Whether or not you are new to the world of factors and miles or simply in search of the most effective methods to degree up your present card portfolio, a strategic bank card pairing is likely one of the best methods to maximise your incomes potential.
You’ve got probably heard of the most well-liked card groupings — the Chase Trifecta and the Amex Trifecta — however these are removed from the one methods to mix bank cards.
Let’s talk about how totally different bank cards work collectively to spice up your spending and incomes energy and go over a few of the finest bank card mixtures.
Associated: The very best enterprise and private bank card mixtures
What makes the most effective bank card mixture?
A number of components could make a very good card mixture, however most easily, a very good pair is one wherein each playing cards earn the identical rewards however have totally different bonus classes. This manner, you’ll maximize your earnings throughout a wider vary of purchases than you’ll with only one card.
Every pairing under reveals how one can enhance your earnings with two complementary playing cards.
Associated: 7 of the most effective playing cards to pair with the Amex Gold
Amex Platinum and Amex Gold
The Platinum Card® from American Specific has a excessive $695 annual payment (see charges and costs) however is nice for vacationers because it earns 5 Membership Rewards factors per greenback spent on flights booked immediately with an airline or via American Specific Journey® (on as much as $500,000 every calendar yr, then 1 level per greenback spent thereafter).
It additionally comes with in depth airport lounge entry, plus a slew of useful assertion credit. (Enrollment is required for choose advantages; phrases apply.)
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The American Specific® Gold Card is a foodie’s dream card with a $325 annual payment (see charges and costs). It earns 4 factors per greenback spent on eating at eating places worldwide (as much as $50,000 in purchases per calendar yr, then 1 level per greenback spent thereafter) and on groceries at U.S. supermarkets (as much as $25,000 in purchases annually, then 1 level per greenback spent thereafter).
It additionally comes with assertion credit every calendar yr for eating and takeout purchases. (Enrollment is required for choose advantages; phrases apply.)
Why they’re an incredible mixture: These playing cards work nice collectively since you’ll earn extra on flights with the Amex Platinum than you’ll with the Amex Gold alone (5 factors per greenback spent slightly than 3; spending caps apply) and extra at eating places worldwide and U.S. supermarkets with the Gold than you’ll with the Platinum alone (4 factors per greenback spent slightly than 1; spending caps apply).
Moreover, the playing cards’ advantages and assertion credit hardly overlap, that means you may get large worth from having each playing cards. You may then switch your Membership Rewards factors to any of Amex’s 21 airline and lodge companions.
TPG bank cards editor Olivia Mittak likes utilizing the Amex Gold and Amex Platinum collectively to maximise earnings in her prime spending classes. “My grocery and eating purchases nearly all the time go on my Gold, whereas I ebook flights with my Platinum; I additionally put giant purchases on my Platinum to make the most of that card’s in depth protections,” she says.
To study extra, try our full critiques of the Amex Platinum and the Amex Gold.
Apply right here: The Platinum Card from American Specific
Apply right here: American Specific Gold Card
Chase Sapphire Most well-liked and Freedom Limitless
The Chase Sapphire Most well-liked® Card (see charges and costs) is one in all our favourite journey rewards playing cards, incomes 5 factors per greenback on journey bought via Chase Journey℠, 3 factors per greenback spent on eating (together with eligible supply and takeout), choose streaming and on-line grocery purchases (excluding Walmart®, Goal® and wholesale golf equipment), 2 factors per greenback spent on all different journey purchases and 1 level per greenback spent on every little thing else.
Moreover, it comes with some useful journey protections — all for a low $95 annual payment.
The Chase Freedom Limitless® (see charges and costs) is a superb on a regular basis card. It has no annual payment and earns 3% money again on eating (together with eligible supply and takeout) and drugstore purchases and 1.5% on all different purchases.
Why they’re an incredible mixture: Each playing cards help you earn a powerful return on eating purchases, however you may earn extra in your non-Chase Journey journey spending with the Sapphire Most well-liked versus the Freedom Limitless. The place the Freedom Limitless actually shines is in its non-bonus spending.
By itself, the Freedom Limitless earns cash-back rewards. Nevertheless, should you even have the Sapphire Most well-liked, you may mix your rewards from the 2 playing cards and switch them to any of Chase’s 14 journey companions for optimum worth.
To study extra, try our full critiques of the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked and the Chase Freedom Limitless.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Most well-liked Card
Apply right here: Chase Freedom Limitless
Ink Enterprise Most well-liked and Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Ink Enterprise Most well-liked® Credit score Card (see charges and costs) is one in all our favourite enterprise playing cards. It earns 3 factors per greenback spent on the primary $150,000 in mixed spending on delivery, web, cable, journey, cellphone companies and promoting purchases made with social media websites and serps.
Cardholders can even earn 5 factors per greenback spent on Lyft purchases (via Sept. 30, 2027) and 1 level per greenback spent on all different purchases.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see charges and costs) is the premium sibling of the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked. With it, you may get entry to Chase Sapphire and Precedence Go lounges, an annual journey credit score and helpful assertion credit.
It earns 8 factors per greenback spent on purchases made via Chase Journey, 4 factors per greenback spent on flights and accommodations booked immediately and three factors per greenback on eating purchases (together with takeout and eligible supply).
Why they’re an incredible mixture: When you’ve got quite a lot of enterprise bills, pairing a enterprise card with a private card can work in your favor.
With this mix, use your Ink Enterprise Most well-liked for the primary $150,000 in enterprise purchases annually and your Sapphire Reserve for journey and eating purchases to maximise your factors per greenback incomes alternatives throughout the board.
To study extra, try our full critiques of the Ink Enterprise Most well-liked and the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Apply right here: Ink Enterprise Most well-liked Credit score Card
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Chase Sapphire Most well-liked and Sapphire Reserve
Holding each playing cards means that you can maximize factors on journey spending. You will earn 8 factors per greenback spent on all Chase Journey purchases and 4 factors per greenback spent on accommodations and flights booked immediately on the Sapphire Reserve. Plus, with the Sapphire Most well-liked, you may earn 2 factors per greenback spent on all different journey purchases.
With this combo, you may obtain useful journey perks, reminiscent of lounge entry, major rental automobile insurance coverage and journey protections.
Why they’re an incredible mixture: Holding each playing cards will help you maximize factors on journey spending, making certain you get a minimum of 2 factors per greenback spent on journey purchases.
Plus, by holding each playing cards, your factors can be utilized to ebook journey immediately via Chase Journey at a worth of as much as 2 cents per level with the brand new Factors Enhance function, relying on the particular redemption (see your rewards program settlement for full particulars). And should you actually need to maximize your earnings, you may create a trifecta by including the Chase Freedom Limitless, making certain you earn a minimum of 1.5 factors per greenback spent on all purchases.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Most well-liked Card
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Capital One Savor Money Rewards And Capital One Enterprise Rewards
The Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card has a $95 annual payment. It earns 5 miles per greenback spent on accommodations, trip leases and rental vehicles booked via Capital One Journey and a pair of miles per greenback spent on all different purchases, making it a very good card for spending that does not fall in different playing cards’ bonus classes.
Why they’re an incredible mixture: Use your Savor for purchases within the 3% cash-back bonus classes and your Enterprise Rewards for all different purchases to earn 2 miles per greenback on them. With this duo, you may convert your money again to Capital One miles and switch them to any of Capital One’s 15-plus airline and lodge companions.
To study extra, try our full critiques of the Capital One Savor Money and Capital One Enterprise Rewards.
Study extra: Capital One Savor Money Rewards
Study extra: Capital One Enterprise Rewards
Different methods to pair playing cards
Add a cobranded card for one in all your card’s journey companions
If you have already got a card that earns transferable rewards, pairing it with a card that earns rewards for one in all its journey companions is a superb possibility.
As an illustration, should you earn Chase Final Rewards factors together with your Chase Sapphire Most well-liked Card, you would possibly need to get the World of Hyatt Credit score Card (see charges and costs) to entry Hyatt-specific advantages like elite standing and a free evening annually.
Associated: Greatest lodge cobranded playing cards
Diversify your rewards
Whereas most mixtures focus on incomes comparable rewards, it is also a good suggestion to earn several types of rewards. You can, for instance, pair the Amex Gold with the Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card.
On this situation, you’ll need to use your Amex Gold to earn bonus factors on flights, eating at eating places worldwide and groceries at U.S. grocery store purchases (as much as $50,000 per calendar yr for eating places worldwide and as much as $25,000 per calendar yr for U.S. supermarkets, then 1 level per greenback spent thereafter) and your Enterprise X on your different purchases to earn 2 miles per greenback spent.
With this selection, you may make the most of each American Specific and Capital One’s switch companions, providing you with much more flexibility in your reward redemptions.
Moreover, you may additionally pair an Amex or Capital One card with the no-annual-fee Bilt Mastercard® (see charges and costs). It earns 3 factors per greenback spent on eating, 2 factors per greenback spent on journey and 1 level per greenback spent on different purchases, together with hire funds (as much as 100,000 factors every calendar yr) with no transaction charges (see charges and costs). To earn factors, you could make a minimum of 5 purchases monthly.
Bilt Factors are the highest-valued versatile factors foreign money based mostly on TPG’s July 2025 valuations and will be transferred to one in all Bilt’s 22 airline and lodge companions.
Associated: Information to transferring factors and miles to airways and accommodations
No annual payment
If you wish to earn transferable rewards with out paying an annual payment, pair the Capital One Savor Money and the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit score Card.
The VentureOne earns 1.25 miles per greenback spent on all purchases and means that you can flip Savor’s money again into transferable Capital One miles.
You can additionally swap one in all these Capital One playing cards with the Bilt Mastercard for an additional no-annual-fee duo that might diversify your rewards potential (see charges and costs for the Bilt Mastercard).
Associated: Cashing in Capital One miles? The way to get the utmost worth when redeeming miles
Maximize bonus classes
Should you’re OK with incomes several types of rewards and need to be sure to’re maximizing all of your purchases, you may arrange your card portfolio with playing cards that earn bonus factors within the classes you spend essentially the most in.
For instance, you would possibly go for the Chase Sapphire Reserve to earn 3 factors per greenback spent in your eating purchases; the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see charges and costs) to earn 3 factors per greenback spent in your fuel, EV charging stations and grocery store purchases; and the Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card to earn 2 miles per greenback spent on all different purchases.
In line with TPG’s July 2025 valuations, this mix would imply you are getting an 3.7%-6.2% return on all of your spending.
Associated: The very best rewards bank cards for every bonus class
Arrange your perfect construction
After all, totally different card mixtures work properly for various objectives. Figuring out your bank card objectives will enable you to resolve which qualities to concentrate on if you select your subsequent card.
As an illustration, if you wish to decrease your annual charges whereas incomes journey rewards, your finest card pairs might differ from these listed above.
TPG lead author for factors and miles Katie Genter pairs her Ink Enterprise Most well-liked along with her Chase Freedom Limitless, because it permits her to maximise her Chase Final Rewards factors whereas solely paying one $95 annual payment.
Associated: Chase’s 5/24 rule: Every thing you could know
Backside line
The neatest bank card technique usually entails pairing playing cards that complement one another. Begin by taking inventory of what is already in your pockets, then align your subsequent card together with your spending patterns and reward objectives. With the best mixture, you may unlock much more worth — and be properly in your technique to maximizing rewards for journey, on a regular basis purchases, and past.
For charges and costs of the Amex Platinum, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Amex Gold, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Bilt Mastercard, click on right here.
For rewards and advantages of the Bilt Mastercard, click on right here.
