Question. What is better than a single travel rewards credit card? Twenty travel rewards credit cards! Chase 5/24 Rule be damned! Okay, let us pump the breaks there and focus on two within the same flexible points family for now. With that in mind, which pair of travel rewards credit cards creates the most value? Will any two cards work? Or are there specific combinations which work best?
The Top Travel Rewards Credit Card Duos
The majority of major travel rewards credit card issuers (AMEX, Chase, Citi, etc.) offer multiple credit cards, which earn valuable flexible points. While many travel rewards credit cards have overlapping earning categories, some present complimentary earning options. These complimentary earning categories provide an opportunity for you to further maximize the value on everyday spend.
American Express® Gold Card & Amex EveryDay Preferred
The American Express® Gold Card and Amex EveryDay Preferred make a formidable 1-2 combo. While the American Express® Gold Card is the most valuable entry level travel rewards card, the Amex Everyday Preferred creates a perfect compliment. One of the most impressive aspects of this duo is the sign up bonus of 95,000 Membership Rewards points. In addition, the earning opportunities focus on your major discretionary expense categories: groceries, restaurants, travel, and gas. Despite the high annual fee, the various credits almost fully offset the cost.
Sign Up Bonus:
95,000 AMEX Membership Rewards Points
Annual Fee:
$345 ($250 and $95 respectively)
Earning Categories:
4.0x Groceries / Restaurants
3.0x Airfare
2.0x Gas
1.0x All Other Expenses
Credits:
$120 Uber(Eats) Cash – $10 per Month
$120 Dining Credit – $10 per Month
$100 The Hotel Collection Credit
Other Factors:
The Amex Everyday Preferred offers a 50% point bonus in each billing cycle with 30 or more transactions. With a 50% point bonus, the Amex Everyday Preferred earning categories become the following: 4.5x Groceries (on first $6,000 annually), 3.0x Gas, and 1.5x All Other Expenses.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card & Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Freedom Unlimited® is the standard combination. Individuals new to the points and miles world begin their journey here. The main draw is the incredible sign up bonus. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card still offers you a sign up bonus of 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points; versus the unprecedented previous offer of 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points. In addition, the sign up bonus on the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is one of the most valuable out there. The earning categories focus on the key discretionary expense of groceries, restaurants, drugstores, and travel. While light on credits, the duo has an annual fee of only $95.
Sign Up Bonus:
80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Annual Fee:
$95 ($95 and $0 respectively)
Earning Categories:
5.0x Chase Travel Portal / Lyft Rides
3.0x Restaurants / Online Groceries / Streaming / Drugstores
2.0x Travel
1.5x All Other Expenses
Credits:
$50 Hotel Credit on Chase Travel Portal
$60 Peleton Credit
Other Factors:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers a 10% point bonus each anniversary year.
Citi Premier & Citi Double Cash
The Citi Premier and Citi Double Cash is an underrated travel rewards duo. While the 80,000 ThankYou point sign up bonus on the Citi Premier creates an amazing start, your earning potential with this duo is equally incredible. The Citi Double Cash provides the foundation with a simple, but valuable 2x ThankYou points on every purchase. Then, the Citi Premier offers you an earnings “boost” in the key discretionary expense categories of restaurants, groceries, gas, and travel. Despite the low annual fee of $95, the Citi duo still extends a $100 hotel credit.
Sign Up Bonus:
80,000 Citi ThankYou Points
Annual Fee:
$95 ($95 and $0 respectively)
Earning Categories:
3.0x Groceries / Restaurants / Gas / Travel
2.0x All Other Expenses
Credits:
$100 Hotel Credit on Citi Travel Portal
Other Factors:
N/A
The Best Travel Rewards Credit Card Duo
The American Express® Gold Card and Amex EveryDay Preferred duo is the clear winner. This travel rewards credit card combination wins in almost every category. The 90,000 Membership Rewards points sign up bonus provides the most points and the most value. Due to the focus on key discretionary expense categories, and the 50% bonus opportunity on the Amex EveryDay Preferred, this duo also provides you the most value on everyday spending. Despite the annual fee of $345, over 3x more than the other options, the generous credits almost entirely offset the cost.
How good is this AMEX combination? The American Express® Gold Card alone provides more value than the Citi duo and is on par with the Chase duo value. The addition of the Amex EveryDay Preferred only serves to increase the lead. Even at the 100,000 Ultimate Rewards sign up bonus level for the Chase Sapphire Preferred®, the American Express® Gold Card and Amex EveryDay Preferred combination still creates more value.
An Honorable Mention
The Citi Premier and Citi Double Cash duo gets an honorable mention for two reasons. First, this combination is the simplest. The Citi Double Cash earns a flat 2x ThankYou points across all purchases. Simple. Then, layer the Citi Premier 3x ThankYou points categories: food, travel, and gas. Relatively Simple. Further, there is only a single credit of $100 for hotel bookings via the Citi portal. Simple. Second, the Citi duo earns you the most points on everyday spending. Why is this important? Because all points have the same value after a transfer! The Citi duo earns 3% more points than the AMEX duo and 30% more points than the Chase duo. As a final note, Citi has one of the most valuable portfolio of transfer options.
Final Thoughts
Each travel rewards credit card duo offers you significant value, but also has a trade-off. The American Express® Gold Card and Amex EveryDay Preferred clearly provides you the most value of any travel rewards credit card duo. However, the extraction of that value requires some effort (i.e. usage of the various credits and 50% bonus trigger). Similarly, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Freedom Unlimited® provides you good earning potential, but sometimes in obscure categories (i.e. online groceries and drugstores). Conversely, the Citi Premier and Citi Double Cash gives you a straightforward and simple earning opportunity, but in “less valuable” points. In every scenario, the addition of a second travel rewards credit card increases your value over the initial entry level credit card alone. At the end of the day, all three travel rewards credit card pairs are amazing options!