How to choose between Amex/Chase/Capital One + how I've saved $7,000 from two cards.

I’m going to Cancun in 2 days.

To a 5-star all-inclusive totally paid for with points.

And my awesome influencer wife is gonna be plugging my newsletter a ton, so, you early adopters, consider yourself lucky.

This thing may blow up. But I won’t forget any of you. My early fans.

lol.

Also, who is Grandma Anna? She likes my posts every week and I don’t know who she is - Grandma Anna - let’s be friends.

Enough of this, let’s get into the high-value content.

Choose your points currency (wisely).

This whole travel credit card thing can be super overwhelming. I promise it’s not a waste of time (scroll down).

Most people I talk to want to know the best card to get started. Well, it depends. I think a better question is what the best points currency is for you.

You have three main options:

1. Amex (Membership Rewards).

2. Chase (Ultimate Rewards).

3. Capital One (Venture Miles).

Also Citi - but I’m not really interested in them.

If you’re new and trying to decide, this should help. If you have some cards, and are wondering where to focus, this should help.

This breakdown obviously contains my bias and limited knowledge, but I hope it’s a fair look at the main reasons to focus on each points currency.

Amex (American Express):

Amex has the most elite reputation in the credit card world.

My friends over at the Daily Drop have an incredibly in-depth breakdown of the Amex program, and I’d highly recommend reading it.

Some highlights:

• Great sign-up bonuses.

• Great customer service.

• Great transfer partners.

• Cards earn very well for certain categories (paid advertising).

Some cons:

• Difficult to pool points with family/friends.

• Very tight on earning multiple sign-up bonuses.

• Very high annual fees on cards.

Why I’d go for it:

• Amex is one of the most trusted names in the travel credit card world. I don’t love their high annual fees, but their cards give you a ton of perks (like this one, that earns 4x points per dollar on groceries!).

• They have all the main transfer partners as the other big banks, but have a few unique one’s like ANA, Avianca, & Delta

Chase:

It’s me, hi, I’m pretty biased, it’s me. I love Chase. I’m focused on earning as many Chase points as possible.

Why? Chase transfers 1:1 to Hyatt, which I believe is the best deal in the whole world of travel hacking.

Check out this guide on Chase points.

Some highlights:

• Chase is the only card (other than Bilt) that transfers directly to Hyatt. That makes Chase points extremely valuable.

• It’s easy to combine points among Chase cards. Also, there are a LOT of Chase cards. You can easily get 4 personal and two business if you want. That’s a lot of bonuses.

• Chase is the only card that transfers to Southwest.

• This card is the most popular on the market for a reason.

• UR points are worth 1.25 cpp in the travel portal.

Some cons:

• It’s harder to earn a lot of points spending with their higher tier cards. Their cash-back cards earn better than their travel cards.

• They are strict about the 5/24 rule which can put a stop to your big plans.

Why I’d go for it:

• To book Hyatt hotels forever. Simple as that.

Capital One:

Ah, my first love (not Taylor). I was enticed by the big bonus on this card, so it was my first! Then I referred my wife to it, then she got the bonus, and then we both referred a bunch of other people.

Chase & Amex get a lot more attention than Capital One, but I really like Capital One.

In fact, I’d consider myself an expert on Capital One Venture Miles.

Some highlights:

• Their premium card has a reasonable fee and a massive travel credit included. It’s super accessible.

• They transfer to Wyndham - you can book $500/night all-inclusives for 30k miles per night.

• You can book a Vacasa vacation rental for 15k points per night per bedroom.

• Great transfer partners for flights: Avianca, Air France, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Turkish, and more.

• You earn 2x miles on every dollar!

• Generous referral bonuses.

Some cons:

• No domestic airlines to transfer to.

• Minimal hotel options except for a few Wyndham gems.

• They spend a lot on commercials so they seem more sketchy to me.

Why I’d go for it:

• Because I love earning 2x miles on every dollar spent. That is DOUBLE what most cards earn on normal spending.

Watch me whip save $7,000 in the last 6 months.

I scored some amazing travel deals recently.

And for all those people saying travel hacking isn’t worth it - I’m leaving for my 3rd international trip in 6 months because of what my points have been able to get me.

And it’s all been from this one card my wife & I both have.

Trip 1) Rome & Assisi: November 2023

I booked $1,600 of flights for 4 people with 160,000 Capital One Venture Miles.

Trip 2) Bonaire: January 2024

I booked $1,900 worth of flights for 42,000 Capital One Venture Miles.

Trip 3) Cancun: April 2024

I booked a $4,100 all-inclusive for 180,000 Capital One Venture Miles.

Total miles redeemed: 382,000

Total cash value: $7,700

How did I earn those miles? 

• Two sign-up bonuses.

• A year of spending.

• Maxed out referral bonuses for 2023 + 2024.

So yea, I don’t have any left. But that’s ok!

Points are meant to be hoarded - spend them & have fun. There’s no pressure to, “Get it right.”

Class adjourned.