I have roughly two dozen credit cards, though I hold onto them for a variety of reasons. I have some of these cards because they help me maximize my everyday spending, while I have other cards because of the ongoing perks that they offer. In this post, I’d like to share the cards that I spend the most money on, as this has evolved over time.
Some cards are worth having for the benefits
As mentioned above, there are different reasons to pick up different cards. There are quite a few cards that I have specifically for the perks that they offer, without actually putting much spending on them. Just to give a few examples, here are some cards that fit that bill for me:
- The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (review) has a $650 annual fee (Rates & Fees), and is worthwhile for up to $300 in dining statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, Platinum Elite status as long as you have the card, a free night award valid at properties costing up to 85,000 points per night, and more
- The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (review) has a $99 annual fee and offers an anniversary free night certificate, IHG One Rewards Platinum status, a fourth night free on award redemptions, and more
- The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (review) has a $595 annual fee and offers a variety of perks that help justify it, including an Admirals Club membership, up to 20,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year with no spending requirement, and more
To me, the perks on these cards more than justify the annual fee on an ongoing basis, so that’s why I hold onto them, despite my lack of spending.
The cards that I spend the most money on
With the above out of the way, I’d like to talk a bit about the cards that I use the most for my everyday spending, including both personal and business cards.
Which cards are at the top of my wallet, and under what circumstances do I use them? I use some cards because they maximize my return on everyday spending, while I use other cards because they have valuable bonus categories, ranging from dining, to groceries, to gas stations, or because they’re especially lucrative for large purchases.
Below are the seven cards that I’m spending the most money on, roughly in the order of the amount that I spend on them annually.
Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®
The Citi AAdvantage Business Card (review) has a $99 annual fee (waived for the first 12 months), and some people might be surprised to learn that this is the card that I’m currently spending the most on.
While there are some reasons to get this card, on the surface this might not sound like the best card for spending, given that it offers 1x AAdvantage miles on most purchases (and you also earn one Loyalty Point per dollar spent, which qualifies toward elite status).
The unique thing about this card is that select cardmembers essentially have a Loyalty Points double dipping opportunity, where authorized user spending earns Loyalty Points for both the primary cardmember and authorized user. So Ford and I are each earning one Loyalty Point per dollar spent, and I consider that to be a pretty justifiable rate of return, especially when you factor in the value of Loyalty Points Rewards.
Bilt Palladium Card
The Bilt Palladium Card (review) has a $495 annual fee, and is serviced by Cardless. While this card is still brand new, it’s my go-to card for everyday spending going forward. That’s because the card offers 2x points per dollar spent, plus 4% back in the form of Bilt Cash. Bilt Cash can be redeemed in a variety of ways, including to earn rewards on housing payments, or even for spending accelerators.
While I’m still getting into the rhythm of using this card, when all is said and done, I should be achieving a return of well over 3x points per dollar spent on non-bonused categories, which is tough to beat.
Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Credit Card
The Atmos Rewards Summit Card (review) has a $395 annual fee, and I find it to be compelling for many reasons. On the most basic level, I think the card’s annual fee is easy to justify thanks to the perks, like the 25,000-point Global Companion Award, waived partner award booking fees, and much more.
However, I think the card is worth spending money on as well. For one, the card has some useful bonus categories, including that it offers 3x points on all foreign spending, with no cap. That makes this my primary go-to card when traveling abroad, as that’s a pretty awesome across the board return on spending.
On top of that, the card offers a 100,000-point Global Companion Award when you spend $60,000 on the card in an anniversary year. If you were to value that at face value (which I wouldn’t), you’re looking at an incremental return of up to 1.67x points per dollar spent.
So I spend on this card on a combination of foreign purchases and even some domestic purchases, in order to balance things out and reach that spending requirement.
American Express® Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card (review) has a $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees), though that can largely be offset with the card’s credits and benefits. Beyond that, I’d argue that it’s one of the most well-rounded cards in terms of the bonus categories that it offers, as it’s ideal for anyone who likes to eat.
The card offers 4x points on restaurant purchases worldwide (up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1x), including for takeout and delivery. On top of that, the card offers 4x points on U.S. supermarket purchases (up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1x). Between those two categories, that really helps me rack up a lot of points on our food spending!
Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review) has a $795 annual fee, though offers lots of benefits that can help offset that, and justify the cost. While it’s a card that I mostly hold onto for the perks that it offers, there’s one (major) spending category I take advantage of.
The card offers 4x points on direct hotel bookings. I spend quite a bit on hotels, so being able to earn 4x Ultimate Rewards points on that spending really adds up. The card also offers 3x points on dining purchases, but this isn’t my go-to card for dining (as noted above).
American Express Platinum Card®
The American Express Platinum Card® (review) has an $895 annual fee (Rates & Fees). While it’s a card that I primarily hold onto thanks to the great benefits it offers (which more than offset the annual fee, in my opinion), the card has one major bonus category that I value.
The card offers 5x points on airfare purchased directly with airlines (up to $500,000 per calendar year, then 1x), and it also offers excellent travel coverage. I spend quite a bit on airfare, so earning 5x points on those purchases while having solid travel protection is great, and this does make up a meaningful amount of spending for me.
World of Hyatt Credit Card
The World of Hyatt Credit Card (review) has a $95 annual fee, and while it wouldn’t ordinarily be my go-to card for everyday spending, I do try to put $15,000 per year in spending on the card. I also find that holding onto the card is a no-brainer.
The card already offers five elite qualifying nights plus a Category 1-4 free night certificate annually just for paying the annual fee.
On top of that, you get an additional two elite nights toward status annually for every $5,000 you spend, and you also get a second Category 1-4 free night certificate when you spend $15,000 on the card in a cardmember year.
This means that if you spend $15,000 on the card you’re getting an incremental six elite nights (this can help you earn Globalist status) plus a second free night certificate, which I find to be well worth it. So to me that’s a spending amount worth aiming for.
Bottom line
I’d like to think I have a pretty good credit card setup, as I’m earning anywhere from 2-5x points per dollar spent on my credit cards for everyday spending (with the one exception being a card that’s letting me double dip Loyalty Points). When you factor in all the cards, I’m earning over 3x points per dollar spent on average, which I’d value at a return of over 5%. That’s excellent if you ask me. To recap:
What are the primary credit cards you use for spending?
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees), and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees).
