Credit Cards

Here are the cards I currently have opened as well as some features of each one!

American Express Platinum

This card is all about the perks - it’s actually not a great points earner other than for airfare, but I keep it in my wallet because it gives me access to a wide variety of airport lounges, gives me status at a number of hotels and rental car agencies, etc. This card has a high annual fee, but the fee can be partially/fully offset by the “coupon book” of credits that it offers. In addition, you can gain value from Amex offers, which you can add to your card and get money back at many different retailers.

• Annual Fee: $695

• Multipliers

  • 5x on flights (booked with airline or Amex portal)

  • 5x on hotels (booked though Amex portal)

  • 1x on everything else

• Credits

  • $200 Uber/UberEats Credit (~$15/month)

    $240 Digital Entertainment (for select services)

  • $200 Airline Incidental Credit

  • $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck Credit (can be used once every 4 years)

  • $200 Hotel Credit (via Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts portal)

  • $100 Saks 5th Avenue Credit

  • $155 Walmart + Credit (which also includes Paramount +)

  • $189 CLEAR Credit

  • $300 Equinox Credit

• Pros: Good for flights; variety of lounge access (especially Centurion lounges); access to Amex transfer partners; status for hotels/rental cars; Amex offers can sometimes be very beneficial

• Cons: High annual fee may be hard to offset if you don’t already spend where you utilize the credits

American Express Gold

This card is excellent for groceries and restaurants. It’s probably the card I swipe the most as those are typically one of our top spending categories each month. Additionally, the annual fee can easily be almost fully offset by the $240 of credits offered each year.

• Annual Fee: $250

• Multipliers

  • 4x on restaurants worldwide

  • 4x on US grocery stores

  • 3x on flights (booked with airline or Amex portal)

  • 1x on everything else

• Credits

  • $120 Uber/UberEats Credit ($10/month)

  • $120 Dining Credit ($10/month)

    • Can be used at: Grubhub, Goldbelly, Shake Shack, Cheesecake Factory, Milk Bar, and Wine.com

• Pros: Good for restaurants and groceries; credits easily help offset annual fee; access to Amex transfer partners

• Cons: If you don’t use Uber/UberEats/Grubhub/etc. may be hard to offset the annual fee

Capital One Venture X

This card is the perfect catch all card, and it comes with a wide variety of travel benefits. The annual fee is high but is easy to at least partially offset each year.

• Annual Fee: $395

• Multipliers

  • 10x on hotels/rental cars (booked through Capital One portal)

  • 5x on flights (booked through Capital One portal)

  • 2x on everything

• Credits

  • $300 Travel Credit (when booking through Capital One portal)

  • $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck Credit (can be used once every 4 years)

  • 10,000 anniversary points (value roughly $100)

• Pros: Simple and easy multiplier structure; annual fee is easily offset; access to airport lounges; access to Capital One transfer partners

• Cons: May be hard to use travel credit if you don’t travel often; high multipliers only through Capital One portal

Chase Sapphire Preferred

This card is a great beginner travel card. It has a low annual fee and unlocks access to the Chase’s Transfer Partners and Travel Portal (where you get 25% additional value from your points).  This card is even more valuable when paired with Chase’s no annual fee Freedom Flex/Freedom Unlimited cards as points can be transferred between cards.

• Annual Fee: $95

• Multipliers

  • 5x on travel (through Chase travel portal)

    • 2x on other travel purchases

  • 3x on dining and eligible delivery services and online grocery purchases

  • 3x on drugstore services

  • 1x on everything else

• Credits

  • $50 statement credit for hotels (when purchased through Chase travel portal)

    • Starts on card anniversary (not first year)

• Pros: Access to Chase transfer partners; annual fee is low and can be offset by hotel credit

• Cons: Not the greatest multipliers

Chase Freedom Flex

This card is a great no annual fee card and can be a great points generator. This card is even more valuable when paired with a Chase travel card like the Sapphire Reserve or Preferred because points earned on this card can be transferred and used on Chase’s transfer partners or travel portal.

• Annual Fee: $0

• Multipliers

  • 5x on rotating quarterly categories (i.e. gas, groceries, Paypal, etc.)

  • 5x on travel (through Chase travel portal)

  • 3x on dining and eligible delivery services and online grocery purchases

  • 3x on select streaming services

  • 1x on everything else

• Credits

  • N/A

• Pros: No annual fee; high multiplier in rotating category

• Cons: Not the greatest multipliers otherwise

Chase Freedom Unlimited

This card is a great no annual fee card and can be a great points generator. This card is even more valuable when paired with a Chase travel card like the Sapphire Reserve or Preferred because points earned on this card can be transferred and used on Chase’s transfer partners or travel portal.

• Annual Fee: $0

• Multipliers

  • 5x on travel (through Chase travel portal)

  • 3x on dining and eligible delivery services and online grocery purchases

  • 3x on select streaming services

  • 1.5x on everything else

• Credits

  • N/A

• Pros: No annual fee; good minimum multiplier

• Cons: Missing grocery multiplier

World of Hyatt

This card good if you value Hyatt points and membership status. The truth is I don’t use it much, but Hyatt points are very valuable and can unlock some amazing hotel stays. The free anniversary night can outweigh the annual fee in value.

• Annual Fee: $95

• Multipliers

  • 9x on Hyatt

  • 2x on dining, airline, transit, fitness club/gym

  • 1x on everything else

• Credits

  • 1 free night/year (Category 4 or lower)

  • Additional free night if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year (Category 4 or lower)

• Pros: Great for Hyatt; Anniversary night can outweigh annual fee

• Cons: Can be hard to offset fee if you don’t stay at Hyatt often; multipliers not amazing other than Hyatt

Not sure which card to get next?

If you are looking for a new credit card and aren’t sure about which one is best for you, send me an email and I’ll see if I can help! Include the following in the email and we can go from there:

• What cards do you already have?

• What are your goals? Are you looking to rack up points or do you just want cash back?

• How often do you travel? Are you interested in international travel, domestic travel, or both?