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Before we get into the list, a few quick notes on credit cards
None of this is financial advice, just our own opinions
Only get a credit card if you are comfortable with it
Make sure you hit the New Member Offer spending limit to get the extra points when opening a new card. We usually do this by opening a new card when we know we have some big purchases coming up and switching all our payments onto that card.
Capital One Venture X
This is our first premium credit card and is our favorite. The annual fee is a bit steep but we think that the benefits easily make up for the yearly fee.
Annual Fee: $395
New Member Offer: 75,000 Mile bonus after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months.
$300/year travel credit when booked on Capital One Travel
10,000 Mile bonus every year, worth $100
$100 credit towards TSA Precheck or Global entry
Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel, plus unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases.
Priority Pass Membership: get access to those airport lounges!
Transfer miles to partners
See more about the card or sign up here
Chase Sapphire Preferred
This card is cheaper, but still has some great benefits and the points can be used in a variety of ways.
Annual Fee: $95
New Member Offer: 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first 4 months, that’s worth $750 in travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
$50/year hotel credit booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Transfer points to partners
5x points on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x on select dining/grocery/streaming services, 2x on other travel, or 1 point per dollar.
Travel Insurance when using your card, such as Trip Cancellation/Interruption, Auto CDW, Baggage Delay, Trip Delay, and Emergency Assistance
See more about the card or sign up here
World of Hyatt
We got this card early on in our travels, and while it is more specified than the above two cards, we still find it useful to keep. The annual fee is easily made up by giving you one night every year at a category 1-4 hotel. Every year we use the free night to stay in the Hyatt Grand Cypress in Orlando to enjoy a weekend away with our family. We have also received room upgrades at Hyatt hotels because of our card status.
Annual Fee: $95
New Member Offer: 30,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months, and 30,000 more bonus points by earning 2 points for every 1 point purchase on up to $15,000.
One free night every year at a Category 1-4 hotel and a bonus night if you spend $15,000 in a year. I would suggest using this night at a category 4 hotel to get your moneys worth.
Earn 9x points at Hyatt stays and Experiences, 2x points on dining/health/flights/transit, and 1 point per dollar everywhere else. These points are some of the most valuable in the industry. Depending on the season some of the Hyatt hotels will cost more per night, which means booking those hotels from other sources will cost more money and points, but those nights will always cost the same amount when using your World of Hyatt points.
See more about the card or sign up here
*All links in this post are referral links*