While full-time influencer coach Lissette Calveiro tries to be honest about the ins and outs of being a content creator to her nearly 60,000 followers on Instagram, she wasn't always frank about the challenges of being an influencer.
Between 2013 and 2016, Calveiro racked up around $10,000 in credit card debt trying to portray herself as a wealthy, jet-setter on Instagram. Among the purchases she splurged on to show off on social media were a $700 flight to Houston and a $1,000 vintage Louis Vuitton bag.
Calviero's wake-up call to get out of debt came in 2016 when she accepted a job in New York City. After living briefly in New York City for an internship in 2013, Calveiro had settled down in Miami as a publicist and was making around $40,000 a year. Her salary was not nearly enough to keep up with the lavish lifestyle she depicted on Instagram. While the new job offer had a higher salary, it prompted her to reevaluate her spending habits. If she wanted to make her dream of living in New York City come true, she would have to pay off her debt.
Calviero allocated time to analyze her finances, cut back on lifestyle spending and saved more. She would spend 30 minutes each week looking at her credit card statement and updating a spreadsheet which contained her regular and recurring expenses and the value of her debt. Tracking her expenses allowed her to figure out what spending she could cut down on.
Now, she's created her own personal finance Google spreadsheet template that she shares with others. Her template allows people to track their assets, income, budget and debt.
She also started making changes to her lifestyle.
She found a cheaper apartment in New York despite having a longer commute time and got a Rent The Runway subscription, which reduced the amount of money she spent on clothes but still allowed her to have different looks for social media. Lastly, she started using an app, Digit (now called Oportun Set & Save), to both save and pay off her debt. Oportun Set & Save is an app that automatically puts money into your savings account, towards paying off your credit card debt or into an investment account.
Calveiro was able to pay off her debt in around 18 months. Now, she has a much healthier relationship with social media, her finances and credit cards.
Using travel credit cards to save money
Calveiro uses the American Express Platinum Card®, a luxury card with a steep annual fee of $895 (see rates and fees), a host of benefits and a welcome bonus of as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. While there are more affordable travel cards with lower annual fees, the Platinum offers numerous luxury benefits like airport lounge access, an *up-to-$300 Equinox statement credit per calendar year (enrollment required), an up-to-$200 annual airline fee statement credit (Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details) just to name a few.
The American Express Platinum Card® is a premium card loaded with annual statement credits, entertainment benefits, extensive airport lounge access, elite status perks and more. (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- Access to 1,550+ airport lounges, including Priority Pass™ lounges (enrollment required) and Amex Centurion lounges
- Statement credit offers worth up to twice what the annual fee costs
- Elite status perks for hotels and rental cars (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- High annual fee
- Many statement credit offers are complicated and are earned in increments or limited to specific purchases
- Not as rewarding for purchases as other lower-fee travel cards
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you're approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you're approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
- With over 1,550 airport lounges - more than any other credit card company on the market* - enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 Delta Sky Club visits (subject to visit limitations) when flying on an eligible Delta flight, Priority Pass™ membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges. *As of 01/2026
- $200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One Credit: With the Platinum Card® you can receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus $20 in December when you add your Platinum Card® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply.
- $300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Experience the latest shows, news and recipes. Get up to $25 in statement credits each month when you use your Platinum Card® for eligible purchases on Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN streaming services, Hulu, The New York Times, Paramount+, Peacock, The Wall Street Journal, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV when you purchase directly from one or more of the providers. Enrollment required.
- $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection* bookings through American Express Travel® using the Platinum Card®. *The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $400 Resy Credit + Platinum Nights™ by Resy: Get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for eligible purchases with Resy, including dining purchases at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants. Enrollment required. As a Platinum Card® Member you have special access to reservations on select nights at participating sought after Resy restaurants in select cities through Platinum Nights™ by Resy. Simply add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile to book your reservation.
- $219 CLEAR+ Credit: CLEAR+ helps get you to your gate faster by using your face to verify you are you at 55+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR+ Membership* with up to $219 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR+ with your Platinum Card®. *Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to the Platinum Card® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
- Start your vacation sooner and keep it going longer. When you book Fine Hotels + Resorts® through American Express Travel®, enjoy noon check-in, when available, and guaranteed 4PM late check-out.
- $300 lululemon Credit: Enjoy up to $75 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® for eligible purchases at U.S. lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and lululemon.com. That's up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year. Enrollment required.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Get up to a $12.95* statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Platinum Card®. *Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- $895 annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
Calveiro has been able to cut down on her travel-related expenses by taking advantage of travel cards and the welcome bonuses they offer. The current welcome offer for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (See rates and fees) is 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
She now monitors flight prices before buying a ticket by using the calendar function on Google Flights to determine which day of the week is cheapest to fly. Plus, she redeems the points from her travel credit cards to pay for her flights.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections, flexible rewards and more.
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Long list of travel and shopping protections
- Annual Chase Travel hotel credit
- Has an annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, 3x on dining, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3x on top streaming services and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Emergency Evacuation and Transportation and more
- Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $156.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for 12 months when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for a Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS application.
- Transfer points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Opening up about her financial story
When it comes to her relationship with social media, Calveiro feels that being honest with herself and her followers about debt allowed more people to relate to her story.
"What I found in that is that people really resonated with the debt story just because it's a very common thing," Calveiro said. "And it built a bunch of conversations that were, to me, previously taboo."
Her perspective on using social media has also changed since sharing her debt story.
"What I learned was really that people just want to be seen and heard on social media, and that made my platforms pivot more towards wanting to connect with people through social, versus showing off through social, which I think is what the social media culture was before: all the cool places where you were eating, the cool stuff you're wearing, and not really about connecting with people," Calveiro said.
Calveiro emphasizes that people shouldn't be ashamed of their debt and that it isn't a burden that should be shouldered alone. She recommends employing the help of a close friend to serve as an 'accountability buddy' or to seek out a community on social media if you're comfortable going public with your story.
Starting in 2023, statement credits for the $300 Equinox Credit benefit will be provided on an annual basis (per calendar year) of up to $300 per year and will no longer be provided on a monthly basis of up to $25 back per month. See offer terms for details.
For rates and fees of the American Express Platinum Card®, click here.
