If you are a beginner to the miles & points world, I would suggest starting with a combination of either Amex, Chase, or Citi travel credit cards. A mix of personal credit cards and business credit cards is crucial to enhance travel point earnings. Most people assume they are not eligible for a business card if they don’t own a business, but any consumer with a business idea can legally apply for a credit card as a sole proprietor. I will describe the simple process involved in filling out the business credit card application.
I will start the discussion with Amex credit cards and compare them with Chase and Citi for the total annual point earnings based on $60,000 USD in annual household expenses. This post contains no affiliate links and all the recommendations are based on my personal experience of earning credit card points.
Amex Membership Rewards Credit Cards
Amex is very generous in approving both personal and business credit cards as long as you have a decent credit rating (~700). Amex offers several membership rewards (MR) earning credit cards and in this post, I will discuss the 3 popular options (Amex personal Gold, Platinum cards, and Business Blue Plus card).
Amex Personal Gold Card
Amex Gold card is a lifetime keeper card for the most unique 4-point earnings on both groceries and dining. No other card currently on the market has similar earnings (Citi Premier comes close with 3-point earnings). Amex Gold has a generous annual limit for grocery store purchases (up to $25000 per calendar year) when compared to the $6000 cap on the Amex EveryDay Preferred card. The Gold card also has no annoying requirements like 30 or more purchases in the billing period to get a 50% bonus compared to the EveryDay Preferred card.
It is important to remember that the Amex Gold card codes 4 points for grocery purchases only in dedicated grocery stores (e.g., Kroger, Publix). DO NOT use an Amex Gold card in superstores like Walmart or Target, even though they sell groceries. Mixing grocery purchases with gift cards from the grocery store (e.g., Amazon, Shell gas, Home Depot, Best Buy) is one of the best ways to maximize the 4 points earnings for the $25000 annual cap. While the credit card T&C state that gift cards are NOT eligible, I haven’t seen any clawbacks over several years of extensive use.
Amex Gold card has a $250 annual fee, but $240 can be reclaimed in monthly $20 Uber/Grubhub credits (see below).
Monthly credits:
First, enroll in the $120 annual dining credit ($10 in monthly statement credits for Grubhub).
$10 for Grubhub; comes as a statement credit after paying for the order; Add Gold card as default to the Grubhub payments.
$10 for Uber; Appears as an Uber cash credit every month (can be used for both Uber Eats and Rides). No activation is necessary for this benefit.
If you properly use both these monthly credits, $240 out of the $250 annual fee will be covered. The catch here is, if you do not use the credits by the end of the month, they will not roll over to the next month. I have seen a few of my friends either forget to activate this benefit or fail to use it every month to claim both credits (Amex probably loves them for doing so).
Amex Personal Platinum Card
Amex Platinum card ($695 annual fee) earns 5 points for airline tickets purchased directly from airline companies (e.g., Delta) and prepaid flight/hotel purchases from the Amex portal. One should remember not to use Amex Platinum for hotels and flight tickets purchased from 3rd party websites (e.g., Booking.com), which only earn one point per dollar. To reclaim the steep annual fee, the Amex Platinum card offers an extensive list of annual credits, but most of them are not very straightforward and require careful planning (see the table below).
Amex Platinum Easy to Earn Annual Credits
| Type of credit | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Uber Rides/Eats | 200.00 | Activation required in card benefit section. |
| Saks 5th avenue | 100.00 | Activation required in card benefit section. $50 credit every 6 months X 2 (Jan-June; June-Dec) |
| Airline credit | 200.00 | Covers agent phone booking fees, seat selection fees, checked baggage fees, ticket change fees, pet transport fees and airport lounge passes. United Mileage Bank $50 purchases will trigger the travel credit. Try to use the benefit twice during the first year (resets January 1st). |
| Hotel Credit | 200.00 | Restricted to booking either The Hotel Collection (2 night minimum) or Fine Hotels + Resorts (1 night minimum). Try to use the benefit twice during the first year (resets on January 1st). |
| Walmart+ membership monthly statement credit | 155.00 | Free shipping for any item online without minimum purchase. $35 minimum for free grocery deliveries and 10 cents off every gallon gas at Mobil gas stations. |
| Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM, Disney+ The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu and The New York Times | 240.00 | $20 per month statement credits. |
| TOTAL annual credits | 1095.00 | I find most of the above credits relatively easy to get with a single exception of hotel booking credit. I find FHR properties too expensive for a single night and rarely stay 2 nights where they offer Hotel Collection. |
Amex Blue Business Plus Card
Amex also offers a no-annual-fee Blue Business Plus card (very easy to get without any real business) that earns 2 MR points per dollar on every purchase up to $50,000 in a calendar year (best used for non-category spending). If you have a hobby and would like to pursue it for future sales or sell an item on eBay, you can apply and get the business credit card as a “sole proprietor”. In many cases, the business credit card application may not list eBay as an option, and you have to pick a category close to your business interest.
Sample Amex Business card application
| Legal Name of Business | Use your own name as the business name (no need to come up a business name). |
| Business Name on Card | Use your own name. |
| Business Mailing Address | Use your home address. |
| Type of business | Sole Proprietor |
| Tax Identification Number | Use your SSN |
| Business category/type/subtype | Pick whichever categories are closest to your business hobby (manufacturing/electronics/computers, used clothing, arts & crafts etc.,). Some applications may ask for subcategories. |
| Number of Employees | 1-2 (including you) |
| Annual Business Revenue | Try 20-30k per year. Your credit line depends on this amount. |
| Years in Business | Put 5-10 years or longer depending on how old you were when you first got the business idea and made a sale (e.g., eBay sales at age 17). |
| Authorizing Officer | Owner |
| Personal Information | This section is self-explanatory. |
| Gross annual income | Include all your household income, not just the business income. |
Amex combination credit card MR point annual earning example
| Amount spent per calendar year (January 1st to Dec 31st) | Spending Category | Type of Amex credit card | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD 5000 | Dining | Amex Gold card | 5000 x 4 = 20000 |
| USD 25000 | Groceries mixed with grocery store gift card purchases (gas, Amazon, Home Depot, Best buy etc.,) | Amex Gold card | 25000 x 4 = 100,000 |
| USD 6000 | Direct flight purchases from the airline companies | Amex Platinum card | 6000 x 5 = 30000 |
| USD 4000 | Flight & prepaid hotel bookings on Amex travel portal | Amex Platinum card | 4000 x 5 = 20,000 |
| USD 20,000 | Non category spending (internet, cell phone, TV, insurance, shopping etc.,) | Amex Blue Business Plus | 20,000 x 2 = 40,000 |
| Total amount 60000 USD. Total annual fee on credit cards $895 USD. | Total points earned 210,000 |
For comparison, I have listed similar annual earnings using both Chase and Citi credit card combinations below:
Chase UR Point Earning Credit Cards
Chase UR point-earning personal credit cards include Sapphire Preferred, Reserve along with Freedom Flex, and Freedom Unlimited. Chase UR point-earning business cards include Business Ink Cash, Unlimited and Preferred. Either Chase Sapphire Preferred/Reserve (only one of them will be approved) or Chase Ink Business Preferred cards are required to transfer points to Chase travel partners in the portal. I used Chase Reserve in the mix of cards to calculate the annual earnings in the table below.
Sample Chase Business card application
Chase UR Point-Earning Credit Card Comparison
| Category & Points Earned per dollar | Sapphire Preferred | Sapphire Reserve | Freedom Flex | Freedom Unlimited | Business Ink Cash | Business Ink Unlimited | Business Ink Preferred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $95 | $550 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $95 |
| Annual Travel Credit | $50 on hotels booked on Chase portal | $300 on all types of travel | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Dining | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 |
| Online Grocery only | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | 1 | 1.5 | 1 |
| Rotating Quarterly Categories | N/A | N/A | 5 ($1,500 quarterly cap) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Gas Stations | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | 1 | 2 (25K cap) | 1 |
| Travel Purchases (non-Chase portal) | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1.5 | 1 | 1.5 | 3 ($150K cap) |
| Chase Portal Flight Booking | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1.5 | 3 ($150K cap) |
| Chase portal Non-flight Booking (e.g., hotels) | 5 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1.5 | 3 ($150K cap) |
| Non-category Spending | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | 1 | 1.5 | 1 |
| Office supplies (including gift cards), internet, cable, cell phone. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | 5 ($25K cap) Â Â | 1.5 | 3 ($150K cap) |
| Streaming | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | 1 | 1.5 | 1 |
| Drug Stores | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1.5 | 1 |
| UR Point Partner Transfers | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Personal Rental Car Insurance | Primary in both US & overseas | Primary in both US & overseas | Secondary in US and primary overseas. | Secondary in US and primary overseas. | Secondary in US and primary overseas. | Secondary in US and primary overseas. | Primary overseas & secondary in US |
| Business Rental Car Insurance | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Primary in US | Primary in US | Primary in US |
| Foreign Transaction Fee | None | None | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | None |
| Value Of each UR point on Chase Portal | 1.25 cents | 1.5 cents | 1.00 cent | 1.00 cent | 1.00 cent | 1.00 cent | 1.25 cents |
Chase UR points annual earnings example
| Amount spent per calendar year (January 1st to Dec 31st) | Spending Category | Type of Chase credit card | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD 5000 | Dining | Chase Sapphire Reserve | 5000 x 3 = 15000 |
| USD 5000 | Groceries | Chase Freedom rotating categories | 5000 x 5 = 25000 |
| USD 20000 | Office store gift card purchases (gas, Amazon, Home Depot, Best buy etc.,) | Chase Business Ink Cash | 20000 x 5 = 100,000 |
| USD 4000 | Cable, internet, cell phone | Chase Business Ink Cash | 4000 x 5 = 20,000 |
| USD 6000 | Flight purchases from anywhere other than Chase portal | Chase Sapphire Reserve | 6000 x 3 = 18,000 |
| USD 2000 | Flight purchases from Chase portal | Chase Sapphire Reserve | 2000 x 5 = 10,000 |
| USD 2000 | Prepaid hotel bookings on Chase travel portal | Chase Sapphire Reserve | 2000 x 10 = 20,000 |
| USD 16,000 | Non category spending (insurance, shopping etc.,) | Chase Freedom Unlimited or Business Ink Unlimited | 16,000 x 1.5 = 24,000 |
| Total amount 60000 USD. Total annual fee on credit cards $550 USD. | Total points earned 232,000 |
Citi Thank You (TY) Point-Earning Credit Cards
Thank You Points (Citi) are underrated compared to both Amex and Chase, but they offer the most straightforward way to earn an unlimited number of TY points. Citi Double Cash earns 2 points per dollar spent and Citi Premier card earns 3 points on most travel (airline tickets, hotels), all dining, groceries, and gas with no annual caps. Citi Premier card is required to transfer points to Citi partners and since the Citi Prestige card has been discontinued, I will not mention it in this review. As you can see from the table of points earnings below, the Citi combo falls behind the Amex and Chase combinations, but it beats them in simplicity and does not require you to pay a premium annual fee.
Citi TY Point Annual Earnings Example
Capital One Point Annual Earnings Example
Capital One has a no annual fee SavorOne rewards card that earns 3 points for dining and groceries and when combined with Venture X card you will see the following annual earnings:
| Amount spent per calendar year (January 1st to Dec 31st) | Spending Category | Type of Capital One credit card | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD 5000 | Dining | Capital One Savor One | 5000 x 3 = 15000 |
| USD 22000 | Groceries mixed with grocery store gift card purchases (Amazon, Home Depot, Best buy etc.,) | Capital One Savor One | 22000 x 3 = 66,000 |
| USD 3000 | Gas (worldwide) | Capital One Venture X | 3000 x 2 = 6000 |
| USD 6000 | Flight bookings from Capital One Portal | Capital One Venture X | 6000 x 5 = 30,000 |
| USD 4000 | Hotel bookings from Capital One Portal | Capital One Venture X | 4000 x 10 = 40,000 |
| USD 20,000 | Non category spending (internet, cell phone, TV, insurance, shopping etc.,) | Capital One Venture X | 20,000 x 2 = 40,000 |
| Total amount 60000 USD: Total annual fee on credit cards $395 USD. | Total points earned = 197,000 |
Venture X travel portal is very easy to use to book cash flights and the prices are the same as displayed on Google Flights.
Conclusion
Amex is the only credit card company that lets you transfer MR points to travel partners with their non-annual-fee credit cards (Amex Every Day and Business Blue Plus), which makes it very easy to keep your points alive if you must cancel the high annual fee credit cards. The Amex earnings listed in this review are from two personal cards and one business card, whereas Chase earnings require three personal and two business cards. Chase Freedom card grocery store earnings are not straightforward and require keeping an eye out for the rotating quarterly categories. The Citi combination earns the lowest annual points but does so with just two credit cards and is perfect for people who are hesitant to apply for business cards. I personally have all the above credit cards and I find the points to be equally valuable for international flight redemptions.
The best way to use credit card points is to transfer them to partner airlines for award booking and I would not recommend using points on travel portals or Amazon.com (https://awardcracker.com/do-not-waste-your-credit-points-on-travel-portals/). If you already own some of the credit card combinations and want to apply for multiple credit cards (churning) to rack up points, please read my next post (https://awardcracker.com/churning-credit-cards-to-earn-points/).
Wonderful, detailed annual earning comparison tables and I especially enjoyed looking at the Chase category earning card table. I forgot about the Chase Reserve earning 10 points for the portal hotel bookings.
I was wondering if there is any advantage of keeping Chase Sapphire Preferred, if you already have a Chase Business Ink Preferred card, since it earns 3 points per dollar for travel.
What are your thoughts?
Tim
Thank you for reading the post. The main difference between Chase business Ink Preferred and Sapphire Preferred, in my opinion would be less earnings on dining and Chase Portal bookings (assuming you don’t have a Chase Reserve). Also, the personal car rental CDW coverage for business Ink Preferred is considered “secondary” in US unless it is for “business purposes”. I don’t know if it really matters when you submit a claim, but you should be aware of it and I have added more rows in the table to clarify the coverage.