Not sure which other forum would be a good fit, so here we are.

I recently started traveling 2-3x a month for work and looking for a credit card to help maximize status/points/etc. My current CC's are the basic ones from Chase I've had for years. Travel mostly American Airlines and Marriott.

Credit is very good/excellent. Cards are paid off monthly.

Big downside is that all company travel has to be paid via company card, so I won't see any of the 14x/etc point conversions.

My reasons for looking into the travel cards:
1) Current CC's have 1.5% cash back, no other perks.
2) Upgrades/status seems tied to having a branded CC.
3) Interested in earning points of "normal" purchases that can be redeemed for travel.

UBS Infinite. Priority Pass. Travel insurance including medical abroad.

Since your company mandates they pay for the travel, you are going to have to make sure you stick with a single hotel brand and airline to accumulate points for status/et al. If you use Marriott now, then stick with them and keep another in your back pocket just in case, like Hilton.

I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and have had it since inception. Annual fee is a little high, but worth it along with the perks it gives out if you travel enough. Getting 50% more on points for booking travel is a great feature. If you wanna share a sign up bonus, let me know. We both get additional points if you are approved.

Hopefully some of the card churners chime in with more insight, but I love the card I have as it pays for just about all my vacations but I also spend a lot on it for work and personal.

Good resource:
https://www.nerdwallet.com/m/credit-cards/excellent-credit-cards?bucket_id=none&ds_rl=1246084&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4MSzBhC8ARIsAPFOuyVnoy64yXEoFXSwPeVEUc6XM5wLIxt1HQ5ar2PEmuPEZwQmwNIozn4aAu7dEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&mktg_body=1678&mktg_hline=11649&mktg_place=aud-2109926676695%3Akwd-78482077317&model_execution_id=8D10288D-B589-4DBE-B2FF-839347C935BD&nw_campaign_id=150549339542064600&utm_campaign=cc_mktg_paid_080119_branda&utm_content=ta&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=goog&utm_term=nerdwallet+best+credit+cards

You'll really want to spend some time with the points and miles blogs (check out Boarding Area for a good starting place) to figure out which cards will benefit you the most.

If all the hotel/airfare spend is going on a company card, you're probably just getting a card that gets a high enough status or enough elite nights to help you get to a good higher level. Do you stay at a particular hotel brand and do you have control over this so that you can be consistent with brand? If so, there are cards for each hotel chain along the spectrum of cost that give certain benefits (though I think Hyatt only has one card).

At the ultra premium level you could get the Hilton Aspire to get Diamond status, or the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant which gets you Platinum status. With IHG you can get Platinum status. Count how many days you'll stay each year and see where that gets you. Some of these cards will also have benefits for your travel like lounge access, Global Entry fee reimbursements, etc. The lower fee cards will also start you off at a mid-tier elite status, get you some basic niceties at most of your hotels and occasionally get you an upgrade. If you're spending time every week or every few weeks in an airport, these will matter more than if you're just driving.

So be mindful of how you're travelling for work. If you're staying in a standard place like a Hampton Inn, Springhill Suites, Holiday Inn, Hyatt Place, etc, the benefits of a higher elite status just from a credit card may not be worth it to you as the upgrade benefits are nil and the breakfast is already provided.

Make sure you get a card without foreign transaction fees, if travelling international.

If you're already in the Chase family, you might want to spend some time studying up on how to accumulate Ultimate Rewards points. It sounds like you may want to at least get a new hotel card for the travel perks, and a chase sapphire preferred or reserve card so that those cash back cents can turn into transferable currency (ultimate rewards in this case) that you can transfer to other travel partners for trips you take when not working.

There is an entire world of people in this game so the details of all of this are found on many websites. BoardingArea is a landing platform for a lot of these places.

I think it depends on how you travel and if you have family. I am certain there are other options and I am not a big "hotel" guy. I would rather focus on the how you get there experience.

Most "local" travel we fly Southwest, so the companion pass is a huge perk for us - we have a Southwest Card for that reason. Cannot remember which one, but it the one that gives you multiple free early bird check in's that basically offset the annual fee.

International or non-southwest cities (or price) we fly American - we have an AA Executive card for that reason. Additional perk is the status check in for cardholder, club access, and free bags.

We pay off both every month, but it helps us when we travel a bit easier with certain status (business or personal).

As a BoardingArea blogger, I generally recommend the following (although I don't write about credit cards on my blog):

First travel points card if you don't fly Southwest = Chase Sapphire Preferred
First travel card if you fly Southwest = whatever their card is, Companion Pass is best airline benefit in travel

I don't recommend getting a brand-specific card like AA or Hilton until after you have a good variable points card like the CSP above.

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I think it depends on how you travel and if you have family. I am certain there are other options and I am not a big "hotel" guy. I would rather focus on the how you get there experience.

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This is a great point. I do not care where I sit on an airplane. As far as airline, I fly Southwest or a non US Carrier if flying international. Then I pick the best for my needs based on price and times.

However, I do book nicer than normal hotel rooms when I travel and that is one reason I like my CC with Chase. I can book some amazing hotels for discounted rates/points anywhere in the world and am not tied to a single chain. That is what I focus on for my travels.

Just something to think about in what you are looking for.

Hopefully we will get some more context, but a few other thoughts.

OP isn't earning big points on the travel being incurred (company is doing that spend), so the spend is just on daily life stuff.

The benefit of a hotel card is the potential for upgrades with some extra elite nights to increase the chance of a higher status with good benefits. If OP prefers airbnbs and rentals or boutique hotels this may not be worthwhile. If travel for work includes hotels with nicer clubs or breakfast, this may be an important consideration.

Other than the ability to spend enough to earn status, most airline cards don't enhance the flight itself. There are the ultra-premium cards with lounge benefits and certainly the free checked bag and enhanced boarding is nice on the basic cards, but a frequent traveler can likely make that happen anyways.

I agree on starting with the chase sapphire preferred and I think it makes sense considering it sounds like he's got the chase freedom unlimited right now. It'll enhance the 1.5x he's getting and add some bonus categories. The hotel card is also a must at least to build up status, in my opinion.

Greener Acres said:

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Hopefully we will get some more context, but a few other thoughts.

OP isn't earning big points on the travel being incurred (company is doing that spend), so the spend is just on daily life stuff.

The benefit of a hotel card is the potential for upgrades with some extra elite nights to increase the chance of a higher status with good benefits. If OP prefers airbnbs and rentals or boutique hotels this may not be worthwhile. If travel for work includes hotels with nicer clubs or breakfast, this may be an important consideration.

Other than the ability to spend enough to earn status, most airline cards don't enhance the flight itself. There are the ultra-premium cards with lounge benefits and certainly the free checked bag and enhanced boarding is nice on the basic cards, but a frequent traveler can likely make that happen anyways.

I agree on starting with the chase sapphire preferred and I think it makes sense considering it sounds like he's got the chase freedom unlimited right now. It'll enhance the 1.5x he's getting and add some bonus categories. The hotel card is also a must at least to build up status, in my opinion.

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Ask away for any additional context!

Correct, I have to use a company card for hotel and airfare, so it'll be mostly daily life/etc. However, I'm figuring that if I'm having to travel for work, I can at least accrue nights/miles on the travel itself even if I don't get the 4x points by paying for it with the card... hopefully that makes sense. If my travel thus far continues, I should end up with 40-50 nights by the end of the year. Not a super high number, but if I can leverage these into upgrades when I go on vacation with my family, that would be great.

We used to love AirBnB's, but lately they seem to have more fees and pain points than just getting a regular hotel - so we're coming back to hotels for vacations where it makes sense.

I don't check bags often enough for a "free" checked bag to matter, really.

Enhanced boarding and lounges would be nice, especially as a lot of my visits recently seem to require a layover in Charlotte or Chicago.



It sounds like I'm seeing multiple suggestions for the Chase Sapphire Reserve/Preferred... but then for a Marriott card, the Ritz Carlton seems highly regarded on BoardingArea (or start with Boundless/Bountiful and change after a year?).

There are heaps of great cards out there, but the sequence is important. Many cards like the Ritz Carlton come with HEFTY annual fees that take very precise modeling to recoup the value from. The reason so many recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred is you get very competitive benefits and enhance your Chase Freedom Unlimited card for a $100 annual fee.

Most hotel or airline cards are good for a second or third card, in my opinion.

If you go for the Bonvoy Brilliant and hit 50 nights (work plus family vacation), you'll get titanium status which would be nice if you take a family trip to a Marriott property with good amenities.

You will still earn miles for flying and depending on how the hotels are booked you may earn hotel nights. That would be worth investigating with others in your company. If the rooms are booked through certain travel agents groups you may not get that.

Chicago and Charlotte - does that mean you fly AA frequently? If so, there may be a good case for the citi executive, but it's an expensive card.

The Ritz Carlton card is a fan favorite of the points blogging community who spends a lot more time traveling to luxury resorts. Like bthotugigem05 said, you really have to inspect whether it makes sense for you.

One thing to keep in mind that the blogging community gets real high on certain things that work well for those people who likely have significantly different travel needs from you. It can quickly seem like you need all the cards. But really make sure you get the value out of each. And take it slow, because you can add more cards as you develop your points accumulation strategy and as you figure out where you want to travel for vacation.

Sounds like with all that frequent travel, you should focus on a card that has lounge access like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, or the Amex Platinum. It will make your flying experience so much better, plus lots of travel perks and benefits.

You should also focus on a card affiliated with an airline that you will use the most. You fly AA for work, but will you fly AA for personal travel as well? A good rule of thumb is to figure out what your home airport airline hub is and go from there. For example, IAH is a United hub, DWF is AA hub, which means they have the most direct flights out of there.

I'm grandfathered into a Capital One card that gets 2% on everything. It's branded Venture now, but I'm not charged the fee. It's hard not to keep it simple and just use that card along with purchase eraser. It also gets me access to their new DFW lounge which is very nice. Most lounges I've visited with my Chase Sapphire Reserve card were overly crowded and disappointing (exception being Venice).

I finally downgraded my CSR card to CSP this year. I was barely breaking even on fees and prefer not to use the Chase travel portal.

If it wasn't for the Capital One card mentioned above, I would strongly consider the Capital One Venture X for a premium travel card. It seems like a sweet spot for a premium travel card with easy to use benefits.

Petrino1 said:

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Sounds like with all that frequent travel, you should focus on a card that has lounge access like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, or the Amex Platinum. It will make your flying experience so much better, plus lots of travel perks and benefits.

You should also focus on a card affiliated with an airline that you will use the most. You fly AA for work, but will you fly AA for personal travel as well? A good rule of thumb is to figure out what your home airport airline hub is and go from there. For example, IAH is a United hub, DWF is AA hub, which means they have the most direct flights out of there.

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Yes; we're in Fort Worth I fly out of DFW.
Planning to stick to AA and Marriott for both business and personal.


Follow up question: I know AA has the admiral's lounges, but some of the cards offer Priority Pass Lounges - how do these compare?

I've been in the Admiral's clubs a handful of times when traveling with coworkers and they're pretty nice. Also, can I assume that the Admiral lounges will be closer to my AA gates because they're related?
...and as I read more into these, it sounds like the AA agents inside the Admiral's lounge can be super helpful with flight cancellations/delays vs standing in line at the gate.

Priority Pass is....okay. I have had a few issues at SFO not getting access because of 'peak times'. I think it is a SFO thing and the incompetence of anyone that lives there, to be honest. I have used the pass in probably 50 airports and never had an issue. It is nice to have options in various airports. For instance, in BKK we had probably 10 options, Seoul I had at least 6 or 7, SGN had 6 or so. For the ones I have used, the lounges are great to get a drink or two, some snacks and relax in comfy chairs. Im easy to please and dont have any complaints.

All longes are getting overcrowded but with admirals lounges at dfw you've got several to choose from which alleviates crowds at times. The capital one lounge at dfw is getting so crowded at times that you have to join a waiting list that can be over an hour long.

In some airports the lounges will be close to your gates but not all the time.

Same opinion as Hoyt. The number of great priority lounge experiences is far outweighed by the. Umber of times the small lounges they partner with, are too busy. Internationally, I've had very good luck though. Most of t(e ultra premium cards will get some of that access so just know what the limitations are of the version you get if you go that way.

I'd suggest having your wife get the primary card you use and then make you an authorized user. Get yourself the the card with lounge access if you want it. And as DFW person, the Citi Executive with admirals access makes a lot of sense. If your wife doesn't travel without you, don't pay for her to be an authorized user on this card as it's not worth it for spend unless you two want to focus on getting AA elite status. I think most points aficionados would say that there are better ways to spend and earn miles/points, but you've got to make that decision.

Then get the Marriott card in your name.

Hoyt Ag said:

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I think it depends on how you travel and if you have family. I am certain there are other options and I am not a big "hotel" guy. I would rather focus on the how you get there experience.

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This is a great point. I do not care where I sit on an airplane.

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Why not both?

I have united club card (which gives IHG status and discount) and amex bonvoy for platinum status.

Wife uses one, I use the other (churning every 2-3 years). We haven't paid for 90% of our flights as a family for 6-7 years and rarely pay for a hotel.

Also to add, the ritz carlton is not open to new applicants. You have to switch cards after holding one for a year.. so that is a long term idea, nothing that will happen now.

I have Priority Pass through the Venture X, and it's hit or miss. There are lots of restrictions on when you can use the lounge. For example, lots of lounges aren't accessible for domestic itineraries.

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Big downside is that all company travel has to be paid via company card, so I won't see any of the 14x/etc point conversions.

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By that, is that just flights or is it hotels as well?

If you can put your hotels and car rental on your own CC, I would recommend the Chase Sapphire Reserve. I have it and don't travel as much as I used to, but still get a lot of value out of the card.

The annual fee is $550, but you get a $300 travel credit. The way that works is the first $300 you spend on travel related costs (tolls, flights, hotels, parking, subway/EL, etc) will be credited back on your statement, and then once you hit $300, you get 3x points (10x points with Lyft). You also get 3x points on dining, and with point values being $0.015 per point, to cover the $250 annual cost, you need to spend about $1350 each month to break even if you only used it for 1x point value. Spending on food and travel, you bring that down quite easily, especially if you have kids who are active in multiple activities.

In addition, it covers Global Entry/Pre-Check cost each year and you get perks at the airport with Priority Pass. Some airports are opening Sapphire lounges to compete with the Centurion Lounge from AE. Using that could easily cover the $250 after a few trips. My wife and I went to Colorado Springs last December and used PP at Landry's in IAH for an early dinner ($56 credit). Then on the way home, used another $56 credit at a restaurant at DIA during our layover.

Whichever way you go, sit down and take a look at where your spending is and what you anticipate spending where to see what kind of value you will get out of a card. At the time, this was the best card for us, and to an extent, it still is. With 3 kids, I've thought about switching to the AE Gold as the grocery point value would really help given we don't travel as much as before kids, but when we do, the value we get from it justifies keeping it.

Have had a chase southwest card for a long time. Seems like with more and more budget airlines out there and internal changes at SW, their deals arent as good as they use to be. Will look into chase sapphire.

arrow said:

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I'm grandfathered into a Capital One card that gets 2% on everything. It's branded Venture now, but I'm not charged the fee. It's hard not to keep it simple and just use that card along with purchase eraser. It also gets me access to their new DFW lounge which is very nice. Most lounges I've visited with my Chase Sapphire Reserve card were overly crowded and disappointing (exception being Venice).

I finally downgraded my CSR card to CSP this year. I was barely breaking even on fees and prefer not to use the Chase travel portal.

If it wasn't for the Capital One card mentioned above, I would strongly consider the Capital One Venture X for a premium travel card. It seems like a sweet spot for a premium travel card with easy to use benefits.

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I have the Venture card, too. My annual fee is $59, but I think it's now $99 for new cardholders.

I've had it for at least 10 years and love the Visa signature hotels and all the perks that come with that. I've stayed in quite a few really nice properties (many of them Fairmont).

I've looked into the Venture X, but the cost (on par with the Chase Sapphire Reserve) is not worth the upgrade for me. The Capital One travel booking website isn't very good, and you have to use that to get the full benefits.

The Capital One Lounge in Dallas is NICE! Unfortunately, I rarely ever fly through Dallas, so I've only been once.

I had my Global Entry fee automatically refunded, and I use travel eraser to get 2% back on my cc statements. I average prob $1000-$1500 back per year.

Some great advice on here. I just shuffled my cards, and want to see if I'm leaving anything big on the table:

Canceled Chase United Business Card - Replaced with Hyatt biz card. I am a million-miler on United, so there aren't really enough additional perks to make it worthwhile. I've always liked Hyatts, and got a nice sign-up bump. Their points are valuable for up-level rooms (at Park Hyatts and the like), and we'll maintain at least a mid-tier status easily. Paid stays at Hyatt Place in College Station, and reward nights at Park Hyatt Milan - - a good tradeoff.

Canceling IHG card - they downgraded their credit card perk from Spire Elite to Platinum, which makes it less rewarding. I don't stay at their hotels too often, and I was mainly enticed by the generous earnings and status rewards. I have a good amount of points, and will likely use them on Intercontinental Hotels and above on foreign travel.

Most regular spend will go on CitiAAdvantage MAsterCard - We now live in Austin, and like American's direct flights by far the most from AUS. The points earnings rates are pretty lame, but at least it bumps me up in boarding by a group. Also, I will probably attain Silver just from credit card spend. I plan to fly AA much more in the future (maybe Gold level?), and while I only have 340k lifetime flight miles, another Million Miler opportunity may be feasible if I live long enough .

I have a no-fee Hilton AMEX that I only use for Hilton stays, which are pretty rare these days (thinking of canceling this card - thoughts?). Recently got a Marriott Bonvoy (Bevy) AMEX card for my wife's regular spending, so she can attain a level-up for us with them. Nice sign up bonus, too.

I like United Club and Admirals Club, but can't see them being worth it (via upgraded annual fee cards), given my work travel is now greatly reduced (and will go away entirely, soon). I'm trying to prepare for my retirement travel needs, which means spending my own money.

The only significant travel category I'm missing is rental cars - are there any that are worth a darn? Prefer Hertz and National.

I bleed maroon said:

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I like United Club and Admirals Club, but can't see them being worth it (via upgraded annual fee cards), given my work travel is now greatly reduced (and will go away entirely, soon).

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I think united club card fee is worth it if you have a family and travel twice a year.. even once it's close if you use it on both ends of flight which we often do.

I assume 4 meals and some drinks is easily $100, and the card has a $75 IHG credit, so for $525 annual fee, I calculate getting $275 with one RT flight, and pretty much that whole yearly fee back if we fly twice.


If you're solo traveler, you'd have to take 5-6 flights.

I bleed maroon said:

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Some great advice on here. I just shuffled my cards, and want to see if I'm leaving anything big on the table:

Canceled Chase United Business Card - Replaced with Hyatt biz card. I am a million-miler on United, so there aren't really enough additional perks to make it worthwhile. I've always liked Hyatts, and got a nice sign-up bump. Their points are valuable for up-level rooms (at Park Hyatts and the like), and we'll maintain at least a mid-tier status easily. Paid stays at Hyatt Place in College Station, and reward nights at Park Hyatt Milan - - a good tradeoff.

Canceling IHG card - they downgraded their credit card perk from Spire Elite to Platinum, which makes it less rewarding. I don't stay at their hotels too often, and I was mainly enticed by the generous earnings and status rewards. I have a good amount of points, and will likely use them on Intercontinental Hotels and above on foreign travel.

Most regular spend will go on CitiAAdvantage MAsterCard - We now live in Austin, and like American's direct flights by far the most from AUS. The points earnings rates are pretty lame, but at least it bumps me up in boarding by a group. Also, I will probably attain Silver just from credit card spend. I plan to fly AA much more in the future (maybe Gold level?), and while I only have 340k lifetime flight miles, another Million Miler opportunity may be feasible if I live long enough .

I have a no-fee Hilton AMEX that I only use for Hilton stays, which are pretty rare these days (thinking of canceling this card - thoughts?). Recently got a Marriott Bonvoy (Bevy) AMEX card for my wife's regular spending, so she can attain a level-up for us with them. Nice sign up bonus, too.

I like United Club and Admirals Club, but can't see them being worth it (via upgraded annual fee cards), given my work travel is now greatly reduced (and will go away entirely, soon). I'm trying to prepare for my retirement travel needs, which means spending my own money.

The only significant travel category I'm missing is rental cars - are there any that are worth a darn? Prefer Hertz and National.

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AA's levels are gold, platinum, platinum pro, then executive platinum. Not sure what the upgrade list looks like in Austin, but upgrades are rare at the major hubs for those below platinum pro.

If you got the citi platinum select card ($99 annual fee), you're probably getting the best earning rate for AA miles on those cards for general spend. The citi executive card gets 4x with AA, then 1x everywhere else.

For rental cars, I have found the best luck with a card that just gets you good status. Then use autoslash to see if you can find a cheaper rate after you book. Most points redemptions (through AMEX/Chase/CapitalOne/Citi) aren't that great on car rentals but if you just want to save the cash you could do that.

Greener Acres said:

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AA's levels are gold, platinum, platinum pro, then executive platinum. Not sure what the upgrade list looks like in Austin, but upgrades are rare at the major hubs for those below platinum pro.

If you got the citi platinum select card ($99 annual fee), you're probably getting the best earning rate for AA miles on those cards for general spend. The citi executive card gets 4x with AA, then 1x everywhere else.

For rental cars, I have found the best luck with a card that just gets you good status. Then use autoslash to see if you can find a cheaper rate after you book. Most points redemptions (through AMEX/Chase/CapitalOne/Citi) aren't that great on car rentals but if you just want to save the cash you could do that.

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Thanks! Yes, Gold is the first step - long time Continental/United flyer, and I'm used to their levels. I would like upgrades, but understand I'll likely need to move up another level to get them very often. I get them frequently on United, but their few AUS direct flights limits my usage.

Yes - the Citi Platinum Select is what I got, and it's OK (could be better). Strangely, as I recall, that was the first frequent flyer tie-in card (as AA had the first frequent flyer program), and I was an inaugural CitiBank AAdvantage Visa cardholder back in the early 90s. Life comes full circle (or at least credit cards do).

I just tried autoslash for an upcoming rental - seems kinda shady? They have to send you an email with the quote each time? On rental cars, I was mainly thinking about upgraded status, i.e. National Executive, Hertz 5-star (?) and Avis President's Club, along with automatic car upgrades, etc. Money saving would be nice, too.

I bleed maroon said:

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Greener Acres said:

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AA's levels are gold, platinum, platinum pro, then executive platinum. Not sure what the upgrade list looks like in Austin, but upgrades are rare at the major hubs for those below platinum pro.

If you got the citi platinum select card ($99 annual fee), you're probably getting the best earning rate for AA miles on those cards for general spend. The citi executive card gets 4x with AA, then 1x everywhere else.

For rental cars, I have found the best luck with a card that just gets you good status. Then use autoslash to see if you can find a cheaper rate after you book. Most points redemptions (through AMEX/Chase/CapitalOne/Citi) aren't that great on car rentals but if you just want to save the cash you could do that.

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Thanks! Yes, Gold is the first step - long time Continental/United flyer, and I'm used to their levels. I would like upgrades, but understand I'll likely need to move up another level to get them very often. I get them frequently on United, but their few AUS direct flights limits my usage.

Yes - the Citi Platinum Select is what I got, and it's OK (could be better). Strangely, as I recall, that was the first frequent flyer tie-in card (as AA had the first frequent flyer program), and I was an inaugural CitiBank AAdvantage Visa cardholder back in the early 90s. Life comes full circle (or at least credit cards do).

I just tried autoslash for an upcoming rental - seems kinda shady? They have to send you an email with the quote each time? On rental cars, I was mainly thinking about upgraded status, i.e. National Executive, Hertz 5-star (?) and Avis President's Club, along with automatic car upgrades, etc. Money saving would be nice, too.

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I've used hertz with good luck on upgrades thanks to their president's circle.

Autoslash did seem suspicious to me as well but every time I've used it I've been directed to a rental of the same class vehicle at a cheaper price. You book directly through the place it finds the lower price, not through Autoslash. Sometimes the discounts are a few dollars, but its usually significant enough to justify making a new reservation and cancelling my original one.

Check with your company to see if they have a negotiated rate code with a rental company. My company allows us to use their code to book personal rental vehicles. Most cars are the same price (you have to get into the SUVs and luxury cars to see a rate increase), so I can typically "upgrade" to a mid- or full-size sedan for the same price as economy. The rates are REALLY good, and you get some basic coverage/insurance included.

We have codes with Avis/Budget and Enterprise. I usually get the better deal with Avis, but not always, so I check both.

It's also nice for international rentals...the contract usually ensures I get an automatic. I can drive a manual, but when on vacation in a foreign country, I prefer an auto.

Greener Acres said:

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I bleed maroon said:

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Greener Acres said:

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AA's levels are gold, platinum, platinum pro, then executive platinum. Not sure what the upgrade list looks like in Austin, but upgrades are rare at the major hubs for those below platinum pro.

If you got the citi platinum select card ($99 annual fee), you're probably getting the best earning rate for AA miles on those cards for general spend. The citi executive card gets 4x with AA, then 1x everywhere else.

For rental cars, I have found the best luck with a card that just gets you good status. Then use autoslash to see if you can find a cheaper rate after you book. Most points redemptions (through AMEX/Chase/CapitalOne/Citi) aren't that great on car rentals but if you just want to save the cash you could do that.

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Thanks! Yes, Gold is the first step - long time Continental/United flyer, and I'm used to their levels. I would like upgrades, but understand I'll likely need to move up another level to get them very often. I get them frequently on United, but their few AUS direct flights limits my usage.

Yes - the Citi Platinum Select is what I got, and it's OK (could be better). Strangely, as I recall, that was the first frequent flyer tie-in card (as AA had the first frequent flyer program), and I was an inaugural CitiBank AAdvantage Visa cardholder back in the early 90s. Life comes full circle (or at least credit cards do).

I just tried autoslash for an upcoming rental - seems kinda shady? They have to send you an email with the quote each time? On rental cars, I was mainly thinking about upgraded status, i.e. National Executive, Hertz 5-star (?) and Avis President's Club, along with automatic car upgrades, etc. Money saving would be nice, too.

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I've used hertz with good luck on upgrades thanks to their president's circle.

Autoslash did seem suspicious to me as well but every time I've used it I've been directed to a rental of the same class vehicle at a cheaper price. You book directly through the place it finds the lower price, not through Autoslash. Sometimes the discounts are a few dollars, but its usually significant enough to justify making a new reservation and cancelling my original one.

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My test case weekly LAX minivan rental (don't ask) was $50 more with autoslash, but as it's for Thanksgiving week, I'm not too surprised that prices are going up. I checked the box for automatic updates, so I'll see if anything materializes closer to the date.

I appreciate the heads up, in any case!

I also recently started traveling for work about 2-3x a month and just went through this.

There is an almost overwhelming amount of advice on this topic so I will tell you what I settled on: I grabbed an Amex Platinum with a 175k sign up offer. It's a bit of an expensive card but it allowed me to shortcut my status with Hilton, Marriott and National and allowed me to try some lounge access to see if I liked it. The high sign on bonus sealed the deal for me. So far living the Amex experience.

After I hit my spend target to earn my sign on bonus I started looking at pairing it with an AA card and signed up for their Executive card this week with the 100k sign on bonus.

Both sign on bonus allow me to try their perks out and build status quickly and if I don't feel the benefit is worth it can downgrade in a year to a less expensive card (Amex gold and AA Citi platinum).

Just another strategy for you.

I travel a lot on credit card points, over $200k cash value in flights in the past year alone.

Coming up with the optimal airline strategy really depends on your home airport (DFW=OneWorld, IAH=Star, etc), where you travel (domestic vs international), number of passengers, etc.

The same goes for hotel strategy. Hyatt has a much better loyalty program but has a much smaller footprint.

A few suggestions

• All flights - AmEx Platinum for 5x points
• Hyatt hotels - Hyatt is my preferred chain since I have Globalist status so I'll use my Hyatt CC
• Marriott hotels - The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant gives you automatic Platinum status to jump ahead of all of the Gold status that's pretty easily to get from multiple credit cards. Plus elite night credits and more.
• Non-Hyatt Hotels - I prefer to book through the American Airlines hotel portal using my AA World Elite MC (points + LP from the portal plus 10x per dollar from this CC). I'll have Executive Platinum almost all from CC spend and much of that is from AA Hotels and AA Shopping.
• AmEx Gold - 4x on restaurants
• Chase Sapphire - Tours, boats, and other misc tickets and usually get 3x points
• Capital One Venture - 2x points on all other spend

BTW, if anyone is looking at signing up for AmEx cards, you need to sign up for the Gold first, then the Platinum to be eligible for both signup bonuses. If you cut straight to the Platinum, you can later sign up for the Gold but won't get the signup bonus.

That good

Anyone need a referral to a southwest card? Business is 80k right now, which is most of the way to the companion pass for 2025.