Turn your routine morning latte and grocery trips into a travel fund by earning points on the spending you already do.
June 2, 2026
Expert contributors: Julian B. Morris, CFP® and Founder of Concierge Wealth Management; Gary Gray, Personal Finance Advisor
You don't need to be a big spender or have a packed travel calendar to get value from a travel rewards card. By using the right card for the spending you're already doing—like groceries, gas, and your morning latte—every swipe becomes a deposit into a personal travel fund, quietly stacking up points in the background while you go about your day.
As Julian B. Morris, CFP® and Founder of Concierge Wealth Management, points out, "One of the more underrated financial habits is minimizing friction. The easier the system is to maintain, the more likely people are to stay consistent with it."
Read more about the Bank of America® Travel Rewards card.
Daily habits fund vacations by accumulating small, consistent points on every transaction through a travel rewards credit card, which eventually stack up into significant travel credits you can use to offset trip expenses.
Funding travel with daily habits may sound impossible, but the math shows you really can turn coffee into travel. Imagine you spend $250 a month on coffee, snacks, and lunch runs. If you pay for your morning fuel with a travel rewards card like the Bank of America® Travel Rewards card that earns 1.5x points per $1 spent, that's $3,000 a year quietly generating 4,500 points in your travel fund, without changing a single habit.
Scale that up to include groceries and gas, and those numbers grow fast. What can 4,500 points actually get you? That's nearly enough to cover a checked bag fee on most U.S. airlines, take care of an airport meal, or offset a rideshare to your hotel. It's real money back in your pocket on a trip you were already planning to take.
Simplicity is the best strategy for beginners because it prevents "point rot"—when points sit unused because redeeming them feels like homework—and ensures you actually utilize your earned rewards.
While premium cards with transfer partners can deliver great value for points-and-miles enthusiasts, they require research, planning, and a desire to dig into the details. For the average person, a fixed-value card is often a better fit. Every point you earn is worth a set amount, and there’s zero work or research involved.
"The most underestimated benefit of keeping it simple is avoiding decision paralysis. Millions of complex points go completely unused every year because people find the systems too exhausting, whereas a flat statement credit ensures you actually use your rewards.” — Julian B. Morris, CFP®
If you are trying to figure out whether you thrive with an effortless, one-card system or if you want to optimize specific parts of your budget, read our breakdown of flat-rate vs. bonus category cards to match your personal spender style.
You can maximize your rewards by utilizing the Bank of America® Travel Rewards card to earn an unlimited 1.5 points on every $1 spent and leveraging the BofA Rewards™ program to significantly multiply those earnings.
For those who want to earn travel perks without the homework, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card is a great fit. You'll earn an unlimited 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all purchases—with no rotating categories to track. Redemptions are equally effortless: you simply use the card to buy your flight, hotel stay, or restaurant meal, and redeem your points as a statement credit to 'erase' the purchase cost.
What makes this card uniquely powerful is how it rewards your banking relationship. As part of the new BofA Rewards™ program launching in late May 2026, eligible Bank of America customers can unlock bonus rewards multipliers that help everyday spending turn into travel savings even faster.
Learn more about the Bank of America® Travel Rewards card.
Everyday purchases build a travel fund surprisingly fast; a typical household spending $1,450 a month on coffee, groceries, and utilities can earn 26,100 points annually, representing $261 in "free" travel.
Daily/Weekly Expense | Monthly Spend | Annual Points (1.5x Base) | Potential Reward Value |
Daily Coffee/Snack | $250 | 4,500 | $45 toward Travel/Dining |
Weekly Groceries | $650 | 11,700 | $117 toward a Hotel Stay |
Monthly Utilities | $550 | 9,900 | $99 toward a Rental Car |
TOTAL | $1,450 | 26,100 | $261 in "Free" Travel |
Pro-Tip: If you qualify for the BofA Rewards™ Preferred Plus tier or higher, these totals can jump by 25% to 75%, potentially turning that $261 into over $455 in annual travel savings.
Travel rewards can cover a wide range of trip costs beyond airfare, including vacation rentals, hotels, rental cars, train tickets, rideshares, gas, and even minor expenses like airport parking or baggage fees. Much of the travel rewards content online focuses on booking free flights, but for casual travelers, offsetting everyday trip costs is often more practical.
Even though travel may not occur often, a flexible card is still beneficial because you can collect points on your everyday activities and redeem them for small, useful items when traveling, such as public transportation or ridesharing services.
Of course, if your travel plans change or you realize you'd rather have cash in hand than a vacation fund, you don't have to let your points sit idle. You can explore alternative redemption options in our guide to Credit Card Rewards for Non-Travelers.
By earning rewards on your everyday spending, you can offset these varied travel expenses to make your trip more affordable.
Gray adds, "It doesn't take many points to create value. Canceling out relatively minor travel-related expenses, such as baggage check fees or airport parking fees, creates immediate, tangible cost savings toward your total travel expenses."
How do "micro-purchases" (like a $7 latte) actually turn into a plane ticket?
With the right rewards card, every $7 latte yields valuable points that stack up over time. If you spend $250 a month on coffee and snacks with a flat-rate card earning 1.5x points, you’ll earn 4,500 points, or $45 in travel value. Combined with rewards from gas and groceries, you can easily build a balance large enough to redeem toward a flight or hotel stay. If you want to take this a step further and pair a flat-rate card with separate cards for gas and food, learn how to juggle them efficiently in our breakdown of Maximizing Cash Back: Strategies for Using Multiple Cards.
What is the difference between "miles" and "flexible travel points"?
Airline credit cards earn "miles" that are typically locked to one specific airline. Travel credit cards that earn flexible points let you redeem rewards for various travel costs, such as statement credits to erase travel purchases, booking through a portal, or transferring to different airline and hotel partners.
Why are statement credits often better for casual travelers than airline miles?
Casual travelers benefit from statement credits because they offer ultimate flexibility. You don't have to worry about blackout dates or finding specific award availability; you just make your travel purchase and “erase” the charge from your statement using your points.
How can a no-annual-fee card provide better value for a beginner than a "premium" card?
A no-annual-fee card earns pure profit immediately. With a premium card, you must spend enough to earn back the annual fee before you see real value. A no-annual-fee flat-rate card (like the Bank of America® Travel Rewards card) lets you offset expenses directly without paying extra for the privilege of being rewarded.
Our mission at BestMoney is to make financial decisions less overwhelming by providing clear, data-driven insights. This article was written by a personal finance expert and reviewed for strategic accuracy by certified professionals.
Expert Reviewers: Strategic commentary and quotes provided by Julian B. Morris, CFP®, and Founder of Concierge Wealth Management, alongside Gary Gray, Personal Finance Advisor and Co-Founder of CouponChief.
Card Issuer Data: Reward rates and program details (including the Bank of America® Travel Rewards card and the BofA Rewards™ update) were sourced directly from official issuer disclosures as of June 2026.
Read our review of the Bank of America® Travel Rewards card.
Natasha is a financial writer specializing in credit cards and credit card rewards. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including NerdWallet, The Motley Fool, and Fast Company.
