The perfect bank cards, in accordance with TPG founder Brian Kelly

Since beginning The Factors Man in 2010, one in all my favourite issues is listening to from readers who share unimaginable tales of how they’ve maximized factors over time. It actually jogs my memory of simply how invaluable the knowledge we share is and that it actually unlocks superb experiences.

An enormous a part of that includes leveraging prime journey rewards bank cards.

Possibly you are seeking to get a jump-start in your incomes technique forward of an enormous journey, or perhaps there are some new perks you wish to leverage to your summer time travels. Maybe you are simply available in the market for an enormous welcome bonus.

No matter you are seeking to do, listed below are my picks for the most effective bank cards of 2025.

The perfect bank cards

*I’m a Bilt adviser and investor.

Evaluating the most effective bank cards

Listed below are my prime suggestions for the most effective bank cards.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Welcome provide: Earn 100,000 factors plus a $500 Chase Journey credit score after spending $5,000 on purchases throughout the first three months from account opening.

Annual price: $795.

Standout advantages: The Sapphire Reserve is providing a wonderful welcome bonus and options new credit — along with acquainted ones just like the broad use $300 journey credit score — which cardholders can make the most of to assist offset the price of its $795 annual price.

If you happen to journey as usually as I do, the Sapphire Reserve can give you a ton of worth because of perks like entry to Chase Sapphire Lounges by the Membership, the issuer’s top-tier airport lounges, and an as much as $120 assertion credit score each 4 years for TSA PreCheck, International Entry or Nexus.

Associated: Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve for Enterprise — which is best for you?

The Sapphire Reserve is not only a premium journey card, although. It is also a life-style product designed to fit your day-to-day with issues like complimentary Apple TV+ and Apple Music memberships (as much as $250 worth yearly; one-time activation required per service; subscriptions run via June 22, 2027) and a $300 annual StubHub credit score (break up up into $150 from January via June and one other $150 from July via December; activation required; legitimate via Dec. 31, 2027).

For extra info, take a look at our evaluation of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

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Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve

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Chase Sapphire Most well-liked Card

Welcome provide: Earn 75,000 factors after spending $5,000 on purchases throughout the first three months from account opening.

Annual price: $95.

Standout advantages: The Chase Sapphire Most well-liked gives profitable incomes charges and invaluable perks like 3 factors per greenback spent on eating and a $50 annual resort credit score, simply to call just a few, making it one of many finest journey playing cards, in accordance with TPG consultants. It is also a go-to card for each rookies and consultants.

I nearly solely use my Chase Final Rewards factors to switch to greater than a dozen of Chase’s switch companions and guide award tickets, which permits me to comprehend even greater worth when redeeming my factors.

If you happen to’d slightly use this card’s welcome bonus in a extra easy manner, you possibly can at all times redeem your factors by way of Chase Journey.

I additionally love this card for its journey protections and insurance coverage, even should you use it to guide an award ticket. Simply pay the taxes and costs with the Sapphire Most well-liked Card, and your journey is roofed.

Total, my Chase factors are tremendous invaluable as a part of my total factors and miles technique, so if you’re searching for a card with a low annual price, a strong bonus provide and nice perks, the Sapphire Most well-liked is a no brainer.

For extra info, take a look at our evaluation of the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked.

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Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Most well-liked

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Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card

Welcome provide: Earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases throughout the first three months from account opening.

Annual price: $395.

Standout advantages: If you wish to maximize factors and miles on the subject of bank cards, your objective must be to earn greater than 1 level per greenback spent on all purchases. This may be laborious when most playing cards solely provide bonus rewards in key classes like eating, groceries and gasoline.

Fortunately, the bottom incomes fee on the Capital One Enterprise X is 2 miles per greenback spent, so an enormous portion of my private spending goes on this card. After I’m searching for clothes, child provides or paying for insurance coverage — all classes the place I am unable to earn 3, 4 or 5 miles per greenback — I put these on my Enterprise X.

Whereas it has a $395 annual price, do not let that scare you. It is simple to offset that annual price with advantages just like the $300 annual Capital One Journey credit score and the ten,000 bonus miles earned every account anniversary. The latter turns into much more invaluable once you switch to airline loyalty applications, which I do usually.

For extra info, take a look at our evaluation of the Capital One Enterprise X.

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Be taught extra: Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card

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American Specific Gold Card

Welcome provide: Discover out your provide and see if you’re eligible for as excessive as 100,000 Membership Rewards Factors after spending $6,000 on purchases throughout the first six months of card membership. Welcome gives range and also you will not be eligible for a proposal.

Annual price: $325.

Standout advantages: If there’s one factor I do nearly each day, it is dine out or order in — so maximizing my factors earnings from eating and groceries is big. Since turning into a dad, my grocery invoice has gone up dramatically, so that is the place the Amex Gold is a no brainer.

For starters, you will earn 4 factors per greenback spent at U.S. supermarkets (as much as $25,000 every calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback) and 4 factors per greenback spent at eating places worldwide (as much as $50,000 every calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback). It is a nice technique to ramp up your earnings on two enormous spending classes, whether or not you are eating out or entertaining at residence.

You additionally get varied assertion credit, which just about utterly offset the cardboard’s annual price. This consists of as much as $120 in Uber Money ($10 per 30 days, legitimate for rides and Uber Eats orders within the U.S. after utilizing any Amex card when including the Amex Gold to your Uber account) and as much as $120 in eating assertion credit with eligible eating companions (as much as $10 per 30 days). Enrollment is required.

I load my Amex Gold Card into all my supply apps: Caviar, Seamless and Uber Eats. These factors actually add up shortly. Then, to make these factors much more invaluable, I look ahead to switch bonuses that Amex runs with journey companions so I can flip my factors into miles and guide airfare.

For extra info, take a look at our evaluation of the Amex Gold Card.

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Apply right here: Amex Gold

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Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card

Welcome provide: Earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases throughout the first three months from account opening.

Annual price: $95.

Standout advantages: It is a nice card it doesn’t matter what your objectives are — whether or not you are newer to factors and miles, desire a simple incomes construction or use it as a part of a wider incomes technique, like me.

Much like the Enterprise X, it lets you earn 2 miles per greenback spent on all purchases, making it an ideal card for transactions that do not match into widespread bonus classes.

But it surely’s particularly invaluable due to the pliability it gives to cowl all types of journey with these miles.

For instance, you possibly can redeem these miles at 1 cent apiece towards any journey fees you placed on the cardboard. Alternatively, you possibly can guide flights, rental automobiles or resorts via Capital One Journey along with your miles — additionally at a price of 1 cent apiece.

But when, like me, you wish to stretch the worth of these miles even additional, you possibly can switch these miles to any of the 15-plus resort and airline applications that associate with Capital One.

For instance, you would switch the miles to Air France-KLM Flying Blue and guide bougie business-class seats from the U.S. to Europe beginning at 60,000 miles plus taxes and costs every manner. Or, switch to Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership, the place you will discover lie-flat Higher Class seats to the U.Ok. for as little as 29,000 factors plus taxes and costs every manner.

For extra info, take a look at our evaluation of the Capital One Enterprise Rewards.

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Be taught extra: Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card

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The Platinum Card from American Specific

Welcome provide: Discover out your provide and see if you’re eligible for as excessive as 175,000 Membership Rewards Factors after spending $8,000 on purchases throughout the first six months of card membership. Welcome gives range and also you will not be eligible for a proposal.

Annual price: $695.

Standout advantages: Regardless of its excessive value, the Amex Platinum stays a favourite of mine — and lots of TPG staffers as properly.

I put all airfare on my Amex Platinum as a result of I earn 5 factors per greenback spent on airfare (on as much as $500,000 per calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback) once I guide straight with an airline or by way of Amex Journey. And whereas the annual price is steep, the advantages embody an as much as $200 annual price assertion credit score for airline incidentals and an as much as $200 assertion credit score for pay as you go bookings with American Specific Advantageous Accommodations + Resorts and The Resort Assortment. (Enrollment is required for choose advantages.)

Amex continues to be a pacesetter within the card lounge house, and this premium journey card gives entry to its Centurion Lounges, plus Precedence Go lounges and Delta Sky Golf equipment when flying Delta Air Traces. (Enrollment is required for choose advantages.)

For extra info, take a look at our evaluation of the Amex Platinum Card.

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Apply right here: Amex Platinum

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The Enterprise Platinum Card from American Specific

Welcome provide: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards factors after spending $20,000 in eligible purchases throughout the first three months of card membership.

Annual price: $695.

Standout advantages: Certainly one of my favourite perks on this card is Pay with Factors — cardholders obtain a 35% bonus once they Pay with Factors on first- or business-class tickets via Amex Journey (as much as 1 million factors per calendar 12 months).

Although it is a enterprise card, it comes with premium journey perks and enterprise assertion credit:

• Centurion Lounge entry and Precedence Go membership
• An announcement credit score of $120 for International Entry each 4 years or an announcement credit score of as much as $85 for TSA PreCheck each 4 ½ years
• An airline credit score price of as much as $200 yearly
• Gold elite standing with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy
• Entry to Amex Advantageous Accommodations + Resorts and The Resort Assortment

Although the annual price is $695, the annual assertion credit and advantages greater than offset that. For instance, The Enterprise Platinum card gives:

• An as much as $150 in assertion credit on U.S. purchases made straight with Dell and an extra as much as $1,000 assertion credit score after spending $5,000 per calendar 12 months
• An as much as $360 Certainly assertion credit score per calendar 12 months (as much as $90 per quarter)
• An as much as $250 Adobe assertion credit score after spending $600 or extra on U.S. purchases made straight with Adobe per calendar 12 months (topic to auto-renewal)
• As much as $200 in Hilton credit per calendar 12 months (as much as $50 per quarter; Hilton for Enterprise membership required)
• As much as $120 per calendar 12 months for U.S. wi-fi phone suppliers (as much as $10 per 30 days)
• An as much as $209 Clear Plus membership assertion credit score per calendar 12 months (topic to auto-renewal)
• The aforementioned as much as $200 airline price credit score per calendar 12 months on fees made with an airline of your selecting
• The aforementioned as much as $120 International Entry/TSA PreCheck credit score

Enrollment is required for choose advantages.

For extra info, take a look at our evaluation of the Amex Enterprise Platinum.

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Apply right here: Amex Enterprise Platinum

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Ink Enterprise Most well-liked Credit score Card

Welcome provide: Earn 90,000 factors after spending $8,000 on purchases throughout the first three months from account opening.

Annual price: $95.

Standout advantages: I really like my Ink Enterprise Most well-liked card and its bonus classes — particularly the web web promoting class, which earns 3 factors per greenback spent on as much as $150,000 a 12 months (then 1 level after that). If you happen to max out this annual bonus, these 450,000 factors you earn can be utilized for journey bookings by way of Chase Journey for as much as 1.75 cents every (relying on the particular redemption; see your rewards program settlement for full particulars).

Associated: The facility of the Chase trifecta

Chase factors are very versatile, and I exploit mine as shortly as I earn them. If you happen to personal a small enterprise or also have a enterprise concept, you possibly can apply utilizing your Social Safety quantity; take a look at our posts to see who is perhaps eligible for a enterprise bank card (you is perhaps shocked!) and find out how to apply.

For my part, this card is a heavyweight, particularly for the low annual price of $95.

For extra info, take a look at our evaluation of the Ink Enterprise Most well-liked.

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Apply right here: Ink Enterprise Most well-liked Credit score Card

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Bilt Mastercard

Welcome provide: N/A.

Annual price: $0 (see charges and costs).

Standout advantages: For thus many individuals, hire is their greatest month-to-month expense. But for years, the one technique to pay for hire was to present landlords checks or Venmo funds. If you happen to needed to pay by bank card, you’ll incur a price.

The Bilt Mastercard has utterly revolutionized this method. So long as you make not less than 5 purchases with the cardboard every assertion interval, you possibly can earn factors on hire funds and different qualifying web purchases. Even when your landlord solely takes a examine, Bilt can ship checks and automatic clearing home direct deposits so you possibly can earn factors on the transactions (as much as 100,000 factors per 12 months).

Since you are paying hire by way of a bank card, you may as well assist construct your credit score historical past with every fee. It is an absolute no-brainer, particularly since there isn’t any annual price (see charges and costs).

For extra info, take a look at our evaluation of the Bilt Mastercard.

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Apply right here: Bilt Mastercard

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What to contemplate when selecting the most effective card

There is not a one-size-fits-all technique for selecting the most effective bank cards. There are a number of components it’s best to analyze earlier than choosing which of them deserve a spot in your pockets.

Most well-liked rewards

First, think about the kind of rewards you wish to earn to your purchases. If you need simplicity, a cash-back card could also be an ideal choice because you usually have few limitations on how these rewards can be utilized. Then again, should you’re after free journey or wish to actually maximize your spending, chances are you’ll be higher off with a transferable rewards foreign money like American Specific Membership Rewards or Chase Final Rewards.

Welcome bonus

Incomes an enormous haul of factors or miles as a welcome bonus is often the easiest way to shortly increase your rewards stability. That is significantly profitable if one of many playing cards you are contemplating has a limited-time provide. Simply remember to evaluation every issuer’s eligibility necessities, and think about checking your credit score rating upfront of your software so you’ve gotten an concept of whether or not you will be authorised.

Associated: 21 methods to make use of 100K Final Rewards factors

Spending habits

Earlier than opening any bank card (or opening a brand new one), take a while to investigate your spending habits over the past 12 months, together with the way you’re incomes rewards on any playing cards at present in your pockets. Many TPG readers begin with a easy, no-annual-fee card that earns 1 level, 1 mile or 1% money again on all purchases, however, as I’ve mentioned in my weekly e-newsletter earlier than, “Pals do not let associates earn only one level per greenback.”

If you happen to spend a ton at eating places, make certain you’ve gotten a card that rewards you when making eating purchases. You probably have a major commute, decide up a card that rewards you for gasoline or transit bills. It is simple to double and even triple your incomes charges for a lot of purchases with the best mixture of playing cards.

Annual price

Lastly, it’s best to think about the out-of-pocket value of any new card in your radar. Whereas some don’t have any annual price (or waive the price for the primary 12 months), others have hefty ones, as you noticed within the record above.

Within the first 12 months, nearly each card with a strong welcome provide pays for itself (after which some), however it’s best to take a while earlier than you apply to ensure you can actually make the most of that card’s advantages, each now and sooner or later.

How we selected the most effective bank cards

Many components go into our choice of the most effective bank cards, together with incomes charges, welcome gives, advantages and perks. The playing cards I record above have personally allowed me to earn tens of hundreds of {dollars} value of rewards over time.

You possibly can be taught extra about how we analyze playing cards right here at TPG on our methodology web page.

Redemption choices for the most effective bank cards

Savvy vacationers will acknowledge that every one the playing cards I record above have one thing in widespread: Every one earns transferable factors or miles — and that is no coincidence. These rewards are extremely invaluable due to the pliability they provide. You are not locked into one airline and its companions, or one resort program and its collaborating manufacturers. You’re within the driver’s seat when it comes time to redeem.

For instance, for example I wish to fly Virgin Atlantic to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) within the provider’s Higher Class, and the one-way flight I want is $4,000. I may use 400,000 Amex factors to guide via American Specific Journey, however that very same flight may be 235,000 miles utilizing Delta SkyMiles, which is a 1:1 switch associate of Amex. Nonetheless, Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership has costs as little as 29,000 factors — and it, too, companions with Amex.

Backside line

Bank cards can play a significant position in unlocking rewards for purchases you are already going to make, however there isn’t any one excellent card that works for everybody. The above choices are just some selections that’ve labored properly for me over time, nevertheless it’s vital so that you can analyze which one is smart to your particular person scenario.

After all, should you do get into the world of journey bank cards, make certain you do not spend past your means and pay your balances in full and on time each month.

Associated: Greatest journey bank cards of 2025

For charges and costs of the Amex Gold, click on right here.
For the charges and costs of the Amex Platinum, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Amex Enterprise Platinum, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Bilt Mastercard, click on right here.
For rewards and advantages of the Bilt Mastercard, click on right here.