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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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TPG reader credit card question: What premium credit card should I use for all spending?
Madison Blancaflor is the managing editor for TPG's content operations team. She focuses on helping TPG's broader editorial team bring news, features and advice to readers. She has nearly six years of experience covering the credit cards and travel industries.
March 29, 2021 • 11 min read
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By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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Quick summary
The article compares several premium cards with annual fees ranging from $250 to $550, focusing on those that offer transferable rewards currencies.
It analyzes the value of each card's rewards structure and the perks provided, such as lounge access, travel credits and elite status.
The discussion highlights how different cards are better suited to various spending patterns, such as frequent travel, dining or supermarket purchases.
The article emphasizes that the best choice depends on individual preferences for maximizing rewards or prioritizing luxury benefits.
What to consider
Some premium cards offer higher returns in select categories but may have limited value for everyday spending.
Certain benefits, like travel credits or lounge access, require enrollment or may be subject to usage restrictions.
Recent changes and devaluations in some programs can affect the long-term value of specific cards.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of how each premium card's rewards and perks align with different spending habits and lifestyle priorities.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
It's almost time for spring cleaning. That probably entails purging your closet (unless you're a bit of a clothes hoarder like me), dusting for the first time in weeks (er, months?) and deep-cleaning the kitchen. For many TPGers, it also means taking a hard look at the credit cards we use for everyday spending to decide what's worth keeping and how we should adjust our spending on each card. Reader Dominick S. has a question along these lines:
[pullquote source="DOMINICK S."]If you were to choose just one premium card to put all spending on which would it be?
I am trying to simplify my life and having to remember which card to use is becoming a hassle.
Thanks for the help![/pullquote]
First, let's define "premium card." Most of the time, we are referring to cards with high-end perks and annual fees over $400. For this question, I'm going to extend the definition to include any card with an annual fee of $250-plus because there are a few cards with mid-level annual fees that offer premium perks.
Now, let's look at your premium card options with annual fees ranging from $250-$550:
10x Ultimate Rewards points on Lyft (20% return on spending)
3x Ultimate Rewards points on dining (6% return on spending)
3x Ultimate Rewards points on travel (6% return on spending)
1 point per dollar spent on everything else (2% return on spending)
$550
The Platinum Card® from American Express
5x Membership Rewards on airfare booked directly with the airline or with American Express Travel (10% return on spending)
5x Membership Rewards on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel (10% return on spending)
1 Membership Reward per dollar spent on everything else (2% return on spending)
Terms apply
$695
(see rates & fees)
Citi Prestige® Card
5x ThankYou points on air travel (8.5% return on spending)
5x ThankYou points at restaurants (8.5% return on spending)
3x ThankYou points on hotels (5.1% return on spending)
3x ThankYou points on cruise lines (5.1% return on spending)
1 point per dollar spent on everything else (1.7% return on spending)
$495
American Express® Gold Card
4x Membership Rewards points on restaurants (8% return on spending)
4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per year, then 1 point per dollar spent (8% return on spending)
3x Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com (6% return on spending)
1 point per dollar spent on everything else (2% return on spending)
Terms apply
$250 (see rates & fees)
The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
As you can see, some premium cards offer better rewards on spending across several categories.
You'll notice that I left out airline credit cards and hotel credit cards. To keep it simple, I'm going to focus on the cards that earn transferable currencies. Cobranded credit cards earn points and miles that are almost always less valuable when it comes to everyday spending. They are great for travelers loyal to a specific travel brand, but I'm focusing on stand-alone credit cards for all spending.
Let's take a deeper dive to figure out which premium card might be the best option for Dominick.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
(Photo by John Gribben for The Points Guy)
The Chase Sapphire Reserve starts by offering 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening, worth $1,000 according to TPG valuations. On spending, you'll get 3x on travel and dining purchases worldwide. That may not sound like much, but remember that Chase defines both travel and dining broadly, so you're getting a 6% return on far more than just airfare and hotels.
Let's say you're spending $4,500 on airfare and dining each year, $1,000 on hotels or cruises and $12,000 on non-bonus spending. That's 37,500 Ultimate Rewards points per year, worth about $750.
Similar to the Amex Platinum, you also need to consider the value of the perks you get with the card — Priority Pass lounge access, an easy-to-use $300 travel annual credit and amazing travel protections that can save you real money in the event of travel delays or cancellations. These benefits make a compelling argument for using this card for all of your spending — even if there are technically cards out there that could earn more points. Enrollment required for select benefits..
To put it in context, The Points Guy himself, Brian Kelly, says that the one premium card he'd choose for all spending is the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Although The Platinum Card from American Express is definitely one of the top travel cards (and the winner of TPG's battle of the premium cards), it falls short in the area of earning rewards on everyday spending. You're getting a nice welcome bonus of 80,000 points after you spend $6,000 in the first six months of card membership. The welcome offer is worth $1,600 according to TPG valuations — to start with.
The 5x bonus on airfare and hotels booked directly or through Amex Travel makes the earning potential on this card pretty limited beyond that.
There is a scenario where having only the Amex Platinum card still makes sense despite the limited bonus categories: The value you get out of the card's perks and benefits outweighs the value of the rewards you'd get by charging your spending to another card.
Here's a rundown of TPG's estimated value of a few of the Amex Platinum's benefits:
That's more than $3,500 in annual value, not even including the current welcome bonus or perks that are harder to quantify, such as Centurion Lounge access, access to Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts and Uber VIP status. If you don't think you'd get that much in value from other credit cards with broader spending categories, this is still a great option.
The Citi Prestige offers a nice return across an array of spending categories and, with an annual fee of $495 per year, it's one of the only "ultra premium" credit cards that hasn't increased its fee to $550-plus.
If the majority of your spending is on travel and restaurants, you can rack up a ton of ThankYou points with this card. Those are the only spending categories you have at your disposal, but that can potentially stack up over the course of a year.
Going off that information, let's say you spend approximately $1,000 on airfare per year, an additional $1,000 on hotels and/or cruises and $3,500 on dining. Assuming you're spending $1,000 monthly on non-bonus spending, that would total $12,000 per year on non-bonus spending.
Last, but not least, is the American Express Gold Card. This card is sometimes overlooked because it doesn't quite fit in with the high-end cards with $400 annual fees or the mid-tier cards that hover at around $95.
But there is a lot to love about it. For an annual fee of $250 (see rates and fees), you're getting a great 8% return on spending with 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year, then 1x) and 4x at restaurants. Plus there's a nice 6% return on airfare (at three points per dollar spent) booked directly with the airline or Amex Travel.
I use my Amex Gold card for a solid portion of my own monthly spending. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that the average American spends approximately $375 on groceries each month. Let's say you're spending $4,500 per year at U.S. supermarkets, $3,500 on dining, $1,000 on airfare and $9,000 on non-bonus spending. That means 44,000 Membership Rewards points over the course of a year, which is worth $880 according to TPG valuations.
Plus you still get to take advantage of Amex Offers (which can help you earn rewards and save money on some non-bonus expenses) and earn valuable Membership Rewards without paying a super high annual fee.
The card even comes with a few premium benefits, such as up to $120 per calendar year in dining credits (which I easily use on my own card). It's actually the one card that I couldn't live without and worth strong consideration if you are downsizing your wallet. Enrollment required for select benefits.
Asking credit card enthusiasts which premium card they would put all of their spending on sometimes feels like asking us to pick a favorite child. It really comes down to your spending habits and what you're looking for.
Personally, I'll sacrifice some of the more luxurious perks in order to maximize as much of my spending as possible for earning rewards. That's why I love my Amex Gold card. However, some people are willing to give up higher earning rates for benefits like complimentary elite status or lounge access.
This should be a good start in helping Dominick narrow down options and figure out which premium card is the best choice for him.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, please click here. For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, please click here.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
