It starts innocently enough. You open one travel rewards credit card to help subsidize an upcoming trip. While on that trip, the flight attendant announces that you can earn enough miles for two round-trips with a new card, and you jump at the chance to apply in-flight.

From there, you’re hooked. Once you learn how to harness the power of points and miles for travel, you want to do it more and more often. You join the ranks of rewards optimizers and fall down the proverbial rabbit hole. One card leads to another, and before you know it, you’ve amassed a large collection of loyalty accounts, credit cards and free hotel night certificates. You might even wind up with elite status in multiple programs.

From the diary of a self-proclaimed “travel hacker,” here are six realizations you may also have if you fall head-over-heels for points and miles.

After you’ve learned how to score lie-flat business class tickets to fly across the world for “free” using your points and miles, it’s hard to go back to that cramped coach seat that barely reclines. Once you get accustomed to luxurious hotel suites, that standard room seems sad by comparison.

On those occasions when you can’t score a seat toward the front of the plane, or when you get stuck in a small hotel room with no view, travel disappointment kicks in. If your children are sometimes lucky recipients of the fruits of your travel hacking, their disappointment hits you doubly hard.

“Normal” just doesn’t cut it after you’ve experienced the finer things in life.

When you’re flush with points, it’s easy to book that expensive hotel without a second thought. For your friends who’re shelling out cash, it’s a different story. You don’t want to be that friend, so you agree to the modest select-service hotel on your weekend away together. But inside, you suffer. (See point No. 1.)

If a group of friends suggests a ski trip, you shudder at the thought of booking a condo. Sure, you can all enjoy a shared space, but you can’t use your hotel points to cover the cost and will — gasp — have to pay in cash. Then, your friends have the nerve to complain when you want to charge everyone’s lift passes on your credit card to get the points, and ask them to pay you back in cash.

When you’re using your stash of points and miles to take off on weekend adventures, that means you’re often not at home. Your neighbors stop inviting you to their BBQs because “you can never come anyway.” The kids miss soccer practice, yard work piles up, and your suitcase remains perpetually half-packed on the floor. Your cat gives you “the look” every time she realizes you’re getting ready to leave again.

But all that is forgotten when you spot a wide-open three-day weekend on your calendar. The travel bug strikes and plans are quickly made. After all, who wants to pick weeds when you can check out the Japanese Gardens in Portland or walk through the tulips in Amsterdam?

For non-travel hackers, planning flights and hotels for a trip probably involves light research and a few booking platforms. Non-travel hackers book the cheapest flight, find a reasonable hotel in a good location, and call it a day.

For travel hackers, though, planning a trip comes with endless decisions, like:

• Should I use a modest number of Avianca LifeMiles to book a just-OK flight, or should I use a larger number of United miles to book a flight with a better travel time?

• Should I use my rewards to book through a credit card travel portal, or should I transfer those miles to a partner airline?

• Should I pay a little bit more to book my room directly through the hotel so I’ll earn my elite night credit?

Whew. Talk about analysis paralysis.

When your cup runneth over with hotel points and certificates, the travel planning process can work backward.

Rather than first thinking about where you’d like to go and then figuring out accommodations, you start with the hotel. Which cities have a nice IHG property where I can get the best value out of my free night certificates? Where are the best Hyatts to use my suite upgrade awards and enjoy my status to the fullest?

And when you have a pile of airline miles, it’s tempting to think first about what routes are best on that airline from your local airport.

You may have thought that you wanted to take a scenic trip to the Scottish Highlands. But now, instead, you really want to head to Chicago to get the best possible hotel experience at the best possible value. Or … do you?

Enthusiasts of many hobbies are known to seek each other out and build a community, and travel hacking is no different. Once you get hooked on points and miles, you’ll find you have a bunch of new friends to nerd out with.

And no matter how much you travel, someone in your circle is always traveling more. A whole lot more. When you’re proud of your week in Hawaii, someone else is doing a month-long round-the-world trip, stopping in England, France, Japan and the Maldives. And they’re plastering pictures all over your social feed. Every. Single. Day.

Then, of course, you’re compelled to book more travel for yourself. Ah, the vicious cycle of travel hacking.

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2021, including those best for:

If you’re new to the world of airline loyalty programs, travel credit cards, and points and miles, it’s easy to feel swamped with all of the options and information out there. Knowing what to look for in an airline credit card that’s right for you can be overwhelming — but not impossible.

Here’s how to determine which card best suits your travel style.

If you’re wondering why you might want to consider getting an airline-specific credit card in the first place, there are plenty of reasons. For starters, points and miles credit cards offer the fastest route to award travel (that is, “free” air travel booked with rewards currencies).

Co-branded airline cards often include impressive sign-up bonuses and perks like:

• Flight discounts on cardmember anniversaries.

• Fast tracks to elite status.

Generally, airline credit cards are the most rewarding for travelers who tend to be loyal to a specific airline.

Choosing an airline loyalty program in conjunction with your airline credit card can help streamline your spending, which could also improve your chances to earn elite status or other perks reserved for frequent flyers. Here’s what else to consider:

The first factor to weigh when choosing an airline credit card is the airline itself and where it flies. Signing up for a co-branded credit card with an airline that doesn’t travel from your nearest airport or to the destinations you want to go to means any miles or perks you earn from that card won’t do you a lot of good. Selecting a card from an airline you’ll actually be able to travel with is the best way to take advantage of all the perks the card will provide.

Choose an airline that flies to and from your most frequented or desired destinations.

A quick way to rack up easy points is to look for a credit card that offers a large sign-up bonus. Some cards offer upwards of 50,000 bonus miles or points in the first several months after you spend a certain amount on the card, while other cards offer even more after you reach a spend threshold in the first year. The higher the bonus, the faster you can book award travel.

Consider the ongoing earning potential of a card you’re considering. The sign-up bonus isn’t the only benefit to getting an airline credit card. Since you get it only once, it behooves you to consider the long-term earning potential of a card via everyday spending, too. Not every card will offer the same return on investment for every kind of spending.

For example, one card might offer 2 points or miles per dollar spent on airfare, but only 1 point or mile per dollar on everything else. If you don’t fly that often, or usually opt for the most budget-friendly tickets, the earning potential of that card will be low for you.

On the other hand, if you dine out frequently or spend regularly to fill up the family car, then a card that offers 3 points per dollar for gas or dining means you’ll earn more for your spending.

For most cards, however, gas and groceries are where the bonus spending categories end, save for the odd extra point for a car rental or hotel booking. It’s common to earn 1 point or mile per dollar on most other purchases.

Take a good look at spending categories and opt for a card that fits your spending habits and lifestyle for the highest earning potential in the long run.

How much are the points and miles that the card earns worth? Don’t forget to consider how much travel points and miles are worth if you’re trying to decide between one airline credit card and another, because not all points and miles are created equal.

Check NerdWallet valuations to see what a mile should be worth on any given airline, and aim to get a value of at least 1 cent per mile. The higher the value, the farther those miles will take you.

Check for additional perks and benefits to increase the potential value of a given card.

Some cards even give you perks and discounts even when you’re not flying. The United℠ Explorer Card, for example, comes with a free year of DashPass.

Many airline cards also offer a series of travel protections and benefits. These can include rental car coverage, trip cancellation coverage and lost luggage insurance.

Whether these additional perks and benefits are worth it depends on your travel style and, often, what annual fee you’re willing to pay.

In general, cards with higher annual fees also tend to come with the most airline-specific perks and benefits, like:

• Higher welcome bonuses.

• Free checked bags.

• Expedited paths to elite status.

• Discounted companion passes.

But the extras aren’t worth it for everyone. If you rarely check a bag or only fly a few times a year and aren’t reaching for elite status, then a card with a high annual fee that offers those perks likely isn’t worth it for you.

If, however, you would be paying for those services and amenities on a regular basis anyway, a higher annual fee may actually turn out to be a good deal.

If you have access to an airport that is serviced by multiple domestic airlines and you generally prefer to purchase flights based on cost more than carrier, a general travel credit card, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, might be a better fit. The card earns points that can be transferred to several partner airlines like Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Emirates Airlines, among others.

This is a good option if you’re not sure you want to be loyal to a single airline. A card like this could free you to redeem your points and miles for the best deal, period, rather than for the best deal in the airline of your co-branded credit card.

Now that you’ve considered the important factors, you’re ready to learn how to choose an airline credit card. If you’re new to the world of points and miles and airline credit cards, take these factors into consideration when choosing the right one for you.

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2021, including those best for:

If you’ve reached your 401(k) annual contribution limit, you’re probably a super saver. The good news is, if you have more retirement dollars without a home, you may be able to add them to your 401(k) account using after-tax contributions. An after-tax 401(k) contribution is when you put money you’ve already paid taxes on into your 401(k) account to save more for retirement.

Employees who have a traditional 401(k) plan at work can make contributions through payroll. Your annual contribution is capped at $19,500 in 2021 and $20,500 in 2022 (Those 50 and older can contribute an additional $6,500 in catch-up dollars). Your employer might match a percentage of your contribution to beef up your savings.

This is where after-tax 401(k) contributions come in handy. If your contribution, plus any employer match you get, doesn’t add up to the overall annual limit — $58,000 in 2021 and $61,000 in 2022 — you may be able to make after-tax contributions to your 401(k) to get to that amount.

Vanguard’s How America Saves 2021 report states 10% of people who had access to after-tax 401(k) contributions made them, and they tended to have higher incomes. So if you’re a high earner, this could be a good option for you because unlike the Roth IRA, there are no income restrictions on after-tax 401(k) contributions.

Let’s put these numbers into perspective using an example.

Rachel earns $100,000 and has a 401(k) account at work. She contributes $19,500 in 2021, maxing out her annual 401(k) contributions. Her employer offers a 100% employee match, up to 6% of her annual salary, which comes up to $6,000. This means Rachel now has $25,500 in her 401(k). Because the overall annual 401(k) limit for 2021 is $58,000, and because her employer’s 401(k) plan allows for after-tax contributions, she can put an additional $32,500 in after-tax dollars to her 401(k).

Using 401(k) after-tax contributions to save for retirement can be beneficial, especially for people in higher tax brackets, says Christine Benz, Chicago-based director of personal finance at investment research firm Morningstar. (Morningstar is a NerdWallet partner.)

“High-income people who have run out of receptacles to save in, they should absolutely take advantage of this maneuver,” she says.

You can also withdraw your after-tax contributions without penalty or taxes. However, if you withdraw the earnings from those contributions, you may have to give Uncle Sam his fair share. If you’re younger than 59½, you may also have to pay a 10% penalty.

Not every employer provides an after-tax 401(k) contribution option, so check to see if it’s something you have access to. According to the Vanguard report, in 2020, 19% of Vanguard 401(k) plans had an after-tax contribution option.

We’ve established that you may be able to fatten up your 401(k) by adding after-tax contributions. But there is one caveat: Any earnings you make on those contributions are taxable. To minimize your taxes, you can consider rolling your after-tax contributions into a Roth IRA and the earnings into a traditional IRA (more on this later).

» Use our cheat sheet to learn about the IRA rules 

You may be able to put your after-tax contributions into a designated Roth account to ensure tax-free withdrawals during retirement. That is, as long as you wait until age 59½ to withdraw, and you make your first contribution at least five years before then.

There are two ways you can roll after-tax contribution dollars into a Roth account:

• In-plan conversion: If your job offers an in-plan conversion, you can convert all or some of your 401(k) into a Roth. You have to pay taxes on the amount you convert, but like with a Roth IRA, your withdrawals in the future would be tax-free. Some plans have an auto-convert feature that automatically converts your after-tax contributions into your Roth.

• In-service withdrawal: If your employer offers in-service distributions or withdrawals, you can do a mega backdoor Roth. This is when you roll after-tax contributions into a Roth IRA outside of your retirement plan.

If your employer doesn’t offer in-plan conversions or in-service distributions on your 401(k) plan, you might consider asking what your options are for withdrawing money and putting it into an IRA. Make sure to ask about the rules associated with withdrawing money from your 401(k) and any potential penalties.

If you want to defer paying taxes on your after-tax contribution earnings, you can put the after-tax dollars into a Roth IRA because you’ve already paid taxes on it, and put your earnings into a traditional IRA. If you choose to split your contributions this way, you pay taxes on the earnings whenever you withdraw the money from your traditional IRA.

Let’s say in 2020 you made a $30,000 after-tax contribution to your 401(k). At the end of the year, when you check your account, you realize you made $1,000 in earnings. You could either roll the total sum, ​​$31,000, into a Roth IRA and pay taxes on the $1,000 you earned, or you could put $30,000 in a Roth IRA and $1,000 into a traditional IRA. If you choose the latter, you don’t have to pay taxes until you withdraw from your traditional IRA during retirement.

• If you’re a high earner and have maxed out your pre-tax 401(k) contributions, putting after-tax dollars into a 401(k)  might be a good option for you to boost your retirement savings.

• If you want investments to grow tax-deferred for retirement and would rather not open a brokerage account, this could fit your needs. Why might 401(k) after-tax contributions be better? “It tends to be a little more tax-efficient to save within the after-tax 401(k) because you’re getting the tax-free compounding and then the tax-free withdrawals in retirement, whereas if you have a taxable brokerage account, at a minimum, you’re paying some capital gains taxes when you sell appreciated securities,” says Benz.

• If you decide not to do a rollover because your employer doesn’t offer in-plan conversions or in-service distributions, think carefully about whether after-tax contributions are right for you. If you leave your after-tax contributions to grow tax-deferred in your 401(k), you’ll have to pay taxes on any earnings once you withdraw them.

Benz says this type of retirement investing isn’t right for everyone.

“I think a key piece of advice is, unless you’re already making the fully allowable contribution to either a traditional or Roth 401(k), don’t even think about after-tax 401(k) contributions. The other type of contributions will be more attractive from a tax standpoint than will be the after-tax 401(k).”