The following cards were highlighted, in this order, in our travel rewards episode of The Money with Katie Show. This content is not sponsored or endorsed by any of the card brands described here and is accurate as of the posting date, but some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Money with Katie is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as MileValue.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on my site, and this site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
This Card’s Role: Still establishing your credit, or need a great cash back card that’ll help set the foundation for the rest of your strategy? This is our pick, because you’ll begin earning Ultimate Rewards points on your spending.
Current Welcome Bonus: Earn $200 after spending $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
Annual fee: $0
3% cash back on dining and drugstores
5% cash back booked on Ultimate Rewards travel
1.5% cash back on all other purchases
This Card’s Role: Get extremely inexpensive access to the best travel portal (and transfer eligibility) out there. Remember, you can only get one Sapphire product at a time, so choose this or the Sapphire Reserve (more on that below).
Current Welcome Bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual fee: $95
5x points on travel booked through Ultimate Rewards
3x points on restaurants, streaming, and online groceries
2x points on travel outside the travel portal
1x points on everything else
10% annual points bonus based on your spending
$50 annual statement credit on hotel stays purchased through Ultimate Rewards
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
This Card’s Role: If you’re going to fly Southwest frequently, this card is a great one to snag for its sign-up bonus and its recurring annual benefits.
Current Welcome Bonus: Earn 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual fee: $149
3x points on Southwest travel
4 Upgraded Boardings per year
$75 annual Southwest travel credit
7,500 anniversary points
20% back on inflight purchases
This Card’s Role: If you’re going to fly United frequently, this card is our pick for getting a valuable sign-up bonus as well as solid recurring perks.
Current Welcome Bonus: Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual fee: $0 in year 1, then $95
First free checked bag (or free carry-on bag in Economy Plus)
2 United Club one-time passes per year
$100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
Priority boarding
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless®
This Card’s Role: The ubiquity of Marriott hotels as well as the annual free night award make this card valuable for anyone who regularly stays in hotels.
Current Welcome Bonus: Limited time offer! Earn 5 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening
Annual fee: $95
Silver status
Free premium wifi
Annual free night credit worth up to 35,000 points
This Card’s Role: This is Katie’s pick for the best premium card, which offers a slew of benefits that you won’t find anywhere else. Additionally, this grants access to the American Express Membership Rewards travel portal (also accessible via the Gold card on our list below).
Current Welcome Bonus: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Annual fee: $695 (Rates & Fees)
Up to $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
Up to $200 in annual statement credits for airline incidentals for your chosen airline
Up to $200 in annual statement credits on Fine Hotels & Resorts or Hotel Collection bookings
Up to $200 in annual statement credits for Uber and Uber Eats ($15/month and $35/month in December)
Up to $300 Equinox credit (enrollment required)
Up to $189 CLEAR® credit
Up to $20/month in monthly statement credits when you pay for eligible purchaes with the Platinum Card® at one or more of the following providers: Peaco*ck, Audible, SiriusXM, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, and The New York Times (enrollment required)
Priority Pass (enrollment required) and Centurion Lounge access (though notably, free access for guests has been removed)
This Card’s Role: This is Henah’s pick for the best premium card, which offers a broad array of travel and dining benefits. If you get this card, you’d want to pair it with The Gold Card from American Express for access to AmEx’s portal.
Current Welcome Bonus: Earn 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual fee: $550
$300 annual travel credit
Priority Pass lounge membership (1,000+ lounges worldwide)
Up to $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
Complimentary Lyft Pink, Instacart+, and DashPass subscriptions
This Card’s Role: This is a great card for food spending, especially if you get the Sapphire Reserve instead of the Platinum Card.
Current Welcome Bonus: Earn 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first 6 months from account opening.
Annual fee: $250 (Rates & Fees)
Up to $120 dining credit at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations (up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card; enrollment required)
Up to $120 in annual statement credits for Uber and Uber Eats, up to $10/mo. in Uber Cash
4x points at US supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, then 1x) and restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US
TRAVEL REWARDS 101 ✈️
Our free Travel Rewards mini course can teach you the basics & beyond if you’re not quite ready to enact your strategy yet.
