Dear Clever Credit,
I have a move coming up and will need to spend around $10K on furniture, etc. I am already in the Chase ecosystem, but currently only have the Chase Freedom Unlimited庐 and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless庐 Credit Card. What’s my best choice for a sign-up bonus? I was thinking maybe the Chase Sapphire Reserve庐 (even though I don’t use much of its benefits) or Chase Sapphire Preferred庐 Card. Or should I go into American Express Platinum庐 or Gold? I do travel almost every week for work and often for leisure.
Signed,
Bonus to Burn
Dear Burn,
You’re in luck! You can stay in the Chase ecosystem because the is offering a rare sign-up bonus of 100,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months from account opening.
The is offering a similar sign-up bonus, but that card comes with a much heftier annual fee of $795. And since you say you won’t use most of the offered benefits of the Reserve, you’re definitely better off applying for the Preferred with its $95 annual fee.
But that’s just one part of the equation. Since you’re a frequent traveler and have $10K to spend, you’re going to need a second card.
You mentioned two great options: and the . But I think there’s one more we can include: the .
Here’s a quick overview of all three and how they stack up.
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | American Express Platinum Card庐 | American Express庐 Gold Card | |
| Annual Fee | $395 | $895 () | $325 () |
| Welcome Bonus | Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening | You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards Points after spending $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new card in your first six months | You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new card in your first six months |
| Rewards Rate |
— 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel — 5 miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel — 2 miles on every purchase |
— Five Membership Rewards points per dollar on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel庐 — Five points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year — One point on other eligible purchases |
— Five Membership Rewards points per dollar on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel — Four points on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then one point — Four points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then one point — Three points on flights booked through AmexTravel or purchased directly — Two points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel — One point on all other eligible purchases |
| Travel Benefits |
— Airport lounge access — TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit — $300 annual travel credit — 10,000 bonus miles every card anniversary |
— Airport lounge access — Up to $600 hotel credit — Up to $200 Uber Cash — Up to $120 Uber One credit — Up to $200 airline fee credit — $219 CLEAR+ credit — TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit — Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status — Hilton Honors Gold status |
— Hertz Five Star status — $100 hotel credit when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel |
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It’s worth pointing out that you have automatic Silver Elite status with your . But you’d be elevated to Gold Elite status if you go with the American Express Platinum庐.
After looking at all three, however, I’d recommend the Capital One Venture X as your second card. With how much you travel, benefits like airport lounge access, annual travel credits and anniversary miles could definitely go a long way. And you’d get them for an annual fee of $395.
Plus — and this is very important — Chase and Capital One have several overlapping . Some of the transfer partners both issuers share:
— Air Canada Aeroplan
— Air France-KLM Flying Blue
— British Airways Club
— JetBlue
— Wyndham Rewards
By coupling your Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture X Rewards, you have a sign-up bonus of $9,000 to meet. And you could end up with a total of 175,000 bonus points across both cards. While it’s true each has its own transfer ratio, the earning potential is still impressive.
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Planning to Spend $10K? The Best Credit Card Sign-Up Bonuses You Might Be Missing originally appeared on
