Travel on Point(s)

Members of the ToP team share the cards they currently have in their wallets and the reasons for having those cards.

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Members of the ToP team share the cards they currently have in their wallets and the reasons for having those cards.

Travel on Point(s) is an independent, advertising-supported website. This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites like Creditcards.com and Bankrate.com. This compensation does not impact how or where products appear on this site. Travel on Point(s) has not reviewed all available credit card offers on this site. Reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any partner entities.

Each member of the ToP team has different spending habits and travel goals. Here is a look inside our wallets. We explain how we use each card and why we value it. Limited time offers and promotions can affect which cards make it into our wallets, as we explain below.

Brian

  1. Chase World of Hyatt Business: With the start of the new year, this is now my card for everyday spending so I can earn 5 elite qualifying nights with Hyatt for every $10,000 in spend. I'm taking a break from new applications right now, otherwise, I would be working on meeting minimum spend on a new card.
  2. Amex Platinum: I have been using this card to earn 5x at restaurants as part of an upgrade offer from the Amex Green card. The offer included 5x on restaurants for 6 months on up to $25,000 in spend.
  3. Chase Sapphire Preferred: I use this card for all my online grocery shopping to earn 3x. I also use it to charge at least a portion of any trips to take advantage of the card's travel protection benefits.
  4. Citi AT&T Access More: This card earns 3x Citi ThankYou Points on online shopping, but is no longer open for new applicants.

Derrick

  1. American Express Gold: I use this card for all my purchases at U.S. supermarkets (4x Membership Rewards) and most restaurants (4x), when eating alone. The supermarket spend helps offset all fuel costs, as we aggressively earn fuel points during supermarket promotions. Earning 4x Membership Rewards and free fuel is an amazing combo.
  2. Citi Double Cash: This is my everyday spend card. 2% cash back on all purchases with no annual cap. If you have a Citi Premier or Prestige, you can convert cash back to ThankYou Points. Essentially, I earn 2x ThankYou Points on all purchases.
  3. American Express EveryDay Preferred: I'm using this card for the recent +4 referral offer and 4.5x grocery spend (8.5x total) after 30 swipes per statement.
  4. Citi Premier: I keep this card for 3x at gas stations and to pair with the Citi Double Cash card. While we rarely pay for fuel for our vehicles, as we take advantage of gas savings programs at grocery stores, we use this card to buy all our aviation fuel.
  5. American Express Blue Business Plus: I am an authorized used on Sarah's account and alternate this card with the Citi Double Cash card for 2x on all purchases.

Rick

  1. American Express Business Platinum: I have been using this card for my everyday spend as I have a +4 referral on this card from the recent Amex limited-time offer.
  2. Chase World of Hyatt and Amex Hilton Surpass: I am currently working on earning free night certificates with each of these cards. The Hyatt card earns a free category 1-4 certificate after meeting $15,000 spend in a calendar year. The Hilton Surpass earns a complimentary weekend night reward after also meeting $15,000 spend in a calendar year. I specifically use my Surpass at grocery stores, where it earns 6x.
  3. Chase Sapphire Preferred: Right now, I mostly keep this card in my wallet if I need to book travel. This allows me to benefit from the card's excellent travel protection benefits.
  4. Chase Ink Business Cash: I use this card for 5x at office supply stores, internet, cable and phone. My yearly spend window for a new year is about to open, so I will spend up to $25,000 on it to earn 5x.
  5. Citi Double Cash: This is my everyday spend card. 2% cash back on all purchases with no annual cap. Since I also have a Citi Premier card,  I can convert the cash back to ThankYou Points.

Sarah

  1. Chase Freedom Flex: I am working on this quarter's bonus category (grocery stores) to earn 5x on up to $1,500 spent at grocery stores.
  2. Chase World of Hyatt: I am using this card as one of my everyday cards to earn a free category 1-4 certificate after meeting $15,000 spend in a calendar year.
  3. Chase Sapphire Preferred: This is my card for booking travel and for online grocery shopping. The card earns 3x per dollar for online groceries, and has some of the best travel protection benefits out of any credit card.
  4. American Express Business Platinum: I'm earning +4 MRs on all purchases with this card right now from last year's Amex referral promotion.
  5. Citi Double Cash: This is my everyday spend card. 2% cash back/ThankYou points on all purchases with no annual cap.

Shira

  1. American Express Platinum Like others, I'm enjoying +4 MRs on this card right now from the recent Amex referral promotion. This has been my everyday spend card until my promotional period expires. It is also saved into my Southwest profile, which is my selected airline for the card's airline incidentals benefit ($200 per year).
  2. American Express (Rose) Gold: This is my go-to card for dining and groceries, since it earns 4x MRs at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets.
  3. Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex: The 5x points back on up to $1,500 in spend on rotating quarterly categories equals 30,000 extra Chase Ultimate Rewards a year if I max it out each quarter.  I have three of these cards. I already spent $1,500 on one card, and am almost finished with the second.
  4. Chase Ink Cash: This one is in my wallet for whenever Staples has sales for Visa Gift Cards, since this card earns 5x at office supply stores.
  5. Chase Sapphire Preferred: I keep this in my wallet for when I need to book travel. I charge at least part of my trip to this card so I can qualify for the card's excellent travel protection benefits.

Final Thoughts

The beauty of this game is that there is no prescribed answer. Each member of the ToP team reviewed their individual spending habits and travel goals to determine the cards that add maximum value for them. There are trends among the cards that we carry but plenty of differences too.

What are your travel goals, and which cards are in your wallet every day? Share your thoughts below or in the Travel on Point(s) Facebook group.

Travel on Point(s) has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Travel on Point(s) and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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