American Express Business Platinum

I know, it's ANOTHER high spend business card and in a short amount of time. Plus a high annual fee.

BUT - hear me out! I think it's worth if you can hit the spend and are offered 300,000 points!  Let's talk about the details and current offer for American Express Platinum Business.

American Express Business Platinum

Annual Fee: $895 (Ouch! I know! More below)

Current (Elevated) Sign up Offer: Spend $20,000 in 3 months, earn up to 300,000 points*

Referral Link: Thank you for your support!

Getting the Best Offer: Amex is weird with sign up bonuses! *Notice how the offer says "up to"? Not everyone is going to be offered 300,000 for this card. The bonus offer can and will vary. The same link may produce a one offer on your phone and a different amount of points offered on your computer. 

The good thing is: your credit IS NOT pulled, until you accept your offer! So you can apply, receive your offer and then decide if you want to accept or not.

For this particular card, I would only accept 250,000 points or more.

Once you accept the offer, then your credit is pulled. BUT - the other good things with Amex, is that if you already have Amex cards, your future card applications are typically a soft credit pull (not a hard pull!)

It's always best to check the link in a few different browser and devices (clear your cookies, incognito mode, on your phone), before you apply and accept - to ensure that you're getting the highest offer).

If you get a low offer; clear your cookies, wait 24 hours, and apply again.

5/24 Status: This is not a personal card, it's a business card! Therefore, it won't take one of your 5/24 spots. (If you're not familiar with what 5/24 Rule is, visit this post New to Points, Rule 2)

Why "We" Got This Card:

1. $20,000 is A LOT of money, especially in 3 months. But 300,000 points is A LOT of points! Since we have the spend, it was worth it to get this nice chunk of points! I like to use my Amex Points for flights (booked by transferring to Airline Partners) and to Hilton (which transfer from Amex at a 1:2 ratio, which means your points DOUBLE when you move them to Hilton! Learn more about hotel sweet spots in this post.)

2. Rakuten: aka an online shopping portal where you earn Amex Membership Rewards points instead of cash back. Those points can really add up. In August I received 65,000 MRs from my quarterly Rakuten earnings and used those to book a 70K point one-way business class flight to Europe (with a cash value of $4,700). If you aren't familiar with shopping portals and/or Rakuten, this post will tell me you and also show you how to select points instead of cash back.

Off-Setting the Annual Fee

The signup offer is enticing enough for me to be willing to open the Business Platinum alone. However, the benefits of this card can help offset the hefty $895 annual.

Common-Use Card Benefits:

• $600 annual hotel credit: provided as 2 $300 bi-annual (Jan-Jun and Jul-Dec) credits. You need to book a pre-paid Fine Hotel+Resort or Hotel Collection stay in the Amex Portal during these time frames, but do not have to stay during the time period, in order to get the credit. For example, it's April at the time of writing this post. I could use my $300 hotel credit to book a Fine Hotel+Resorts stay for October of this year! (Learn how I used this benefit in the past here!)

• $150 Dell Statement Credits: enrollment required. Then use card to make a purchase direct with Dell and receive a statement credit.

• Airport Lounge Access: global access to Centurion Lounges and Priority Pass Lounges (This is nice for us because DEN has a Centurion Lounge in the same terminal that Southwest flies from. I hold the personal Platinum card and have lounge access, so now Ben and I could both enter for free. However, we would have to paid for the kids)

• 35% Airline Bonus: Purchase a flight in Amex Travel with points and get 35% points back. Airline Selection Required.

• Hilton Gold Status: This gives you 5th night free when you book 5 consecutive nights on points! Enrollment required (we used this for Costa Rica! This benefit in itself saved us over $500!)

• $200 Hilton Statement Credit: Provided as quarterly $50 Hilton purchases (gift cards are not eligible). Some Hiltons you can use this in the gift shop or coffee shop; you dont need to be staying at a Hilton to use this. Enrollment required.

• Marriott Gold Status:  Enrollment required 

Long-Term Plan

Is this a keeper card for us? No. I already plan to close or downgrade this card after it's been open for 12months so that I don't pay the annual fee again.

I personally find more use out of my Personal Platinum and it's benefits. Learn more here

But I wanted to share this to remind you - when you open a credit card, it's not a marriage! You don't have to keep cards you're not gaining value from (as long as it's been opened for at least 12 months!)

Summary

While this isnt a forever card, it's an amazing sign up bonus and I'm glad we can take advantage to stockpile more Amex Membership Rewards.

If you're on the fence if you could hit the high spend of $20k in 3 months or if you want to pay the $895 annual fee; the Gold Business Card is another great offer with a lower spend ($15k in 3months) and lower annual fee ($375). I actually think the Gold Business annual fee is MUCH easier to offset, because you get $20/mo flex spending. When I held the card in the past, I would purchase a $20 gift card monthly at my local office store and that's $240 "off" of that $375 fee!

If you want to open any of the cards I refer to, I would SO appreciate if you utilized my referral links to open cards. This doesn't cost you anything, but provides me with some extra points and keeps all of my content free! Thank you in advance! You can find referrals for Amex Business Platinum or Business Gold here.

Reminder, if you're viewing this through a Meta app, please open an external browser to apply. This protects your data and gives me credit. If you're interested in business cards, but want more information, as well as directions how to apply for them; read here!

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Looking for more information on points/miles? You can find all of my points talk posts linked here.

Trying to figure out your next card? Here is my FREE personalized Next Card Recommendation form. Simply fill this out and I'll let you know suggestions.

Curious what cards I (and/or my husband) have, and why? Read here!

American Express Platinum (Personal)

It's no secret that the Amex Gold Personal card is one of my top 3 recommended cards (reasons why here and all 3 favs listed here). However, it's big sister card, the Platinum (both personal and business) got a big makeover as of September 18th, 2025. (It looks like Amex is taking a similar approach to Chase with it's Sapphire Reserve makeover).

Take a depth breathe, because the already high $695 annual fee for the personal Platinum card, just got higher - jumping to a whopping $895 per year. Let's talk through the card and it's benefits in this post to determine if it's the right card for your wallet.

American Express Platinum (personal)

Annual Fee: $895

Current  Sign up Offer: Spend $12,000 in 6 months, earn up to 170,000 points*

Referral Link

Note the 6-month minimum spend on the personal cards instead of the usual 3-month duration! I know this really helps out low spenders.

*Amex is weird with sign up bonuses. The same link may produce a 75K offer on your phone and 100K offer on your computer. It's always best to check the link in a few different browser and devices (clear your cookies, incognito mode, on your phone), before you apply and accept - to ensure that you're getting the highest offer)

5/24 Status: This IS a personal card, therefore it will take one of your 5/24 spots. (If you're not familiar with what 5/24 Rule is, visit this post New to Points, Rule 2)

Why I Got This Card

1. The high sign up bonus and extended 6-month spend is one of the best across all flexible points banks. It's hard to beat! 

2. Rakuten: aka an online shopping portal where you earn Amex Membership Rewards points instead of cash back. Those points can really add up. In August I received 65,000 MRs from my quarterly Rakuten earnings and used those to book a 70K point one-way business class flight to Europe (with a cash value of $4,700). If you aren't familiar with shopping portals and/or Rakuten, this post will tell me you and also show you how to select points instead of cash back.

3. Honestly, I initially opened this card strategically for the sign up bonus and to get automatic Hilton status so that I could book a Hilton Property on points (transferring from Amex to Hilton at a 1 to 2 ratio) AND with Hilton status, I could pay for 4 nights with points and get the 5th night free for our Costa Rica trip... but now that the new annual fee and benefits rolled out, I think this card may be a keeper (or I'll have P2 get it after he gets the gold!)

So let's jump into the benefits!

Off-Setting the Annual $895 Fee

The signup offer and the benefits of this card can make it easy to offset the $895 annual, depending which of these you use. 

Travel-Related Benefits

$200 Airline Fee Credit: While you can't use this benefit to directly purchases flights; you can this use this benefit to cover incidentals like seat selections and/or baggage fee. However, you can also use this credit with some airlines to purchase airline credit, which you can you can use then towards cash flights.

How I used this Benefit: In my Platinum Benefits page, I selected United as my associated airline. I then went to United TravelBank and used my Platinum card to make 2 ($100) TravelBank           deposits. On my credit card statement, the charges came through and then the statement credit            appeared within a few days.

Note: As of 2/4/206, the Travel Bank hack doesn't seem to be working; but you can still use this benefit to pay for checked bags and select seats!

Value I receive from this Benefit: $200 

American Express Centurion Airport Lounge Access and Priority Pass Select Membership: To be honest, even though Denver has a Centurion, I still haven't used this benefit! I know! But I'm generally travelling with someone else and the guest benefit is essentially non-existent (or not worth the guest fee of $50 when I have other free lounges available.

Estimated Value I receive from this Benefit (to date): $50 I have utilized Priority Pass lounges and this benefits. Although f PP Lounges are better international!

$209 Clear Credit: Use your Platinum card to pay for your Clear membership and receive a statement credit each calendar year.

Estimated Value I receive from this Benefit (to date): $0 I haven't utilized this benefit. I probably         should, but again, the majority of the time I've traveling with others who only have TSA                        Precheck. But - really this is a no brainer that I need to take advantage of!

$600 Hotel Credit: Use AmexTravel to book a Fine Hotel Resort or Hotel Collection booking and receive a $300 statement credit, twice a year (Jan-June and Jul-Dec). Note - the reservation only needs to be made during this time frame and paid up front, charging the Platinum card, for the credit to be issued. You don't have to stay during these time periods.

These hotels are often more expensive, so sometimes the $300 don't go very far, but if you can find a lower cost stay (using websites like MaxmyFHR) it can be well worth it! Note the Fine Hotel Resorts allow a one-night stay, but the Hotel Collection requires a 2-night minimum  booking.

The really nice thing about Fine Hotel Resorts is that you get an elevated stay! These bookings include free Daily Breakfast for 2, $100 Resort Credit (per stay) which can be used for resort experiences like the Spa or Restaurant/Bar/Room Service. You also receive guaranteed 4pm check out, and noon checkout (when available). You may also receive a complimentary upgrade!

Estimated Value I receive from this Benefit (to date): $657 - This benefit updated 9/18/25 and I sadly didn't use the previous $200 available in Jan-June. However, I'm pretty impressed that with one night stay I'm able to find this much value! (Granted the hotel I'm using this at this charges a $60/nt resort fee and $55/nt parking; but it's well worth it!)

Automatic Hotel Status: By holding the personal Platinum card you receive Marriott Silver Status and Hilton Gold Status. Enrollment required. Hilton Gold status allows you to receive 5th night free and free breakfast for two at select hotels.

Estimated Value I receive from this Benefit (to date): $500 - I utilized Hilton 5th night free for Tabacon Resort, which was a cash value savings of $500!

Global Entry or TSA Precheck: Receive up to $120 statement credit every 4 years Global Entry (which includes TSA PreCheck) or $85 credit every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck; when you pay your application fee with your Platinum Card

Estimated Value I receive from this Benefit (to date): $0 - Myself and my entire family have Global Entry (and PreCheck) from other credit card benefits

Rental Car Status: By holding the personal Platinum card and enrolling in Hertz, Avis, or National loyalty program - you can receive premium status for rental parks and updates.

Estimated Value I receive from this Benefit (to date): $0 - I utilize this benefit already from other credit card benefits

Dining Benefits

$20/mo Uber or Uber Eats Credit:  Assign your platinum as your form of payment for Uber and receive $20/mo credit in the Uber app - which can be used on rides or food!

Estimated Value I receive from this Benefit (to date): $160 - We utilize this benefit almost monthly. We've missed one month to date~

$120 UberOne Credit:  Use your Platinum to purchase an auto-renewing year long UberOne membership and receive a statement credit every calendar year. UberOne gives free delivery for UberEats and also discounts

Estimated Value I receive from this Benefit (to date): $0 - I need to set this up! My P2 has been paying $7.99 a month for UberOne (Grrrr!)

Summary

There's a lot of ground to cover with Amex Platinum, but that's what makes the high annual high justifiable! In fact, my annual fee just hit on this card and I'm keeping it because I find more than enough value for the fee I pay.

If you want to open this card, or any of the cards I post about, I would SO appreciate if you utilized my referral links to open cards. This doesn't cost you anything, but provides me with some extra points and keeps all of my content free! Thank you in advance!

Reminder, if you're viewing this through a Meta app, please open an external browser to apply. This protects your data and gives me credit.

____________________________________________

Looking for more information on points/miles? You can find all of my points talk posts linked here.

Trying to figure out your next card? Here is my FREE personalized Next Card Recommendation form. Simply fill this out and I'll let you know suggestions.

Curious what cards I (and/or my husband) have, and why? Read here!

Is this a Good Offer?

Is this a Good Deal?!

This is another common question I receive! This post will run through the standard/typical sign up offers for common cards that I recommend and/or hold. 

Any offer higher than what is shown below is considered to be an "elevated" limited time offer. Elevated offers are not always better than standard offers, but are at least worth a consideration. 

If you're new to the idea of credit card points and how to use them for travel, I recommend starting with these posts: Points 101, New to Points, and Beginner Cards

All of the cards below will be linked with my referral and to more details. Linked details include information such as annual fee and benefits to utilize to offset the annual fee. If you have any questions about these cards - please reach out and ask. I'm here to help! 

If you are considering opening any of these cards, I greatly appreciate you using my referral link. That is, apply through my link - which is free to you, but gives me a small kick back of points, which helps me to continue bringing you free content and support! Thank you!

Standard Sign Up Bonus Offers

Chase

You'll see this list is pretty heavy on Chase cards; that's because Chase is generally the most beginner friendly transferrable/flexible points program of all banks, due to it's vast variety of domestic and international airline and hotel transfer partners. Learn more here on Chase Transfer Partners.

Chase Transferrable Points

Chase Personal Cards

• Freedom Unlimited (learn more here): Spend $500 in 3 months; earn $200/20,000 points
• Freedom Flex (learn more here): Spend $500 in 3 months; earn $200/20,000 points
• Sapphire Preferred* (learn more here): Spend $5,000 in 3 months; earn 75,000 points
• Sapphire Reserve* (learn more here): Spend $5,000 in 3 months; earn 125,000 points

*As of January 2026; you can now hold the Sapphire Preferred AND the Sapphire Reserve at the same time. The previous 48-month rule no longer exists.

Chase Business cards

• Sapphire Reserve Business (learn more here): Spend $20,000 in 3 months; earn 150,000 points
• Ink Business Cash (learn more here): Spend $6,000 in 3 months; earn 75,000 points
• Ink Business Unlimited (learn more here): Spend $6,000 in 3 months; earn 75,000 points
• Ink Business Preferred (learn more here):  Spend $8,000 in 3 months; earn 90,000 points

Chase Airlines and Hotels

Interested in buy one, get one free flights for close to two years? Consider opening Southwest Credit cards to earn companion pass! Learn more about companion pass here.

Keep in mind, with Southwest 2025 changes, all credit card holders get free checked bags as well as option to select seating in advance (when you get to select varies depending on which card(s) you hold. If you fly Southwest a few times a year, the free checked bag benefit can easily cover the cost of the annual fee.

Southwest Personal Cards

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus: Spend $1,000 in 3 months; earn 50,000 points
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier: Spend $1,000 in 3 months; earn 50,000 points
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority: Spend $1,000 in 3 months; earn 50,000 points

These cards all have the same standard sign up bonus, but varying  annual fees and associated benefits - including when you are allowed to select seats for free and how many points you earn upon your cardholder anniversary.

Southwest Business Cards

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business: Spend $3,000 in 3 months; earn 60,000 points
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business: Spend $5,000 in 3 months; earn 80,000 points

Misc Chase Hotel Cards

Hyatt Personal Card: Spend $5,000 in 3 months, earn 60,000 points

There is often an elevated offer to earn up to 5 nights free, BUT it requires you to spend $15,000 in the first 6 months! Personally, I don't think this is worth it. If I have $15K to spend, I'm looking to open a new card with flexible points. The free nights awards are only valid for 1 year and only valid on lower tier, Category 1-4 hotels. I would rather get the 60,000 Hyatt points and have the flexibility to spend them where and when I want!

Marriot Bonvoy Boundless: Spend $3,000 in 3 months; earn 3 free night awards. Each Free Night Award (FNA) is valid up to 50,000 points and valid for 1 year. 

FNAs can be redeemed and "topped" off with additional points up to a maximum of 15,000 points per night; which means if you have extra Marriott points, you can redeem your FNA+points for up to 65,000 points per night.

Capital One

Capital One is known to be rather picky for approvals. If you have one or more inquiries on your credit in the past six months, you may or may not be able to get approved. You can use Capital One's preapproval tool to check your odds. Also, if you freeze your credit (I freeze with all of the bureaus. This is free to do) and unthaw 24 hours before you apply.

This is also because in Nov 2025, Capital One implemented a rule that in order to qualify for sign up bonuses you must open the cards "in order" of lowest tier to highest tier. This is you need to open the cards in this order to earn a sign up bonus on each: Venture One, Venture, and Venture X).

Often the Venture One card is skipped (due to lower sign up bonus/benefits not worth taking on up spot of you 5/24). 

It's recommended to open a Venture card BEFORE opening a Venture X card. 

If you open a VentureX card first, you will not be eligible for a Venture Card sign up bonus until 48 months have passed since earning the Venture X sign up bonus. 

Capital One Transferable Points

Venture Card (learn more here): Spend $4,000 in 3 months; earn 75,000 points

VentureX Card (learn more here): Spend $4,000 in 3 months; earn 75,000 points

American Express 

Amex Personal Cards

Similar to Capital One rules; Amex also has a rule to open personal cards in "family order". The Family Rule dictates that you need to get Amex personal cards in tiered "order", otherwise, you aren't eligible for future sign up bonuses of lower tier cards.

Basically, Amex has Green, Gold, and Platinum personal cards. If you get a Platinum card as your first Amex Personal card, then you are not eligible to get the sign up bonus for the Green or Gold cards in the future.

I personally don't think the Green card offer is worth a 5/24 spot, so I recommend starting off getting Amex Gold Personal before an Amex Platinum Personal.

• Green: Spend $3,000 in 6 months, earn 40,000 points 
• Gold (learn more here): Spend $6,000 in 6 months, earn up to 100,000 points. (Note, the standard offer is 60,000 points, but I wouldn't accept this offer for less than 80,000 points).
• Platinum (on of my favorite benefits here): Spend $12,000 in 6 months, earn up to 175,000 points (the minimum spend updated to $12,000 from $8,000 on 2/5/26)

Note the 6-month minimum spend on American Express personal cards instead of the usual 3-month duration! I know this really helps out low spenders.

*Amex is weird with sign up bonuses. The same link may produce a 75K offer on your phone and 100K offer on your computer. It's always best to check the link in a few different browser and devices (clear your cookies, incognito mode, on your phone), before you apply and accept - to ensure that you're getting the highest offer. If you don't receive a high offer, decline the offer and wait a day or two and try again!

Amex Business Cards

• Gold: Spend $15,000 in 3 months, earn up to 100,000 points (Note, you can find elevated offers to earn up to 200,000 points, but I wouldn't accept this offer for less than 150,000 points).

• Platinum: Spend $20,000 in 3 months, earn 200,000 points (Note, you can find elevated offers to earn up to 300,000 points, but I wouldn't accept this offer for less than 250,000 points).

• Blue Business Plus: Spend $3,000 in 3 months, earn up to 15,000 points. (However, typically you can find an elevated offer to spend $4K in 4 months and earn 50,000 or even 75,000 points!)

Summary

The above is A LOT of information; but it's also good to know! If I were ready to open a new card and had the spend to do so, I wouldn't NOT get a card just because it doesn't currently have an elevated offer.... but at the same time, I hope the list above is something you can reference so that when you are opening new credit cards, you can use this information to weigh out which card and card offer is best for you at any given time!

As always, I love and appreciate your support! Please consider using my referral links when you open new credit card(s); which is free to you, but supports my small business :)

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Looking for more information on points/miles? You can find all of my points talk posts linked here.

Trying to figure out your next card? Here is my FREE personalized Next Card Recommendation form. Simply fill this out and I'll let you know my suggestions.

Wondering how I keep all of this information organized? Check out my Points Tracker!

Curious what cards I (and/or my husband) have, and why? Read here!

Jan 2026 Elevated Offers

There are SO many good offers right now! I wanted to put together a list for you to view all of the offers in one place to compare and make your decision as to what card to open next!

Can't decide? Fill out my free form or shoot me an email and I'll give my opinion!

January 2026 Elevated Offers

Capital One Venture Card

Current (elevated) offer: Spend $4,000 in 3 months and earn 75,000 points + $250 Travel Credit

Annual Fee: $95

My Thoughts on this Offer: This offer is worth at least a minimum of $1,000 of travel (more if you transfer your points to Capital One Travel Partners (hotels/airlines)! This second is my number 2 recommendation for Beginner Points Credit Cards. You can read more about which cards I recommend if you're just getting started and why here.

Learn more about the Venture Card and it's benefits here. Interested in applying for this card? Here's my referral link!

Chase Sapphire Reserve Business

Current (elevated) offer: Spend $30,000 in 6 months and earn 200,000 points (elevated offer ended January 22nd, 2026 at 9am ET)

Note: as of 1/22/2026, this card is now at it's Standard Offer: Spend $30,000 in 3 months, and earn 150,000 points.

Annual Fee: $795

My Thoughts on this Offer: This card has a huge annual fee; but it's benefits (including $300 travel credit on any purchase) plus 200,000 of the most valuable flexible points there are, really make it worth getting this card for the elevated sign up bonus and keeping it just for a year (then downgrading or closing). 

Uncertain about qualifying or applying for business cards? This post dives in deeper to business cards and includes a step by step application tutorial.

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve Business and it's benefits here. Interested in applying for this card? Here's my referral link!

Chase Ink Business Preferred

Current (elevated) offer: Spend $8,000 in 3 months and earn 100,000 points

Annual Fee: $95

My Thoughts on this Offer: This is a great offer for a good chunk of flexible Chase points with a low annual fee and lower minimum spend. This is also a "premium" Chase card, so it allows you to transfer points from Chase to partner airlines and hotels. It also do not have a foreign transaction fee, which makes it a great card to grab now and use on a vacation towards your minimum spend!

Uncertain about qualifying or applying for business cards? This post dives in deeper to business cards and includes a step by step application tutorial.

Learn more about the Chase Ink Business Preferred and it's benefits here. Interested in applying for this card? Here's my referral link!

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless

Current (elevated) offer: Spend $3,000 in 3 months and earn five one-night award certificates*

*Each one free night award is redeemable for up to 50,000 points per night. In addition, you can "top off", or add/transfer an additional 15,000 points per night (from your Marriott account, or bank partners), to book rooms up to 65,000 points per night.

The 5 free-night-awards can be used individually or all together. Free night awards expire in one year.

Annual Fee: $95

My Thoughts on this Offer: This is a great offer for someone who has a specific trip and hotel in mind to use these points. Because Marriott Point pricing is tied to cash price, the amount of points it costs to stay at any given Marriott can fluctuate greatly. I recommend searching for hotel options to use your five 50,000 point free night awards BEFORE you apply for this card.

I personally don't have this card, as it's a personal card and takes up a 5/24 spot. If you're not familiar with the "5/24 rule", read this post, Rule 2. Because you can only open so many personal cards in any given time period, I currently am focused on earning flexible points from banks with cards like Chase Sapphire Preferred/Reserve, American Express Gold Personal, and Capital One Venture Card.

Summary

There are always going to be new offers that come and go! Don't feel obligated to sign up for a card if it's not the right moment for you. However, if you have the natural spend - these are some great offers to take advantage of!

I personally plan to open the Sapphire Reserve Business for myself, given upcoming property taxes, federal taxes, 40th birthdays, summer camps, and Europe vacation; on top of our day-to-day expenses, in the next six months!

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Looking for more information on points/miles? You can find all of my points talk posts linked here.

Trying to figure out your next card? Here is my FREE personalized Next Card Recommendation form. Simply fill this out and I'll let you know my suggestions.

Wondering how I keep all of this information organized? Check out my Points Tracker!

Curious what cards I (and/or my husband) have, and why? Read here!

Beginner Cards - 2026 Refresh

Wondering how to start and what to do? You're not alone! Two of the most common questions I receive when it comes to points are:

Which card(s) do I need to open to start in this hobby?

What card should I open next?

9 times out of 10, if this is someone who has interested in learning about points and/or has opened their first card, my response is going to be the same. Last year I posted my Top 3 Beginner Cards (of 2025) and due to some rule changes, I'm posting an update to that list.

Copenhagen, Aug 2025

But before we jump in, let's start with a few reminders, pulled from my Points 101 post and my New to Points post:

First and foremost - this "game" is for people who have a steady income and who are able to pay off their credit card statement(s) monthly. The point of this is not to bring you into debt, or farther into debt*; it's to take money that you're already spending for every day life (home utility bills, groceries, car insurance, internet, streaming, childcare (if you're lucky), etc) and spend it more strategically on a credit card in order to earn points that you can them redeem for travel. (*I am not a financial advisor!)

The easiest and quickest way to earn a lot of points is by opening a new credit card and spending the minimum spend amount in the allotted time given (commonly 3 months, up to 6 months), in order to obtain the card's sign up bonus. Sign up bonuses ARE the reason to get a new credit card. Earning a sign up bonus will typically, if not always, outweigh the amount of points you'll earn verse using the same credit card daily for all of your expenses.

This WILL lead to you having more credit cards opened and more management on your end; however, you also don't HAVE to keep getting new credit cards if you don't want to. You can simply start with one new card, get the sign up bonus, and utilize those points and be done. How many cards you want to get (and manage) is up to you and your spend. 

Remember, you don't have to keep these cards open forever! You can close cards! While this post talks about closing (and/or downgrading) cards, the most important thing to know is: never close a credit card until you've had it open at least 12 months. Closing a card any sooner than the one year mark will jeopardize your relationship and ability to get future cards with that bank.

Chase 5/24 Rule: If you have no idea what I'm talking about, historically Chase will NOT approve you for new credit cards (personal or business cards) if you've got 5 or more personal* credit cards of any time in the last 24 month period. This can include cards from ANY bank, not just Chase, like Chase, Amex, Capital One, Citi Wells Fargo, etc), store cards (Old Navy, Lowes, Nordstrom, you name it), Airlines, Hotels etc. This also includes if you have been added as an authorized user to someone else's credit card** 

The majority of the time, the best way to utilize flexible points earned, is to transfer them to Hotel and/or Airline Partners of the bank to book directly. This typically leads to lower points price (compared to using points in a bank travel portal at a fixed rate of 1 point to 1 cent), maximizing the value of your points (saving more points for travel!). Each bank has their own set of travel partner Airlines and Hotels; some overlap across banks, but other Hotel/Airlines are specific to only one bank.

2026 Beginner Card Recommendations

Card 1 - Chase Sapphire

This is the absolute number one card that I recommend to open and for at least one person in each household to hold long term. There are two options for this card: Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve.

These are both personal cards and you can only hold ONE of them at a time. The Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee and Sapphire Reserve has a whopping $795 fee (but a lot of additional benefits). Which card is right for you? It depends on your ability to pay higher annual fees and utilize the enhanced benefits to offset the annual fee. Follow the links above to learn more about each card and it's benefits.

Why is the Sapphire my top card?

Chase is the best flexible points to start with because it's travel partners (Hotels and Airlines) for transferring points are good for both domestic and international travel. They are also all likely brands you are familiar with, or at least have heard of.

The second reason is that in order to have the ability to transfer points from Chase to a partner, you must have a "premium" Chase card. This essentially means, a Chase card with an annual fee. Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve are the only two personal cards that have this ability.

Long Term Planning: I will always hold a Sapphire card to maintain the ability to transfer to travel partners (and not my Player-2; as the name on the card must match the name on the loyalty account you are transferring too. I like to have those airline/hotel reservations in my accounts/name as much as possible)

Learn more about Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve

Referral Links

Next Up... Pick Your Path:

Personal Cards vs Business Cards

Depending on your monthly spend, consider if you're willing and able to open Business Cards. They often have a higher minimum spend, but yield a higher amount of points. This blog post talks about what qualifies as a "business" in the bank's eyes for business cards (hint: you can apply with you social security number and I walk you through how to do this). I have helped people get approved for business cards using their facebook "resale" with an estimated annual revenue of under $1K per year. 

Business cards are desirable, not only for more points, but also because they don't report to your personal credit, after initial inquiry to apply for the card. Therefore, as mentioned above, business cards don't count in your Chase 5/24; therefore the only "limit" to the amount of business cards you can open is your spending level and waiting at least 30 days between cards (although 90 is more ideal).

Personal Card Route:

Card 2A - Capital One Venture Card

Venture Card is my number 2 due to Capital One rules and approval methods.

First, Capital One is known to be picky about card approval in general. The less recent inquiries you have on your credit (this includes car loans, credit cards, mortgage, etc) the best. Capital One may automatically decline you if you have one or more credit inquiries in the past six months.

One way to try to "trick" the system if you have more than one recent inquiry is to freeze your credit with all 3 credit bureaus (Transunion, Experian, and Equifax) BEFORE you apply, then wait at least a week and unfreeze the two bureaus with the least amount of inquiries.

Ideally, if you are opening the Venture card "early" in your credit card game, you'll have less inquiries and have an easier time being approved.

Secondly, Capital One recently announced a change to qualification for sign up bonuses of the Venture-Series cards (Venture One, Venture, and Venture X). In order to qualify for a sign up bonus, you must open the cards "in order" of lowest tier to highest tier to be eligible for sign up bonuses. 

Often the Venture One card is skipped (due to lower sign up bonus/benefits not worth taking on up spot of you 5/24). In essence, it's recommended to open a Venture card BEFORE opening a Venture X card. If you open a VentureX card first, you will not be eligible for a Venture card sign up bonus until 48 months have passed since earning the Venture X sign up bonus. 

Long Term Planning: I personally would open the Venture Card first and then the VentureX card. Then after holding the Venture Card for 12 months, I could close Venture Card and keep the Venture X long term.

Learn more about the Venture here and if you choose to open, I appreciate your support by using my Referral Link (no cost to you!)

Card 3A - American Express Gold (Personal)

Amex Gold Personal is one of the cards myself and/or my Player 2 (aka my husband) will always hold. It has a $325 annual fee, but it's benefits offer ways to offset the cost.

The real reason I love this card is that it offers 4x's points for every dollar spent on groceries and dining; which often are top spend budget line items for households.

Long Term Planning: Either myself or my Player 2 will always hold this card moving forward. We don't both need to have it, but it's good for one of us to have for the 4x's dining and groceries when we aren't working on a sign up bonus

Learn more about American Express Gold Personal here and if you choose to open, I appreciate your support by using my Referral Link (no cost to you!)

ALTERNATIVE PATH - Business Cards:

This alternative path has a Chase Focus. Using this path, you can rack up a ton of Chase points and stay in the same bank/ecosystem if you're not ready to jump into Amex or Capital One. A lot of people, myself included, go this route to keep things simple and learn all of the rules you can with Chase first. Then later on, once you have all of the cards listed here, you can consider expanding to another bank like American Express or Capital One. 

I think the most common thought with business cards is, "I don't have a business" so these aren't for me. But what if I told you to rethink what a business is? Do you resell items on FB Marketplace or Craigslist? Babysit? Property Manage? All of these items can count as a small business and qualify you for a business card, even if you don't have an EIN.

This is where the business card application option for sole proprietor comes into play. You don't need an EIN, you simply use you SSN instead! Read more about business cards and follow my step-by-step sole proprietor business card application instructions here!

Let me just say.... business cards can play a pivotal role in earning points. Chase Ink Cash and Chase Ink Unlimited are amazing cards, in that they have no annual fee, often have an elevated sign up bonus, and you can combine your points earned with your Chase Sapphire to then transfer to direct travel partners. 

Not only are the sign up bonuses usually great, like 75,000 points for a $6,000 spend in 3 months, but if you are working on points in a two-person mode (ie maybe you and a significant other), then you can also refer one another to cards (this is true for all point earning credit cards), so each card you get is not only the SUB (sign up bonus), but it's also the referral points added in too.

*Note, there are four Chase Ink Cards; but only one of them is a true cash back card. (The rest are marketing, but award a sign up bonus in the form of points). The Ink Premier is cash back and this is not an ideal card to get for earning flexible points.

Card 2B - Chase Ink Business Preferred

This card has a $95 annual fee, but also currently has an elevated sign up bonus of 100,000 points for spending $8K in 3 months (as of Jan 2026).

Long Term Planning: This doesn't have to be a long term card (although it is a Chase Premium card, which allows you to transfer points to air/hotel partners. If you don't have a Sapphire card, this is a great alternative for a long term card, that also earns 3x's points on travel!)

Learn more about Chase Ink Preferred

Cards 3C and D - Chase Ink Business Unlimited or Cash

Neither of these cards have an annual fee, which is great! The standard offer is to earn 75,000 points by spending $6,000 in 3 months. The cards have different benefits, that can help you earn more points long term.

Long Term Planning: Because these cards don't have annual fees, there's really no reason not to keep them long term initially (later on you may need to close them in order to free up some credit in order to be approved for more cards. I hit on that in this post)

Learn more about Chase Ink Unlimited and Chase Ink Cash.

Summary

There you have it, which cards I would start with if I were just getting into points now! Keep in mind, if you have another adult in your household/life (aka a Player 2) who is willing/able to open credit cards - you can open a card and then use your card to refer Player 2 to the same card. With this, you earn referral points and Player 2 earns a sign up bonus!

If you're interested in going the Business Card route first, I would then circle back and get the personal cards next (Card 2A Capital One Venture and Card 3A American Express Gold Personal).

If you consider opening any of these cards I highlight (or others I have, check My Cards page), I can't thank you enough for using my referral links (all of the cards listed above are clickable referral links). This is completely free to you and provides me with a point kickback so that I can keep traveling on points and sharing the world of points with you! Thank you!

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Looking for more information on points/miles? You can find all of my points talk posts linked here.

Trying to figure out your next card? Here is my FREE personalized Next Card Recommendation form. Simply fill this out and I'll let you know my suggestions.

Wondering how I keep all of this information organized? Check out my Points Tracker!

Curious what cards I (and/or my husband) have, and why? Read here!