Current Recommended Cards, August 2025
Check out the best options at this moment in time here. Full disclosure, I do have referral links to some of these cards, but I fully want you to get the best offer regardless of referrals, so will be listing any cards without referrals that I think are worthwhile as well. If you do use a referral though, would love for you to shoot me an email so I can track it on my end.
IF YOU HAVE BIG DINNERS/WEDDINGS/EVENTS SKIP AHEAD TO THE AMEX RESY PLAT
See the list of what I consider the best cards right now. Full disclosure, I do have referral links to some of these cards, but I fully want you to get the best offer regardless of referrals, so will be listing any cards without referrals that I think are worthwhile, as well. If you do use a referral though, would love for you to shoot me an email so I can track it on my end.
Also - feel free to give me a shout if you have any questions! I want you to get the right card for you, and get you started on your points journey.
1.Chase Sapphire Reserve 125k bonus
Spend $6k in 3 months to get the sign on bonus of 125,000 Chase UR points
$795 annual fee
This is a great offer to the refreshed Chase Sapphire Reserve, and a great first step on your road to free travel.
It is very straightforward to get your points, and is very easy to redeem points as well, and this offer comes with the normal $300 travel credit and various other credits, so the $795 annual fee is not as daunting as it could be.
PROS:
125,000 Chase points after $6k spend + $300 normal travel credit - worth $1,500 at a minimum, but potentially worth much more when transferred to partners
Very flexible points - Chase points, aside from straight travel redemptions, can be transferred to Hyatt, Marriott, United, and more. Of these, Hyatt is without a doubt the best transfer partner, and your 64k points get you 7-8 free nights at the Hyatt Cottonwood in SLC for skiing or snowboarding, for example, or almost 2 nights at the Park Hyatt Kyoto, where cash rates can be between $2k-$4k PER night. Insane value.
Super easy to use points
Assorted other credits - $250 every 6 months Chase Edit hotel credit, $150 every 6 months Stubhub credit, $150 every 6 months Open Table special dining credit, among others - can definitely add up, even if it's a bit of a coupon book
Can combine your points from this card with the Ink card (see #1). You can really supersize your point earning with one of each, and there are opportunities for even more.
CONS:
The high annual fee. They just raised it, and reduced redemptions from 1.5x on the Chase Travel Portal. But this offer is totally worth it for the first year (downgrade to the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Freedom for your second year).
2.Chase Ink Unlimited (Business card)
Spend $6k in 3 months to get 90k Chase UR points
Even though this is a business card, it’s one of the best options out there right now.
Chase points are very valuable and this is an a normal for the card. If you are open to a business card (anyone can apply), it's a great option right now. If you apply, make sure you choose the Ink Unlimited and NOT the Ink Preferred or Ink Cash.
PROS:
99k points after minimum spend (90k bonus plus 9k on $6k spend)
$0 annual fee
Chase points, are flexible and useful, and amazing for Hyatt in particular. HOWEVER - you would need to get an Ink Preferred or Sapphire Preferred/Reserve to fully take advantage of these points; this is like banking these points for the future.
CONS:
It is a business card, which some people are hesitant to apply for.
3.Capital One Venture X
Spend $4k in 3 months to get the sign on bonus of 75,000 Capital One miles + $300 annual travel credit.
$395 annual fee.
Don’t get daunted by the annual fee!!!
While large, it is mostly offset by the travel credit, which you can utilize on the Capital One travel portal. You can use the miles on the travel portal (effectively $1,000 combined with the travel credit), but you can get outsize value by transferring them to partners such as Singapore Airlines, Aeroplan, and Wyndham, among others. Furthermore, for those who own cars already, the Venture X provides primary rental car insurance, so in case of accidents/claims, you don’t have to take any hits to your personal insurance. Not even Amex provides this free (you have to pay extra per rental). Aside from the sign up bonus, that's one of the biggest benefits of this card, though it also provides great trip protection benefits and access to (admittedly limited, for now) Capital One lounges.
In addition, there have been increasing number of events that have Capital One ticket presales, so this is a nice way to access those presales.
PROS:
Easy to use miles
Primary rental car insurance
Visa - accepted more places than Amex
CONS:
Not as many transfer partners as Amex and Chase, though there is some overlap
Capital One can be weird with approvals - they have their own unique system
4.Amex Personal Platinum 175,000 points
Offer A: Spend $8k in 6 months to get the sign on bonus of 175,000 Amex Points
$895 annual fee
IF you are able to pull this offers, it is one of the best offers in recent history for the Amex Personal Platinum, and this Amex is one of the cards I think everyone should have at least once, if not hold for a while.
I similarly encourage you NOT to get discouraged with the hefty $895 annual fee (FOR the first year – can always cancel/downgrade after the first year) as the points, as well as the various airline/Uber/digital entertainment/Saks/Lululemon/Resy credits and the travel and shopping protections and benefits make it well worth having an Amex Platinum in your wallet for one year, if not longer.
For instance - the Amex Platinum offers return protection, so if you try to return something in the first 90 days and the merchant doesn’t take it back, you are covered up to $300 per purchase and $1,000 per year. It also offers purchase protection, which even covers lost items in the first 90 days. Extended warranty adds an extra year to your warranties - useful for me when our Peloton broke after one year. Amex covered the cost, no problem. Even if you don’t use these protections (of which there are more), it’s really great for peace of mind, especially for larger purchases.
Points-wise, 175k is enough to go roundtrip to Japan in first class via ANA in low/mid seasons (+$500 in fees), one way business class to or from Australia to the US, and many other potential uses as well - Amex points transfer well to all kinds of partners, with arguably better options than Capital One (including Qantas, Avianca, and Air France), as well as an ability to book travel 1:1, though you’ll generally get better value out of transfers.
PROS:
175k Amex MR after $8k in 6 months spend - the spend is a lot, but spread out over 6 months.
Very flexible points - most useful for business/first class airfare, but also can transfer to Marriott and others to top off a hotel stay, or for cheap economy flights, and can also use to purchase travel directly with amextravel.com
Lots of various credits. These can sometimes be annoying, but the air credit, Resy credit, digital entertainment, and Uber credits are all easily used, and the others aren't too bad.
The shopping and travel protections are top notch - the best in the business, and Amex makes them super easy to use if you need to.
CONS:
$895 annual fee is a big hurdle for people, though more than offset by all the above
If you have any questions about any of these cards, hit me up! I'm happy to guide you through.