Chase Sapphire Preferred

• Details: $4K spending in the first three months of opening the credit card. 60,000 Chase Ultimate Reward Points + $300 Travel Credit Bonus, $750ish value. Annual Fee $95.
• My Thoughts: This card is the staple travel credit card. Chase’s Ultimate Reward points are the most transferable and easiest to use compared to all other co-branded cards. The Preferred is a great way to start building Chase points.
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Chase Sapphire Reserve

• Details: $4K spending in the first three months. 60,000 Chase Ultimate Reward Points Bonus, $700ish value. Annual Fee $550 (yikes).
• Perks: $300 travel credit, $100 to Global Entry/TSA Precheck (Get this if you do not have it, game changer), Priority Pass for lounge access.
• My Thoughts: If you travel a good amount, this card could be what you want. It is definitely on the premium side, but the perks outweigh some of the costs. It also has a Chase Travel Portal conversion rate of 1.5x with anything booked through Chase. My wife had one and we have definitely gotten our money worth with Precheck and lounge access.
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Capital One Venture X

• Details: $4K spending in the first three months. 75,000 Capital One Miles Bonus. Annual Fee $395.
• Perks: $300 travel credit, $100 to Global Entry/TSA Precheck (Get this if you do not have it, game changer), Priority Pass for lounge access, 10,000 anniversary points.
• My Thoughts: My favorite card on the market. This is premier Capital One’s travel card. It comes with the perks of the Reserve with a cheaper annual fee. It is a great everyday card because it also has 2x points on all purchases.
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Capital One Venture

• Details: $4K spending in the first three months. 75,000 Capital One Miles Bonus. Annual Fee $95.
• My Thoughts: The best starter card for the Capital One Brand. Many transfer partners. Less expensive as your Venture X. I would choose the Sapphire Preferred first before the Venture
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American Express Gold Card

• Details: $4K spending in the first six months. 60,000 Membership Reward Points Bonus. Annual Fee $325.
• Perks: 4x points on all restaurants. Dunkin Donuts and Grubhub credit each month.
• My thoughts: A solid introduction into the AmEx family. They have a different point currency but all have similar transferability. The best card for getting the most points on eating at restaurants
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American Express Platinum

• Details: $8K spending in the first six months. 80,000 Membership Reward Points Bonus. Annual Fee $695 (wut).
• Perks: $300 travel credit, $100 to Global Entry/TSA Precheck, Priority Pass for lounge access, different smaller perks that do add up. Link shows in more detail.
• My thoughts: Most pricey premium card. Huge bonus but you really gotta work around some smaller perks (listed in the application) to get the full value. I like others premium cards out there and do not have this one myself, but it is a great card if you are already familiar to AmEx.
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Chase Freedom Flex

• Details: $500 spending in the first three months. 20,000 Chase Ultimate Reward Points Bonus, Annual Fee $0.
• Perks: 5x points on rotating quarterly categories, 3x points on restaurants and drug stores
• My Thoughts: This card is a great no annual fee option. However, the 20,000 points can turn into $200 cash back if that is preferred.
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Chase Freedom Unlimited

• Details: $500 spending in the first three months. 20,000 Chase Ultimate Reward Points Bonus, Annual Fee $0.
• Perks: 3x on spend at restaurants, 3x on drugstores, and 5x on purchases through Chase Travel
• 5% on TRAVEL purchased through Chase Travel
• My Thoughts: Another great no annual fee option. However, the 20,000 points can turn into $200 cash back if that is preferred.
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Chase Ink Business Preferred

• Details: $8K spending in the first three months. 120,000 Chase Ultimate Reward Points Bonus, $1,350ish value. Annual Fee $95.
• Perks: 3x points on all purchases on travel and Internet and Cable.
• My Thoughts: This is an all time offer for this card. And an all time offer to earn Ultimate Rewards points. It is a large spend in just three months, but it is one that could be worth it if you a big purchase coming up.
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Chase Ink Business Cash

• Details: $3,000 spending in the first three months. 35,000 Ultimate Rewards points. Then, 40,000 more points after spending a total of $6,000 in the first six months. $900ish of value. Annual Fee $0.
• Perks: 5x points on all purchases at office supply stores; internet, cable, and phone services
• My Thoughts: This is one of my favorite business cards because of the zero annual fee. That is great value without an annual fee which is very rare in this space. I also like how this card splits up the minimum spend to make it more attainable for all.
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Chase Ink Business Unlimited

• Details: $6K spending in the first three months. 75,000 Chase Ultimate Reward Points Bonus, $900ish value. Annual Fee $0.
• Perks: 1.5x points on all purchases
• My Thoughts: This is also one of my favorite business cards because of the zero annual fee. That is great value without an annual fee which is very rare in this space. The $6K minimum spend is steep, but is worth it with a big spend coming up. I used this bonus for a trip to London when we needed a new furnace.
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Marriott Bonvoy Boundless

• Details: $3K spending in the first three months. Three free night certificates up to 50K points a night, Certificates can be added on up to 15K points. Annual Fee $95.
• Perks: One anniversary free night certificate. This will easily offset your $95 annual fee. Some of the properties offered would normally cost you well over $200-$300.
• My Thoughts: This is a great option if you are looking to stay at some unique places. Marriott has properties all around the world that can qualify for this offer of the free nights. Check the point calendar to see the nightly rates and make sure they fall under 65K points. One of the better offers out there.
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IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card

• Details: $3K spending in the first three months. Five night certificates up to 60K points a night. Annual Fee $95.
• Perks: One anniversary free night certificate. This will easily offset your $95 annual fee. Some of the properties offered would normally cost you well over $200-$300.
• My Thoughts: Solid card if you are an IHG loyalist. Best ever bonus currently. Make sure to remember the five free nights are not as valuable as they sound. The currency and normal rate is higher than other hotels.
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The World of Hyatt Credit Card

• Details: $3k spend in the first three months. 30,000 Hyatt points. Up to 30,000 additional points by earning 2X points on the first $15,000 spent in non-bonus categories in the first 6 months.
• Perks: One anniversary free night certificate. This will easily offset your $95 annual fee. Some of the properties offered would normally cost you well over $200-$300.
• My Thoughts: Hyatt is my favorite hotel brand. It has the most logical point system as well. Everything on a category basis and can transfer from Chase and others combined with your Hyatt bonus. However, the bonus is small.
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Southwest Rapid Reward Plus

• Details: $1K spending in the first three months. 50,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards Points Bonus, Annual Fee $69.
• My Thoughts: If you are a Southwest loyalist, this card is for you. It has a solid signup bonus and ability to collect Rapid Rewards. Also, and more importantly, this is the start if you are going for the Companion Pass.
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Southwest Rapid Reward Premier

• Details: $1K spending in the first three months. 50,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards Points Bonus, Annual Fee $99.
• My Thoughts: If you are a Southwest loyalist, this card is good for you. It has a solid signup bonus and ability to collect Rapid Rewards. It has a few more perks than the Plus but very minimal. Also, and more importantly, this is the start if you are going for the Companion Pass.
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Why No Delta?

While Delta is a great airline and Atlanta is the mecca for them, their point redemption does not compete with other airlines for value. It is not always the best value which is what this is all about. If you are a loyalist, keep racking up those points. The most important part is that you are turning your everyday spend into future free flights.

Business Credit Cards

The other side to this credit card world is business credit cards. It is a whole other can of worms to unlock and discover, but it opens you up to many more big time bonus opportunities. Don’t think you have a business? I bet you do! Any side hustle such as selling things on Facebook marketplace, Uber/Lyft, dog walking, aspiring travel bloggers all qualify to open up a business credit card.