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Many of us work hard to maximize our credit card rewards. In some cases, we have dozens of cards. This makes our search for rewards points almost a full-time job.
You are likely to be the friend in your circle who is obsessed with credit cards. I know that I am. It's a struggle. It is tempting to make their strategy more efficient by allowing them to get as many cards as possible to maximize each spending category. But then, I see that people lose interest quickly. They want an easy strategy to follow.
I thought it would be a good idea to share some credit card tricks that will help you maximize your spending.
Which are the best credit cards?
This post will share my five favorite credit cards for maximising rewards.
The list will include both business and personal cards.
There are many ways to increase your points if you're willing to try a more complicated strategy, but simplicity is the key.
Each case will have one card that has an annual fee and one without.
The cards generally have at least one card with great bonus categories and the other card offers a high return on everyday spending.
I'm sticking with cards that can earn transferable point currencies because they offer a lot more flexibility. See here for my valuation.
See my guide to credit card application rules by bank for more information on how to get approved for these cards.
In that spirit, here are my top three personal credit card options and my two favourite business credit card options.
Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Freedom Unlimited: Best Chase personal card combination
Review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Chase Freedom Unlimited. These cards are unbeatable in the Chase Ultimate Rewards ecosystem. This is a popular points currency among consumers.
Annual fees for Chase Sapphire Preferred: $95 per year, Chase Freedom Unlimited: No annual fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred charges $95 annually, while Chase Freedom Unlimited does not. Points earned by the Chase Sapphire Preferred include 5x points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x on online grocery and select streaming services, as well as a 10% anniversary bonus. Chase Freedom Unlimited offers 5x points for travel through Chase Ultimate Reward, 3x points at drugstores and 1.5x on all other purchases.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers 5x points for travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Reward, 3x points for dining, online grocery shopping, and select streaming services. The Chase Freedom Unlimited offers 5x point travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Reward, 3x points at drugstores and 1.5x points for all other purchases. Points redemptions transfer points into any Chase Ultimate Rewards airline partner or hotel partner, or you can redeem them each for 1.25 cents towards travel purchases or everyday expenses through Pay Yourself Back
Transfer points to Chase Ultimate Rewards hotel or airline partners or redeem them for 1.25c each towards travel purchases or everyday expenses through Pay Yourself Back. What makes this card combination stand out? The Chase Sapphire Preferred provides excellent travel coverage including trip cancellation coverage and car rental coverage. This card was also recently updated, making it more rewarding than ever.
Transfer Chase points to Hyatt hotel stays
Citi Premier & Citi double cash: The best Citi personal cards
Review of the Citi Premier Card and Citi Double Cash Card. They offer unbeatable opportunities to earn Citi ThankYou points and have the highest average return on points (review).
Annual fees for Citi Premier include a $95 fee and Citi Double Cash does not have an annual fee
The Citi Premier comes with a $95 annual cost, while Citi Double Cash is free. Points earned by the Citi Premier include 3x points for gas, groceries, dining and hotel stays, as well as 2x points for all other purchases.
The Citi Premier gives you 3x points for gas, groceries, dining and air travel. The Citi Double Cash allows you to earn up to 2x points for all other purchases. Points redemptions allow you to transfer points to any Citi ThankYou airline partner or to redeem them each for one cent towards travel purchases
Transfer points to Citi ThankYou airline partners or redeem them for 1 cent each towards travel purchases. There is no other mid-range card combination that offers so many points per dollar in so many categories.
Transfer Citi points to Emirates and enjoy first-class travel
Amex Gold and Amex Everyday: The best Amex personal cards combination
Amex Membership Rewards points can be earned by using the Amex EveryDay Credit Card and American Express Gold Card (review).
Annual fees for Amex Gold include a $250 fee (Rates and Fees), while Amex EveryDay does not have an annual fee
The Amex Gold comes with a $250 annual fee (Rates and Fees), while Amex EveryDay does not have an annual fee. Points earned the Amex Gold offer 4x points at U.S. restaurants and U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per year, 3x points on airfare purchased direct from airlines, and a 20% bonus on transactions. This means that you can earn as much as 1.2x points per day.
The Amex Gold program offers 4x points at U.S. grocery stores and restaurants (up to $25,000 per year), as well as 3x points for airfare purchased from airlines. The Amex EveryDay program offers a 20% bonus on transactions of 20 or more per billing cycle. You can earn up to 1.2x points per day. Points redemptions allow you to transfer points to Amex Membership Rewards hotel or airline partners or redeem them each for one cent towards travel purchases.
Transfer points to Amex Membership Rewards hotel or airline partners or redeem them for 1 cent each towards travel purchases. Other valuable perks. Although the Amex Golds $250 annual fees initially seems high, the card offers valuable benefits that could offset it.
Virgin Atlantic business class travel can be booked using Transfer Amex points
Chase Ink Preferred and Chase Ink Unlimited: Best Chase Business Card Combination
The Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card and Preferred Credit Card by Ink Business (review), are undoubtedly a better combination than the personal Chase cards.
Annual fees The Chase Ink Preferred charges $95 annually, while Chase Ink Unlimited does not charge an annual fee
The Chase Ink Preferred comes with a $95 annual cost, while the Chase Ink Unlimited does not have an annual fee. Points earned by the Chase Ink Preferred offer 3x points on travel, shipping, and internet purchases as well as advertising purchases made through select social media platforms and search engines (up to $150K for her anniversary year), and 1.5x points on all purchases.
The Chase Ink Preferred gives you 3x points for travel, shipping, internet and telephone services. You can also make advertising purchases with selected social media sites and search engines. Chase Ink Unlimited offers 1.5x points for all purchases. Points redemptions allow you to transfer points to any Chase Ultimate Rewards partner airline or hotel or to redeem them each for 1.25 cents towards travel purchases
Transfer points to Chase Ultimate Rewards hotel or airline partners or redeem them for 1.25c each towards travel purchases. What makes this card combination unique is that Chase Ink Preferred, the best-rounded business card, has both cards.
Chase points redeemable for Qatar Airways Qsuites travel
Amex Business Gold and Amex Blue Business Plus: Best Amex business cards
The American Express Business Gold Card (review), and The Blue Business Plus Credit Card From American Express (review), combine valuable bonus categories with the best everyday business card:
Annual fees for Amex Business Gold include a $295 fee (Rates and Fees), while Amex Blue Business Plus does not have an annual fee (Rates and Fees).
The Amex Business Gold charges a $295 annual fee (Rates and Fees). Amex Blue Business Plus does not charge an annual fee (Rates and Fees). Points earned the Amex Business Gold offer 4x points for the two most significant categories of purchases: U.S. purchase for advertising in select media, U.S. purchase for airfare, U.S. orders for shipping, U.S. hardware, software, or cloud computing purchases directly from select suppliers; Amex Blue Business Plus gives 2x points for the first $50,000 each year.
The Amex Business Gold gives 4x points for the two categories that you spend the most on each billing cycle. This includes airfare purchased directly from airlines, U.S. advertising in select media, U.S. purchase at gas stations, U.S. restaurant purchases, U.S. software and hardware purchases, as well as U.S. travel purchases. Points redemptions can transfer points to Amex Membership Rewards partners or redeem points for up to 1.33 each for airfare.
Transfer points to Amex Membership Rewards airlines or hotel partners or redeem them for upto 1.33c each towards airfare. Amex Business Golds up 25% back on Pay With Points redemptions. Other valuable perks The Amex Blue Business Plus is a valuable card, regardless of which card it is paired with.
Transfer Amex points from Etihad to first-class travel
Bottom line
You can generally get a better return on your credit card spending when you have two credit cards. I am not suggesting that the above strategies are the best for maximising points. Rather, I suggest that they are among the easiest and most cost-effective strategies to maximize your credit card rewards.
There are some situations where it can be very beneficial to have both personal and business credit cards. However, simplicity is key. Many people could find the Chase Sapphire Reserve (review), more valuable than the Sapphire Preferred. However, I believe that the American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card is an excellent complement to any card.
I'd love to know what OMAAT readers think about the best credit card pair.
These links will take you to the fees and rates for American Express Cards. These are: American Express Business Gold Card (Rates and Fees), American Express Gold Card(Rates and Fees), The Blue Business Plus Credit Card From American Express (Rates and Fees).
