Consistency is key: let ChatGPT know when you use any perks, and it’ll keep everything organized for you.

Setting Up Your Own AI Credit Card Tracker

You don’t need to be tech-savvy to begin. Here’s how to get rolling:

1. Choose your AI platform: I use ChatGPT Plus for $20 monthly, which offers data-saving capabilities. However, you can also use free options to keep ongoing conversations.
2. Start a dedicated project: Create a “credit card perk tracking” project where you can manage all your cards. This really helps with organization.
3. List your cards and benefits: Document all the cards you have, along with the perks you want to track, annual fees, and renewal dates.
4. Record usage: Just drop a quick message each time you use a benefit; consistency is crucial for accurate tracking.
5. Assign custom values: For benefits that don’t have a set monetary value, estimate one. For instance, I value my visits to the Chase Sapphire Lounge at $25.
6. Ask questions: Regularly check what you’ve used versus your annual fee. This helps in deciding whether to renew your card.

Additional Ways to Use AI for Managing Reward Trips

AI has numerous applications for keeping organized. One feature I find useful is tracking total balances of my points and miles. Though it took some initial setup, now, I just inform it when my point balances change.

I utilize average point valuations from various sources to have a clear picture of what my points are worth. Each time I redeem points, I report this to ChatGPT, which helps me track their average value.

After just a month, I found this system invaluable for knowing where my points stand and their worth.

Conclusion

This represents a new level of optimizing credit card perks. Once you establish the system, the upkeep becomes effortless. Leveraging AI allows me to maximize the benefits from my cards, ensuring I never overlook anything. Plus, it helps highlight if I’m getting sufficient value to justify the annual fees.

It’s like having a dynamic spreadsheet that transforms my entire approach to managing credit cards.