Rewards Credit Cards: A Guide to Earning Transferable Points
Rewards credit cards are often complex and confusing, but Gary Leff breaks them down to their essentials. He compares the Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express Platinum Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Citi Strata EliteSM Card, Bilt Palladium Card, Bilt Blue Card, UnitedSM Explorer Card, and Citi/AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a good lounge card and spending card, but it's expensive with an annual fee of $550. The American Express Platinum Card has the biggest lounge network, but its food is not as good as Capital One lounges. The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the least expensive premium rewards card, offering 2x transferable points on everything.
Gary Leff uses the Bilt Palladium Card as a '4x on everything' card, earning more points than before and transferring them at 100% bonuses or more. The Bilt Blue Card earns the most valuable transferable points, which can be spent through Bilt's travel portal at 1.25 cents apiece or transferred to airline and hotel partners.
The UnitedSM Explorer Card is a good choice for frequent United flyers, as it offers more miles for flights and lower award prices. The Citi/AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard allows users to 'double dip' with the AAdvantage Business program, earning points for ticket spend in addition to the spend each traveler earns.