[0:00] In a year of constant devaluations and
[0:02] negative news in the points and miles
[0:03] world, you're probably wondering which
[0:05] travel credit cards are actually worth
[0:07] it right now. Is it the big name cards
[0:09] that everybody talks about or maybe are
[0:11] there some hidden ones that are flying
[0:12] under the radar? Well, today we're going
[0:14] to answer that. I'll be ranking the best
[0:15] travel credit cards from every major
[0:17] bank from S tier all the way down to D
[0:19] tier. But to keep things focused, we're
[0:21] only going to be looking at cards that
[0:22] earn transferable points, not cash back
[0:25] or dedicated hotel and airline cards.
[0:27] And I'm also not just ranking these
[0:29] based on like total overall value. I'm
[0:31] ranking them based on how good I believe
[0:33] they are for the average person. So
[0:35] there's definitely going to be some
[0:36] takes in here that you disagree with,
[0:37] but I'll explain my reasoning for all of
[0:39] them, obviously. And I do encourage you
[0:40] to kindly share your opinion in the
[0:43] comment section, too. With that said,
[0:44] let's get into it with card number one,
[0:46] the Chase Sapphire Preferred. For many
[0:49] years at this point, this has been the
[0:50] most popular beginner travel credit
[0:52] card, mainly because of its relatively
[0:54] cheap $95 annual fee and the fact that
[0:56] it's the cheapest way to get access to
[0:58] Chase's transfer partners. Its earning
[1:00] rates are respectable too, but not
[1:02] amazing by any means. You get 5x back on
[1:04] travel through Chase, 3x on dining,
[1:07] online groceries, and select streaming,
[1:08] 2x on other travel, and 1x everywhere
[1:10] else. So really people aren't getting
[1:12] the card because of those earning rates.
[1:14] They get it because it unlocks that
[1:15] access to partners like Hyatt,
[1:17] Southwest, United, Air Canada, Virgin
[1:19] Atlantic, and more. There is a $50
[1:22] annual Chase travel hotel credit on this
[1:24] card, which does help a bit, but it's
[1:26] not enough to fully wipe the annual fee.
[1:28] And of course you are locked into their
[1:29] portal to use that. And honestly, I just
[1:31] wish that Chase would refresh this card
[1:32] in general without jacking up the annual
[1:35] fee because it's felt like dated for a
[1:37] long time now. As it stands though, it's
[1:39] still a solid entry point into the Chase
[1:41] Ultimate Rewards point ecosystem and
[1:43] practically mandatory if you want to
[1:44] travel on those Chase points. So for me,
[1:47] it's going to land in B tier. The longer
[1:49] that you're in this credit card game,
[1:50] the more likely you are to consider the
[1:52] next card on this list, the Amex Gold.
[1:55] It has a $325 annual fee, but Amex does
[1:58] give you over $400 in credits to offset
[2:01] that through their dining credit, Uber
[2:03] Cash credit, Dunkin credit, and Resy
[2:05] credit. But, I will say as somebody from
[2:06] the boonies that those credits are not
[2:08] equally easy for everybody to use. So,
[2:10] that is going to hold it back in the
[2:12] rankings here. Where this card really
[2:13] shines is the earning. You get 4x back
[2:15] on restaurants and groceries, 3x on
[2:17] flights, 2x on prepaid hotels, and 1x on
[2:20] everything else. And this is exactly why
[2:21] this card gets so much hype. It earns
[2:23] points really fast and not to mention
[2:25] those are Amex Membership Rewards points
[2:27] that it's earning, which are among the
[2:28] highest value points in the entire
[2:30] credit card world, particularly for
[2:32] international travel. For the right
[2:33] person, obviously, this card could be S
[2:36] tier, and I have ranked it like that in
[2:37] the past. But, I think that that person
[2:39] is a lot rarer than the internet makes
[2:41] it sound, especially once you factor in
[2:43] the lack of any real travel perks on
[2:45] this card, and the ability to get 90 to
[2:47] 100% of the same earning rates at a much
[2:49] lower annual fee. So, instead, I'm going
[2:52] to be putting it in A tier. One of the
[2:53] cards that directly competes with that
[2:55] Amex Gold card at a lower annual fee is
[2:57] the Bilt Obsidian. At face value, this
[2:59] card earns 3x back on dining or
[3:01] groceries, so not both. 2x on travel,
[3:04] and 1x on everything else. But, the
[3:05] bigger story with it is that you earn 4%
[3:08] Bilt Cash on every non-housing dollar
[3:10] spent on it. And to simplify a very
[3:12] complicated system, that can effectively
[3:14] add at least another 1.33x
[3:17] points per dollar spent, even if you
[3:19] just use that Bilt Cash towards housing
[3:21] rewards. And with that, the Obsidian can
[3:23] effectively out-earn the Amex Gold card,
[3:26] especially if you value Bilt points more
[3:27] than Amex points, which I do, and I know
[3:29] a lot of other people do, too. There's
[3:30] also up to $100 per year in Bilt travel
[3:33] hotel credits with it, though it is
[3:35] split up bi-annually and requires a
[3:37] two-night minimum stay for each part.
[3:39] So, I definitely wouldn't overrate this
[3:41] perk. Overall, I think this is like one
[3:42] of the best competitors to the Amex Gold
[3:44] card, and it is newer, so it's not as
[3:46] popular as some of the other options
[3:48] we're talking about today. But,
[3:49] regardless, I do think it deserves to be
[3:51] in A tier, as well. While we're talking
[3:52] about these workhorse travel cards, we
[3:54] have to cover the City Strata Premier.
[3:56] For $95, it earns 10x back on hotels,
[3:59] car rentals, and attractions through
[4:00] City Travel, and then 3x on a ton of
[4:02] daily categories, including air travel,
[4:04] hotels restaurants supermarkets gas
[4:07] stations, and EV charging, plus 1x on
[4:09] everything else. And to wipe that annual
[4:11] fee without the earning categories, you
[4:13] get $100 off of a single hotel stay of
[4:15] $500 or more when booked through City
[4:17] Travel. But most importantly, just like
[4:19] the Sapphire Preferred matters since it
[4:21] unlocks Chase's transfer partners, the
[4:23] Strata Premier matters because it
[4:24] unlocks City's, including City's huge
[4:27] edge as of right now, one-to-one
[4:28] transfers to American Airlines. That new
[4:30] transfer path alone has pulled a ton of
[4:32] people into City's ecosystem over the
[4:34] past year, and because this is the
[4:36] cheapest card to get you that, plus how
[4:38] strong its 3x earning rates are for that
[4:40] daily spend, I've seen countless people
[4:42] go for this one recently, and it really
[4:43] seems to be like the card of the year
[4:45] based on the conversations I've had with
[4:47] y'all in consulting calls in the
[4:48] comments. And for its annual fee, I just
[4:50] don't think there are many cards
[4:51] offering more value. So, in my opinion,
[4:54] this is an easy S tier credit card.
[4:56] That's pretty special. We're not going
[4:57] to have many of those, so definitely
[4:59] keep an eye on it. Real quick, if you
[5:00] are trying to build out a really solid
[5:02] setup around the Strata Premier, the
[5:03] Custom Cash and Double Cash are two of
[5:05] the best cards to pair with it. And
[5:06] technically, these are cash back branded
[5:08] cards, so they really shouldn't be
[5:09] included in this video, but they do earn
[5:11] City Thank You points. And if you have
[5:13] the Strata Premier or the City Strata
[5:15] Elite, those points can be transferred
[5:17] out to City's transfer partners as well.
[5:19] So, yeah, they deserve a quick mention.
[5:20] Both of them are free and very
[5:21] straightforward. The Double Cash is
[5:23] going to give you a flat 2x back on
[5:24] every purchase, and the Custom Cash
[5:26] gives you 5x back on your top eligible
[5:28] spend category every month up to $500
[5:31] spent. And if you put those next to the
[5:32] City Strata Premier, you've got the
[5:34] classic City trifecta, where you're
[5:35] earning anywhere from 2x to 5x back on
[5:38] everything you spend money on. To me,
[5:40] the Double Cash is obviously useful, but
[5:42] it is kind of boring and it overlaps
[5:43] with a bunch of other 2x cards out
[5:45] there, like the Active Cash from Wells
[5:46] Fargo. So, I'd put both of those
[5:48] actually in B tier, but the Custom Cash
[5:51] is one that I've kept in my daily wallet
[5:53] for a long time now, even with 20-plus
[5:55] credit cards. So, I'd move that one a
[5:56] step above into A tier. Honestly, if the
[5:59] cap was higher than just $500 per month,
[6:01] it could make a push towards the S tier,
[6:02] but yeah, I can't justify that with that
[6:05] super restrictive cap. Before we get
[6:06] into the next card, which is our first
[6:08] premium one, I have a tool that all of
[6:10] you travelers could get a lot of use out
[6:12] of, and that is Saylite. As you know,
[6:14] one of the most annoying parts about
[6:16] traveling internationally is making sure
[6:18] that your phone has service without
[6:19] paying an arm and a leg for it. I've
[6:21] personally made the mistake in the past
[6:23] of just trusting that my phone carrier's
[6:25] international roaming plan would be the
[6:27] most cost-effective way to do this, but
[6:28] I was very wrong about that. Cuz for
[6:30] like a 5-day trip, I was paying well
[6:32] over $100 just to have service. But that
[6:34] was way before I knew about Saylite.
[6:36] Saylite is an eSIM app, meaning that
[6:38] instead of swapping out your physical
[6:40] SIM card whenever you travel
[6:41] internationally or having to worry about
[6:43] paying your phone service provider for
[6:45] the roaming plans, you just download
[6:46] their app, pick any plan you want for
[6:48] wherever you're going, and once you
[6:50] land, you don't have to do anything
[6:51] else. Your phone is just already
[6:53] working. And whenever I say wherever
[6:54] you're going, I really mean that. They
[6:56] have over 200 destinations now. And
[6:59] also, if you're somebody who likes
[7:00] traveling to multiple different
[7:01] countries within the same trip, they
[7:02] have you covered there, too, with either
[7:04] their regional or their global plans.
[7:06] So, the theme here is that Saylite is
[7:07] really simple, easy to use, and much
[7:10] more affordable than your alternative
[7:11] options, or at least a lot less
[7:13] annoying. So, if you want to give them a
[7:14] try on your next trip, which I highly
[7:16] recommend, you can either scan the QR
[7:18] code on screen to download the Saylite
[7:20] app, or go to the link in the
[7:21] description and use code Spencer Johnson
[7:23] at checkout to get 15% off of your first
[7:26] purchase. Again, just be sure you're
[7:27] using code Spencer Johnson to let them
[7:29] know that I sent you. And thank you to
[7:30] Saylite for sponsoring this video. But
[7:32] let's get back into it. If you're
[7:33] somebody looking for a strong catch-all
[7:35] card like the Double Cash or Active
[7:37] Cash, but you want some travel benefits,
[7:39] too, the Venture X is right up your
[7:40] alley. It costs $395 per year, which
[7:43] isn't cheap, but between the $300
[7:45] Capital One travel credit and the 10,000
[7:47] anniversary miles, that fee is very easy
[7:50] to offset. On top of that, you're going
[7:51] to get a credit for TSA PreCheck or
[7:53] Global Entry, access to the Capital One
[7:55] and Priority Pass lounges, and Hertz
[7:57] President's Circle status. Plus, it
[7:59] earns 10x on hotels and rental cars
[8:01] through Capital One Travel, 5x on
[8:03] flights and vacation rentals through the
[8:04] portal, and 2x on everything else. To
[8:06] address the elephant in the room here,
[8:08] despite how good this card is, I did get
[8:10] rid of it this year, but that had much
[8:12] more to do with my specific setup than
[8:14] the card itself. I already had other
[8:16] premium travel cards that covered all of
[8:18] the benefits that I needed at a lower
[8:19] effective annual fee, and with Capital
[8:21] One miles being my lowest priority
[8:24] transferable currency, I decided I would
[8:26] save myself on that annual fee. But, for
[8:28] the average person who just wants one
[8:30] solid premium travel card without having
[8:32] to worry about a bunch of mental
[8:33] gymnastics, I still think that this is
[8:35] one, if not the best option on the
[8:37] entire market. And sure, its upside is
[8:39] capped compared to some of the highest
[8:41] annual fee premium travel cards, but at
[8:43] the same time, its downside is much more
[8:45] capped, too. And this is one that I've
[8:47] never felt bad recommending to family or
[8:49] friends as long as I know that Capital
[8:50] One's transfer partners fit their travel
[8:52] habits. So, once again, this one is
[8:54] going to be another S-tier credit card,
[8:56] in my opinion, right alongside the Citi
[8:58] Strata Premier. I wonder how many of
[9:00] y'all are shocked by that one. If you
[9:01] like the idea of the Venture X, but you
[9:03] do not need all those premium perks for
[9:04] some reason, then the Capital One
[9:06] Venture and Venture One are the
[9:08] stripped-down versions of that card. The
[9:10] Venture is like the solid middle ground
[9:11] option. It has a $95 annual fee, gives
[9:14] you a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
[9:16] credit, includes Hertz 5-star status,
[9:18] and earns the same flat 2x back on
[9:20] everything outside of the portal. And I
[9:22] was honestly between a couple of
[9:23] different tiers when ranking this one,
[9:25] but compared to the other cards in that
[9:27] $95 annual fee range, especially the
[9:29] Sapphire Preferred, I think it holds up
[9:31] pretty well, especially when you factor
[9:32] in that it often gets really strong
[9:34] elevated welcome offers on it, too. So,
[9:36] I will leave it in the B tier. The
[9:37] Venture One on the other hand is really
[9:40] only useful for one thing, keeping
[9:41] access to Capital One's transfer
[9:43] partners without paying an annual fee.
[9:45] That's actually exactly why I downgraded
[9:47] my own Capital One Venture X to this
[9:49] card. But, outside of that, the 1.25x
[9:52] earning rate is just not strong enough
[9:54] to ever make it one that you would use
[9:55] consistently. So, I would move this one
[9:57] all the way down to D tier, actually. It
[9:59] would be wrong of me to leave this
[10:00] Capital One ecosystem without mentioning
[10:01] the perfect sidekick to any of the
[10:03] Venture cards, the Capital One Savor.
[10:05] Just like the City Custom Cash, this is
[10:07] not a travel card by itself because you
[10:09] can't directly transfer the rewards out
[10:11] to their partners. But, if you pair it
[10:13] with a Venture card, you can. And that's
[10:15] what makes this card so good. So, since
[10:17] it has no annual fee and earns 3% back
[10:20] on grocery stores, dining,
[10:21] entertainment, and popular streaming
[10:23] services, you can combine that with the
[10:25] Capital One Venture X, for example, and
[10:27] have that very popular Capital One duo
[10:29] that you've probably heard about. That
[10:30] two-card setup is super simple, covers
[10:32] all of your daily spend at two to three
[10:34] X back, and gives you premium travel
[10:36] perks. So, because of how good that
[10:37] Capital One Savor fits into the broader
[10:39] Capital One ecosystem, I am going to
[10:41] move it into the A tier category. Moving
[10:44] back to City for a second, since this
[10:45] card kind of reflects the Savor a little
[10:47] bit, another free card of theirs that
[10:49] earns City Thank You points is the
[10:51] regular City Strata. No, not the City
[10:53] Strata Premier or the Strata Elite, just
[10:55] the Strata. And honestly, this may not
[10:57] have even been a card that you knew
[10:58] existed, and that kind of says a lot. It
[11:00] earns 5x back on hotels, car rentals,
[11:03] and attractions through City Travel, 3x
[11:05] on supermarkets, transit, gas, EV
[11:07] charging, and a self-select category, 2x
[11:10] on restaurants, and 1x everywhere else.
[11:12] So, on paper, those earning categories
[11:14] look really solid. But, the problem is
[11:16] that City's own lineup already covers
[11:18] most of the same earning categories just
[11:21] as well, if not better. And also, this
[11:23] card only gives you a watered-down
[11:24] version of City's transfer partners, not
[11:26] the full list, and some of the ones that
[11:28] you would actually care about, like
[11:29] American Airlines, come at worse
[11:31] transfer ratios, like 1,000 points to
[11:33] 700 points. I just don't see a reason
[11:35] why you wouldn't get like the Strata
[11:37] Premier instead of this one. So, that's
[11:39] going to put the regular Strata in C
[11:40] tier for me, just below average. Wells
[11:43] Fargo actually has a very similar type
[11:45] of supplemental card, too, that covers
[11:46] some pesky categories for you. Whose
[11:48] points can also be transferred to Wells
[11:49] Fargo's partners with one of the
[11:51] Autograph cards, and that is the Wells
[11:53] Fargo Autune. But, to me, this one is
[11:55] much more interesting than the Strata
[11:57] because the categories that it covers
[11:58] are way more niche and literally like no
[12:01] other card on the market can touch
[12:02] those. Broadly, it earns 4% back on
[12:04] self-care sports recreation and
[12:06] entertainment, and then planet-friendly
[12:08] purchases. But, if you look through
[12:09] Wells Fargo's site, the list of things
[12:11] that fall into those broad categories is
[12:13] honestly kind of insane. Now, I will say
[12:15] that I've seen enough complaints about
[12:17] inconsistent coding that I wouldn't call
[12:19] this card perfect, but when it works, it
[12:21] covers spending that is genuinely
[12:23] impossible to optimize elsewhere. As a
[12:25] sucker for a good competitive advantage,
[12:27] I would put this one much higher than
[12:28] the Strata, actually all the way up in A
[12:30] tier. Okay, now enough about these no
[12:32] annual fee cards, let's really switch
[12:34] gears here and talk about the most
[12:36] expensive consumer credit card on the
[12:38] market, the Amex Platinum. At $895 per
[12:41] year, this card is obviously not for
[12:43] everybody, despite what the internet may
[12:45] have you believe. But, to justify that
[12:46] fee, it comes with a ridiculous number
[12:48] of credits and benefits, and it's so
[12:50] many that I'm not going to even try to
[12:51] list them all here. But, the biggest
[12:53] thing you need to know is that the
[12:54] Platinum has the highest upside of any
[12:56] travel credit card on the market if your
[12:58] lifestyle and travel habits fit it. That
[13:00] is a huge if, though. After the recent
[13:02] refresh to this card, it's way more than
[13:05] just like a travel card these days. It's
[13:06] a full-on lifestyle card, so you need to
[13:08] be able to use stuff like the Resy
[13:10] credit, Lululemon credit, or a credit,
[13:12] and every other similar one to that on
[13:14] top of the travel ones if you want to
[13:16] get the most value. And my biggest piece
[13:17] of advice here is that anytime you're
[13:19] looking at an ultra-premium card like
[13:21] this, but especially the Platinum, you
[13:23] really need to calculate your effective
[13:24] annual fee. What that means is that you
[13:26] need to subtract out the value of the
[13:27] credits and benefits you would actually
[13:29] pay for without the card from the total
[13:32] annual fee. And that without the card
[13:34] part is essential. You should never be
[13:36] stretching your spend or travel to fit a
[13:38] credit card, and if you do, you
[13:40] automatically lose. And it's also
[13:41] important to note that this is a really
[13:43] weak card for daily spending. It's going
[13:45] to give you 5x back on all flights,
[13:47] which is great, but then 5x back on
[13:49] hotels through Amex Travel, and only 1x
[13:51] on everything else. So, yeah, definitely
[13:53] not one to be putting daily spend on.
[13:55] Just the sole fact that it is as
[13:57] expensive as it is means that I could
[13:59] not place this in S tier for the average
[14:01] credit card user. But as a travel card,
[14:03] it's objectively the most valuable and
[14:05] can be incredible for the right
[14:07] traveler. So, I will put it in A tier at
[14:09] least. It only makes sense now to move
[14:11] to the Amex Platinum's want-to-be rival,
[14:13] the Chase Sapphire Reserve. After its
[14:15] refresh last year, this card jumped all
[14:17] the way up to $795
[14:19] per year, and Chase clearly wants it to
[14:21] be their answer to the Amex Platinum.
[14:23] Just like that card, it comes with a
[14:25] laundry list of coupons that you have to
[14:26] use to wipe the fee. But honestly,
[14:29] compared to the Platinum, they're a lot
[14:30] harder for most people to use. The Chase
[14:32] edit credit is far more restrictive than
[14:35] the hotel credit on the Platinum. Their
[14:36] dining credit is way more specific than
[14:38] Resy, and the hotel status is just less
[14:40] broadly useful, too. But where this card
[14:42] does beat the Amex Platinum is in the
[14:44] earning structure. First, since it gives
[14:46] you 8x back through Chase Travel, 4x on
[14:48] direct flights and hotels, and 3x on
[14:51] dining, plus 1x on everything else. And
[14:53] then there's the points boost feature,
[14:54] too, which can get you up to two cents
[14:56] per point when you redeem your points on
[14:58] select hotel and airline redemptions.
[15:00] That perk alone has given me so much
[15:02] value that is harder to calculate than
[15:04] like a credit, for example. So, I get
[15:06] just as much, if not more, value from
[15:08] the Sapphire Reserve than I would the
[15:10] Platinum, meaning that it's technically
[15:11] like an S tier card for me all day. But
[15:14] just like that Platinum, for the average
[15:16] person, it's super hard to justify. So,
[15:18] I'm going to keep it in A tier, and
[15:20] technically under the Platinum if you
[15:21] really cared because yeah, the credits
[15:23] and benefits are just more restrictive
[15:25] right now. Before we completely move
[15:26] away from Chase, I want to mention two
[15:28] cards that pair really well with either
[15:30] of the Sapphire cards, the Freedom Flex
[15:33] and Freedom Unlimited. Just like the
[15:34] other support cards we've talked about
[15:35] today, neither of these are true travel
[15:37] cards by themselves, but if you have one
[15:39] of the Sapphire cards, you can move the
[15:40] points from the Freedom ones to the
[15:42] Sapphire ones and then transfer those
[15:44] points out to Chase's partners. So yeah,
[15:46] they're kind of travel cards, right? To
[15:48] me, the Freedom Flex is the much more
[15:49] interesting one of the two since it
[15:51] gives you 5% back on rotating quarterly
[15:53] categories which can include things like
[15:55] gas groceries dining Amazon PayPal
[15:58] and more. While the Unlimited on the
[16:00] other hand is basically just a flat 1.5x
[16:03] catch-all card, but if you were to
[16:04] combine both of those with one of the
[16:06] Sapphire cards, you've got the classic
[16:08] Chase trifecta which has been popular
[16:09] for over a decade or so now. Out of the
[16:12] two though, the Freedom Flex is the only
[16:14] one that has earned its place in my
[16:16] wallet 20 plus cards later. So I would
[16:18] put that card in A tier. But the Freedom
[16:20] Unlimited has gotten way less compelling
[16:22] over the years since there are so many
[16:24] stronger 2x catch-all cards. And while
[16:26] it can still be a good catch-all to rely
[16:28] on early on or if you don't really want
[16:30] to have too many cards and want to stay
[16:31] within Chase's ecosystem, long-term for
[16:34] those of us looking to maximize, I think
[16:36] it's below average. So I'm going to put
[16:37] it in C tier. Speaking of below average
[16:39] catch-all cards, I did want to quickly
[16:41] mention the Capital One Quicksilver.
[16:43] This is basically just a worse version
[16:44] of the Freedom Unlimited. It only earns
[16:46] 1.5% back alone whereas the Unlimited at
[16:48] least has a few more categories to it.
[16:50] So the Quicksilver is just not exciting
[16:52] at all. If it's the starter card that
[16:54] you have to get, then sure, it's fine,
[16:56] but there are so many better options
[16:57] these days. So this one falls even
[16:59] further than the Freedom Unlimited down
[17:01] to D tier in my opinion. Next up is a
[17:03] card that shares the same base earning
[17:05] rates as the Quicksilver and Freedom
[17:07] Unlimited, but with much more on top of
[17:09] that. And this is the Citi Rewards
[17:11] Elite, Citi's premium travel credit
[17:13] card. It's funny cuz I feel like this
[17:14] one got a a overshadowed when it
[17:16] launched because City also announced
[17:18] that one-to-one partnership with
[17:19] American Airlines on the same day, which
[17:22] was the bigger headline. But as a whole,
[17:24] it's definitely solid. It costs $595 per
[17:27] year and earns 12x back on hotels, car
[17:30] rentals, and attractions through City
[17:31] travel. That's a lot. Plus 6x on air
[17:34] travel booked through City, 6x on dining
[17:36] during City nights, which is unique, 3x
[17:38] on dining otherwise, and 1.5x on
[17:40] everything else. Honestly, those make it
[17:43] seem like a really good one-card setup,
[17:44] but you need to be sure you can get
[17:45] value from its credits and perks like
[17:47] the $300 hotel credit, $200 splurge
[17:50] credit, $200 Blacklane credit, and the
[17:52] Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit with
[17:54] a Priority Pass Select membership and
[17:56] four passes to the American Airlines
[17:58] Admirals Clubs. On paper, there's
[18:00] definitely a lot of value to be had with
[18:02] this card, but the problem is that it
[18:05] kind of lives in a weird middle ground.
[18:06] Like it's trying to sit right between
[18:08] the Venture X and the true high-end
[18:10] premium cards like the Platinum and the
[18:11] Reserve, and I don't think it like
[18:13] really beats either lane at what they're
[18:15] doing. So while I do think it's solid, I
[18:17] would still leave it like just in that
[18:18] average B tier. If you're looking for
[18:20] something in that same general premium
[18:22] lane that could be your one card that
[18:24] you use, you might want to check out the
[18:26] Bilt Palladium. This one costs $495 per
[18:28] year, so it's cheaper than the Sapphire
[18:31] Reserve and Platinum and a bit more
[18:32] expensive than the Venture X. So let's
[18:34] see how it competes. On the benefit
[18:36] side, you're going to get $400 a year in
[18:38] Bilt hotel credits, $200 in Bilt cash,
[18:41] and Priority Pass for you and up to two
[18:43] guests. But the catch of course is that
[18:45] those hotel credits are split
[18:46] bi-annually, require two-night stays,
[18:49] and have to be used through Bilt travel
[18:51] just like those Obsidian credits. But I
[18:52] would say that this should be an easy
[18:54] $600 per year for most people at least.
[18:57] And honestly, if you can get that value
[18:59] back, then you unlock the real power of
[19:01] this card, its earning rates. At face
[19:03] value, you might think I'm crazy cuz
[19:05] it's just a simple 2x catch-all card
[19:07] like the Venture X. But once you factor
[19:09] in the extra Bilt cash on top, this can
[19:11] effectively become a minimum 3.33 x
[19:15] everyday credit card if you're using
[19:17] that built cash towards housing, and
[19:18] that is insanely strong. If you're fully
[19:21] bought into that built ecosystem and
[19:22] want to put a lot of spend on this one
[19:24] to get status and all of that, then this
[19:26] could absolutely be an S-tier card, and
[19:27] that's where I would put it in my
[19:29] personal setup. But, because Bilt's
[19:30] ecosystem is way more complex than a lot
[19:33] of people will want to deal with, I
[19:34] think A-tier is the right middle ground.
[19:36] I haven't mentioned this yet with the
[19:37] Bilt cards, but it's important to know
[19:39] that you can only have one of their
[19:41] three. So, you need to compare the
[19:42] Obsidian and the Palladium with the
[19:45] third card, the Bilt Blue, to see if
[19:47] maybe that's the better option for you.
[19:49] Once again, this one might come off as
[19:51] boring at first glance because it only
[19:53] gives you 1x back on all of your
[19:54] purchases, but you need to factor in
[19:56] that built cash layer, of course, and
[19:58] that makes it more competitive than it
[20:00] first looks, offering 2.33x
[20:02] plus per dollar spent, beating out all
[20:04] of the other top catch-all cards out
[20:06] there. I still don't think it's exciting
[20:07] enough for me to move higher than
[20:09] B-tier, but if you wanted a free
[20:11] catch-all card in the Bilt ecosystem, I
[20:13] would definitely consider it. Now, I
[20:15] want to take you to a lender that we
[20:16] haven't talked about in a bit, Wells
[20:17] Fargo, and more specifically, their
[20:19] Autograph Journey card. This card costs
[20:21] $95 per year, and it covers a lot of the
[20:23] same bases as the other $95 cards like
[20:26] the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire
[20:27] Premiere, and Bilt Obsidian. Like, for
[20:29] example, it comes with a small annual
[20:31] credit, in this case, a $50 airline
[20:33] credit, which I actually like a lot more
[20:35] than the other credits since you're not
[20:37] forced into Wells Fargo's portal to use
[20:39] it. Then, the earning rates are also
[20:41] extremely strong, like 5x back on
[20:43] hotels, 4x on airlines, 3x on
[20:45] restaurants and other travel, and 1x
[20:47] elsewhere. Like, that beats a lot of the
[20:50] premium cards out there, like the Amex
[20:51] Platinum and Sapphire Reserve, and you
[20:53] don't have to justify some massive
[20:55] annual fee to hold it. And like I
[20:56] mentioned with the Attune earlier, since
[20:58] this one is part of Wells Fargo's
[21:00] Autograph lineup, it's going to unlock
[21:02] access to their transfer partner list,
[21:04] which makes all of the other Wells Fargo
[21:06] reward earning cards more valuable, too.
[21:08] So, long story short, I think that this
[21:10] one is just a really strong $95 card and
[21:13] would easily land in A tier. However, if
[21:15] you want that same transfer partner
[21:16] access and a lot of really good earning
[21:18] rates without paying an annual fee,
[21:21] Wells Fargo has that, too, with the
[21:22] regular Autograph. I won't bury the lead
[21:24] here. I think that this is not only the
[21:26] best Wells Fargo credit card, but one of
[21:28] the best travel credit cards on the
[21:29] entire market. For no annual fee, it
[21:31] gives you access to those transfer
[21:33] partners and 3x back on a bunch of
[21:35] everyday categories, including
[21:37] restaurants, travel, gas and EV
[21:38] charging, transit, streaming, and phone
[21:41] plans, plus 1x elsewhere. So, with
[21:43] those, this could easily be like the
[21:45] only card that you need outside of maybe
[21:47] adding something for groceries. And if I
[21:49] really had to find like a downside with
[21:50] this one, it would be that it's in Wells
[21:52] Fargo's ecosystem and their transfer
[21:54] partner list is smaller than the rest,
[21:56] but the partners that they do have are
[21:58] strong enough and you can basically make
[22:00] any international flight happen that you
[22:01] want to. So, even though I know that
[22:03] some of y'all are going to disagree with
[22:04] this one, I am going to put it in S
[22:06] tier. This card is a sleeper and it
[22:07] deserves more attention than it's
[22:08] getting. So, even if this is a bit of a
[22:10] high ranking for it, at least it'll get
[22:12] some of y'all to go check it out who
[22:14] wouldn't have before. At this point, I
[22:16] bet there is at least one person in the
[22:17] comments just yelling at me for not
[22:19] bringing up this next card. So, this is
[22:22] for you. Let's cover the Amex Green.
[22:24] This card has always been like the
[22:25] red-headed stepchild of the Amex
[22:27] ecosystem and that's because it's not
[22:29] really clear who would want it compared
[22:31] to the other options out there. It costs
[22:33] $150 per year and you do get a solid
[22:35] list of category coverage of 3x back on
[22:38] travel, transit, and dining. And that's
[22:40] definitely not bad at all, but the
[22:41] problem is that those rates just aren't
[22:43] hard to beat anymore, as we've seen
[22:44] throughout this video. I mean, heck,
[22:46] even with the free Autograph card that I
[22:47] just covered. And on top of that, the
[22:49] only real way to offset that annual fee
[22:51] is the $209 clear credit, which if you
[22:54] do use, then technically, the Amex Green
[22:56] is going to pay you $59 a year to hold
[22:59] it. But I think that the clear credit is
[23:00] one of the easiest ones in this game to
[23:02] overvalue. I might be biased because I
[23:04] haven't had a good experience with Clear
[23:06] yet, but I just don't think that many
[23:08] people would actually pay $209 per
[23:11] person to have it. And again, I'm open
[23:13] to being wrong about that, but that's
[23:14] just where my head goes. So, while I do
[23:16] understand why some people really like
[23:18] this card, I feel like you can do a lot
[23:19] better elsewhere. So, that leaves it in
[23:21] the C tier for me. By the way, if the
[23:23] main reason that you've even ever
[23:24] considered this card is because you want
[23:26] to keep your Amex Membership Rewards
[23:28] points alive for the lowest annual fee,
[23:30] I would seriously look at the Amex Blue
[23:32] Business Plus before forcing yourself to
[23:34] justify this one. The Blue Business Plus
[23:36] not only keeps those points alive for
[23:38] free, but it also gives you access to
[23:40] Amex's transfer partners for free. So,
[23:42] in my opinion, this one is like a
[23:44] mandatory to get if you're within Amex's
[23:46] Membership Reward point ecosystem. And
[23:48] even though it's a business card, I
[23:50] almost guarantee that you could get it.
[23:51] So, yeah. I've made a full video about
[23:53] that if you're curious. Let's take a
[23:54] deep breath here. I know that was a ton
[23:56] of information I just threw at you, and
[23:58] it probably feels overwhelming, but just
[24:00] remember that you do not need to get
[24:01] like 20 plus cards like I do to make
[24:03] this game work. In fact, I recently
[24:05] challenged myself to answer a much
[24:07] simpler question. If I could only have
[24:08] two credit cards, what would they be?
[24:10] So, if you want to see that exact
[24:12] two-card setup composed of a couple of
[24:14] the cards that we talked about today,
[24:15] actually, then go ahead and check out
[24:16] that video right here. And as always,
[24:19] Owen and I both really appreciate you
[24:20] watching today. If you enjoyed it,
[24:21] consider leaving a like, subscribing to
[24:23] the channel, and checking out all the
[24:24] links in my description to support us.
[24:26] And with that being said, we'll catch
[24:28] you guys next time.