When it comes to road trip expenses, your first consideration is probably gas; with prices topping $

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Summer is in full swing, and that means Americans are on the move. According to surveys by both Orbitz and Trip Advisor , nearly 90% of Americans plan to take a summer vacation this year, hardly surprising given the Arctic conditions that had a death grip on much of the country this winter. Over 40% traveled on Independence Day weekend midtown madness 2 vehicle editor  alone, and almost 30% of Americans plan to travel over Labor Day, according to American Express Travel.
With airfares up an average of 6% and hotel rates up about 12% from last year, while AAA estimates that car rental prices rose just 1% to an average of $44 per weekend rental day, more travelers are taking to the roads than ever this summer.
With all that driving, it’s important to keep a few key things in mind to maximize not only the points you earn on road trips, but also the points you already earn on things like car rentals, gas and more.
When it comes to road trip expenses, your first consideration is probably gas; with prices topping $3.60 per gallon on average this summer, it s more important than ever to make sure you re earning bonus points on your gas purchases .
Luckily, there are great points-earning credit cards that offer bonuses specifically on gas station purchases. Below are some of the best options, including their current bonuses, annual fees, benefits and more. (See this post for an extensive list of cards that earn gas station category spending bonuses.)
Chase Freedom : Just for summer driving season, this no-fee card from Chase is offering 5 points per $1 at gas stations as one of its third-quarter category spending bonuses. You can earn 5x points on up to $1,500 of purchases through September, midtown madness 2 vehicle editor 2014. Cardholders of Ink Bold, Ink Plus, Sapphire Preferred, and Palladium cards can transfer points to travel partners or book travel at 1.25 cents per point.
Discover It : This cash-back card is worth mentioning since it offers rotating 5% earning categories , and this summer (as in past summers) one of those categories is gas stations. Like the Freedom card, you earn 5% back per dollar up to $1,500 midtown madness 2 vehicle editor through September 30.
Chase Ink Bold and Ink Plus : Both of these Ink cards offer 2x Ultimate midtown madness 2 vehicle editor Rewards points per $1 at gas stations and hotels on up to $50,000 of spending per cardholder year, and you can transfer the points you earn to any of Ultimate Rewards’ 11 travel transfer partners , making these among the most valuable points out there. You can also take advantage of the 5x category bonus these cards offer by buying gas gift cards at office supply stores to use on your trip. This strategy works with hotel and airline gift cards as well.
EveryDay Preferred card from American Express : Earn 2 points per dollar at US standalone midtown madness 2 vehicle editor gas stations , and if you use the card to make 30 or more purchases in a billing period, you earn 50% extra points on all those purchases less returns and credits, meaning you could be earning 3x Amex points per dollar on your gas purchases.
Premier Rewards Gold card from American Express : 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at standalone midtown madness 2 vehicle editor gas stations. In my most recent monthly valuation of points and miles, I value Membership Rewards points at 1.8 cents each, so this amounts to a 3.6% return on your dollar.
US Bank FlexPerks Visa Signature : This card earns two FlexPoints for every $1 spent on gas, grocery or airline purchases – whichever you spend most on each monthly billing cycle, and you can redeem points for up to 2 cents each toward airfare.
The other major expense of a road trip is accommodations, so bring along a credit card that offer you category spending bonuses on hotels as well. Here s a quick hit list of some of the top options. (For a full list, check out our post on Choosing the Best Site and Credit Card for Hotel Purchases midtown madness 2 vehicle editor .)
As I mentioned, the Ink Bold and Ink Plus from Chase both offer 2x points per $1 spent at hotels and gas stations on the first $50,000 spent in these categories per calendar year. Given the versatility of Ultimate Rewards points, these two would be my top choice midtown madness 2 vehicle editor for the general points collector.
The Capital One  Venture Rewards card earns 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, and each mile is worth one cent towards a statement credit against any travel expense, so you’re earning 2% back on your spend, including on hotels.
The Barclaycard Arrival Plus (the version with an $89 annual fee waived the first year) earns double miles per dollar spent , but with a 10% refund on travel redemptions midtown madness 2 vehicle editor (more on that later), so you re getting a 2.2% return on spending.
Club Carlson: The Club Carlson Premier Rewards and Club Carlson Business Rewards cards both offer 10 points per dollar spent at their properties, while the standard Club Carlson Rewards card offers a mere six points per dollar.
Hilton: Hilton actually has four different credit cards to choose from. The Hilton HHonors Surpass Card from American Express tops the list with 12 points per dollar spent at Hilton hotels, while the Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card offers 10 points per dollar  . The Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature Card and the Hilton HHonors Card from American Express both earn six points per dollar spent at Hilton properties.
Marriott: Marriott has two co-branded cards with Chase. The Marriott Rewards Visa Signature midtown madness 2 vehicle editor Card offers 3 points per dollar spent at Marriott properties, while the Marriott Rewards midtown madness 2 vehicle editor Premier Visa Signature Card offers 5 points per dollar .
If you can’t stay at a major chain that offers points within their loyalty program, it s worth looking at Online Travel Agencies (OTA’s) like Orbitz and Expedia, many of which offer their own loyalty programs where you can earn free nights and elite status based on the stays you book with them. For more information, see my post on Maximizing Online midtown madness 2 vehicle editor Travel Agency Loyalty Programs .
While gas and hotels are probably the two biggest expenses of a road trip, there can be a host of other ones as well, including tolls, midtown madness 2 vehicle editor parking, admission to theme parks and national parks, and more. It pays to plot out your trip and figure out what you ll be spending money on so you can strategize your spending as well. Here are the top two options and a description of which expenses qualify as travel for each of them.
In terms of redeeming your points or miles for road trip travel, I would steer clear – so to speak – of redeeming points for things like gas gift cards or car rental certificates, since you usually midtown madness 2 vehicle editor get a poor rate of exchange well below one cent per point with Amex or Chase. Instead, concentrate on redeeming points midtown madness 2 vehicle editor for your other travel purchases.
With that in mind, my top card in this respect is the Barclaycard Arrival Plus , since you earn 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, and can then redeem those miles at a rate of 1 cent apiece towards the travel categories listed above. Plus you get a 10% mileage refund on travel redemptions, bringing your cash-back return to 2.2%.
Capital One Venture miles are another good choice since you earn 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, and can then redeem them at a rate of 1 cent apiece towards pretty much anything on your credit midtown madness 2 vehicle editor card statement, so that’s a solid 2% return on spending.
Just because you’re taking a road trip doesn’t mean you re doing it in your own car. In fact, a lot of people rent cars for road trips specifically to avoid putting all that mileage on their own vehicles.
If you re renting, be sure to check your airline loyalty program’s partner site to see if they re running any car rental bonuses. For instance, you can currently midtown madness 2 vehicle editor earn up to 7,500 bonus American Airlines midtown madness 2 vehicle editor miles on Avis rentals (originally the promo was good through July 15, but has been extended through August).
Booking your car rentals through airline/hotel/credit card shopping portals offers yet another way to stack bonus miles on top of your rental. midtown madness 2 vehicle editor Not all the shopping portals give bonuses for car rentals all the time, but it’s a good idea to check there first and see if your favorite car rental company is offered.
For example, right now the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal is offering 1 extra point per dollar (so 3 points per dollar total) on car rentals through Hotwire and Expedia, and 2 extra points per dollar (4 total) through CarRentals.com. Just beware that Orbitz, Priceline and Travelocity all recently pulled out of the Ultimate Rewards portal .
Airlines midtown madness 2 vehicle editor almost always offer discounts and mileage bonuses when renting cars through their partners, so  your first step should be to  check the partner earning midtown madness 2 vehicle editor of your preferred frequent flyer program to see what is currently being offered. midtown madness 2 vehicle editor This is a great way to get a discount and double dip on credit card earning and airline miles.
midtown madness 2 vehicle editor Enterprise Plus : One point is earned per dollar spent on the base rate exclusive of taxes and fees. Free rental days start at 400 points and vary based on the dates and vehicle class. 10-20% bonus points are earned for different tiers of their elite program.
midtown madness 2 vehicle editor National Emerald Club : Earn one credit per qualifying rental or one credit midtown madness 2 vehicle editor for every four consecutive rental days. Redeem 7 credits for a free day for general members, and 5 or 6 credits for elite members.
If you do rent a car, which credit card you use may determine what kind of insurance coverage you have, and whether you have to purchase additional insurance from the rental agency. Most major credit card issuers offer car rental insurance, but these policies are usually for secondary cov