Welcome to our credit card setup review for 2024. In this article, we’ll detail our current credit card setup, our spending patterns, benefits usage, and how we leverage points for travel. For those new to credit cards, please refer to our Credit Card 101 series.
We will categorize our cards into two sections: Daily Cards and Other Cards. My brother and I each have our own setups, but they are quite similar. Cards unique to one of us will be marked with an asterisk.
Overall, we primarily use Chase and Amex cards. We appreciate these two ecosystems for their extensive coverage of spending categories, generous benefits, and numerous transfer partners.
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Daily cards
These are the cards we use regularly and keep in our wallets. They are listed in ascending order of annual fee, which we recommend following when acquiring these cards.
Chase Freedom Unlimited (CFU)
Annual Fee: $0
Main multipliers (UR points): 1.5x on everything, 3x dining, 3x drugstores
Spending Usage: This is the default catch-all card for any spending that doesn’t fall into a category that is covered by our other cards.
Points usage: Transfer to Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP)
Chase Freedom Flex (CFF)
Annual Fee: $0
Main multipliers (UR points): 5x on quarterly rotating categories, 3x dining, 3x drugstores
Spending Usage: We always use this card on the active 5x categories, and they are generally pretty good categories such as: Dining1, Entertainment (concert/sporting tickets), Amazon, Gas/EV charging.
Points usage: Transfer to Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP)
Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP)
Annual Fee: $99
Main multipliers (UR points): 3x dining, 2x travel, 3x selected streaming services (see eligible streaming platforms)
Benefits / Credits: $50 annual hotel credit when booking through the Travel portal
Spending Usage: The main purpose of this card is to unlock the transfer partners for Chase UR points. We put streaming subscriptions and most travel2 expenses (except flights) on this card because of its great travel insurance benefits. This is our go-to card for Airbnb, having successfully received reimbursement for a ski trip canceled due to weather.
Benefits usage: We always use the $50 hotel credit and explore effective ways to utilize it.
Points usage: We mainly transfer Chase UR points to Hyatt, as it is one of the best transfer partners, usually offering redemption value at ~2 cpp. We have also transferred points to FlyingBlue and British Airways during a transfer bonus promotion to book cheap award flights to Europe.
Amex Gold
Annual Fee: $250 (now updated to $325)
Main multipliers (MR points): 4x dining, 4x groceries, 3x flight booked directly with airline
Benefits / Credits:
- $10 Uber credit/month
- $10 dining credit/month
- $7 Dunkin Donut credit/month
- Semi-annual $50 Resy credit
Spending Usage: Amex gold is probably the most frequently used card in our wallets, serving as our default dining and grocery card. Prior to getting the Amex Platinum, we also used it to purchase flights directly from airlines.
Benefits Usage: We utilize the Uber and dining credits monthly, often at Chipotle and Five Guys. The Resy credit is easily used in major cities, while the Dunkin’ credit is less valuable to us.
Points Usage: Amex MR points have fantastic airline transfer partners. We’ve transferred points to the ANA mileage program for round-trip flights to Asia and Europe, as well as British Airways, Flying Blue, and Iberia for great award flights. See some of our redemptions in the trip reports section.
Amex Platinum *
Annual Fee: $695
Main multipliers (MR points): 5x on flights booked with airlines, 5x on hotels booked through AmexTravel
Benefits / Credits:
- $240 digital entertainment credit
- $200 Uber credits
- $200 airline fees
- $200 hotel credit
- $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit
- Walmart Plus membership
- Clear membership
- TSA/Global Entry credit
- Centurion Lounge and Priority Pass access
Spending Usage: While the multipliers aren’t impressive, I primarily use this card for direct flight purchases and to activate the various credits.
Benefits Usage: The credits and benefits align well with my needs and complement my natural spending habits. I effectively utilize hotel, Uber, and airline credits, and find the Saks Fifth credit easy to use. Although I already have a Netflix subscription, the Disney+ bundle is a nice add-on. The Walmart Plus credit is particularly beneficial, as it provides Paramount+, which streams all Champions League games.
The TSA/Global Entry credit is convenient, and the Clear membership proves helpful during long airport lines. Lounge access has been invaluable this year, as I’ve visited four Centurion lounges: SFO, JFK, LGA, and DEN, all of which were enjoyable. Additionally, I’ve used the Priority Pass multiple times internationally for family access to lounges.
Points Usage: same as Amex Gold
Other cards
This section covers credit cards we own but use less frequently.
BofA Customized Cash Rewards
Annual Fee: $0
Main multipliers (cash back): 3% cash back on category of choice
Benefits / Credits: N/A
Spending Usage: This is the first credit card we got. We picked gas & EV charging for the 3% category since it’s a regular expense category that isn’t covered by the other cards.
Benefits Usage: Additional 25%-75% bonuses on the 3% cash back are available based on assets held with Bank of America.
Points Usage: Cashback only.
Chase IHG Premier *
Annual Fee: $99
Main multipliers (IHG points): Up to 26x on IHG, 5x on gas and dining
Benefits / Credits:
- Annual free night certificate (up to 40k points + no limits on top-off)
- Platinum Elite status
- TSA/Global Entry credit
- $50 United travel bank cash (semiannual credit)
Spending Usage: We use this card only for booking IHG hotels since it earns IHG points, making multipliers less appealing. It’s also a solid backup card while traveling abroad because it has no foreign transaction fees.
Benefits Usage: The free night certificate is highly versatile, offering top-off options and is worth the annual fee in my opinion. The Platinum Elite status is an added bonus, but my experience with elite benefits has been underwhelming. This card is also one of the cheapest options for covering the TSA/Global Entry application fee. While I haven’t used the $50 United travel bank cash, it’s a nice extra perk.
Points Usage: This card earns IHG reward points. Although IHG points aren’t super valuable, there are still good redemption opportunities.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless *
Annual Fee: $95
Main multipliers (Marriott points): Up to 17x on Marriott, 2x on everything
Benefits / Credits:
- Annual free night certificate (up to 35k points + up to 15k points of top-off)
- Silver Elite status
Spending Usage: Like the IHG Premier, this card is exclusively used for bookings with Marriott and serves as a backup during international travel since it has no foreign transaction fee.
Benefits Usage: We opened this card during a promotion offering 5 free nights as a sign-up bonus (see our stay at the Bankside Hotel in London). The primary benefit we utilize is the annual free night certificate, which alone justifies the card’s annual fee.
Points Usage: This card earns Marriott points, and we use it to book Marriott hotels.
BILT *
Annual Fee: $0
Main multipliers (BILT points): 1x on rent, 3x on dining, double points earning on first of every month
Benefits / Credits: N/A
Spending Usage: This card is primarily used for rent payments. To earn points on rent, you must complete five transactions (including the rent payment) each statement period.
Benefits Usage: N/A
Points Usage: The BILT rewards program is excellent, featuring top-tier transfer partners such as Hyatt, Alaska Airlines, and Turkish Airlines. Each month on rent day (the first), BILT offers special promotions, including elevated transfer bonuses to travel partners.
- When the 5x categories fall on dining, the multipliers stack to get you 7x back! Note that when stacking multipliers, Chase removes 1x to avoid double counting the base multiplier. ↩︎
- Many credit cards will claim 5x back on travel, but typically limit the 5x on travel booked through their travel portal, which is usually more expensive than booking directly. ↩︎
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