I recently had a conversation with a coworker who spent over $2,000 on a trip to New Zealand on her credit card and – because she doesn’t have a large rewards-earning card – did not receive much award mileage because of it.

I urge anyone considering large purchases to discuss with friends and family about how to leverage this purchase to gain. There are many cards with $1,000 or $2,000 thresholds that, if reached, could yield free plane tickets or other wonderful bonuses.

Do the right thing: look up what bonus you could get!