You may hear this advert nauseam at TPG: On the subject of one of the best bank card, there is not one. And by that, I imply there isn’t any single card that magically suits each particular person’s particular wants.
In fact, one of the best card you will get is dependent upon myriad components, together with what reward forex you wish to earn, how typically you journey, your typical bills, whether or not you are keen to pay an annual price and extra.
If you happen to’re contemplating your first — or subsequent — card, check out 4 which might be absolute powerhouses and ones I steadily advocate.
Associated: Must you pay your lease with Bilt? We crunch the numbers
Evaluating my prime picks for one of the best bank cards
My prime 4 bank cards earn factors and money again, the reward currencies I at present discover most useful. Here is how they stack up.
| Card identify | Welcome provide | Incomes charges | Annual price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Freedom Limitless® (see charges and charges) | Earn $200 money again after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. |
|
$0 |
| Blue Money Most popular® Card from American Categorical | Earn a $250 assertion credit score after spending $3,000 on purchases inside the first six months of card membership. |
Money again is acquired within the type of Reward {Dollars} that may be redeemed as a press release credit score and at amazon.com checkout. |
$0 introductory annual price for the primary yr, then $95 (see charges and charges) |
| Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card | Earn 175,000 bonus factors after spending $6,000 on purchases inside the first six months of card membership. |
|
$550 (see charges and charges) |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see charges and charges) | Earn 125,000 bonus factors after spending $6,000 on purchases inside the first three months from account opening. |
|
$795 |
Chase Freedom Limitless
This card is strongest when paired with a Chase Sapphire card, just like the Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card (see charges and charges) or the Chase Sapphire Reserve as a result of you possibly can convert your money again to precious — and transferable — Chase Final Rewards factors.
Along with being an ideal starter card, the Freedom Limitless earns strong reward charges in well-liked classes that so many people already spend in (suppose eating and drugstore purchases). Moreover, it gives a good welcome bonus and earns a flat fee of 1.5% money again on all nonbonus spending.
Better of all? The Freedom Limitless does not cost an annual price, however nonetheless gives perks like buy safety, prolonged guarantee safety, rental automobile protection and journey cancellation and interruption insurance coverage. I additionally like that there isn’t any minimal quantity requirement to redeem your money again and money again does not expire so long as your account stays open.
For extra info, try our evaluation of the Chase Freedom Limitless.
Reward your inbox with the TPG Each day publication
Be part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s consultants
Apply right here: Chase Freedom Limitless
Blue Money Most popular Card from American Categorical
If you happen to’re a fan of a multipurpose card, you would possibly simply love the Amex Blue Money Most popular as a lot as I do.
The truth is, this is among the playing cards I most frequently advocate to these seeking to get into bank card rewards in the event that they’re keen to pay an annual price. It helps that the Blue Money Most popular options an introductory $0 annual price for the primary yr, which supplies you loads of time to resolve if this card is an effective match for you earlier than you incur its $95 annual price in yr two.
Apart from incomes strong reward charges in well-liked classes like U.S. streaming (6% money again), transit (3% money again) and at U.S. fuel stations (3% money again), this card earns a whopping 6% money again at U.S. supermarkets till you hit a $6,000 spend cap annually. If this occurs, you go from 6% to a 1% cash-back fee for subsequent purchases.
This was one among my first playing cards and stays one among my oldest bank card accounts. I initially obtained it after I realized I might earn greater than a flat 1% cash-back fee on grocery retailer runs.
I nonetheless use this card for smaller grocery store purchases, and yearly, because of the elevated reward charges talked about above, it nets me about $200 in money again. When this was my grocery retailer go-to (earlier than my Amex Gold), I simply earned no less than $400 in money again with this card.
Be aware: Money again is acquired within the type of Reward {Dollars} that may be redeemed as a press release credit score and at amazon.com checkout.
Associated: 2 grocery playing cards, twice the rewards: Why I double up at supermarkets
And that is not even one of the best half. The cherry on prime is the as much as $120 Disney Streaming assertion credit score every calendar yr (as much as $10 every month; legitimate for U.S. web sites solely; enrollment is required; topic to auto-renewal). This contains Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu.
If you happen to max this credit score out, it fully offsets the cardboard’s annual price after which some. That is an enormous win in my ebook, particularly should you already pay a subscription to stream content material on any of those platforms, like I do.
For extra info, try our evaluation of the Blue Money Most popular.
Apply right here: Blue Money Most popular Card from American Categorical
Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card
If you happen to’re contemplating making use of for a cobranded resort card, let or not it’s the Hilton Aspire.
Along with wonderful incomes charges on Hilton resort stays, this card is loaded with advantages that offset the $550 annual price and are simple to maximise.
For instance, this card gives one among my favourite perks: an as much as $200 annual flight credit score every calendar yr. This assertion credit score is disbursed as as much as $50 per quarter for flight purchases made immediately with an airline or by amextravel.com.
The Hilton Aspire can also be an ideal journey card as a result of, just like the Sapphire Reserve, it doesn’t cost international transaction charges (see charges and charges), and it comes with an as much as $209 Clear Plus assertion credit score annually whenever you join a membership and pay with this card (topic to auto-renewal; enrollment required).
The very best perk of being a Hilton Aspire cardholder, nevertheless, is the as much as $400 Hilton resort assertion credit you get every calendar yr (as much as $200 biannually) for eligible purchases at eligible properties.
As somebody who maximizes all three of those assertion credit — at properties like Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World in August 2024 and Hilton Waikiki Seashore Resort & Spa in August 2025— the Hilton Aspire has confirmed its price and greater than earned its spot in my pockets.
I’ve absolutely maxed out the resort credit score at each properties, and it made an enormous distinction in each journey budgets since I used the credit score to cowl dinners, plus afternoon espresso pick-me-ups after busy morning excursions. Eating out is among the pricier facets of touring, so anytime I can get a break because of a press release credit score, I make the most of it.
Associated: How one can use the as much as $400 Hilton Aspire resort credit score annually
For extra info, try our evaluation of the Hilton Aspire card.
Apply right here: Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Sapphire Reserve stays my all-time favourite card, even after the annual price elevated from $550 to $795 earlier this yr.
First, this card earns my favourite reward forex: Chase Final Rewards factors. I really like that this forex is transferable, and I sometimes transfer factors from my Sapphire Reserve account to loyalty packages like Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership, United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt.
The truth is, earlier this yr, I used 15,000 Chase Final Rewards factors to fly again dwelling to Pennsylvania after a fast jaunt to Oahu, Hawaii, saving me over $300. Although this redemption was kind of on par with TPG’s October 2025 valuation of Final Rewards factors at 2.05 cents apiece, I at all times want reserving a flight when there is a switch bonus since meaning I get to maintain extra of my factors for future travels.
Sadly, no bonuses had been accessible after I booked my flight, so I nonetheless used my factors to keep away from paying greater than $300 for a one-way ticket.
Other than providing high-value factors, the Sapphire Reserve additionally options strong incomes charges in a few of my prime spend classes (Lyft, flights, resorts and eating) and is the right journey companion because of world-class insurance coverage and protections, together with main rental automobile insurance coverage and journey delay reimbursement. Plus, there are not any international transaction charges whenever you make purchases overseas.
Then there are the assertion credit, which, if used of their entirety, greater than offset the cardboard’s annual price.
Three of my favorites embrace:
- A beneficiant $300 annual journey credit score (should you’re saving this credit score for a selected buy, needless to say it kicks in mechanically for any buy that codes as journey).
- As much as $120 in annual in-app Lyft credit disbursed as as much as $10 every month (by Sept. 30, 2027; excludes Wait & Save, bike and scooter rides).
- As much as $120 for International Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus each 4 years.
Associated: 6 lesser-known Chase Sapphire Reserve advantages that repay huge
For extra info, try our evaluation of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
How I selected my prime playing cards
This listing contains three playing cards I take advantage of typically and one I’m wanting so as to add to my pockets within the close to future (the Freedom Limitless). I take advantage of my Sapphire Reserve every day, whereas I take advantage of my Hilton Aspire and Blue Money Most popular with barely much less frequency, however nonetheless sufficient to earn me my most well-liked reward currencies.
These playing cards present unimaginable worth for my kind of spending — particularly within the journey and eating classes. To study extra about how I compiled this listing and the way TPG applies rigorous pointers to every card we evaluation and fee, try our methodology.
Backside line
For me, one of the best bank cards work double-time, netting me transferable factors or money again, and provide perks resembling assertion credit I can simply use. I prefer to diversify my bank card rewards to have numerous redemption choices after I’m able to ebook a visit (utilizing factors) or full an internet order (utilizing money again).
Whereas the 4 playing cards featured on this listing are a few of my present favorites as a result of they supply terrific worth, I do have extra playing cards that see much less motion however nonetheless provide advantages I take advantage of typically sufficient to make them price retaining. Whether or not you are beginning out in your bank card journey or are in your tenth software, keep in mind that one of the best playing cards are at all times those that offer you perks that fit your spending and price range.
For charges and charges of the Amex Gold, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Hilton Aspire Card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Amex Blue Money Most popular, click on right here.
Associated: The very best rewards bank cards so as to add to your pockets
