How a Residential Services Business Turned Everyday Spend Into $29,000+ in Travel Rewards—Without Spending More
A 12-person plumbing business transformed $60K/month spend into $29,000+ in travel and team rewards—all without increasing their budget. By optimizing credit card use and point redemptions, they boosted returns from 1.2% to over 4%, turning everyday expenses into powerful business benefits.
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Before working with UpNonStop, the plumbing company was spending $60,000 monthly on credit cards but earning only about 1.2% back in cash—roughly $720 per month. Their single-card approach left over 72,000 points earned per month, many of which went unused or were redeemed at low value. The company had no strategy to maximize points despite spending heavily on supplies (42%), gas (18%), advertising (15%), and other operational costs.
By implementing a multi-card system tailored to their expense categories, the company increased their monthly points earnings by 445%, from approximately 72,000 points to nearly 393,000 points each month. Strategic use of cards offering 4x points on supplies, 5x on gas, and 3x on advertising allowed this shift without increasing spend. Over the first year, this translated into more than 2.5 million points earned, with a conservative estimated redemption value exceeding $29,000.
Points redemption shifted from occasional gift cards and statement credits to fully booked premium travel experiences and employee incentives. In the first 12 months, the company redeemed 618,000 points valued at nearly $15,000, covering business class flights to Rome, trade show travel, emergency hotel stays, and team rewards. The remaining 1.9 million points banked promise an additional $28,000+ in value in future redemptions.
Beyond the numbers, the program significantly boosted employee morale and retention, reducing annual turnover from 22% to zero. The plumbing business transformed points from a forgotten asset into a strategic resource fueling team rewards, business travel, and reinvestment—achieving a realized return of over 4% on their existing spend without raising their budget.
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Overview
This case study explores how a 12-person plumbing company turned stagnant credit card points into $29,000 worth of high-leverage travel, morale-building team rewards, and operational savings—all within 12 months of working with UpNonStop. The transformation didn’t require new spending, just a better system for earning and redeeming.
At the heart of the business was a simple problem: a high monthly spend on credit cards with low returns and zero strategy.
- Industry: Plumbing / Field Services
- Team Size: 12 (9 field techs, 3 office/admin)
- Monthly Credit Card Spend: $60,000
- Pre-Optimization Return: 1.2% via cashback
- Post-Optimization Return: 4.1% realized redemption value
- Annual Points Value Realized: $29,180
- Implementation Time: 6 weeks
The Starting Point: Strong Revenue, Weak Return
Like many blue-collar businesses, the plumbing company was built on volume and responsiveness. The company’s credit card activity reflected that—daily spend across multiple categories:
- Supply houses and building materials: 42%
- Gas and fleet expenses: 18%
- Local advertising and lead gen: 15%
- Equipment rentals and merchant services: 10%
- Miscellaneous (hotel stays, meals, etc.): 15%
Yet despite this high spend, the company used a single card—a 2% cash back business card from their local bank. The monthly return on $60,000 in spend amounted to roughly $1,200 in statement credits. There was no strategy, no tracking, and no incentive to think differently.
“We always just figured 2% cash back was fine. I didn’t even know there were different kinds of points or why anyone would use them.”
— Owner, Plumbing Business
Step 1: Centralizing the Chaos
The first thing UpNonStop addressed was fragmentation. The business had:
- 1 main card used for all purchases
- 4 techs using personal cards for work expenses
- Receipts manually reconciled by an overwhelmed office manager
UpNonStop helped consolidate business expenses onto three business cards: an Amex Business Gold, a Chase Ink Business Preferred, and a co-branded Hilton Honors Amex. Each card was assigned a category of spend based on its reward structure.
| Category | Previous Points | New Card Strategy | Multiplier | Monthly Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supplies | 60,000 | Amex Gold | 4x | 240,000 |
| Gas/Fleet | 10,800 | Hilton Amex | 5x | 54,000 |
| Ads | 9,000 | Ink Preferred | 3x | 27,000 |
| Hotels | 4,500 | Hilton Amex | 14x | 63,000 |
| Misc | 5,700 | Ink Unlimited | 1.5x | 8,550 |
Monthly Points Earned (pre): ~72,000
Monthly Points Earned (post): ~392,550
Points Increase: 445%
Step 2: Redemption Strategy and Award Booking
The next challenge: helping the business convert those points into real value. Before UpNonStop, their only redemptions were:
- A single $250 gift card (for the owner’s birthday)
- $1,000 in cash back used to offset one equipment invoice
With UpNonStop, the business learned to:
- Transfer points to airline partners for premium flights
- Book hotel rooms at high redemption value during peak demand periods
- Use points for employee incentives (with IRS-compliant handling)
In the first 6 months post-implementation:
- Two technicians were flown to Las Vegas for a national trade expo using Chase Ultimate Rewards → United Airlines → Economy award tickets
- The owner and his spouse flew to Rome in business class using Amex points → Avianca LifeMiles
- Five Marriott stays were booked for overnight emergency jobs in out-of-town areas
- A 4-night stay at a Hilton all-inclusive in Mexico was booked for the office manager, recognizing her 10-year anniversary
Each redemption was booked through UpNonStop’s concierge team, ensuring optimized pricing.
Step 3: Culture, Retention, and Business Impact
While travel redemptions were the obvious win, the deeper effect came from employee morale. Techs who used to sleep in roadside motels during emergency repair runs were now staying in respectable hotels at no cost to the business.
The office team began tracking points value internally, creating a culture of “earning for the team.”
“We didn’t realize that every time we swiped, we were leaving money on the table. Now everyone knows that spending smarter means traveling better.”
— Office Manager
This cultural shift also brought tangible business value:
- Retention: No employee turnover in 12 months (previous annual churn rate: 22%)
- Recruitment: The business added a travel incentive to new-hire offers: “Earn your way to a free vacation with us.”
- Marketing ROI: Ad campaigns on Google and Yelp, once just a cost center, became a leveraged spend category through 3X multipliers
Year-End Breakdown: Dollars, Points, and ROI
Annual Spend Breakdown
| Category | Spend | Points Multiplier | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplies | $302,400 | 4x | 1,209,600 |
| Gas | $64,800 | 5x | 324,000 |
| Ads | $108,000 | 3x | 324,000 |
| Hotels/Meals | $54,000 | Avg 10x | 540,000 |
| Misc | $90,000 | Avg 1.5x | 135,000 |
| Total | $619,200 | — | 2,532,600 |
Points Redeemed (First Year)
| Redemption | Points Used | Estimated Cash Value |
|---|---|---|
| Rome Business Class (2 seats) | 170,000 | $7,000 |
| Vegas Trade Expo (2 flights + 3 nights) | 88,000 | $1,900 |
| Hilton Mexico All-Inclusive | 140,000 | $2,600 |
| Emergency Work Travel (Marriott stays) | 120,000 | $2,400 |
| Gift Cards + Equipment Offset | 40,000 | $400 |
| Office Equipment (Amex Offers) | 60,000 | $600 |
| Total Redeemed | 618,000 | $14,900 |
Remaining Points Value (Banked for Year 2):
- 1,914,600 points banked
- Conservatively valued at 1.5–2 cents/pt = $28,700–$38,000 in future value
“We didn’t need to work harder. We just needed to work our cards smarter. That one change turned into free flights, happier employees, and a stronger business.”
— Owner
Key Takeaways for SMB Owners
You don’t need more spend to unlock more value.
This business didn’t increase their budget by a dime. They simply reassigned existing spend across the right cards and redemptions.
- Every category has a high-multiplier card.
From supplies to gas to advertising, there’s almost always a way to 3x–5x what you're already earning. - Employee engagement increases when points become visible.
Using points for team experiences—not just the owner's perks—created stronger buy-in and a sense of shared value. - Outsourcing award bookings = real ROI.
Trying to “figure it out” in-house led to burnout. With UpNonStop’s concierge and tools, redemptions happened quickly and smartly.
What Happens Next?
After their first year, the business is now:
- Planning a company-wide incentive trip
- Targeting 3.5 million points in year two
- Shifting fleet purchases to new strategic cards for 2025
They no longer think of points as a reward—they think of them as a resource.
Final Thoughts
This plumbing company was already doing great work. But the UpNonStop Effect showed them how to turn ordinary expenses into extraordinary outcomes. They didn’t chase more business—they just started claiming more value from the business they already had.
