The one credit card TPG staffers can’t live without
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At The Points Guy, we don’t just work here. We live this stuff, so we can bring you first-hand experiences with credit cards and travel. We’re always talking about the latest credit card offers, deals, ways to get extra points and more. So I decided to create this little parlor game. I asked our staff the following question: The Credit Card Police have come to your house to confiscate all of your cards — but will allow you to keep one. Which one would it be?
I must say that I was pleasantly surprised at some of the cards my co-workers chose. In the list below, you’ll see the usual card suspects, but also some interesting curveballs.
Brian Kelly, The Points Guy (duh!)
Scott Mayerowitz, Executive Editorial Director
It’s hard to pick just one credit card — I currently have 19 — but my Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card has one key perk that I love: the ability to charge my way to status. Delta is unique in the large amount of elite-qualifying miles that flyers can get through credit card spend. The airline gives 15,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) for every $30,000 you spend in a calendar year, up to 60,000 MQMs after $120,000 in total spending. With the Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) waiver, that means the ability to get Gold Medallion status from just one card without ever stepping foot on a Delta plane.
Read our review of the Delta Reserve card.
Benét J. Wilson, Credit Cards Editor
There was no drama making my pick — The Platinum Card® from American Express. I know people are intimidated by the card’s hefty $550 annual fee (see rates and fees), but with up to $600 a year in credits, this card pays for itself. You earn a generous 5x Membership Rewards points on both flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel and on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com (although only 1x on everything else). Plus you can transfer your points to 19 airline and three hotel partners.
On top of that, the Amex Platinum card comes with a plethora of perks and benefits that make it even more valuable, including a welcome offer valued at $1,200 according to TPG valuations. You’ll also enjoy access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Delta Sky Clubs on same-day Delta flights, and the Airspace and Escape lounges. There’s also automatic Gold elite status at Hilton and Marriott, complimentary memberships in Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, Avis Preferred and National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive, and access to Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts.
Read our review of the Amex Platinum card.
Summer Hull, Director of Content, AKA Mommy Points
My pick is the Chase Sapphire Reserve for many reasons. Being able to earn 3x on travel and dining is great. Being able to transfer those points to partners including United, Hyatt and Southwest is top notch. The easy-to-use $300 travel credit (with a generous definition of travel) helps ease the pain of the card’s $550 annual fee, but it is the built-in travel protections that have me sold. Whether a kid gets sick right before a trip and we have to cancel or an airline strands us with severely delayed or cancelled flights, this card has my back.
Related reading: How an Aspen ski vacation gone wrong ended with my family in the police station
Read our review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Madison Blancaflor, Credit Cards Writer
Compared to many TPGers, I’m still relatively new to the credit cards game — I got my very first points credit card only two years ago. I’ve added a few more to my wallet over the past couple of years (including a recent upgrade to the Chase Sapphire Reserve), but looking at my full credit card lineup, the one card I could not live without is my American Express® Gold Card.
Related reading: How I used Chase Ultimate Rewards to book my trip to Croatia
This card can sometimes be overlooked because it’s a bit more premium than other popular, mid-tier cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, but it’s not as high-end as top-tier cards such as the Amex Platinum. But dining, grocery shopping and flights are three of my top expenses, and I easily utilize the monthly dining credit, up to $100 annual airline fee and Amex Offers I get with the card. Plus, Membership Rewards are incredibly valuable, and I can easily take advantage of Amex’s many transfer partners during the redemption process. All in all, the Amex Gold (with its beautiful limited-edition Rose Gold design) is the current card my wallet cannot live without.
Read our review of the Amex Gold card.
Katie Genter, Reporter
If I could only have one card, my focus would be on the benefits provided and transfer partners unlocked instead of on high earning rates. As such, The Platinum Card® from American Express would win out due to its numerous benefits and 22 transfer partners (including Marriott Bonvoy, which adds additional transfer partners). In terms of benefits, the Amex Platinum is only bested by its invite-only sibling, the Amex Centurion Card. However, with the Amex Platinum you’ll get Marriott and Hilton elite status, lounge access through Amex’s Global Lounge Collection, access to booking Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts, various shopping and travel protections and more. I wouldn’t be happy about only having one card — but if I did, it would be the Amex Platinum.
Alberto Riva, Senior Editor, Flight Reviews and Special Projects
As a New Yorker, I do not own a car and rent cars a lot; the primary car rental coverage on the Chase Sapphire Reserve is important to me. I also book a lot of flights, so 3x points earned on airfare matters a lot to me. One could argue I should go for the 5x points you can earn on the Amex Platinum (on flights booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com), but that card doesn’t have the same car rental benefits. And the trip cancellation/trip delay protections offered by the Sapphire Reserve are important for someone who flies an average of 100,000 miles a year.
Zach Honig, Editor at Large
Jason Stauffer, Credit Cards Writer
Zach Griff, Travel Analyst
My favorite credit card is always changing. I have different goals at various parts of the year, and my favorite card is usually the one that accomplishes those goals. For instance, if I’m running low on Chase points, I’ll beef up the spending on the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Chase Freedom Unlimited to unlock another great award redemption. But there’s another Chase-issued card that’s currently my favorite — and it may surprise you.
It’s The World Of Hyatt Credit Card. Why? Because of the top-tier status you can earn through credit card spend. I don’t spend enough nights in Hyatt to organically hit Globalist status, but the card gives you two elite-qualifying nights for every $5,000 spent. Combined with all the additional free night awards you earn for spend, it’s no surprise that this is one of my favorite credit cards. Plus, I’m a fitness class junkie, and the card’s 2x earn rate on those makes it the perfect workout companion.
Read the World Of Hyatt Credit Card review.
Carissa Rawson, Points and Miles Reporter
Although I don’t use the Chase Sapphire Reserve for airfare or restaurants, (my Amex Platinum and Citi Prestige® Card win that honor), this card is my go-to for every other purchase I make. Aside from the awesome transfer partners (I am a United Airlines flyer, after all), the perks associated with this card means it has a permanent home in my wallet.
Its generous $300 annual travel credit is always used up, and I frequent Priority Pass lounges like no one’s business. The new inclusion of Door Dash and Lyft credits suits my lifestyle even though the high annual fee doesn’t. All in, I find immense value with the card and will continue to take advantage of the many perks it offers.
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.
Katherine Fan, Senior Travel Features Reporter
Clint Henderson, Senior News Editor
My favorite card by far is the American Express Platinum card. Despite a high annual fee, I’ve been able to successfully mitigate the cost by using my up to $200 annual airline fee credit, my up to $200 in annual Uber credits and my twice-yearly $50 Saks credit (up to $100 total per year). I love Amex points for the multitude of redemption options, but my favorite thing about the Platinum card is getting free Gold status with Marriott and with Hilton and highest-tier status with several rental car companies. I also love being able to use Centurion lounges all over — especially at New York-LaGuardia — and I’ve also enjoy international Amex lounges in Hong Kong and Mexico City.
Zach Bartholomew, Senior Product Manager
My answer would have been different before Chase’s recent news, but the Chase Sapphire Reserve is now my 2020 card. I spend hundreds of dollars on Lyft in a given month. I anticipate raking in tens of thousands of points this year off the 10x earning on Lyft rides alone. All the other travel perks are just icing on the cake. I will take full advantage of my $300 travel credit, and the Sapphire Reserve still lets me earn great points on travel and dining, my two biggest spending categories. I’m hoarding my Chase points for two first-class, international flights to Asia on Singapore Airlines next year. I used my Chase points in 2017 to book round-trip flights from Austin (AUS) to Seattle (SEA), and also paid for three nights at a swanky hotel in downtown Seattle. The Chase Sapphire Reserve is going to give me the most bang for my buck and is the one card to rule them all.
Samantha Rosen, Social Media Editor
If I could only have one card, I’d go with the Amex Gold. I spend more than I care to admit on dining, so those 4x points add up really fast. I also feel like I get a ton of value out of my Amex points and love transferring them to Aeroplan for really cool flights that I wouldn’t be able to fly otherwise. I also like the purchase and return protection benefits, as well as up to $120 annual dining statement credit and up to $100 annual airline credit. It doesn’t hurt that every time I take out my limited-edition rose gold one, I get compliments.
Kelley King, SEO Analyst
Austin Konkle, Marketing Analyst
Sure, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express might be an unconventional choice for more seasoned travelers, since it’s a cash-back credit card with an annual fee of $95 (see rates and fees) that isn’t waived. However, I would argue that the Blue Cash Preferred packs a mighty punch, thanks to its versatility and top-of-the-line rewards rates. Whether you’re shopping for the family or stocking up on TV dinners for one, the 6% cash back on U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%) is a terrific return on spend. I frequent my local Publix about once a week and spend an average of about $80 at checkout.
Crunching the numbers, that totals to around $320 a month and more than $4,000 a year. At 6% cash back, I’m on pace to save almost $250 on groceries alone with my Blue Cash Preferred in 2020; that’s three full trips to the store that completely pay for themselves. And that’s just the tip of the savings iceberg when it comes to the flexibility of the Blue Cash Preferred. With respectable returns at U.S. gas stations (3%) and transit (3%), plus the unmatched and unorthodox 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming services, the only two major spend categories for which I’m not currently earning major rewards are travel and dining. These could be covered in the future with the American Express® Green Card, the Amex Gold, or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Cash back might not be king in all circumstances, but this jack-of-many-trades, cash-back card is definitely king of my wallet for the foreseeable future.
Read our review of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express.
Bottom line
Below is a chart illustrating the one card TPG staffers must have:
Credit Card |
Votes |
| Capital One Venture | ✔ |
| Delta Reserve | ✔ |
| Amex Platinum | ✔✔✔ |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | ✔✔✔✔✔ |
| Amex Gold | ✔✔ |
| Hilton Aspire | ✔ |
| World of Hyatt | ✔ |
| Ink Business Preferred | ✔ |
| Citi AAdvantage Platinum | ✔ |
| Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | ✔ |
It’s no surprise that the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Amex Platinum were numbers one and two, respectively, among TPG staffers. We’ve done myriad stories on why we love these two cards so much. One big surprise for me was Brian choosing the Capital One Venture card, knowing about his love of the Chase Sapphire Reserve and his Amex Business Centurion card. While I was also slightly surprised by Zach Honig’s Hilton Aspire pick, I understand why he did it. Zach Griff saw real value with his World of Hyatt card when staying in those hotels, and Austin Konkle made a compelling case for his surprise pick, the Blue Cash Preferred Amex.
If you’re still researching your card options, check out these helpful TPG credit card guides, below.
- Best rewards credit cards
- Best travel credit cards
- Best airline credit cards
- Best hotel credit cards
- Best cash-back credit cards
- Best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees
- Best gas credit cards
- Best credit cards for groceries
- Best credit cards for entertainment spending
- Best credit cards for everyday spending
Featured image by The Points Guy
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred, please click here.
WELCOME OFFER: 60,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,200
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel
- Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on orders over $12 for a minimum of one year on qualifying food purchases with DashPass, DoorDash's subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21.
- Earn 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2022. That’s 3X points in addition to the 2X points you already earn on travel.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.