How a Plumbing Company Turned Card Spend into First-Class Flights (+ Presidents Club Trip) Without Changing Their Budget
A Phoenix-based plumber was earning just 1.5% cash back on $80K/month in business spend - until he brought us in to unlock $40K+ in first-class flights and team retreats. No extra spend. No gimmicks. Just strategy. Here’s how he turned everyday expenses into luxury travel and loyalty.
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Jason, a plumbing business owner near Phoenix, was spending $80,000 a month on operations and earning just 1.5% cash back using his bank-issued business credit card. He wasn’t into travel hacking or chasing promotions—he simply didn’t realize there was a smarter way to use his existing expenses. With the right guidance, he shifted his spend onto a strategic mix of business cards that earned high-value flexible points (Between Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards), without increasing his budget.
By aligning each expense category (materials, gas, admin, etc.) with cards that offered the best return, Jason started earning 2–5x points per dollar instead of a flat rate. He focused his redemptions on premium travel goals—two annual business class trips to Europe for him and his wife, and a domestic retreat for his top employees. In his first year, he turned the same $14,000 in previous cash back into over $40,000 in travel value.
The success didn’t come from gaming the system—it came from having a system. Jason didn’t need to learn airline programs or redemption tricks. With a simple plan, category-optimized spending, and a booking team handling redemptions, he now flies first class and rewards his team—without spending a dollar more.
Everything else you need to know is just below 👇🏻
Introduction
Jason runs a thriving plumbing company just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Like many small business owners, he keeps a close eye on the bottom line. With roughly $80,000 in monthly operating expenses, Jason assumed he was doing fine by using the business credit card issued by his bank. It earned him a modest 1.5% cash back—nothing flashy, but predictable.
What Jason didn’t realize is that his everyday business spend had the potential to unlock premium travel experiences and employee rewards programs worth far more than the cash he was getting. He wasn’t a travel hacker. He had no interest in learning airline routing rules or transferring points to obscure loyalty programs. He just needed a better system—and someone who could run it.
Six months later, Jason had redeemed over $40,000 worth of travel from the same business spend that previously earned him just under $14,000 in cash back. He flew business class to Europe with his wife. He is sending two of his top-performing crews on an all-expenses-paid domestic retreat. His only regret? Not doing this five years earlier.
Let’s break down exactly how this transformation happened, step-by-step, using real-life numbers and a simple, executable strategy that can apply to nearly any small business owner.
The Starting Point: A Common (and Costly) Mistake
The Default Bank Card Trap
When meeting Jason for the first time, he had a single business credit card—a Visa issued through his local bank. It offered 1.5% cash back on all purchases, with no bonus categories or point transfers. That meant for every $1 million he spent annually, he earned $15,000 in cash back.
On paper, that sounds decent. But in the world of points and miles, that same $1 million could yield significantly more—if optimized correctly.
A Quick Look at Jason’s Monthly Spend
Jason’s plumbing company had fairly predictable monthly expenses:
- Materials & Supplies: $35,000
- Fuel & Vehicle Maintenance: $15,000
- Subcontractor Payments: $10,000
- Office & Admin: $5,000
- Marketing & Software Tools: $10,000
- Miscellaneous: $5,000
Total Monthly Spend: ~$80,000
At 1.5% cashback, that translated to $1,200/month, or $14,400/year in value.
The Shift: Building a Card Strategy Around Real Spend
Step 1: Analyze Vendor Acceptance
First, we helped Jason identify which vendors accepted American Express. Most of his larger suppliers and recurring bills were happy to take Amex—even with a small fee built in. That opened the door to cards that earn Membership Rewards, Amex’s flexible points currency, which is extremely valuable when redeemed for travel.
Step 2: Assign Spend by Category
Instead of putting all purchases on one card, we diversified based on bonus categories:
Materials & Supplies
Gas & Fleet
Office, Admin & Marketing
Subcontractors
By doing this, Jason was no longer earning a flat 1.5% cashback. He was earning 2x to 5x points per dollar depending on category—sometimes more.
Use multiple cards matched to bonus categories. Even a simple 2–3 card system can double or triple your reward value.
Step 3: Optimize for Travel Value, Not Just Points
It’s easy to collect points. The challenge is redeeming them wisely.
We worked with Jason to define a clear points redemption goal:
- Two business class flights to Europe annually
- One domestic retreat for 4 employees each year
With this in mind, we prioritized points currencies that transfer to major airlines and hotel programs, like Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards.
The Redemption: Turning Points Into Experiences
The Big Win: Business Class to Europe
Jason and his wife had always dreamed of visiting Italy and Germany. We transferred Amex points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue and booked two roundtrip business class seats for 106,000 points each—a value of nearly $6,000 per ticket.
Total out-of-pocket cost: ~$150 in taxes and fees.
He repeated the same style of booking six months later for a Spain and Portugal trip. The redemptions alone were worth $12,000+ in flights.
Airline alliances (like SkyTeam, Star Alliance) allow you to use one program’s points to book across dozens of airlines—without needing to fly the same one every time.
Building Culture: The Presidents Club Retreat
Jason wanted to reward performance and build loyalty among his crews. We then used Chase Ultimate Rewards to book flights and hotels for an annual “Presidents Club” trip to Lake Tahoe for his top two teams.
Each trip cost about 120,000 points, covering:
- Flights for 4
- 3 nights in a luxury lodge
- Team-building excursions (paid with cash back from previous cards)
Total trip value: ~$4,500
More importantly, the trip fostered deeper loyalty and inspired more buy-in across the company.
Use points to incentivize your team. It’s cheaper than cash bonuses and often more memorable.
The Math: What It Looked Like After (Almost) One Year
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of Jason’s first year with a points strategy vs. his prior cash back setup:
| Category | Old Card (1.5% CB) | Optimized Card Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Points/Cash Back Earned | ~$14,400 | ~2.3M points |
| Travel Value Redeemed | $0–$14,400 | ~$42,000+ |
| Number of Redemptions | 0 | 2 Intl Biz Class Trips, 1 Team Retreat |
By moving from a single flat-rate card to a thoughtful system, Jason tripled the value of his rewards—without spending a dollar more.
Why Most Small Businesses Miss This
1. Time Constraints
Jason didn’t have time to study airline alliances or research loyalty programs. Like many business owners, he had jobs to run and payroll to meet.
That’s why outsourcing the strategy and booking made the difference. He didn’t need to learn the system—he just needed someone who could implement it.
2. Fear of Overcomplication
Many business owners assume managing multiple cards is a hassle. But with automation, tracking tools, and a clear redemption goal, it’s no harder than tracking expenses with QuickBooks.
How You Can Start—Even With Lower Spend
Jason’s $80K/month spend helped him scale fast, but even businesses with $20K–$30K/month can achieve meaningful travel rewards with a good system.
As spend grows, so does reward potential.
Final Thoughts: Jason’s New Reality
Today, Jason doesn’t think twice about flying as an added cost. He books flatbed business class seats on every international trip. His employees talk about that (now a tradition?) Presidents Club all year long. And his wife is already planning their next “points-funded” getaway to the Amalfi Coast.
The difference wasn’t more spending. It was better strategy, smarter tools, and a team who knew how to turn everyday costs into exceptional experiences.
Ready to Build Your System?
If you're spending more than $20K/month in business expenses and still earning basic cash back, it might be time for a smarter strategy. Jason didn’t change his budget—he changed his outcome.
And now, he’s enjoying the view from 36,000 feet—legs stretched, champagne in hand, and not a single point wasted.
