I travel a lot (I’m writing this from Germany). I have a 3-points-per-travel-dollar credit card. All my travel goes on that card and is fully reimbursed penny-for-penny. Doesn’t cost me a dime.
At the end of the year, I take all those rewards points and give myself a Christmas present of $1200 (low year) to $2200 (best year) in free rewards money (average is about $1600). You can turn those points into a fistfull of $200 gift cards to the big blue tool-box store ($200 per 20,000pts). If you have a dealer willing to trade (and I do) you can turn those rewards into a pistol or two -or- a *nice* AR (or shotgun, or rimfire rifle, or scope, or...?).
I realize not everyone is in my situation, but I know I’m not alone as other travelling-consultants I know do the same thing. So in some circumstances, you can actually make the credit card companies work in your favor. The trick is not to carry a balance. Ever. If you carry a balance, you can easily slip into paying the credit-card issuer to use the card. If you never carry a balance, at least in in my case, the credit-card issuer is paying me to use the card.
If you can manage it, that’s not a bad position to be in!
My cousin Hans in Zurich does the same thing. He’s always in Canada or the U.S. and travels for free. Last year Hans just walked into my home and stood there. What a shock to see him and a joy. We shared an ice cream cone just before he left HoJo’s in Porterville on his way to LA.