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When I talk about the flights and hotel stays I have redeemed with points and miles, my friends will often ask me which card they should get to fund their own trips. However, they are often surprised when I tell them there is not just one single credit card in the optimal reward strategy. After all, we spend money in multiple categories each month. There will always be groceries to buy and restaurants to try on top of additional everyday expenses, and nearly all of my friends my age, including myself, also pay rent instead of a mortgage. However, there is not a credit card on the market that earns a massive amount of points in all of these categories.
In order to earn a lot of points, some people obtain new credit cards and bring in welcome bonuses multiple times a year. However, many of my friends find the idea of applying for a bunch of cards — that they may not use enough to justify holding the card after earning the welcome bonus — jarring. Therefore, a happy medium must exist where they can accumulate miles for their purchases while also keeping the number of credit cards in their wallet to just the ones that they will use. Which cards should be in their everyday wallet?
Rather than telling my friends to apply for just one card, I tell them to apply for three premium credit cards that they will not only use frequently but also will provide them with an excellent point return on their purchases without having to modify their current spending patterns.
Card One: Capital One Venture X
In a premium travel card market that has historically been dominated by The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a relative newcomer that, despite its young age, offers values far beyond its annual fee of $395.
The Capital One Venture X offers 10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 Miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel. Cardholders also earn 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, making it not just an excellent travel credit card but also a great credit card for everyday purchases in spending categories that are not covered by the other two cards in my everyday wallet.
The Capital One Venture X also offers a wide variety of travel benefits. These include a $300 travel credit for travel purchases in the Capital One Travel portal, up to $100 application fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry (available once every four years), and 10,000 bonus miles on each account anniversary. If you are planning on traveling at least once a year, the travel credit and miles alone essentially offset the annual fee. Furthermore, the card also offers airport lounge access via Capital One lounges, as well as lounges within the Plaza Premium and Priority Pass networks.
Related: Full Review of the Capital One Venture X
- 2 miles per dollar on all eligible purchases
- 5 miles per dollar on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booking via Capital One Travel
Card Two: American Express® Gold Card
Years ago, when I first decided to look for a credit card that would earn points, I asked one of my friends who enjoyed aviation if just getting one American Airlines credit card would be sufficient. He immediately told me that it was not worth it and to instead get the American Express® Gold Card. My friend’s logic was simple: As college students and young professionals, we spend a lot of our money on food and drinks every month. Therefore, why not get a premium card that gives us the best return on those purchases?
All of these years later, my friend’s advice is still correct. The Amex Gold earns 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X)., as well as 4X at restaurants around the world (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S). Compared to other competing products, it is easily the best card to use when spending on food and drinks.
Even though the Amex Gold has an annual fee of $250 (Rates & Fees), the card also offers up to $10 in monthly dining credits (which can be used at places including Grubhub and The Cheesecake Factory) and $10 in monthly Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. (totaling up to $120 per year), if you add the card as a payment method in your account. On a monthly basis, I typically order takeout with Grubhub once, as well as ordering takeout on Uber Eats or riding in an Uber, meaning that I am completely utilizing these credits without having to modify my spending habits. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
If my friends get scared of the Amex Gold‘s annual fee, I ask them if they order takeout and ride in an Uber once a month. Nearly all of them say “yes,” so I tell them that they should think of the annual fee as paying for their takeout or Uber ride up front. In return, they can earn significantly more points on grocery and dining purchases than they are currently getting. When they learn that their spending patterns already more than offset the Amex Gold‘s annual fee, they immediately understand how essential the card is in their everyday wallet.
Related: Full Review of the Amex Gold
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
- Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
- Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $250.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 1X on other purchases
- Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
Card Three: Bilt MasterCard
While there typically has been an optimal credit card for nearly every spending category, there wasn't a card offering points on rent (without significant fees involved) until 2022, when The Bilt Mastercard® was released. Cardholders have one of three methods for using the Bilt card to pay rent: via their apartment’s payment portal (if the apartment is partnered with Bilt), a checking and routing number that Bilt generates (instead of using your bank’s checking and routing number), or a check that can be mailed to your landlord.
By offering these payment methods, the Bilt Mastercard is the only credit card that you can use for earning points while paying rent without incurring additional processing fees that apartments tack on for monthly rent payments made with other cards. It also avoids the fees associated with third-party providers like Plastiq. In order to earn points on rent, cardholders must make at least five purchases other than rent payments during a billing cycle.
The Bilt Mastercard offers an excellent rate of 5x points on Lyft rides, making it the optimal card in the everyday wallet for ordering rideshares. While the card's 3x points earned on dining, 2x on travel, and 1x on other purchases is not as good as what the other two cards in this wallet offer, these rates are usually doubled on the first day of each month when Bilt holds its Rent Day promotions. Because I need to make five transactions each month to earn extra points on rent, any spending I do on the first day of each month is done on the Bilt Mastercard.
In addition to typically providing double earnings on all purchases aside from rent, Bilt’s Rent Day also includes points giveaways, trivia games, and other credits. While other Rent Day giveaways have been Premier Silver status with United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt Discoverist status, Bilt’s July 2023 Rent Day promotions included a $20 Lyft credit. With no annual fee on the Bilt Mastercard, the card quickly pays for itself.
How These Cards Work Together
By utilizing these three cards together, cardholders would earn the following rates on their purchases:
- 10x points on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One travel portal (Capital One Venture X)
- 5x points on flights booked through the Capital One travel portal (Capital One Venture X)
- 4x points on groceries at U.S. supermarkets (subject to the $25k annual limit, then 1x) and dining worldwide plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (Amex Gold)
- 2x points on all other purchases except rent (Capital One Venture X)
- 1x points on rent without additional processing fees (Bilt Mastercard)
On Rent Day (the first day of each month), Bilt also typically offers the following points promotions, which could warrant using the Bilt Mastercard over the Amex Gold or Capital One Venture X for this particular day:
- 6x points on dining
- 4x points on travel
- 2x points on other purchases, excluding rent
In addition to these point-earning rates, cardholders also earn the following benefits and credits from these three cards:
- $300 annual Capital One Travel credit (Capital One Venture X)
- $100 application fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry (Capital One Venture X)
- 10,000 miles upon each account anniversary (Capital One Venture X)
- Airport lounge access via the Capital One lounge network, Plaza Premium, and Priority Pass (Capital One Venture X)
- $120 in dining credits, awarded as up to $10 monthly (Amex Gold)
- $120 Uber Cash, awarded as $10 monthly (Amex Gold)
- Additional benefits and credits, determined monthly (Bilt Mastercard)
- Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Bottom Line
Together, the total of the annual fees for the Capital One Venture X ($395), Amex Gold ($250 - Rates & Fees), and Bilt Mastercard ($0) comes out to $645. However, the cumulative miles earned, benefits and credits given from all three of these cards, and compatibility with most people's everyday spending habits end up providing a far greater value than the annual fee. These three cards quickly accumulate points from purchases.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees)
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