Our “Famous Card Explorer”

Pros

• You can't beat the 4X points on 2 out of the following 6 categories each month: U.S. advertising and media, U.S. gas stations, U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, U.S. restaurants, U.S. wireless telephone service providers, and U.S. Transit
• Although the annual fee seems high, if you max out the 4X on $150,000 in purchases, that earns you 600,000 Membership Rewards points which Your Best Credit Cards values at around $10,000
• Card membership includes the very well regarded American Express customer service

Cons

• The high annual fee, despite being worth it for high spenders
• If you spend well over $150,000 a year in these categories, you may max it out and remaining spend earns at just 1X.
• Car rental CDW coverage is secondary to your own auto insurance

Pros

• 3X points per dollar for combined purchases travel, advertising on social media sites, phone services and more - up to $150,000 per account anniversary year can mean huge points earnings
• Earns fully transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards points
• Travel protections, primary car rental CDW, and cell phone protections

Cons

• $95 annual fee
• The 3X bonus categories have a cap of $150,000 on combined purchases, then the earn rate drops to 1X. It also earns 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases.
• No 0% intro APR offers

Pros

• Great 5X (office supplies, cable, internet, phone) and 2X (gas stations and dining) bonus categories - on up to $25,000 in combined purchases each cardmember year.
• No annual fee
• Points earned can be combined to a Chase Ink Preferred®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card

Cons

• Charges a foreign transaction fee
• Rewards earned are only cash back unless you have a Chase Ink Preferred®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card to unlock points transfers
• Earns only 1% on non-bonus categories

Pros

• Earn elite night credits from eligible spend
• Grants you automatic World of Hyatt Discoverist status
• Has a wide range of travel and shopping benefits

Cons

• Somewhat high annual fee
• No bonus categories earn more than 2X Hyatt points
• The Discoverist status is the lowest of the Hyatt elite tiers

Pros

• Get a fourth night free on all reward night stays of 4+ nights.
• No annual fee.
• Solid sign up bonus points, especially for a no annual fee card.

Cons

• Doesn't come with a free night award, like the IHG Premier Card
• Complimentary Silver Elite status doesn't offer many perks

Pros

• Earn 4x Marriott Bonvoy points at a wide variety of everyday business categories, including restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and U.S. purchases for shipping.
• Free night awards galore! You'll earn one upon card renewal with the opportunity to earn an additional free night award after spending $60,000+ in a calendar year
• Complimentary Gold elite status for 25% bonus points on Marriott purchases, 2 p.m. (based on availability) late checkout and space-available enhanced room upgrades

Cons

• $125 annual fee
• Free night award is capped at 35,000 points, although you can use up to 15,000 points of your own to increase that to a 50,000 point room
• Marriott Bonvoy Gold elite status does not offer a ton of perks compared to other hotel loyalty programs or the higher Marriott Bonvoy tiers

Pros

• First free checked bag on domestic American Airlines flights
• Earn 1 Loyalty Point per $1 spent on the card
• Earn an annual companion certificate by spending $30,000+ on the card

Cons

• The annual fee costs $99 after the first year
• Lacks travel insurance benefits
• No Admirals Club lounge access

Pros

Cons

Pros

• Earn 5% in Amazon credits on your first $120,000 in purchases each calendar year on U.S. purchases at Amazon Business, AWS, Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership.

Cons

• Does not earn transferable points

Pros

Cons