The 13 card benefits TPG's experts love the most

It's no secret that we at TPG love credit cards (seriously, some of us have over 20). Welcome bonuses and earning rewards through spending are at the core of what we do, but many of us value our cards' benefits just as much.

Whether it's statement credits geared toward the foodies among us, bonus anniversary points or flexible travel credits, we all have a favorite perk from our cards.

I surveyed some of our credit card and points and miles experts to see what benefits they love the most. Here are their picks.

Free nights and hotel credits

Some of the top hotel cards come with annual fees that will make you do a double take. Spending several hundred dollars each year on a credit card fee may sound unreasonable, but TPGers find a lot of value in what these cards offer.

Carly Helfand, TPG's director of content for credit cards and points and miles, picked the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card as the card with her favorite benefits.

Specifically, she loves the up to $400 in statement credits for eligible purchases at Hilton resorts she gets each calendar year (up to $200 semiannually) and the annual free night reward.

Since both she and her husband hold the Aspire, they can enjoy two sets of annual statement credits and free night rewards.

Most recently, she redeemed her Aspire's free night reward at the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal in Mexico and used the up to $200 statement credit toward dinner at its cliffside restaurant, El Farallon.

Both of these benefits are great ways for cardmembers to justify paying the card's premium $550 annual fee (see rates and fees). The free night reward alone can almost entirely cover the annual fee if used at the right properties.

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Katie Genter, TPG's lead writer for points and miles, enjoys using the fourth-night-free perk on her IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (see rates and fees). By redeeming points for a three-night booking, Katie can get her fourth night free.

She used this benefit during a four-night stay at the Holiday Inn Express Rotterdam — Central Station in the Netherlands during a music festival. By getting the fourth night free with this stay, Katie was able to pay 98,000 points for a booking that would've cost $761.

Flexible airfare and travel credits

Sometimes, it makes sense to pay for part of your vacation with cash. A flexible travel credit is a great tool for those times.

As a Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholder (see rates and fees), TPG credit cards editor Daisy Hernandez receives a $300 travel credit every anniversary year. This credit can be used on various purchases, from airfare to ride-hailing services and even campgrounds. Daisy used her credit to cover almost all of a three-night stay at an Airbnb in Puerto Rico, bringing the cost of her booking down to just $88.

Danyal Ahmed, a credit cards writer at TPG, also mentioned this credit as one of his favorite card perks. Danyal always uses his credit for flights, whether he's booking a positioning flight or an intraregional hop.

Giselle Gomez, TPG's senior credit cards editor, highlighted The Platinum Card® from American Express' annual airline fee statement credit as one of her favorite card perks. The Amex Platinum grants her up to $200 in statement credits each calendar year to use on one eligible airline of choice for airline incidentals. Enrollment is required. Giselle prioritizes using this credit with an airline she doesn't have status with so she can make seat selections and get checked bags reimbursed.

General travel and airline credits are great, but sometimes, you need a credit tailored to a specific airline. That's where a card like the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (see rates and fees) can come into play. Rachel Craft, an associate points and miles writer at TPG, likes using this card's annual $75 flight credit for short Southwest Airlines flights (this benefit will end Dec. 31, 2025). This way, she can save her points for bigger trips.

One of the short flights she has used this credit for was a jaunt between Denver International Airport (DEN) and Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Foodies unite

A few TPGers are big fans of the American Express® Gold Card's food-related benefits. Chris Nelson, a credit cards writer at TPG, enjoys the Amex Gold's Dunkin' statement credit.

Each calendar year, cardmembers receive up to $84 (up to $7 each month) back for U.S. Dunkin' purchases. Since Chris doesn't live in an area with Dunkin' locations, he loads $7 into his Dunkin' account each month. Then, once he's in a state with a Dunkin', he can use his accumulated credits to pay for his order. Stacking the monthly benefits on Amex's cards is generally impossible, so this strategy is especially worth noting.

He's also a fan of the Amex Gold's Resy credit. As a cardmember, he receives up to $100 in statement credits (up to $50 semiannually) for purchases at U.S Resy-affiliated restaurants. No reservation is required.

When my parents last visited me in Portland, Oregon, I used this credit to treat them to a fancy breakfast. If you need to win some brownie points with someone in your family, the Amex Gold can definitely help.

Enrollment is required, and terms apply.

Streaming our favorite shows and movies

In addition to the Sapphire Reserve's flexible travel credit, Danyal also enjoys the Amex Platinum's digital entertainment credit. Through this perk, he receives up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year (up to $25 in statement credits each month) for eligible streaming subscriptions. Enrollment is required.

I use this credit to cover the cost of a monthly Disney+ Bundle subscription. I enjoy many different shows and movies, so I love having a credit card benefit that can help pay for some of my preferred streaming services. Through my selected Disney+ Bundle, I have access to Disney+ and Hulu without ads.

Valuable transfer possibilities with Chase

Chase cards are highly favored here at TPG, and for good reason. They offer some of the strongest products on the market, with benefits that are generally easy to use.

Their card products are also a great way to introduce yourself to the world of transferable rewards. I'm a huge fan of transferring my Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt, a sentiment that Giselle shares.

Without the ability to transfer my points to Hyatt, I wouldn't be able to afford my upcoming trip to Germany. Although I haven't finished booking my hotels yet, I've been able to cover about half of my 12-day trip with just around 30,000 World of Hyatt points.

I also occasionally transfer Chase points to airline partners like Air Canada and United Airlines.

Stephanie Stevens, an associate credit cards writer at TPG, also enjoys using Chase's transfer partners for her travels. She noted that certain Chase cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees), lack foreign transaction fees. These fees can really stack up on longer trips, so it's important to have a card without them.

Relaxing in a lounge

I'm a big fan of getting two United Club passes each account anniversary from my United℠ Explorer Card (see rates and fees).

Despite being a major hub for the Pacific Northwest, my home airport, Portland International Airport (PDX), lacks Priority Pass lounges and issuer-branded lounges ... for now. That makes it difficult to find a good place to relax or work while I wait for a flight.

Thanks to my United Explorer, I can access PDX's United Club twice per account year. It's not a knock-your-socks-off lounge, but it's better than sitting at the gate.

The best thing is that I can use a United Club pass when I'm flying on any Star Alliance airline. I took advantage of this when I flew to Vancouver, British Columbia, on Air Canada for Christmas.

Anniversary points bonus

Capital One has made waves in the credit card industry in recent years, largely thanks to its premium Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. The Venture X is the Amex Platinum and Sapphire Reserve's more affordable competitor, making it popular with beginner travelers.

Ben Smithson, a senior points and miles writer at TPG, enjoys receiving 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary from his Venture X. These bonus miles are not tied to any spending requirement, so you'll receive them even if all you bought the previous year was a pack of gum.

Ben used his bonus anniversary miles for a winter weekend getaway to the Caribbean. He needed to book a flight with JetBlue, but since JetBlue wasn't a transfer partner of Capital One's at the time, he had to use another method to make his anniversary miles work for him.

Ben booked his flight through Capital One Travel and used his anniversary miles to cover the charge. While this redemption option won't net you maximum value for your miles, it's a great way to travel with an airline or hotel that isn't part of Capital One's transfer network.

Bottom line

Chase and Amex definitely win plenty of favor from TPGers for their cards' benefits, but they aren't the only issuers with useful perks for cardholders. Issuers know that great benefits help keep their cards in cardholders' wallets year after year.

When you're planning your card strategy, think about how a given card's perks can help you get more out of your spending. Can they unlock new travel opportunities? Grant you the ability to justify a fancy dinner every now and again? Help you cover the cost of everyday expenses?

With the right cards, your wallet can be more than just a tool to help you redeem rewards for award flights and hotel bookings.

Related: The credit cards TPG staffers are applying for now

For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Aspire Card, click here.