Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.
When considering your next credit card, it’s best to first look at your wallet and see if you can build a strategy around what you’ve already got. It’s beneficial to have many points with one credit card issuer, rather than a handful of points with each different bank.
With that said, let’s review the best options for credit cards with transferable points you can combine and how to strategize by carrying multiple cards in the same family.
Why you should get multiple cards from the same issuer
You can:
American Express
| Card | Welcome bonus | Earning rates | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | Earn 80,000 bonus Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. | 5 points per dollar on flights purchased directly with the airline or with Amex Travel — up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar.
5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked on Amex Travel. 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases. |
$695 (see rates and fees). |
| American Express® Gold Card | Earn 60,000 bonus Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership. | 4 points per dollar on dining at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.).
4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets — on up to $25,000 of these purchases per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar). 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airline or with Amex Travel. 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases. |
$250 (see rates and fees). |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express | Earn 15,000 bonus Membership Rewards points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new card in your first three months of card membership. | 2 points per dollar on the first $50,000 of purchases per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar).
1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases. |
$0 (see rates and fees)/ |
Earn big massive welcome bonuses
Amex has a once-per-lifetime rule that restricts you from earning a welcome bonus more than once per card. However, you can open all three of these cards and earn the welcome bonus on each — so long as you haven’t held the card previously — and continue to add to your points balance.
Earning rates across popular categories
Each card offers excellent earning rates that can combine to offer bonus points on virtually every purchase you’ll have in life. Here’s a cheat sheet of when to use each card:
| Purchase | Card to use |
|---|---|
| Flights. | Amex Platinum for 5 points per dollar until you meet the $500,000 threshold per calendar year. From there, you can use the Amex Gold for 3 points per dollar. |
| Hotels. | Amex Platinum for 5 points per dollar if booking through Amex Travel. |
| Dining at restaurants. | Amex Gold for 4 points per dollar. |
| U.S. Supermarkets. | Amex Gold for 4 points per dollar up to the $25,000 threshold per calendar year at U.S. supermarkets. After that, use the Blue Business Plus up to the $50,000 threshold per calendar year for 2 points per dollar. For supermarkets outside the U.S., use the Amex Gold or Amex Platinum for 1 point per dollar with no foreign transaction fees. |
| All other purchases (gas, bills, etc.). | Amex Blue Business Plus for 2 points per dollar up to the $50,000 threshold per calendar year (then 1 point per dollar). |
Related: 5 ways you might be eligible for a business credit card without realizing it
Capital One
Capital One is newer to the transferable points game, but there’s a lot to love about the program. In addition to cards that earn transferable Capital One miles, you can open back-back cards from the Savor and Quicksilver card families. While marketed as cash-back cards, you can turn your cash back into Capital One miles.
Sign up for our daily newsletter
| Card | Sign-up bonus | Earning rate | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked with Capital One Travel.
5 miles per dollar on Turo rentals (through May 16, 2023). 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases. |
$95 |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and car rentals booked via Capital One Travel.
10 miles per dollar spent on cars booked through Turo (through May 16, 2023). 5 miles per dollar on flights booked via Capital One Travel. 2 miles per dollar on other purchases. |
$395. |
| Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card | Earn 20,000 bonus miles after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | 1.25 miles per dollar on all purchases. | $0. |
| Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card | Earn a $300 cash bonus when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases.
4% back on dining, entertainment and eligible streaming services. 3% back at grocery stores. 1% back on all other purchases.
|
$95. |
| Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card | Earn a $200 cash bonus when you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, eligible streaming services and at grocery stores.
1% back on all other purchases. |
$0. |
| Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card | Earn a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within three months of account opening. | 1.5% cash back on all purchases. | $0. |
| Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card | None. | 1.5% cash back on all purchases. | $39. |
The information for the Capital One Savor has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Capital One application rules
Capital One only allows you to have two of its personal cards open at once, so be sure to choose wisely.
Another rule prohibits you from applying for more than one new Capital One card every six months. It’s important to be mindful of these restrictions to maximize your approval odds and long-term credit card strategy.
Related: Tips and tricks to get maximum value from your Capital One miles
Earning rates across popular categories
| Purchase | Card to use |
|---|---|
| Flights. | Venture X for 5 miles per dollar if booked through Capital One Travel; Venture or Venture X for 2 miles per dollar otherwise. |
| Hotels. | Venture X for 10 miles per dollar if booked through Capital One Travel; Venture card for 5 miles per dollar with Capital One Travel; Venture or Venture X for 2 miles per dollar otherwise. |
| Dining at restaurants. | Savor Cash for 4% back. |
| Supermarkets. | Savor or SavorOne for 3% back. |
| All other purchases (gas, bills, etc.). | Savor for 8% back on entertainment purchases and 4% back on streaming services; Venture or Venture X for 2 miles per dollar on other purchases. |
Chase
All of the no-annual-fee options listed below are cash-back cards but earn rewards in the form of Ultimate Rewards points. These points are worth only 1 cent each unless you also carry an “anchor card” that can potentially raise the value of these points.
Your anchor card options are the Chase Sapphire Reserve ($550 annual fee), Chase Sapphire Preferred Card ($95 annual fee) or the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card ($95 annual fee). With the Sapphire Reserve, your Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.5 cents each when booking travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. With the latter two, your points are worth 1.25 cents each for travel through Ultimate Rewards.
Where the real value of these Chase anchor cards comes into play is access to Chase’s 11 airline and three hotel transfer partners — and your points can be worth 2 cents each when redeemed this way, according to TPG’s valuations.
Long story short, there’s lots of flexibility with the Chase trifecta, and you can mix and match the cards you want based on your preferences. Here are all of your options:
| Card | Sign-up bonus | Earning rate | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | Earn 60,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. | 10 points per dollar on hotels and car rentals purchased through the Ultimate Rewards portal.
10 points per dollar on Chase Dining purchases. 10 points per dollar on Lyft rides (until March 2025). 5 points per dollar on flights purchased through the Ultimate Rewards portal. 3 points per dollar on dining and travel purchases (excluding purchases covered by the annual $300 travel credit). 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases. |
$550. |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred | Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through the Ultimate Rewards portal (excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 annual hotel credit).
5 points per dollar on Lyft rides (through March 2025). 3 points per dollar on select streaming services, online grocery store purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs) and dining. 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases. 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases. |
$95. |
| Ink Business Preferred Credit Card | Earn 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $15,000 in the first three months of account opening. | 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year in the following categories: shipping, internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases and travel (then 1 point per dollar after passing this threshold).
1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases. |
$95. |
| Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card | $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | 1.5% cash back on all eligible purchases. | $0. |
| Ink Business Cash Credit Card | $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year from the following categories: office supply stores, internet, cable and phone services (then 1% back after passing this threshold).
2% back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year from the following categories: gas and restaurants (then 1% back after passing this threshold). 1% back on all other eligible purchases. |
$0. |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited | Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on all purchases during the first year — up to $20,000 in spending. | 5% cash back on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal
3% back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services). 1.5% on all other purchases. |
$0. |
| Chase Freedom Flex | Earn $200 cash back after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
|
5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in rotating bonus categories each quarter (activation required).
5% back on travel purchased through the Ultimate Rewards portal. 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases. 1% back on all other purchases. |
$0. |
Earn big welcome bonuses
Chase’s 5/24 rule is among the most restrictive of any issuer. You likely aren’t eligible for any Chase card (or its sign-up bonus) if you’ve opened five or more credit cards from any and all issuers in the past 24 months. The 5/24 rule incentivizes applicants to start within Chase cards first. We strongly recommend building your trifecta of Chase cards — not only to supercharge your earnings but because you may become ineligible if you open other cards first.
Finally, it’s worth noting that you can only carry one of the Sapphire cards at a time. So, if you don’t have either already, now’s the time to decide between the premium Sapphire Reserve or the wallet-friendly Sapphire Preferred.
Chase trifecta combinations
While there are traditionally three cards in the Chase trifecta, you could theoretically open more than just three Chase cards down the road for more sign-up bonuses and access to even more bonus categories. Here are some of the ways you can mix and match the Chase trifecta to fit your needs:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve (or Chase Sapphire Preferred).
- Ink Business Preferred (and/or Ink Business Unlimited/Ink Business Cash).
- Chase Freedom Unlimited (and/or Chase Freedom Flex).
No matter which combination you choose, be sure to hold one flat-rate earning card (Ink Business Unlimited or Chase Freedom Unlimited) that will allow you to earn 1.5% back on all non-bonus purchases.
Related: The best Chase credit cards
Earning rates across popular categories
| Purchase | Card to use |
|---|---|
| Flights. | Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred for 5 points per dollar through the Chase portal; if booking directly with an airline, use the Ink Business Unlimited or Sapphire Reserve for 3 points per dollar. |
| Hotels. | Sapphire Reserve for 10 points per dollar through the travel portal; the Sapphire Preferred has a $50 annual hotel credit that you can use, while the Sapphire Reserve and Ink Preferred can provide 3 points per dollar if booking directly. |
| Dining at restaurants. | Sapphire Reserve for 10 points per dollar via Chase Dining; 3 points per dollar otherwise with the Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Preferred, or 3% back with the Freedom Unlimited and Freedom Flex. |
| Supermarkets. | Freedom Flex for 5% back if grocery stores is one of the current bonus categories; Sapphire Preferred for 3 points per dollar on grocery delivery orders; Freedom Unlimited for 1.5% back otherwise. |
| All other purchases (gas, bills, etc.). | Chase Sapphire Preferred for 3 points per dollar on streaming; Ink Business Cash for 5% back on internet and phone services; Ink Business Cash for 2% back on gas. |
It’s also worth discussing some limitations of Chase’s newest small-business credit card. The New Business Card! Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card earns 2.5% back on purchases of $5,000 or more and unlimited 2% back on all other purchases. Unfortunately, these earnings cannot be combined with Ultimate Rewards as we’re used to with other Chase credit cards. Thus, we haven’t included this card in the chart above, due to the limitations on redemptions.
Related: How (and why) to combine your Chase Ultimate Rewards points into a single account
Citi
Citi presents some interesting options that are worthy of consideration.
Unfortunately, there’s only one card you can apply for right now that earns transferable ThankYou points that you can use with all of Citi’s transfer partners: the Citi Premier® Card. That’s because the premium Citi Prestige® Card is no longer open to new applicants, and the Citi® Double Cash Card only provides transfers to a few programs — unless you hold the Premier or Prestige card.
The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
If you’ve already got either the Premier or Prestige, you could add one of the cash-back cards in Citi’s lineup to maximize your earnings with more bonus categories. It’s also worth holding the Citi Rewards+® Card due to its round-up feature and the ability to get back 10% of your redeemed points each year — 100,000 points redeemed annually. What’s interesting is that this redemption benefit applies to points redeemed from your other Citi cards, as long as you have the cards linked in your ThankYou points account.
| Card | Sign-up bonus | Earning rate | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citi Premier® Card | 60,000 Citi ThankYou points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening. | 3 points per dollar at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels.
1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases. |
$95. |
| Citi Prestige® Card (no longer open to new applicants) | None. | 5 points per dollar at restaurants, airlines and travel agencies.
3 points per dollar at hotels and cruise lines. 1 point per dollar on other purchases. |
$495. |
| Citi® Double Cash Card | None. | 2 points per dollar on all purchases: 1 point per dollar when you buy and 1 point per dollar when you pay your credit card bill. | $0. |
| Citi Custom Cash℠ Card | Earn a $200 cash bonus after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first six months from account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. | 5% on your top eligible spend category up to $500 spent each billing cycle (then 1% back). Categories include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment.
1% on all other eligible purchases. |
$0. |
| Citi Rewards+® Card | Earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 on purchases within three months from account opening. | 2 points per dollar at supermarkets and gas stations — up to $6,000 of these purchases annually, then 1 point per dollar.
1 point per dollar on other purchases. Round up to the nearest 10 points on each purchase, e.g. a purchase of $0.89 would earn 10 points, while a purchase of $24 would earn 30 points. |
$0. |
Welcome bonus restrictions
On top of being sensitive to the number of recent inquiries on your credit report, Citi has strict rules about how often you can be approved for a credit card and other rules on how often you can earn a sign-up bonus.
You can apply for just one credit card every eight days and no more than two Citi cards within 65 days. You’re limited to just one business card from Citi every 90 days.
Those rules are easy to understand; the 24-month rule is more complex. You must wait 24 months from the date you opened or closed a ThankYou points credit card before earning a bonus on another card. Here are example terms, taken from the application page for the Citi Premier:
Bonus ThankYou® Points are not available if you received a new cardmember bonus for Citi Rewards+®, Citi ThankYou® Preferred, Citi ThankYou® Premier/Citi Premier® or Citi Prestige®, or if you have closed any of these accounts, in the past 24 months.”
Related: The best Citi credit cards
Earning rates across popular categories
It’s worth pointing out that the Rewards+ card may be the best credit card for small purchases, given its “round-up” feature.
| Purchase | Card to use |
|---|---|
| Flights. | Citi Prestige for 5 points per dollar or Citi Premier for 3 points per dollar. |
| Hotels. | Citi Prestige or Citi Premier for 3 points per dollar. |
| Dining at restaurants. | Citi Prestige for 5 points per dollar or Citi Premier for 3 points per dollar. |
| Supermarkets. | Citi Premier for 3 points per dollar. |
| All other purchases (gas, bills, etc.). | Citi Premier for 3 points per dollar at gas stations; Citi Custom Cash for 5% back if that’s your top spending category during that billing cycle; Citi Double cash for 2 points per dollar on all purchases; Rewards+ card if it’s a small purchase and will be rounded up to the nearest 10 points. |
Bottom line
When you hold one card that earns transferable points, it’s likely that you can add another card from the same issuer to beef up your earnings in additional spending categories. It’s as easy as using a two- or three-card strategy and pooling your rewards into one account. In this way, you’ll earn extra points or cash back on hundreds or thousands of transactions each year, leading to big rewards.
Related: 6 easy strategies I use to earn over 500,000 points and miles a year
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Blue Business Plus, click here.
Additional reporting by Ryan Smith.
Discussion about this post