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Get information on various credit cards and how they can help you maximize your earnings so that you can learn and continue to spend smartly
American Express Platinum Card
Highlights
5X
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year
5X
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel
$695
80,000 MR Points and upwards
Very Good [670-850]
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Significantly high signup bonus if one meets the required spend. TSS values this at a minimum value of $800
- Comes with plethora of benefits – $240 entertainment credit, $200 Uber credit, Clear Credit if $189, TSA Pre-check or Global Entry credit upto $100, Hilton & Marriott Bonvoy gold status. Details covered in the full review
- No foreign transaction fees, premium car rental protection, Amex Fine Hotels & Hotel Collection credit with guaranteed late checkout
Cons
- One of the highest annual membership fees as compared to other premium cards
- High fees for authorized users. Amex changed their rules in August 2023. Earlier one could pay $175 for upto 3 authorized users, however now one would have to shell out $195 for each authorized user
- 1X rewards on all other purchase categories
More Details
- Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You get a metal card with a choice of 3 card design: Classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley or Platinum x Julie Mehretu
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex Travel (up to $500,000 spends per calendar year) and
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
American Express Gold Card
Highlights
4X
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points for dining purchases across the world, including takeout & delivery upto $50,000 per year – 1X after that
4X
3X
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points on grocery stores in the US upto $25,000 per year – 1X after that
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
$325
60,000 MR Points
Very Good [670-850]
Pros & Cons
Pros
- $120 Uber credits that can be used for ride sharing and UberEats.
- $120 dining credits that can be used for delivery or takeout using GrubHub and with certain other partners such as Five Guys, Cheesecake Factory.
Cons
- Uber and Dining Credits are valid only for each month and lapse if not used in the same month
- Annual fee maybe high for someone who doesn’t use Uber or eat out much
- May not make sense for someone who is already invested into the Chase or Capital One ecosystem of cards
More Details
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- You get a metal card with a choice of 3 card colours: Gold, Rose Gold or White Gold
- No foreign transaction fees
- Premium car rental protection (requires a payment of $17-$20 when booking a car rental)
- $100 hotel experience credit if booked minimum of 2-night on amextravel.com with Hotel Collection properties
Chase
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Highlights
5X
Points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal, excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit. 2X on other travel purchases.
3X
Earn 3X Ultimate Rewards® Points on select streaming services, dining and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
$95
60,000 UR Points
Very Good [670-850]
Pros & Cons
Pros
- High Signup Bonus valued at a minimum $750
- Reasonable annual fee
- Anniversary point bonus of 10%
- Travel and dining benefits
Cons
- Not a free card
More Details
- Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards® Points after you spend $4,000 on purchases on your new card in your first 3 months of Card Membership.
- $200 in additional partnership benefit value including DashPass membership, InstaCart membership and monthly credit
- $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® travel portal
- Chase Ultimate Rewards® points valued at 25% extra when booking travel and using the Chase travel portal
- Over 10 airline and hotel transfer partners
Chase Freedom Unlimited Card
Highlights
3%-5%
Earn 3% back on drug store purchases, dining at restaurants, including takeout & eligible delivery services. Earn 5% back on travel book through Chase Ultimate Reward Portal
1.5%
Earn 1.5% back on all other spending categories
$0
$200 cash back or 20,000 UR Points
Good [600-850]
Pros & Cons
Pros
- No annual fees
- Cashback earned can also be used to be redeemed as UR points if one has any of the Chase Sapphire cards
- 1.5% cashback on all categories
Cons
- UR points cannot be used with transfer partners if one doesn’t have any of the Chase Sapphire Cards
More Details
- Great card for someone who is starting off as a newbie in the credit card game. Ideal for youth starting their professional journey or for someone who is trying to build their credit in the US
- Earn $200 cash back on spending $500 within the first 3 months of opening the card account
- Use points to book travel on Chase travel portal
- 0% APR for the first 15 months of card membership
Chase Freedom Flex Card
Highlights
5%
Earn 5% back on specific categories rotating quarterly
1%
Earn 1 % back on all other spending categories
$0
$200 cash back or 20,000 UR Points
Good [600-850]
Pros & Cons
Pros
- No annual fees
- Cashback earned can also be used to be redeemed as UR points if one has any of the Chase Sapphire cards
- 1% cashback on all categories
- 5% cashback on quarterly rotating categories
Cons
- UR points cannot be used with transfer partners if one doesn’t have any of the Chase Sapphire Cards
More Details
- Great card for someone who is starting off as a newbie in the credit card game. Ideal for youth starting their professional journey or for someone who is trying to build their credit in the US
- Earn $200 cash back on spending $500 within the first 3 months of opening the card account
- Use points to book travel on Chase travel portal
- 0% APR for the first 15 months of card membership
Bilt
Bilt Mastercard World Elite Card
Highlights
1X
Bilt Points on payment of Rent (Upto 100,000 per calendar year)
2X-4X
3X-6X
Earn 2X Bilt® Points on travel related purchases – flights, hotels & car rentals when booked using the Bilt® travel portal. Earn double the points i.e. 4X on the 1st day of each month
Earn 3X Bilt® Points on dining expenses. Earn double the points i.e. 6X on the 1st day of each month
$0
No Signup Bonus
Very Good [670-850]
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Zero annual fees
- Earn points on the highest spending category i.e. rent for almost everyone in the US
- Earn double the points on the 1st of the month
- Multiple transfer partners
Cons
- No Signup bonus. This is probably the only downside I see to this card
More Details
- You can earn Bilt points on rent even if you’re not renting from an affiliated Bilt Alliance property
- BiltProtect Debit. This feature allows you to pay rent using your card without affecting your credit limit. The funds are directly pull from your linked bank account
- You can setup your rent payment via a checking account that gets created for you linked to your credit card. If your landlord doesn’t accept online payment, Bilt can also send a check to your landlord on your behalf
- Only program that allows you to transfer points to American Airlines
- Other premium features like cellphone protection, no foreign exchange fees, auto rental collision damage waiver, trip delay, cancellation & interruption reimbursement etc.
Capital One
Capital One Walmart Rewards® Card
Highlights
5%
Earn 5% cash back at walmart.com and the mobile app on all purchases – including pickup and delivery
2%
2% cash back at Walmart stores, restaurants and on travel
5% cash back for the first 12 months of membership at Walmart stores as an introductory offer when card used with Walmart Pay
1% cash back on all other purchases
$0
No Signup Bonus
Good [600-850]
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Zero annual fee
- Redeem rewards as cash back, gift cards or for travel purchases
- $0 Fraud Liability if your card is ever lost or stolen.
Cons
- Not for someone who doesn’t spend at Walmart
More Details
- This card is quite useful for someone who primarily shops at Walmart. One of the key reasons why this card is part of my household is because I am subscribed to Walmart+ membership which comes complimentary as part of my Amex Platinum card. Bundled with free Walmart+, this card could actually be quite beneficial for many. One could potentially end up earning 30,000 rewards points a year using this card by just spending $500 a month at walmart.com
Capital One Venture X Rewards Card
Highlights
10X
Earn 10X Miles on hotel and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel
5X
2X
Earn 5X Miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
Earn 2X Miles on all other purchases
$395
75,000 Miles + 10,000 Anniversary Bonus Miles
Excellent [740-850]
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Annual Fee can almost be recovered if travel credit of $300 used and one considers the $100 minimum value of the 10,000 bonus miles for every card anniversary
- Great for frequent travellers
- Access to Capital One Airport Lounges as well as most other lounges using Priority Pass™, the membership of which comes complimentary with the card
Cons
- One of the most difficult cards to get approved for
- Not for someone who doesn’t travel much
- High annual fee for someone who’s major expenses don’t include travel
More Details
- This card is one of the most value premium credit cards in our opinion. It may be fewer benefits than what the American Express Platinum offers, but that is setoff by the competitive pricing
- This card also provides an option to add additional card holders for no cost. The additional card holder enjoys the same benefits that the primary card holder enjoys
- Miles earned can be transferred to any of the 15+ travel partners
- There are multiple other benefits that this card offers and watch out for our full review of the Venture X Card. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to get approved for this card as yet, so we’re unable to share our personal experience with you.