Travel Cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel(SM).

Annual fee: $95

𝗖𝗮𝗹'𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲: One of the best starting points into the travel rewards world. You have flexible points, strong multipliers, a reasonable annual fee, and tons of optionality (whether team cash back or travel).

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American Express® Gold Card

Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of account opening. Terms apply. Rates & Fees

Annual fee: $250

𝗖𝗮𝗹'𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲: One of the strongest cards that's great for people who spend a lot on dining, U.S. supermarkets, and flights booked directly. The annual fee is offset with a monthly dining credit and monthly Uber Cash.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card

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Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Earn 75,000 miles after $4,000 in spend within the first 3 months of account opening

Annual fee: $395

𝗖𝗮𝗹'𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲: Flagship travel card and offers lounge access through Priority Pass and Capital One lounges. You earn competitive multipliers on hotels, rental cars, and flights booked through Capital One Travel and 2x on everything else. The annual fee is offset through a $300 travel credit and 10,000 anniversary miles. This is my favorite travel card.

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The Platinum Card® from American Express

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of account opening. Terms apply. Rates & Fees

Annual fee: $695

𝗖𝗮𝗹'𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲: Despite a hefty annual fee, you get up to $1,574 in credits that help offset this. The card is great for people who benefit from lounge access, travel protections, and access to programs like Fine Hotels & Resorts.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card

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Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel(SM).

Annual fee: $550

Cal's take: A flagship travel card with strong multipliers, Priority Pass, and travel insurances. The annual fee of $550 is offset by a $300 travel credit and 50% more value for travel and Pay Yourself Back.

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Cash Back Cards

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Earn an additional 1.5% on all purchases up to $20,000 spent in the first year. That’s a value of up to $300 cash back!

0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers. After the intro period, a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%. A balance transfer fee applies, see pricing and terms for more details.

Annual fee: $0

Cal's take: The Freedom Unlimited has great multipliers and is a great standalone card or system card (Chase Trifecta). With no annual fee and tons of optionality (cash back or travel since you earn UR) it's an easy pickup.

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Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Earn a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on the card within the first 3 months of account opening

Annual fee: $0

Cal's take: Earner card where you get 3% on dining, grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), entertainment, and popular streaming. This is one of the few no annual fee cards that also have no foreign transaction fees.

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Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

Earn a $200 Cash bonus after spending $500 on the card within the first 3 months of account opening

Annual fee: $0

Cal's take: a good simple option where you get 1.5% cash back on all your purchases.

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SoFi Credit Card

Unlimited 2% back. $50 sign up bonus No Fees! Soft credit pull to qualify. Unlimited 3% cash back on the SoFi travel portal.

Annual fee: $0

𝗖𝗮𝗹'𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲: Flat-rate card with no foreign transaction fees and automatic redemptions into SoFi accounts. I've been using it as my general spend card for the past 4 years.

 

 

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Business Cards

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Earn 100,000 bonus points after $8,000 in spend within the first 3 months of account opening.

Annual fee: $95

Cal's take: A good option for those with high shipping, advertising (social media and search engine), or travel purchases. Also great for those with large internet, cable, and phone service bills.

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Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Earn $750 bonus cash back after $6,000 in spend within the first 3 months of account opening

Annual fee: $0

Cal's take: A great catch-all card for "everything else" spend. Despite the marketing, you earn Ultimate Reward (UR) points which can be useful if you have a Sapphire Preferred/Reserve or Ink Preferred.

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Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

New cardholders can jump start their rewards earning with $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening.

Annual fee: $0

Cal's take: Ideal for people with high spend at office supply stores or on internet, cable and phone services. Given the flexibility of Ultimate Reward (UR) points, this is one of the best earners cards.

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The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 3 months of account opening. Terms apply. Rates & Fees

Annual fee: $0

𝗖𝗮𝗹'𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲: No annual fee option where you get 2x back on everything on up to $50,000 in spend per calendar year. After that, it's 1x back.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Blue Business Plus Card

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