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

• 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

• United travel perks, such as your first checked bag free, priority boarding privileges, two annual United Club passes and more
• Earn up to 4,000 Premier® qualifying points (PQP) towards elite status
• Great travel and purchase protections that can help your business save when things don't go as planned

Cons

• The annual fee is $150
• Only provides two United Club passes per year
• Subpar earning rate, as you can only earn up to 2x bonus miles on eligible categories

Pros

• 6,000 bonus points on every cardmember anniversary
• Receive a 15% promo code each year on your cardmember anniversary (Excludes Basic fare).
• Ability to spend toward A-List status and the Southwest Companion Pass
• Early boarding (Group 5), First free checked bag (you and up to 8 companions, Preferred seating

Cons

• Lack of business spending rewards categories
• Better perks and earning rates on the Southwest Performance Business Card

Pros

• First Checked Bag Free on Delta Flights + Zone 5 Priority Boarding
• Enjoy a 20% discount for onboard purchases
• Opportunity to earn a future $200 Delta flight credit by spending $10,000+ on the card every year

Cons

• $150 ongoing annual fee after the first year
• No Delta Sky Club membership or access
• Unlike the Platinum and Reserve card versions, you cannot earn an MQD waiver or earn MQMs from qualifying spend.

Pros

• Get IHG Platinum Elite status, fourth night free on award nights, and a free night certificate each account anniversary year.
• Score other travel perks like United TravelBank Cash and a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS reimbursement as a statement credit.
• Earn bonus points in a variety of categories including at IHG hotels and gas stations.

Cons

• IHG Rewards points aren't worth as much as other points currencies.
• May have a lower sign-up bonus than the personal version of the card.

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

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