My current card setup and spending plan

Below you'll find my current credit cards, how I use them, their most important benefits, if I plan to keep them, and more.

| American Express |

Gold [Keep]: Daily driver. A large percentage of my monthly spend is on groceries and dining, so 4X points on both of these categories is unbeatable. I use the annual and monthly credits on this card organically, so it will stay in my wallet for a while. I also benefited from an incredible 14X points on all dining purchases for 3 months thanks to a special offer after referring a friend to the card earlier this year.

Platinum [Keep]: Used for all of my airline purchases (5X points per $ spent) and for purchase protection on large retail purchases. This card comes with a myriad of perks, most notably airport lounge access, $200 toward airline incidental fees, $200 toward a Fine Hotels and Resorts or Hotel Collection hotel stay, $200 Uber Cash per year ($15/mo + $20 bonus in December), $20 monthly streaming credit, a Walmart+ subscription, and Hilton Gold and Marriott Gold status.

Hilton Surpass [Upgrade]: Used almost exclusively for booking Hilton hotel stays and for the $50/quarter credit toward Hilton hotel stays (I use it to buy a Hilton gift card). It also comes with Hilton Gold status, National Rental Car status, and the ability to unlock a free night certificate for spending $15,000 in a calendar year. Once my annual fee posts, I'm hoping to upgrade to the Hilton Aspire card, which offers even more impressive benefits.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy [Downgrade]: Best for Marriott hotel stays and those looking to achieve higher status with Marriott (provides 15 nights toward stay requirements to move beyond Gold status). I opened this card for the sign up bonus, but don't see much value in it going forward because of the annual fee.

Blue Cash Everyday [Keep]: A remnant from my cashback days. Still used occasionally for the $15 monthly Home Chef credit or miscellaneous online retail purchase for 3% cash back. Because there is no annual fee and it's the oldest card on my credit report, I'll keep it open, although I'll rarely use it.

| Chase |

Chase Freedom Flex [Keep]: 3X points on dining and drugstores, with 5X points on quarterly rotating categories and Lyft makes this one of my favorite cards. I've found it easy to spend in the quarterly 5X points categories, as they usually include common purchases like gas, groceries, dining, and mobile wallets. What's better is when the quarterly 5X category includes dining, the points earned stacks; I was earning 7X points per $ spent earlier this year when restaurants were a quarterly category.

Chase Freedom Original [Keep]: This card is the older and less impressive version of the Flex, earning 1X points on most purchases except for 5X on the same set of rotating categories as the Freedom Flex. I use it when I've maxed out the 7500 bonus points cap on the quarterly categories with the Flex.

Chase Sapphire Preferred [Keep]: Best for 2X points on miscellaneous travel expenses like non-branded hotels, taxis, and trains as well as 3X points on dining and on streaming services (complete list can be found here). This card will stay in my wallet because it allows me to transfer my Ultimate Rewards points to travel partners like Hyatt Hotels. (Chase Freedom cards cannot transfer points unless you have a Chase Ink, Sapphire Preferred, or Sapphire Reserve card). The $50 hotel credit is easy to use--book a hotel with Chase Travel using the card, wait for the credit to post, and then cancel the reservation.

| Capital One |

SavorOne [Keep]: One of the best no annual fee cards out there with 3% back on dining, grocery, streaming, and entertainment purchases. I use it for grocery spend when my Amex isn't accepted, and for entertainment purchases like movie theaters or amusement parks. Most importantly, it's part of the Capital One Duo, alongside one of their miles-earning Venture cards. Capital One allows you to convert your SavorOne cashback into Capital One Miles at a 1:1 ratio (e.g., $1 is 100 miles). This means you're effectively earning 3X miles on a wide array of purchases. Until November 2024, it also earns 10% back (10X points) on all Uber and Uber Eats purchases.

VentureOne [Keep]: I recently downgraded my Venture Card (opened for the Global Entry credit and sign up bonus) to the no annual fee VentureOne. I don't put any spend on this card; I keep it open so I can convert SavorOne's cashback to miles and transfer them to travel partners.

| Barclays |

AAdvantage Aviator Silver [Keep]: I'm currently chasing American Airlines status (I think they have one of the best rewards currencies out there), so almost all of my spend not covered by another category goes here. Notable benefits are a $50 annual Wifi Credit on American Airlines flights, $25 daily food/beverage credit on American Airlines flights, priority boarding, a free checked bag for you and up to 8 companions, and 5,000 loyalty points at high spend thresholds. I was able to upgrade my AAdvantage Aviator Red, which I opened for 70,000 AA miles a few months ago, to the Silver after a brief call with a customer service representative.

Others: Well Fargo Autograph, Amazon Prime Store Card

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Future plans: I'm above 5/24 for Chase cards, so I'm planning to hold off on new applications for the time being. Once I'm eligible again, I plan to open a Chase Ink business card or an American Express business card. If Wells Fargo expands their list of travel partners, the Autograph Journey may be another addition to my wallet too.