Card Guides • Points & Miles • Updated on January 20, 2026

The 4 Credit Cards That Will Always Be in My (or My Husband’s) Wallet

When I first started learning about travel rewards, I made everything way more complicated than it needed to be (which is pretty typical for me tbh - whoops).

I read about 47 different credit cards. I compared annual fees and sign-up bonuses until my eyes crossed. I spent three weeks trying to figure out if I should get a card that earned Southwest points or one that earned Delta miles or one that earned... you get the idea. Then I ended up with the most lame Marriott card as my very first credit card.

Here's what I wish someone had told me on day one: You don't need to start with a bunch of cards or analyze a hundred of them; you really only need help choosing between a few when you are getting started. And the "right" first card depends entirely on how you like to travel and where you spend most of your money.

These are the four cards that will always have a place in my wallet (or my husband's). They're the foundation of our family's entire travel rewards strategy, and they're the exact cards I recommend most often after teaching thousands of families how to do this.

So let's cut through the noise. I'm going to help you pick your first card in the next five minutes, show you exactly how to build your card strategy from there, and give you the roadmap to use these cards like an absolute pro.

One more thing before we dive in: If any of these cards currently has an elevated sign-up bonus (higher than the usual offer), start there. Those elevated offers can be worth thousands of extra points, and they don't come around constantly. Check the current offers below before you decide.

Why Start with Flexible Points?

Here's something really important that I wish I'd understood from day one: all four of these cards earn flexible points that can transfer to multiple airline and hotel partners.

This is HUGE.

When you're just starting out, you might be tempted to get a co-branded airline card (like a Delta card or United card) or a hotel card (like a Marriott card or Hilton card). Those cards definitely have their place! But here's the problem: those points are locked into one program.

Got Delta miles? You can only use them on Delta flights. Have Marriott points? You're booking Marriott properties.

But with flexible points from Chase, Capital One, Amex, or Citi? You have options. LOTS of options.

Say you earn 50,000 Chase points. You could transfer them to:

• Hyatt for hotel stays
• United for domestic flights
• Southwest for quick trips
• British Airways for short-haul flights
• Air France/KLM for international travel
• And several other partners

You're not locked in. You can shop around for the best redemption value. You can switch strategies if your travel plans change. You have flexibility.

This flexibility is especially important when you're new to this because you're still figuring out how YOU like to travel. Maybe you think you'll always fly United, but then you discover Hyatt hotels are an incredible value. Or maybe you start out loving hotels but realize vacation rentals work better for your family.

With flexible points, you're not stuck. You can pivot. You can experiment. You can find what works best for YOUR family.

Once you have a solid foundation of flexible points and you KNOW which programs you use most often, THEN you can add co-branded cards to supercharge those specific programs. But for your first card (and honestly, your first few cards), flexible points are the way to go.

The 60-Second Decision Guide

Before we dive deep, reading through the highlights of these cards and then deciding which one resonates with you the most is the fastest way to pick your first card, and truthfully, you can't go wrong with any of these 4 options.

Get the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card if:

• You love staying at Hyatt hotels (or want to)
• You want a high return on your points and value flexibility
• You're willing to track categories to maximize points
• You're brand new to credit card rewards (important: there's a rule called "5/24" that makes Chase harder to get approved for once you have 5 or more personal cards opened in the past 24 months, so this is why this card is usually recommended first)

Get the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card if:

• You prefer vacation rentals over hotels
• You want the simplest possible system (2X points on EVERYTHING)
• You don't want to think about category multipliers
• You're ready to start earning points and miles, but you aren't quite ready to go "all in."

Get the American Express® Gold Card if:

• You spend a lot on groceries and dining out
• You do a fair amount of personal or business online shopping (this pairs with Rakuten for even more points! This is one of my favorite ways to earn and to stack)
• You like luxury travel and see yourself going for a premier card like the Amex Platinum in the future
• You fly Delta a lot, and you need points that can transfer to them

Get the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card if:

• You want flexibility to transfer to multiple airlines
• You fill up at gas stations and shop at supermarkets regularly
• You fly American Airlines a lot, and you need a card that you can transfer to AA
• You prefer small boutique hotels to big chains and vacation rentals

Still with me? Good. Now let's break down exactly why each card might be YOUR perfect starting point.

The Deep Dive: Which Card Matches Your Travel Style?

Let's do a deep dive, so before you hit that apply button, you have a solid understanding of what card is right for you right now, and you feel confident in your choice.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: The Hyatt Lover's Dream

Best for: Total beginners and anyone who wants maximum transfer partner flexibility, with quick-win stays that maximize point value.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the most recommended first card in the points-and-miles world, and for good reason. Chase Ultimate Rewards points are incredibly valuable (worth over 2 cents each when you transfer to Hyatt), and you get access to excellent airline and hotel transfer partners like United, Southwest, Hyatt, Marriott, and more.

The earning breakdown:

• 5X points on travel (booked through Chase)
• 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery
• 2X points on all other travel
• 1X points on everything else

Why this might be your card:

If you're the type of family that prefers hotels over Airbnbs, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card should probably be your first card. Here's why: Chase points transfer to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio, and Hyatt has some of the best redemption values in the industry.

I'm talking about $600/night all-inclusive resorts in Mexico for 25,000 points per night. That's the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos, where I just helped a family book a week-long stay on points, while other families paid $4,200 for the same week. (Yes, I did the math. Yes, I'm still giddy about it, que the wink.)

Beyond Hyatt, you can transfer Chase points to United, Southwest, British Airways, Air France/KLM, and several other partners. This flexibility means you're never stuck with points you can't use.

Important: The 5/24 Rule

Here's something you need to know before you apply for any credit cards: Chase has a rule called "5/24," which means they typically won't approve you for their cards if you've opened 5 or more credit cards (from ANY bank) in the past 24 months.

This is why I recommend starting with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card if you plan on going all in on this hobby. Once you've opened a few other cards (even ones from different banks), you might get denied for Chase cards until enough time passes.

If you know you want Chase cards as part of your strategy, get this card first. Then move on to the other banks.

The annual fee: $95

Start with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card here→

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: The "I Just Want This to Be Simple" Option

Best for: People who hate tracking categories, vacation rental lovers, simplicity seekers

Can I be honest? The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is the easiest card on this list and the card I recommend to my family members who "just don't want to think about it". This card is great for families who just want to dip their toes in without overthinking everything and who know they could be getting more value from their everyday spend.

The earning breakdown:

• 2X miles on EVERY SINGLE PURCHASE
• 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel

Why this might be your card:

Because you don't have to think. At all.

Groceries? 2X. Gas? 2X. Target run? 2X. Streaming services? 2X. That random Amazon purchase at 11 PM? Still 2X.

Every other card on this list requires you to remember which category earns what rate. The Venture just... earns. And for busy parents (hi, it me with four kids), that simplicity is worth its weight in gold.

Plus, if your family prefers Airbnbs and VRBOs over hotels, Capital One miles can be redeemed to cover those purchases at 1 cent per mile. You can also transfer to airline partners like Air France/KLM, British Airways, and Turkish Airlines if you want to level up later. If you decide you want to level up later (and I am guessing that you will because this hobby is so fun!) Capital One's transfer partners work great with those of the other banks, so you can often pool points across several loyalty programs.

The annual fee: $95

Check out the Capital One Venture Rewards Card here →

American Express® Gold Card: The Foodie's (and Online Shopper's) Secret Weapon

Best for: Families who spend a lot on groceries and restaurants, online shopping enthusiasts

The American Express® Gold Card isn't technically a "travel" card, but don't let that fool you. This card is a points-earning MACHINE if you have a large family and spend money on food (and let's be real, who doesn't?) and all the other things that come from growing kids.

The earning breakdown:

• 4X points at restaurants worldwide
• 4X points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000/year, then 1X. This DOES NOT include Walmart or Costco)
• 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
• 1X points on everything else

Why this might be your card:

Let's do some quick math. Say your family spends $800/month on groceries and $400/month on dining out. That's $1,200 in spending that earns 4X points.

$1,200 x 4 = 4,800 points per month 4,800 x 12 = 57,600 points per year just on your food.

That's more than enough Amex Membership Rewards points for a round-trip economy flight to Europe (transferred to Air France/KLM). Just from your regular grocery and restaurant spending, not including the welcome bonus and the other multipliers.

The Online Shopping Bonus:

Here's where this card becomes absolutely ridiculous for earning points: if you do a lot of online shopping, you need to pair the American Express® Gold Card with Rakuten.

Rakuten is a cashback shopping portal, but here's the magic: you can link your Amex Membership Rewards account and get Membership Rewards points instead of cashback. This means you're earning your regular Amex points PLUS bonus Rakuten points on the same purchase.

So when you shop at places like:

• Macy's (gets you 10X Membership Rewards points per dollar through Rakuten)
• Sephora (4X-8X depending on the promotion)
• Nike (2X-6X)
• Target (1X-5X)
• Best Buy (1X-3X)
• Instacart (1X -3X)

You're stacking points on top of your regular credit card earnings. It's completely insane, and there are thousands of retailers that you can do this with. Need new soccer cleats for your kid? Might as well earn 6x the points per dollar spent on them.

Sign up for Rakuten here to get your bonus →

The catch with Amex? It's not accepted everywhere (looking at you, Costco), and you'll want to pair this with a Visa or Mastercard for places that don't take Amex. So if you get this card first, I would recommend getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred somewhere in the near future.

The annual fee: $250 (but you get monthly dining and Uber credits that offset this)

Check out the American Express® Gold Card →

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card: The Underdog Champion

Best for: Families who fill up at gas stations regularly, shop at supermarkets, want transfer flexibility, fly American Airlines a lot, and prefer more boutique-style stays.

The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is the card that nobody talks about but probably should. It's like the middle child of travel rewards cards: quietly overachieving while everyone pays attention to Chase.

The earning breakdown:

• 10X points at hotels, car rentals, and attractions when booked through Citi Travel
• 3X points on air travel, other hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations/EV charging
• 1X points on all other purchases

Why this might be your card:

That 3X earning on gas and supermarkets is no joke. If you're regularly filling up your tank or running weekly grocery runs, you're earning points at a solid rate that rivals cards with higher annual fees.

And unlike the American Express® Gold Card, there's no spending cap on the 3X supermarket category. Spend $50,000/year at the grocery store if you want (no judgment), you'll still earn 3X on every dollar.

Citi ThankYou Points transfer to 18 airline partners, including some you can't access through Chase or Amex (like American Airlines and EVA Air). This gives you incredible flexibility for international travel redemptions.

Plus, at $95/year, it's one of the more affordable premium travel cards with this earning potential.

The annual fee: $95

Get started with the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card →

Your Card Strategy: Where Should You Actually Start?

Okay, here's where I'm going to give you advice that's a little different from what most people say.

Start with the card that gives you the quickest win.

After teaching thousands of people how to do this, I've learned that the best first card is the one that matches where you spend the most money RIGHT NOW. Because that's the card that's going to earn you points the fastest, get you your first trip booked, and keep you motivated to keep going.

So ask yourself:

Where do I spend the most money each month?

• If it's dining and groceries → American Express® Gold Card might be your fastest path to a big point balance
• If it's gas and supermarkets → Citi Strata Premier℠ Card will rack up points quickly
• If you spend pretty evenly across categories → Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card's 2X on everything is your friend
• If you're already booking hotels and want maximum flexibility → Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card sets you up perfectly

For most families, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card ends up being the right first card. It's versatile, it has incredible transfer partners, and it works for a wide range of travel styles. Plus, there's that 5/24 rule we talked about (if you want Chase cards at all, you need to get them before you've opened too many other cards).

But "most families" doesn't mean YOUR family. If you're spending heavily on both groceries AND dining out (like $800/month on groceries plus frequent restaurant meals), the American Express® Gold Card is going to rack up points way faster than the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card will.

The bottom line: Think about your spending, think about how you like to travel, and pick the card that matches both. You can't make a "wrong" choice here (all four of these cards are incredible). The difference is just how quickly they'll earn you points based on your life.

How to Actually Use These Cards (The Part Everyone Skips)

Getting the cards is just step one. Here's how to maximize each one:

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Strategy

For everyday spending:

• Use it for dining and online grocery (3X points)
• Use it when you book travel directly (2X points)
• Keep a different card for regular grocery store trips (only 1X)

For redemptions:

• Transfer to Hyatt for incredible hotel stays (best value, seriously, do this)
• Transfer to United or Flying Blue for flights
• Transfer to Southwest if you live near a Southwest hub
• Transfer to IHG for quick Holiday Inn budget stays that work for a large family

Capital One Venture Strategy

For everyday spending:

• Honestly? Just use it for everything. That 2X rate means you never have to think about it.

For redemptions:

• Book travel however you want, then erase the purchase with miles (1 cent per mile)
• Or transfer to international airline partners and alliances for incredible value
• Perfect for Airbnb, VRBO, and non-hotel accommodations
• Awesome if you need help covering "travel expenses" like rental cards, Disney tickets, etc...

American Express® Gold Card Strategy

For everyday spending:

• Use it for ALL restaurant purchases (4X points)
• Use it for all U.S. supermarket purchases up to $25,000/year (4X points)
• Use it to book flights directly with airlines (3X points)
• Shop through Rakuten and link your Membership Rewards for bonus points
• Have a backup card for places that don't take Amex

For redemptions:

• Transfer to Delta, Air France/KLM, or British Airways for flights
• You get 20% back when you use points in the Amex travel portal (worth it for some bookings)
• Transfer to Hilton when they are running transfer bonuses for luxury stays

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card Strategy

For everyday spending:

• Fill up at gas stations (3X points, no cap!)
• Shop at supermarkets (3X points, also no cap!)
• Use for all restaurant purchases (3X points)
• Use for airfare (3X points)

For redemptions:

• Transfer to Turkish Airlines for Star Alliance flights (incredible value to Europe)
• Transfer to Air France/KLM for SkyTeam flights
• Transfer to Qatar Airways for luxury long-haul flights
• Transfer for IPreferred Hotels for international boutique hotels with flair and charm
• Transfer to American Airlines for great domestic and international redemptions

The Bottom Line

You don't need 15 credit cards to travel well. You need the right cards for how YOU like to travel.

• Love hotels (especially Hyatt) and want maximum flexibility? Start with Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card →
• Want maximum simplicity? Go with Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card →
• Spend big on food and shop online a lot? The American Express® Gold Card is calling your name →
• Want great multipliers at a lower annual fee? Check out the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card →

And here's the truth: you can't make a "wrong" choice here. All four of these cards will earn you points that translate to real travel. Pick the one that matches where you spend money and how you like to travel, apply, and start earning.

I can't wait to see where points and miles take you!

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Want help figuring out the perfect card strategy for YOUR family's travel goals? Book a consultation with me → and we'll create a customized roadmap for your situation.