Whether or not you are new to the world of factors and miles or simply in search of the very best methods to stage up your present card portfolio, a strategic bank card pairing is likely one of the best methods to maximise your incomes potential.
You’ve got seemingly heard of the preferred card groupings — the Chase Trifecta and the Amex Trifecta — however these are removed from the one methods to mix bank cards.
Let’s talk about how completely different bank cards work collectively to spice up your spending and incomes energy and go over a number of the finest bank card combos.
What makes the very best bank card mixture?
A number of components could make card mixture, however most easily, pair is one during which each playing cards earn the identical rewards however have completely different bonus classes. This fashion, you can maximize your earnings throughout a wider vary of purchases than you’d with only one card.
Every card mixture under is a superb instance of maximizing your earnings with two complementary playing cards.
The Platinum Card from American Categorical and the American Categorical Gold Card
The Platinum Card® from American Categorical is nice for vacationers because it earns 5 Membership Rewards factors per greenback spent on flights booked instantly with an airline or via Amex Journey (on as much as $500,000 every calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback spent thereafter) and comes with intensive airport lounge entry, plus a slew of invaluable assertion credit. Enrollment is required for choose advantages; phrases apply.
The American Categorical® Gold Card is a foodie’s dream card. It earns 4 Membership Rewards factors per greenback spent at eating places (as much as $50,000 in purchases per calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback spent thereafter) and U.S. supermarkets (as much as $25,000 in purchases annually, then 1 level per greenback spent thereafter).
It additionally comes with as much as $424 in credit every calendar 12 months that you need to use for eating and takeout purchases. Enrollment is required for choose advantages; phrases apply.
Why they’re an incredible mixture: These playing cards work nice collectively since you’ll earn extra on flights with the Amex Platinum than you’d with the Amex Gold alone (5 factors per greenback spent slightly than 3) and extra at eating places and U.S. supermarkets with the Gold than you’d with the Platinum alone (4 factors per greenback spent slightly than 1, spending caps apply).
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Moreover, the playing cards’ advantages and assertion credit hardly overlap, which means you may get super worth from holding each playing cards. You possibly can then switch your Membership Rewards factors to any of Amex’s 21 resort and airline companions.
TPG managing editor for bank cards Matt Moffitt loves this card pairing because it permits him to reap the benefits of beneficiant lounge entry advantages and excessive earnings on flights mixed with bonus earnings on his worldwide eating and U.S. grocery store purchases. He will get much more worth from his rewards with Amex’s frequent switch bonuses.
The annual payment for the Amex Platinum is $695 (see charges and costs), whereas the annual payment for the Amex Gold is $325 (see charges and costs).
To study extra, take a look at our full opinions of the Amex Platinum and the Amex Gold.
Apply right here: The Platinum Card from American Categorical
Apply right here: American Categorical Gold Card
Chase Sapphire Most popular and Chase Freedom Limitless
The Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card is certainly one of our favourite journey rewards playing cards, incomes 3 Final Rewards factors per greenback spent on eating, choose streaming and on-line grocery purchases (excluding Walmart®, Goal® and wholesale golf equipment), 2 factors per greenback spent on all journey purchases and 1 level per greenback spent on every thing else. Moreover, it comes with some invaluable journey protections — all for a low $95 annual payment.
The Chase Freedom Limitless® is a superb on a regular basis card. It has no annual payment and earns 3% money again per greenback spent on eating and drugstore purchases and 1.5% again per greenback spent on all different purchases.
Why they’re an incredible mixture: Each playing cards can help you earn a formidable return on eating purchases, however you may earn double in your non-Chase Journey℠ journey spending with the Sapphire Most popular versus the Freedom Limitless. The place the Freedom Limitless actually shines is in its non-bonused spending.
By itself, the Freedom Limitless earns cash-back rewards. Nonetheless, in the event you additionally maintain the Sapphire Most popular, you may mix your rewards from the 2 playing cards and switch them to any of Chase’s 14 journey companions for optimum worth.
To study extra, take a look at our full opinions of the Chase Sapphire Most popular and the Chase Freedom Limitless.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Most popular Card
Apply right here: Chase Freedom Limitless
Citi Strata Premier Card and Citi Rewards+ Card
The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see charges and costs) is a superb all-around journey rewards card with broad bonus classes. It incorporates a welcome supply of 70,000 ThankYou factors after you spend $4,000 on purchases inside the first three months of account opening.*
It earns 10 factors per greenback spent on inns, automotive leases and points of interest booked on CitiTravel.com, 3 factors per greenback spent on different resort, flight, restaurant, grocery store, gasoline station and electrical car charging station purchases and 1 level per greenback spent on all different purchases.
*By way of Citi.com, the Citi Strata Premier is providing 75,000 ThankYou factors after you spend $4,000 on purchases inside the first three months of account opening. In line with TPG valuations pegging ThankYou factors at 1.8 cents apiece, that is a bonus value $1,350. If you happen to apply via our affiliate hyperlink, you may earn a decrease 70,000-point bonus, so we advise making use of instantly via Citi.
The Citi Rewards+® Card (see charges and costs) usually earns at a decrease fee than the Citi Strata Premier: 5 ThankYou factors per greenback on inns and automotive leases booked via CitiTravel.com, 2 factors per greenback spent at supermarkets and gasoline stations on the primary $6,000 per 12 months (then 1 level per greenback spent thereafter) and 1 level per greenback spent on all different purchases.
Nonetheless, purchases on this card routinely spherical as much as the closest 10, so a $1 buy will earn you 10 factors — greater than you’d earn with the Strata Premier — making this an incredible card for small purchases that may rack up ThankYou rewards.
Why they’re an incredible mixture: The Citi Strata Premier earns bonus factors in a formidable variety of classes, however the rounding nature of the Rewards+ makes it a greater possibility for small purchases that do not fall beneath any of the Strata Premier’s bonus classes.
Plus, by itself, the Rewards+ has restricted redemption choices, however holding the Strata Premier means that you can switch the factors you earn to any of Citi’s resort and airline companions, growing their redemption worth.
To study extra, take a look at our full overview of the Citi Rewards+ and Citi Strata Premier Card
Apply right here: Citi Strata Premier Card
Apply right here: Citi Rewards+ Card
Ink Enterprise Most popular and Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Ink Enterprise Most popular® Credit score Card is certainly one of our favourite enterprise playing cards. It earns 3 factors per greenback spent on the primary $150,000 in mixed spending on delivery, web, cable, journey, telephone providers and promoting on social media websites and engines like google.
Cardholders may even earn 5 factors per greenback spent on Lyft purchases via March 2025 and 1 level per greenback spent on all different purchases.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is the premium sibling of the Chase Sapphire Most popular. With it, you may get Precedence Move lounge entry and a $300 journey credit score annually.
It earns 3 factors per greenback spent on all journey purchases made outdoors of Chase Journey (after the annual $300 journey credit score is obtained) and eating purchases, in addition to 1 level per greenback spent on all different purchases.
Why they’re an incredible mixture: When you have loads of enterprise bills, pairing a enterprise card with a private card can work in your favor. With this mix, use your Ink Enterprise Most popular for the primary $150,000 in enterprise purchases annually and your Sapphire Reserve for journey and eating purchases to maximise your 3 factors per greenback incomes alternatives throughout the board.
To study extra, take a look at our full opinions of the Ink Enterprise Most popular and the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Apply right here: Ink Enterprise Most popular Credit score Card
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Capital One SavorOne Money Rewards Credit score Card and Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card
The Capital One SavorOne has no annual payment (see charges and costs) and is a superb possibility for on a regular basis spending classes. The cardboard earns 5% money again on inns and rental vehicles booked via Capital One Journey, 3% money again on eating, leisure, grocery shops (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Goal®) and well-liked streaming providers and 1% again on all different purchases.
The Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card has a $95 annual payment (see charges and costs). It earns 5 miles per greenback spent on inns, trip leases and rental vehicles and a couple of miles per greenback spent on all purchases, making it card for spending that does not fall in different playing cards’ bonus classes.
Why they’re an incredible mixture: Use your SavorOne for purchases within the 3% cash-back bonus classes and your Enterprise Rewards for all different purchases to earn 2 miles per greenback on them. With this duo, you may convert your SavorOne rewards to Capital One miles and switch them to any of Capital One’s 15-plus resort and airline companions.
To study extra, take a look at our full opinions of the Capital One SavorOne and Capital One Enterprise Rewards.
Apply right here: Capital One SavorOne Money Rewards
Apply right here: Capital One Enterprise Rewards
Different methods to pair playing cards
Add a cobranded card for certainly one of your card’s journey companions
If you have already got a card that earns transferable rewards, pairing a card that earns rewards for certainly one of its journey companions is a superb possibility.
As an example, I earn Chase Final Rewards factors with my Chase Sapphire Most popular Card, so I made a decision to get the World of Hyatt Credit score Card to have Hyatt-specific advantages like elite standing and a free night time annually, in addition to the power to maximise my incomes with each playing cards’ bonus classes.
Diversify your rewards
Whereas most combos focus on incomes comparable rewards, it is also a good suggestion to earn various kinds of rewards. You possibly can, for instance, pair the Amex Gold with the Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card.
On this situation, you’d need to use your Amex Gold to earn bonus factors on flights, at eating places and on U.S. grocery store purchases (as much as $50,000 per calendar 12 months for eating places and as much as $25,000 per calendar 12 months for U.S. supermarkets, then 1 level per greenback spent thereafter) and your Enterprise X to your different purchases to earn 2 miles per greenback spent.
With this feature, you may reap the benefits of each American Categorical and Capital One’s switch companions, providing you with much more flexibility in your reward redemptions.
No annual payment
If you wish to earn transferable rewards with out paying an annual payment, pair the Capital One SavorOne (see charges and costs) and the Capital One VentureOne Rewards bank card (see charges and costs). The VentureOne earns 1.25 miles per greenback spent on all purchases and means that you can flip your SavorOne rewards into transferable Capital One miles.
Maximize bonus classes
If you happen to’re OK with incomes various kinds of rewards and need to be sure you’re maximizing all of your purchases, you may arrange your card portfolio with playing cards that earn bonus factors within the classes you spend essentially the most in.
For instance, you would possibly go for the Chase Sapphire Reserve to earn 3 factors per greenback spent in your journey purchases made outdoors of Chase Journey and eating purchases (bonus factors for journey spending outdoors of Chase Journey are obtained after the $300 annual journey credit score); the Citi Strata Premier Cardto earn 3 factors per greenback spent in your gasoline station and grocery store purchases; and the Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card to earn 2 miles per greenback spent on all different purchases.
This mix would imply you are getting a 3.7% to six.15% return on all of your spending, in response to TPG’s October 2024 valuations.
Arrange your ultimate construction
In fact, completely different card combos work effectively for various objectives. Figuring out your bank card objectives will allow you to determine which qualities to concentrate on while you select your subsequent card.
As an example, if you wish to reduce your annual charges whereas incomes journey rewards, your finest card pairs might differ from these listed above.
TPG senior factors and miles author Katie Genter pairs her Ink Enterprise Most popular Credit score Card along with her Chase Freedom Limitless, because it permits her to maximise her Chase Final Rewards factors whereas solely paying one $95 annual payment.
Backside line
Many nice bank cards are even higher when mixed with a complimentary card. Earlier than deciding what your subsequent bank card can be, stock what you have already got in your pockets. Then, think about your spending habits and reward objectives that will help you decide which card will add essentially the most worth to your present portfolio.
As soon as you’ve got received a plan in place, you may be effectively in your strategy to incomes rewards and different perks you may redeem for journey and extra.
Associated: Have one of many well-liked bank cards? Listed here are the others you need to get to spice up your factors
For charges and costs of the Amex Platinum, click on right here
For charges and costs of the Amex Gold, click on right here
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