E124 - How We Stay At Luxury Hotels With Credit Cards for FREE (Ritz-Carlton for $0)

Book a call: https://remnantfinance.com/calendar Email us at info@remnantfinance.com or visit https://remnantfinance.com for more information FOLLOW REMNANT FINANCE Youtube: @RemnantFinance (https://www.youtube.com/@RemnantFinance) Facebook: @remnantfinance (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560694316588) Twitter: @remnantfinance (https://x.com/remnantfinance) TikTok: @RemnantFinance Don't forget to hit LIKE and SUBSCRIBEHans comes back for Part 2 of the credit card series, picking up where Part 1 left off. He opens with a macro update: Brent at $117 with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve at its lowest level since 1982, the Fed holding with more hikes priced in, and why he doesn't expect the midterms to slow government spending. He then exposes the bonus-stacking strategy behind a peak stack of 30 cards, how to keep old cards alive, and a card-by-card breakdown of the Amex Platinum, Sapphire Reserve, Hilton Aspire, and the Bitcoin rewards cards he uses day to day. Along the way he explains how his family stayed at the St. Regis Deer Valley, the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, and the Hotel del Coronado for free, and how they covered a Maui honeymoon with points.  Chapters: 00:00 – Opening Segment 04:45 – Macro update: oil and the empty SPR 07:00 – Why oil should be cheap 11:20 – The Fed holds as hikes get priced in 16:00 – Election day and government spending 19:15 – Credit cards cut both ways 20:00 – Which camp are you in? 25:30 – Military benefits: SCRA and MLA 28:15 – What happens when you separate 31:30 – Bonus stacking 32:30 – Hitting the minimum spend 35:00 – Keeping old cards alive 38:00 – What's in Hans's wallet 40:10 – Amex Platinum 42:00 – Flexible dates and a free fourth night 43:30 – The airline fee credit trick 46:55 – Amex Gold 48:55 – Chase Sapphire Reserve and Preferred 51:30 – Hotel cards and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant 53:00 – How to stretch a free night certificate 55:00 – The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel for free 56:30 – Hilton Aspire and the Hotel del Coronado 59:30 – Delta SkyMiles Reserve 1:00:45 – Bitcoin rewards cards 1:02:55 – A Maui honeymoon on points 1:04:30 – Using AI to optimize free nights 1:05:40 – Chase's 5/24 rule 1:06:00 – The grace period cliff 1:08:15 – The minimum payment trap 1:10:15 – Closing segment **Key Takeaways:** Know which camp you're in before you play. If you don't care about optimizing, a no-fee 2% card on autopay is a great answer. If you've carried a balance, skip credit cards entirely.  Military service members are sitting on one of the best deals in personal finance. Under the SCRA and MLA, Amex and Chase waive annual fees on personal cards for active duty members, which turns $600 to $900 premium cards into pure upside. The welcome bonus is the bread and butter. Put all of your normal spending on one card until you hit the minimum spend, then move to the next bonus.  Value perks at what you'd actually use. A card's listed benefits can add up to thousands, but only the credits you would use, or happily use because they're free, count toward the annual fee. Free night certificates go further than they look. Top-tier hotel cards come with elite status and automatic upgrades, and certificates can often be topped up with points. Book flexible dates, especially early in the week, and a standard room can turn into an ocean view suite.