February 2, 2025
If you’re new to the world of points and miles, picking the right credit card can feel downright overwhelming. Do you go with the card of your favorite airline? Swipe for those hotel points? Or opt for one of the bigger, flashier cards through a major bank? With so many credit cards vying for your attention, it’s important to get real with yourself not only about where you typically spend your money, but also what your goals are in terms of earning points.
There are many factors to consider when finding the card, or cards, that are going to make the most sense to add into your life. While some people may opt to keep things simple (and significantly more budget friendly!) and choose just one card to keep in their wallets, others may have a collection of cards that require a little more attention as to what kind of shopping is going on what card. Taking a detailed look into how you currently spend money is also a factor that may influence which credit card you get as well. Is the majority of your monthly spend on dining out? Groceries? Travel purchases? Maybe it’s more utilitarian and the majority of expenses land on utilities and dog food.
To help narrow down the best options, consider the factors outlined below:
- What is your main goal for accruing points and miles?
- Cash back
- Miles for air travel
- Miles for hotel stays
- Frequent Flyer status
- Lounge access
- Current spending habits- Is there outsized spending on any certain categories to consider?
- Dining out
- Travel (Flights, hotels, Rideshares like Lyft and Uber, rental cars)
- Rent
- Groceries
- Streaming services
- Gas
- How many cards are you interested in getting?
- Just one card for all purchases
- Open to adding multiple to maximize expenditure
- Annual fee
- No annual fee cards
- Annual fees can vary from $95 to thousands of dollars
- Your credit health
- Some more premium cards will require higher credit limits
You will notice I did not mention APR because to be completely honest, the APR should not matter because if you trying to play the points and miles game, you should never be carrying a balance on your credit card. There is absolutely no shame in carrying a balance- credit cards exist for a reason and they can be a literal lifeline to many! However, credit card debt is a slippery slope and the interest that can accrue on a balance can completely negate any perks gained from points and miles. Thus, if you are someone who tends to carry a balance on your credit cards, I recommend checking out some resources here that could be helpful on your journey to freedom from credit card debt. And then we will see you back here to begin your steps towards finding the right cards for you to get you closer to your travel/hotel/cash back goals!
I have only personally had a handful of these cards so far but want to share the knowledge I’ve gained from the research I have conducted on my own credit card points journey. I will also link resources for further delving from reputable sources I have found to be extremely helpful. The landscape of benefits is also ever changing (unfortunately most of the changes are downgrades and not upgrades) so I recommend checking in directly with the cards in question to confirm what their current offerings are, with full knowledge that these perks can change at any time. For those living here in Portland, Oregon who have or had the Chase Sapphire Reserve card know exactly what I’m talking about. Our beloved PDX, while an incredible airport, currently lacks any kind of lounge that is not directly affiliated with an airline (we only have a delta and alaska airlines lounge). For a time those holding the Sapphire Reserve had $28 worth of restaurant credit for themselves and up to 3 friends at the two Capers Cafe locations in either wing of the airport. This was a wonderful perk- so wonderful that we added this premium travel card to our house collection solely for this added benefit as I already hold the Venture X which gets me the normal Priority Pass access (more on that in another post). Yet lo and behold, only a few short months after forking over the $595 (and $75 on top of that to add me as an authorized user!) it was announced that this additional ‘Restaurant Credit’ perk would be revoked from the Sapphire Reserve benefits. This was a major disappointment and a stark reminder that these benefits can change at the drop of a hat.
As this is America and capitalism is the name of the game, there is no ONE PERFECT CARD that covers all our needs. However, with all the competition between the cards, there are at least going to be a few options to choose from depending on your specific needs.