Credit card points funded our last three vacations. Not entirely, but enough to cover flights on two of them and a full hotel stay on the third. That’s not some influencer flex. It’s what happens when you put your regular spending on the right card and pay attention to where the points go.
The trick is that not every points card is worth carrying. Some have annual fees that eat into the rewards. Some earn points in categories you barely spend in. And some have points that sound great on paper but are worth half as much when you actually try to redeem them. We’ve tested a lot of these cards, and the ones below are the ones we’d actually recommend to someone who wants real value from their spending.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Chase Sapphire Preferred has been a staple recommendation for years, and it still holds up. The $95 annual fee is low enough that most people earn it back within the first month or two of normal spending, especially now that it comes with a $100 annual Chase Travel hotel credit.
You earn 5X points on travel booked through Chase Travel, 3X on dining, streaming, and online grocery, 3X on gas and EV charging, and 2X on other travel. Everything else earns 1X. The dining and travel categories are where this card really works, because those are categories most people spend in regularly without having to change their habits.
The standard welcome bonus is 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, and Chase has run limited-time offers as high as 100,000 points. That’s worth at least $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel, and potentially more if you transfer to airline or hotel partners. We transferred points to Hyatt a while back and got three nights at a hotel that would have cost $250 per night, which is real value from points that cost us nothing beyond our normal spending. Bonus offers and terms change, so confirm what’s live on Chase’s official page before you apply.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to partners including United, Southwest, Hyatt, Marriott, and British Airways. Heads up: as of 2026 the Hyatt transfer moved from 1:1 to 4:3, which trims some of its value, but Hyatt’s award chart still stretches points further than most hotel programs.
Who it’s good for: Anyone who eats out regularly and travels a couple times a year. The $95 fee is easy to justify.
Who should skip it: If you rarely travel and don’t eat out much, a flat cash-back card will serve you better.
American Express Gold Card
The Amex Gold earns at a rate that’s hard to beat on two of the biggest everyday spending categories: 4X points at restaurants (up to $50,000 per year, then 1X) and 4X at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, then 1X). After the 2026 refresh it also earns 5X on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel. If you eat out frequently and do your own grocery shopping, the points pile up fast.
The annual fee is $325 as of 2026, which looks steep until you factor in the credits. You get $120 per year in dining credits ($10 per month at Grubhub, Five Guys, Cheesecake Factory, and others), $120 per year in Uber Cash ($10 per month), a $100 Resy dining credit, and an $84 Dunkin’ credit ($7 per month). That’s well over $400 in credits against a $325 fee, so if you actually use them the card more than pays for itself.
The catch with those credits is that they’re use-it-or-lose-it on a monthly or half-year basis. If you forget to order through Grubhub or take an Uber in a given month, that money is gone. We set calendar reminders for them, which feels silly but works. Fees and credit structures change, so confirm the current terms on Amex’s official page before you apply.
The welcome bonus has been running as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards points after meeting the spending requirement, though Amex rotates these offers and your eligibility varies, so check the current terms before applying. Amex points transfer to a strong set of partners including Delta, JetBlue, Hilton, and Air France/KLM’s Flying Blue program. Flying Blue in particular has been a sweet spot for us on transatlantic flights, where 50,000 points can get you a one-way to Europe that would cost $400-600 cash.
Who it’s good for: People who spend heavily on food, both groceries and restaurants. If your combined monthly food spend is $800 or more, this card earns aggressively.
Who should skip it: If you don’t eat out often and prefer simple cash back, the credits and category structure add complexity you don’t need.
Capital One Venture X
The Capital One Venture X has quietly become one of the best premium travel cards available. The annual fee is $395, which is lower than competing premium cards from Chase and Amex, and the built-in credits make the effective cost very reasonable.
You get a $300 annual travel credit (automatically applied to travel purchases booked through Capital One Travel) and 10,000 bonus miles on your account anniversary, worth $100 in travel. That’s $400 in value against a $395 fee, so the card essentially pays for itself before you even start earning on purchases.
Earning is simple: 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5X on flights booked through Capital One Travel, and 2X miles on everything else. That flat 2X rate on all other spending is underrated. You don’t have to think about categories or track quarterly activations. Every dollar you spend earns 2 miles, period.
The card also comes with a Priority Pass membership, Capital One Lounge access, and no foreign transaction fees. One change to know about: as of February 2026, free guest access to Priority Pass and Capital One lounges went away unless you spend $75,000 a year, so bringing guests now usually costs a per-person fee. We’ve still used the lounge access on layovers more times than we can count, and the Capital One lounges at DFW and Dulles are genuinely nice.
Capital One miles transfer 1:1 to partners including Air Canada, Turkish Airlines, British Airways, and Wyndham. The Turkish Airlines transfer is notable because their award chart prices business class flights to Europe and Asia at rates that are hard to find elsewhere.
Who it’s good for: Frequent travelers who want premium perks without paying a premium price. The 2X flat rate makes it a strong everyday card too.
Who should skip it: If you travel once a year or less, you won’t get enough value from the travel credit and lounge access to justify carrying it.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is the premium sibling of the Preferred, and after its 2026 overhaul the annual fee is now $795. A $300 annual travel credit still applies automatically to travel purchases, and there’s a stack of other credits (dining, hotel, and more) that can offset a chunk of the rest if you use them. That’s a big jump from the old $550 fee, so it’s worth doing the math on whether you’ll actually use enough of the credits to justify it.
It earns 8X on Chase Travel purchases, 4X on flights and hotels booked direct, 3X on dining worldwide, and 1X on everything else. The earning structure leans harder on bookings through Chase Travel than the Preferred does.
What you’re really paying for beyond the points is the perks package. Priority Pass lounge access, access to Chase’s own Sapphire Lounges, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit (up to $120, every 4 years), and trip cancellation/interruption insurance that’s among the best of any credit card. The travel protections alone have saved us money on two separate occasions when flights were canceled.
Points are worth 1 cent each through Chase Travel, and Chase’s Points Boost can lift that to as much as 2 cents on select flights and hotels. They also transfer to the same partner airlines and hotels as the Preferred. As always, fees and benefits change, so confirm the current terms on Chase’s official page before applying.
Who it’s good for: Travelers who fly several times a year and will use the lounge access and travel protections. The Reserve makes sense if you’re already spending enough on travel and dining to earn back the fee through points.
Who should skip it: If you’re debating between this and the Preferred, the Preferred is the better value for most people. The Reserve’s extra perks only make sense if you travel enough to actually use them.
Quick Comparison
| Card | Annual Fee | Best Earning Rate | Welcome Bonus | Best Transfer Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Preferred | $95 | 5X Chase Travel, 3X dining | 75,000 pts | Hyatt |
| Amex Gold | $325 | 4X restaurants, 4X groceries | up to 100,000 pts | Flying Blue |
| Capital One Venture X | $395 ($0 net) | 10X hotels via Cap One, 2X everything | 75,000 miles | Turkish Airlines |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | $795 | 8X Chase Travel, 3X dining | 100,000 pts | Hyatt |
Figures are accurate as of 2026 and can shift. Confirm current fees, bonuses, and earning rates on each issuer’s official page before applying.
How to Pick the Right One
Start with where your money actually goes. Pull up your last three months of credit card statements and categorize your spending. If dining is your biggest discretionary category, the Amex Gold or Sapphire Preferred will earn the most. If you want a simple earning structure without tracking categories, the Venture X’s flat 2X rate on everything is hard to beat.
If you’re new to points and miles, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best starting point. Low fee, strong bonus, and Chase Ultimate Rewards is arguably the most flexible points currency available. You can always upgrade to the Reserve later if your travel patterns justify it.
If you’re already spending $1,000+ per month on food between restaurants and groceries, the Amex Gold will out-earn everything else in those categories by a wide margin, and the credits bring the effective fee down to almost nothing.
If you want one card that does everything reasonably well and comes with premium perks, the Venture X offers the best value relative to its fee. The math works out in your favor from day one.
One thing we’d caution against: don’t sign up for a card just because the welcome bonus is big. The bonus is a one-time event. What matters long-term is whether the card’s earning structure and fee make sense for how you actually spend, month after month, for years. A card that earns you $50 more per month in the categories you spend in will outperform a big bonus within the first year or two. Pick the card that fits your spending, not the one with the flashiest sign-up offer.