Credit Cards
My collection of credit cards with rewards and benefits.February 12, 2026 (17d ago)Credit cards are free money. Seriously. The trick is stupid simple — only buy stuff you can already afford and pay it off right away. That's it. Zero interest, and now every coffee, grocery run, and flight is earning you cash back or travel points for doing literally nothing different.
You also get perks debit cards could never: fraud protection, extended warranties, travel insurance, lounge access, and hundreds of dollars in annual credits that make premium cards pay for themselves. If you're a new immigrant, a no-annual-fee card is one of the best first moves — it starts building your credit history from day one, which you'll need for apartments, car loans, and pretty much everything.
Here's every card in my wallet and why I carry it. Referral links help us both if any catch your eye.
Capital One Venture XRecommended
Card Network: Visa
Annual fee: $395
- 2X miles on all purchases
- 5X miles on flights through Capital One Travel
- 10X miles on hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel
- $300 annual travel credit
- 10,000 mile anniversary bonus
- Priority Pass lounge access
- TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit
American Express Platinum
Card Network: American Express
Annual fee: $895
- 5X points on flights booked directly or through Amex Travel
- 5X points on prepaid hotels through Amex Travel
- 1X points on all other purchases
- $200 Airline fee credit
- $200 Uber credit
- $300 Digital entertainment credit
- $300 Equinox credit
- $600 Hotel credit
- $400 Annual Resy dining credit
- $300 Lululemon credit
- $120 Uber One membership credit
- $209 CLEAR+ credit
- $200 ŌURA credit
- $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit
- Walmart+ membership
- Centurion Lounge access
- Priority Pass Select
- TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit
American Express Gold Card
Card Network: American Express
Annual fee: $325
- 4X points on dining
- 4X points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000/year)
- 3X points on flights
- 2X points on prepaid hotels via Amex Travel
- 1X points on all other purchases
- $120 annual dining credit
- $120 annual Uber credit
- $100 annual Resy dining credit
- $84 annual Dunkin' credit
American Express Blue Cash Everyday
Card Network: American Express
Annual fee: $0
- 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000/year)
- 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations
- 3% cash back on U.S. online retail purchases
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No foreign transaction fees on this card
Chase Freedom Flex
Card Network: Mastercard
Annual fee: $0
- 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories (up to $1,500/quarter)
- 5% on travel through Chase
- 3% on dining and drugstores
- 1% on all other purchases
- $200 bonus after spending $500 in first 3 months
- Cell phone protection
Chase Freedom (Legacy)
Card Network: Visa
Annual fee: $0
- 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories (up to $1,500/quarter)
- 1% on all other purchases
- No longer available for new applications
- Pairs well with other Chase cards
Chase Ink Business Unlimited
Card Network: Visa
Annual fee: $0
- 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- No limit on cash back earned
- $750 bonus cash back after spending $6,000 in first 3 months
- 0% intro APR for 12 months
- Employee cards at no extra cost
Apple Card
Card Network: Mastercard (Goldman Sachs)
Annual fee: $0
- 3% Daily Cash on Apple purchases
- 3% at select merchants (Uber, Walgreens, T-Mobile, etc.)
- 2% with Apple Pay
- 1% with physical card
- No fees (no late, annual, international, or over-limit fees)
- Daily Cash deposited daily
Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards
Card Network: Mastercard
Annual fee: $0
- 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- Extra rewards with Preferred Rewards status (up to 2.62%)
- $200 online cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in first 90 days
- 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles
Bank of America Travel Rewards
Card Network: Visa
Annual fee: $0
- 1.5 points per $1 on all purchases
- Extra rewards with Preferred Rewards status (up to 2.62 points)
- No foreign transaction fees
- 25,000 online bonus points after spending $1,000 in first 90 days
Rakuten— Cashback on Everything You Buy
Rakuten gives you cashback at thousands of stores just by clicking through their portal before you shop. The best part — you can link it to your Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, or just take straight cash via check or PayPal. I use it on every online purchase and it adds up fast.
MaxRewards— Track & Maximize All Your Cards
I use MaxRewards to track all my credit cards in one place. It shows you the best card to use for every purchase category, automatically activates hidden offers on your cards (like Amex Offers and Chase Offers), tracks all your benefits and credits so you never miss one, and more.
Coming Soon
I'm planning to write a post about finding cheap flights using award points. Tools like seats.aero, Roame, Point.me, and Daily Drop make it way easier to search for award availability across airlines. Daily Drop also has a great transfer partners cheat sheet that shows you exactly where your points can go.
I also want to cover how to actually get your money's worth from premium cards like the Amex Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve. For example how stack credits through gift cards (Lululemon, United Airlines, Resy restaurants) and use UseYourCredits to find eligible spots near you.
And if you want to stay on top of rotating offers on your cards (Amex Offers, Chase Offers, etc.), check out Offer.love — it tracks all active offers across your cards in one place.