If your goals, like mine, are to 1) earn as many rewards points as possible through spending, or 2) to ensure you have spent enough to get that sign-up bonus, you may need to spend more proactively. Two ways in which I do this is 1. by always offering up my credit card to pay for things for others, and 2. by spending in advance to get valuable points bonuses.
I talk about this first method in my post Happily Charge Dinner. And it does not need to be just dinner. I lay out the fees for a season tennis court and collect the money from the other players. I am the first to organize group holiday gifts, birthday gifts and group donations. I am often the one to order the show tickets for friends, and I try as often as I can, with a group at a restaurant, to “happily charge dinner”.
This second method is about spending in advance if necessary, even at a time when you may not have normally spent. For example, at the end of this past year, I bought a $750 Amazon gift card for myself, on my Chase Freedom card, so I would not lose the maximum amount upon which I was able to earn 5 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent.
Another instance in which you may want to spend in advance is when you can lock in an annual spend bonus that you are close to. Recall, many cards offer additional rewards if you spend a certain amount annually. It would be silly to spend for a whole year and fall short of the bonus by just a little at the end. Spend on whatever you can to lock in the bonus. Buy something in advance that you know you will eventually need anyway! Also, don’t forget, if you can hit one of these annual spend bonuses, hopefully you know it. Don’t forget to keep track of your spending.