Best Credit Cards offers

There are so many great credit card offers out there that sometimes it is hard to figure out which one has the best benefits or would be the best fit for you. Whether you are looking for travel benefits, cash back, or maybe some type of travel protection, we have you covered.

Our Best Credit Card List will give you our favorite offers based on the value of points, fees, and bonuses. They will also be listed based on if you are under 5/24 or over 5/24.

I would recommend taking a quick peek at our 5/24 guidelines if you don’t know what those are or just need a quick refresher.

Most of these credit cards offer some type of benefit to keep the card in your wallet year after year. I’m going to dive into which ones are our favorites and why.

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Lastly, you’ll want to know other banks ‘rules’ you can find on our Basic Breakdown of Bank Rules. Also be sure to join our Basic Travel 101- Points, Miles & More Facebook group for more daily finance and travel tips.

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Under 5/24

Our Top Travel Credit Cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

• $95 annual fee
• 80,000 Ultimate Rewards Offer
• 2x on travel & dining
• 5x on Lyft through March 2022
• 1x everything else
• $50 statement credit toward grocery store purchases

The Chase Sapphire Preferred has one of the best credit card sign-up bonuses and has some pretty great Travel Perks. Coming in at 80,000 Ultimate Rewards Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. This card can net you $750 when booking travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal. Also, until April 30th you are able to cash out your points with the “Chase Pay Yourself Back Promo” at a rate of 1.25%, which would equate to $750 cash back. Learn more about our Top Travel Card here.

Perks:

Along with the very generous welcome offer, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has many options when it comes to travel benefits. You can read more about these benefits in detail on our comparison of the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Chase Sapphire Reserve card. I will give a quick breakdown of my favorite benefits:

• Trip Cancellation Insurance (up to $10,000 per covered trip)
• Baggage Delay Insurance (up to $500 per day for 5 days)
• Lost Luggage Reimbursement (up to $3,000 per person)
• Rental Car Insurance
• Trip Delay insurance (12 hours or more)

If you are an avid traveler, be sure to check out the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card to earn 60,000 points after $4,000 spend but also have access to Priority Pass lounges, Complimentary Global Entry, and $300 statement credit.

You can learn more information about our Top Travel Credit Cards Here.

Our Favorite Airline Card

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

• $149 annual fee
• Earn 40,000 Rapid Rewards points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
• $75 travel credit each year
• 7,500-anniversary points on your cardmember anniversary

Southwest Rapid Rewards actually offers multiple personal cards. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority is my favorite because even though it has the highest annual fee on credit cards, you get $75 back on a travel credit each year. This makes the card net annual fee to be $74 which is only $5 more than the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card also gives you more anniversary points and upgraded boarding 4x per year. You even get 20% back on inflight purchases (such as wifi, food, and alcohol). The Southwest Rapid Rewards Cards are a great way to get the Southwest Companion Pass for buy-one-get-one-free flights! If you prefer to start with the lower annual fee, then I would go for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card, which will also give you the Companion Pass offer.

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

You can earn 40,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards Points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of being a cardmember. Learn More Here.

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Our Favorite Cash Back Credit Cards

Chase Freedom Flex

• $0 Annual Fee
• 20,000 Ultimate Rewards Offer
• 3x on dining and drugstore purchases
• 5x up to $1,500 on quarterly categories
• 1x on all else

The Chase Freedom Flex pretty quickly became our top Cash Back Card when it was first launched Mid-September. Not only does it give you a 20,000 welcome offer (convertible to $200 cash back), there is NO annual fee, and it has rotating 5x quarterly category bonuses. The quarterly categories change each quarter and max out at $75 per quarter. In your first year, you can earn $300 on the quarterly categories, plus the $200 welcome offer for an extra $500! You also get 3% on dining and drugstores.

Perks

The Chase Freedom Flex is a MasterCard which provides additional benefits, such as:

• Cell Phone Protection
• Lyft Credits
• Free Shop Runner Membership
• Earn 5x on Boxed purchases

Lastly, you also get a few travel perks with this card, similar to the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (above).

• Trip Cancellation Insurance
• Rental Car Insurance
• Trip Delay insurance

Another comparable card to the Chase Freedom Flex is the Chase Freedom Unlimited card. You don’t get the quarterly categories, but it IS unlimited 1.5% cash back on purchases. It also has the $200 welcome offer after spending $500 in the first 3 months.

Favorite Business Cards

Chase Ink Business Cash

• $0 Annual Fee
• 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Offer
• 5x on the first $25,000 combined you spend on office supply stores, internet, cable, and phone services each card anniversary year
• 2x on gas stations and restaurants each anniversary year
• 1x on all else with no limits

Chase Ink Business Cash normally has around a 50,000 Chase points offer. Right now (for an unknown amount of time), they are offering 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points. This equates to $750 cashback. You can also transfer these points to another chase branded card that utilizes the Chase Pay Yourself Back promotion until April 30, 2021, to get 25 or 50% more.

Chase Ink Business Cash also comes with a 0% introductory APR on the first 12 months of purchases. To learn more about Chase Ink Products, click the banner below.

Chase Ink Business Unlimited

• $0 Annual Fee
• 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Offer after you spend $7,500 in the first 3 months
• UNLIMITED 1.5% cash back on all purchases

Similar to the Chase Ink Business Cash, the Chase Ink Business Unlimited normally has around a 50,000 Chase points offer. 75,000 Ultimate Rewards Points equates to $750 cash back. If you qualify for a Small Business Credit Card, this is a no-brainer. No annual fee and a set 1.5% cashback make it easy to get extra money on business purchases. To learn more, click the banner below.

Chase Ink Business Preferred

• $95 Annual Fee
• 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Offer
• 3x on Travel, Shipping & Technology on the first $150,000
• 1x on all else

Chase Ink Business Preferred Card has one of its highest welcome offers right now out of the Chase Ink cards. You will receive 100,000 Ultimate Rewards Points after spending $15,000 in the first 3 months. This also equates to $1,250 or more if you utilize the Chase Pay Yourself Back promotion where you can get 25% more.

Perks

Similar to the Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Chase Business Ink Preferred also comes with some great benefits:

• Trip Delay insurance
• Trip Cancellation Insurance
• Baggage Delay Insurance
• Lost Luggage Reimbursement
• Rental Car Collision Damage Coverage
• Cell Phone Insurance (up to $600 if employees phone is lost or damaged)

Best Hotel Credit Card

World of Hyatt

• $95 annual fee
• Earn 30,000 World of Hyatt points after you spend $3,000 in 3 months, plus earn up to another 30,000 points with 2 points per $1 up to $15,000 spend within 6 months of opening the account
• Annual free night (category 1-4)

The World of Hyatt is by far my FAVORITE credit card out there right now. You can read how you can up to 17 free nights for doing simple home improvements with this card as we did. My favorite thing about WOH points is that redemptions start as low as 5,000 points. We have been able to stay all over the US (and even out of the country) at some pretty nice Hyatt properties. There have even been some gray Hyatt properties along our National Park Road trip to Utah. If you need to learn more about earning Hyatt points, you can do so here. You can also learn how to redeem the World Of Hyatt points here. If you fancy a stay at an all-inclusive for a relaxing getaway, be sure to check out the beautiful Miraval properties that are located in Tuscon, Austin, and Berkshires.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless

• $95 annual fee
• Earn 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
• Annual free night (up to 35,000 points) on cardmember anniversary
• Automatic Silver Elite Status

Earn 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. This can give you 3 nights at a 25,000 point per night rate. You also get an annual free night certificate each year for holding onto this card.

If you need some inspiration for where to stay within the Marriott brand, be sure to check out the Top 5 Aspirational Marriott Properties. You can also learn more about Earning Marriott Bonvoy points as well as Redeeming Marriott Bonvoy Points.

Over 5/24

Our Favorite Travel Cards Over 5/24

The Platinum Card® from American Express

• $550 annual fee
• Earn 75,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 on your card in the first 6 months
• Earn 10x points on eligible purchases at Gas Stations and US Supermarkets up to $15,000 during your first 6 months of card membership
• Earn 5x MR for flights booked directly with airlines or through the American Express Travel
• Complimentary Global Lounge Collection access at airports

American Express Platinum Card is an amazing card for travel benefits, once you are over 5/24 status. One of the biggest being you have access to airport lounges, such as Centurion. I only recently had the chance to visit JFK as well as Charlotte airport Centurion lounges, and they were pretty incredible. Some other benefits you will get with this card are:

• Uber VIP status with up to $200 in savings on rides or Uber Eats annual
• Complimentary benefits through American Express Travel
• Up to $100 in statement credits annual for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue on your Platinum Card. (Up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually)
• Terms Apply.

American Express® Gold Card

• $250 annual fee
• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $4,000 on your card in the first 6 months
• Earn 4x points on eligible purchases at Restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery
• Earn 4x MR points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x)
• Earn 3x MR points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com

Right now you can get this elevated 60,000 Membership Rewards points offer once you open the AMEX Gold OR Rose Gold card after spending $4,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. These points can be combined with other AMEX Cards such as AMEX Platinum or business cards. I

Our Favorite Business Card over 5/24

American Express Business Gold

• $295 annual fee
• Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $10,000 in the first 3 months of card opening
• 4x on 2 select categories your business spends the most on each month- up to $150,000 each year

The AMEX Business Gold credit card’s normal offer is 35,000 MR rewards points. At once cent per point, the 70,000 MR points could cash out to be $700. If you are over 5/24, this is a great offer that I would get as a business owner.

The comparable offer with Chase would be their Chase Ink Business Preferred, so if you are still under 5/24, that would be your best bet. It has a little higher spending requirements, but you also get 100,000 points vs 70,000.

The Business Platinum Card from American Express

• $595 annual fee
• Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $15,000 in the first 3 months of card opening
• 5x Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels and flights booked on amextravel.com
• Get 50% more on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more. (Up to 1 million points per year)
• $200 Airline Fee Credit

The Business Platinum Card from American Express is a great card to maximize your business spending. If you have significant charges of over $5,000 on purchases, you can get 50% more membership rewards points. If you are a frequent business traveler, this is a great card for you. You can get 5x on travel purchases, as well as Centurion Lounge access, Priority Pass Lounges, and Delta Sky lounges when flying Delta. For frequent travelers, you will also automatically receive Hilton Honors Gold Elite Status and Marriot Bonvoy Gold Elite Status.

I will also note that this is a charge card, which means the statement must be paid in full each month. Adding employees will cost you $300 per card, but they will also receive access to lounges, as well as the elite hotel statuses.

Our Favorite “Everything” card over 5/24

Capital One Venture Card

• $95 annual fee
• 100,000 Venture Miles after spending $20,000 in 12 months
• Unlimited 2x on all purchases

Capital One Venture Card can be a great bonus with a value of $1,000 if you max out the 12-month spending. This will give you 50,000 points after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months, and then the entire 10,000 after you spend $20,000 in the first 12 months. This is a great offer. I also only suggest getting this if you are over 5/24. If you are not, I would still focus on Chase cards. Capital One Venture Miles are great because they are super easy to use and redeem as a statement credit for travel on your credit card.

Perks

Some other perks I like are:

• $100 application fee credit for TSA Pre Check or Global Entry
• Miles don’t expire
• No limit to how many you can earn

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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Earn a 100,000 welcome bonus once you spend $20,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. You can earn 50,000 after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. You will then have 12 months to spend the remaining $17,000.

Basic Thoughts: We love these Venture Miles as they are incredibly easy to use and redeem. You also always earn an unlimited 2x miles on every purchase, every day.

Learn More Here.

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Our Favorite Cash Back Cards

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

• $0 annual fee waived the first year- $95 after that
• $300 statement credit after spending $3,000 in the first 6 months of card membership

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express is a great card for your purchases at grocery stores, streaming services, and transit. Blue Cash Preferred will give you a nice welcome offer of $300, along with another max of $360 for U.S. Supermarket purchases (6% cash back up to $6,000). If you have higher than average grocery store spending, getting an extra $360 back per year is a nice little perk. You can also get cash back for U.S. streaming subscriptions, U.S. gas stations, and on transit that includes taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, busses, and more. 

Cash Back Options:

• 6% cash back at U.S. Supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%)
• 6% Cash Back on select U.S. Streaming Subscriptions
• 3% Cash Back at U.S. Gas Stations and on transit. 
• 1% on all other purchases

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

• No annual fee
• $200 statement credit after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of card membership

The Blue Cash Everyday Card is one of my favorite no annual fee cash back cards as you can earn 3% on your first $6,000 of purchases per year at US supermarket. You will also earn 2% at U.S. gas stations and select department stores located in the U.S. You can see the list of department stores available at americanexpress.com/rewards-info. I also want to note that superstores, supermarkets, and warehouse clubs that sell gasoline are not considered gas stations. 

Lastly, you will earn a flat rate of 1% on all other eligible purchases. Terms apply.

Other Perks:

• 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months
• American Express Experiences
• Pay It Plan It

Citi® Double Cash Card

• $0 annual fee
• 2% cash on every purchase- 1% when you buy and another 1% when you pay for purchases 
• Great Balance Transfer Offer

The Citi Double Cash Card is a great balance transfer and everyday card. Earning 2% cash back for all purchases- whether it be gas, groceries, or just whatever you need. You will get the first 1% as you purchase, and the other 1% when you pay that balance. 

If you have a large purchase that you might need extra time to pay off, or maybe some debt from a last-minute expense, this could be a great option. Citi Double Cash is a great balance transfer offer. Currently offering 18 months of 0% APR. There will be a balance transfer fee.

Our favorite Airline card over 5/24

Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard

• 50,000 AAdvantage Miles after $2,500 in purchases in the first 3 months
• 2 miles per dollar on restaurants and gas stations
• 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases
• $0 annual fee for the first year, $99 after

The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card will give you priority boarding, free checked bags and a 50,000 bonus points boost once you meet the spending requirements.

Our favorite Hotel card over 5/24

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card

• 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points after $5,000 spend within the first 3 months
• Up to $200 in statement credits for eligible purchases at U.S. Restaurants within the first 6 months of card membership
• Earn up to $300 in statement credits
• Offer expires 5/12/2021
• $450 annual fee
• Receive one free night award on cardmember anniversary (50,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points or less)
• Free TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
• Priority Pass Select

This elevated Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card has steadily held a slot in my wallet over the years. It helped to get us a FREE hotel night in Japan at the Sheraton Hiroshima by utilizing our free certificates and a mixture of points. We also have been able to utilize the $300 statement credits at participating hotels. This is a limited-time offer that will be ending on May 12, 2021. So if you are interested in hotel cards, and are over 5/24, I would grab this sooner than later. The normal offer is usually about 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points, so this gives you 50,000 more points which can equal one or more free nights!

If you also don’t already have a card that utilizes priority pass, this card will give you unlimited visits at participating priority pass lounges in the airport. We love the priority pass lounges and have been able to visit The Club BUF, The Club LAS as well as The Club MSY when it first opened in 2020.

New to Travel Hacking? Check out the BASICS Below!

• Download our FREE Ultimate GUIDEBOOK To SUPER CHEAP Travel
• Basic Travel Hacking 101
• Travel Hacking 102
• Credit Scores 101
• Knowing the Rules
• 5/24 Status
• Top Credit Card Offers
• Earning Bonuses
• Expedited Airport Screening
• Cashback Sites