The perfect bank cards, in accordance with TPG founder Brian Kelly

Since beginning The Factors Man in 2010, certainly one of my favourite issues is listening to from readers who share unimaginable tales of how they’ve maximized factors over time. It actually jogs my memory of simply how worthwhile the knowledge we share is and that it actually unlocks superb experiences.

An enormous a part of that includes leveraging high journey rewards bank cards.

Perhaps you are seeking to get a jump-start in your incomes technique forward of an enormous journey, or perhaps there are some new perks you need to leverage in your summer season travels. Maybe you are simply out there for an enormous welcome bonus.

No matter you are seeking to do, listed here are my picks for one of the best bank cards of 2025.

The perfect bank cards

*I’m a Bilt adviser and investor.

Evaluating one of the best bank cards

Listed below are my high suggestions for one of the best bank cards.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Welcome provide: Earn 100,000 factors plus a $500 Chase Journey credit score after spending $5,000 on purchases throughout the first three months from account opening.

Annual payment: $795.

Standout advantages: The Sapphire Reserve is providing a superb welcome bonus and options new credit — along with acquainted ones just like the broad use $300 journey credit score — which cardholders can make the most of to assist offset the price of its $795 annual payment.

Should you journey as typically as I do, the Sapphire Reserve can offer you a ton of worth due to perks like entry to Chase Sapphire Lounges by the Membership, the issuer’s top-tier airport lounges, and an as much as $120 assertion credit score each 4 years for TSA PreCheck, World Entry or Nexus.

Associated: Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve for Enterprise — which is best for you?

The Sapphire Reserve is not only a premium journey card, although. It is also a life-style product designed to fit your day-to-day with issues like complimentary Apple TV+ and Apple Music memberships (as much as $250 worth yearly; one-time activation required per service; subscriptions run by means of June 22, 2027) and a $300 annual StubHub credit score (cut up up into $150 from January by means of June and one other $150 from July by means of December; activation required; legitimate by means of Dec. 31, 2027).

For extra data, take a look at our overview of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

---

Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve

---

Chase Sapphire Most well-liked Card

Welcome provide: Earn 75,000 factors after spending $5,000 on purchases throughout the first three months from account opening.

Annual payment: $95.

Standout advantages: The Chase Sapphire Most well-liked presents profitable incomes charges and worthwhile perks like 3 factors per greenback spent on eating and a $50 annual lodge credit score, simply to call a couple of, making it among the best journey playing cards, in accordance with TPG consultants. It is also a go-to card for each novices and consultants.

I virtually completely use my Chase Final Rewards factors to switch to greater than a dozen of Chase’s switch companions and e-book award tickets, which permits me to appreciate even larger worth when redeeming my factors.

Should you’d slightly use this card’s welcome bonus in a extra simple approach, you may all the time redeem your factors through Chase Journey.

I additionally love this card for its journey protections and insurance coverage, even if you happen to use it to e-book an award ticket. Simply pay the taxes and charges with the Sapphire Most well-liked Card, and your journey is roofed.

Total, my Chase factors are tremendous worthwhile as a part of my general factors and miles technique, so if you’re in search of a card with a low annual payment, a stable bonus provide and nice perks, the Sapphire Most well-liked is a no brainer.

For extra data, take a look at our overview of the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked.

---

Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Most well-liked

---

Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card

Welcome provide: Earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases throughout the first three months from account opening.

Annual payment: $395.

Standout advantages: If you wish to maximize factors and miles with regards to bank cards, your objective must be to earn greater than 1 level per greenback spent on all purchases. This may be onerous when most playing cards solely provide bonus rewards in key classes like eating, groceries and fuel.

Fortunately, the bottom incomes price on the Capital One Enterprise X is 2 miles per greenback spent, so an enormous portion of my private spending goes on this card. After I’m searching for clothes, child provides or paying for insurance coverage — all classes the place I am unable to earn 3, 4 or 5 miles per greenback — I put these on my Enterprise X.

Whereas it has a $395 annual payment, do not let that scare you. It is simple to offset that annual payment with advantages just like the $300 annual Capital One Journey credit score and the ten,000 bonus miles earned every account anniversary. The latter turns into much more worthwhile once you switch to airline loyalty applications, which I do typically.

For extra data, take a look at our overview of the Capital One Enterprise X.

---

Be taught extra: Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card

---

American Specific Gold Card

Welcome provide: Discover out your provide and see if you’re eligible for as excessive as 100,000 Membership Rewards Factors after spending $6,000 on purchases throughout the first six months of card membership. Welcome presents fluctuate and also you might not be eligible for a suggestion.

Annual payment: $325.

Standout advantages: If there’s one factor I do virtually day-after-day, it is dine out or order in — so maximizing my factors earnings from eating and groceries is large. Since turning into a dad, my grocery invoice has gone up dramatically, so that is the place the Amex Gold is a no brainer.

For starters, you will earn 4 factors per greenback spent at U.S. supermarkets (as much as $25,000 every calendar yr, then 1 level per greenback) and 4 factors per greenback spent at eating places worldwide (as much as $50,000 every calendar yr, then 1 level per greenback). It is a nice technique to ramp up your earnings on two enormous spending classes, whether or not you are eating out or entertaining at dwelling.

You additionally get varied assertion credit, which just about utterly offset the cardboard’s annual payment. This contains as much as $120 in Uber Money ($10 monthly, legitimate for rides and Uber Eats orders within the U.S. after utilizing any Amex card when including the Amex Gold to your Uber account) and as much as $120 in eating assertion credit with eligible eating companions (as much as $10 monthly). Enrollment is required.

I load my Amex Gold Card into all my supply apps: Caviar, Seamless and Uber Eats. These factors actually add up shortly. Then, to make these factors much more worthwhile, I look ahead to switch bonuses that Amex runs with journey companions so I can flip my factors into miles and e-book airfare.

For extra data, take a look at our overview of the Amex Gold Card.

---

Apply right here: Amex Gold

---

Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card

Welcome provide: Earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases throughout the first three months from account opening.

Annual payment: $95.

Standout advantages: It is a nice card it doesn’t matter what your targets are — whether or not you are newer to factors and miles, choose an easy incomes construction or use it as a part of a wider incomes technique, like me.

Just like the Enterprise X, it lets you earn 2 miles per greenback spent on all purchases, making it a terrific card for transactions that do not match into frequent bonus classes.

But it surely’s particularly worthwhile due to the pliability it presents to cowl all kinds of journey with these miles.

For instance, you may redeem these miles at 1 cent apiece in opposition to any journey fees you placed on the cardboard. Alternatively, you may e-book flights, rental automobiles or lodges by means of Capital One Journey along with your miles — additionally at a price of 1 cent apiece.

But when, like me, you need to stretch the worth of these miles even additional, you may switch these miles to any of the 15-plus lodge and airline applications that companion with Capital One.

For instance, you might switch the miles to Air France-KLM Flying Blue and e-book bougie business-class seats from the U.S. to Europe beginning at 60,000 miles plus taxes and charges every approach. Or, switch to Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership, the place you will discover lie-flat Higher Class seats to the U.Ok. for as little as 29,000 factors plus taxes and charges every approach.

For extra data, take a look at our overview of the Capital One Enterprise Rewards.

---

Be taught extra: Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card

---

The Platinum Card from American Specific

Welcome provide: Discover out your provide and see if you’re eligible for as excessive as 175,000 Membership Rewards Factors after spending $8,000 on purchases throughout the first six months of card membership. Welcome presents fluctuate and also you might not be eligible for a suggestion.

Annual payment: $695.

Standout advantages: Regardless of its excessive price, the Amex Platinum stays a favourite of mine — and lots of TPG staffers as effectively.

I put all airfare on my Amex Platinum as a result of I earn 5 factors per greenback spent on airfare (on as much as $500,000 per calendar yr, then 1 level per greenback) once I e-book straight with an airline or through Amex Journey. And whereas the annual payment is steep, the advantages embody an as much as $200 annual payment assertion credit score for airline incidentals and an as much as $200 assertion credit score for pay as you go bookings with American Specific Advantageous Inns + Resorts and The Lodge Assortment. (Enrollment is required for choose advantages.)

Amex continues to be a pacesetter within the card lounge house, and this premium journey card offers entry to its Centurion Lounges, plus Precedence Cross lounges and Delta Sky Golf equipment when flying Delta Air Strains. (Enrollment is required for choose advantages.)

For extra data, take a look at our overview of the Amex Platinum Card.

---

Apply right here: Amex Platinum

---

The Enterprise Platinum Card from American Specific

Welcome provide: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards factors after spending $20,000 in eligible purchases throughout the first three months of card membership.

Annual payment: $695.

Standout advantages: Certainly one of my favourite perks on this card is Pay with Factors — cardholders obtain a 35% bonus after they Pay with Factors on first- or business-class tickets by means of Amex Journey (as much as 1 million factors per calendar yr).

Though it is a enterprise card, it comes with premium journey perks and enterprise assertion credit:

• Centurion Lounge entry and Precedence Cross membership
• A press release credit score of $120 for World Entry each 4 years or an announcement credit score of as much as $85 for TSA PreCheck each 4 ½ years
• An airline credit score payment of as much as $200 yearly
• Gold elite standing with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy
• Entry to Amex Advantageous Inns + Resorts and The Lodge Assortment

Though the annual payment is $695, the annual assertion credit and advantages greater than offset that. For instance, The Enterprise Platinum card presents:

• An as much as $150 in assertion credit on U.S. purchases made straight with Dell and a further as much as $1,000 assertion credit score after spending $5,000 per calendar yr
• An as much as $360 Certainly assertion credit score per calendar yr (as much as $90 per quarter)
• An as much as $250 Adobe assertion credit score after spending $600 or extra on U.S. purchases made straight with Adobe per calendar yr (topic to auto-renewal)
• As much as $200 in Hilton credit per calendar yr (as much as $50 per quarter; Hilton for Enterprise membership required)
• As much as $120 per calendar yr for U.S. wi-fi phone suppliers (as much as $10 monthly)
• An as much as $209 Clear Plus membership assertion credit score per calendar yr (topic to auto-renewal)
• The aforementioned as much as $200 airline payment credit score per calendar yr on fees made with an airline of your selecting
• The aforementioned as much as $120 World Entry/TSA PreCheck credit score

Enrollment is required for choose advantages.

For extra data, take a look at our overview of the Amex Enterprise Platinum.

---

Apply right here: Amex Enterprise Platinum

---

Ink Enterprise Most well-liked Credit score Card

Welcome provide: Earn 90,000 factors after spending $8,000 on purchases throughout the first three months from account opening.

Annual payment: $95.

Standout advantages: I like my Ink Enterprise Most well-liked card and its bonus classes — particularly the net web promoting class, which earns 3 factors per greenback spent on as much as $150,000 a yr (then 1 level after that). Should you max out this annual bonus, these 450,000 factors you earn can be utilized for journey bookings through Chase Journey for as much as 1.75 cents every (relying on the particular redemption; see your rewards program settlement for full particulars).

Associated: The facility of the Chase trifecta

Chase factors are very versatile, and I exploit mine as shortly as I earn them. Should you personal a small enterprise or actually have a enterprise concept, you may apply utilizing your Social Safety quantity; take a look at our posts to see who is perhaps eligible for a enterprise bank card (you is perhaps shocked!) and learn how to apply.

For my part, this card is a heavyweight, particularly for the low annual payment of $95.

For extra data, take a look at our overview of the Ink Enterprise Most well-liked.

---

Apply right here: Ink Enterprise Most well-liked Credit score Card

---

Bilt Mastercard

Welcome provide: N/A.

Annual payment: $0 (see charges and charges).

Standout advantages: For therefore many individuals, lease is their greatest month-to-month expense. But for years, the one technique to pay for lease was to offer landlords checks or Venmo funds. Should you needed to pay by bank card, you’ll incur a payment.

The Bilt Mastercard has utterly revolutionized this technique. So long as you make at the least 5 purchases with the cardboard every assertion interval, you may earn factors on lease funds and different qualifying web purchases. Even when your landlord solely takes a examine, Bilt can ship checks and automatic clearing home direct deposits so you may earn factors on the transactions (as much as 100,000 factors per yr).

Since you are paying lease through a bank card, you can too assist construct your credit score historical past with every fee. It is an absolute no-brainer, particularly since there isn’t any annual payment (see charges and charges).

For extra data, take a look at our overview of the Bilt Mastercard.

---

Apply right here: Bilt Mastercard

---

What to contemplate when selecting one of the best card

There is not a one-size-fits-all technique for choosing one of the best bank cards. There are a number of elements it’s best to analyze earlier than deciding on which of them deserve a spot in your pockets.

Most well-liked rewards

First, take into account the kind of rewards you need to earn in your purchases. If you need simplicity, a cash-back card could also be a terrific possibility because you typically have few limitations on how these rewards can be utilized. However, if you happen to’re after free journey or need to actually maximize your spending, it’s possible you’ll be higher off with a transferable rewards foreign money like American Specific Membership Rewards or Chase Final Rewards.

Welcome bonus

Incomes an enormous haul of factors or miles as a welcome bonus is often one of the best ways to shortly enhance your rewards steadiness. That is notably profitable if one of many playing cards you are contemplating has a limited-time provide. Simply make sure you overview every issuer’s eligibility necessities, and take into account checking your credit score rating upfront of your software so you might have an concept of whether or not you will be permitted.

Associated: 21 methods to make use of 100K Final Rewards factors

Spending habits

Earlier than opening any bank card (or opening a brand new one), take a while to research your spending habits during the last yr, together with the way you’re incomes rewards on any playing cards presently in your pockets. Many TPG readers begin with a easy, no-annual-fee card that earns 1 level, 1 mile or 1% money again on all purchases, however, as I’ve stated in my weekly e-newsletter earlier than, “Mates do not let pals earn just one level per greenback.”

Should you spend a ton at eating places, be certain you might have a card that rewards you when making eating purchases. If in case you have a big commute, decide up a card that rewards you for fuel or transit bills. It is simple to double and even triple your incomes charges for a lot of purchases with the suitable mixture of playing cards.

Annual payment

Lastly, it’s best to take into account the out-of-pocket price of any new card in your radar. Whereas some don’t have any annual payment (or waive the payment for the primary yr), others have hefty ones, as you noticed within the checklist above.

Within the first yr, virtually each card with a stable welcome provide pays for itself (after which some), however it’s best to take a while earlier than you apply to be sure to can actually make the most of that card’s advantages, each now and sooner or later.

How we selected one of the best bank cards

Many elements go into our collection of one of the best bank cards, together with incomes charges, welcome presents, advantages and perks. The playing cards I checklist above have personally allowed me to earn tens of 1000’s of {dollars} value of rewards over time.

You may study extra about how we analyze playing cards right here at TPG on our methodology web page.

Redemption choices for one of the best bank cards

Savvy vacationers will acknowledge that each one the playing cards I checklist above have one thing in frequent: Every one earns transferable factors or miles — and that is no coincidence. These rewards are extremely worthwhile due to the pliability they provide. You are not locked into one airline and its companions, or one lodge program and its collaborating manufacturers. You might be within the driver’s seat when it comes time to redeem.

For instance, for example I need to fly Virgin Atlantic to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) within the service’s Higher Class, and the one-way flight I would like is $4,000. I may use 400,000 Amex factors to e-book by means of American Specific Journey, however that very same flight is also 235,000 miles utilizing Delta SkyMiles, which is a 1:1 switch companion of Amex. Nonetheless, Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership has costs as little as 29,000 factors — and it, too, companions with Amex.

Backside line

Bank cards can play a significant function in unlocking rewards for purchases you are already going to make, however there isn’t any one good card that works for everybody. The above choices are just some selections that’ve labored effectively for me over time, but it surely’s important so that you can analyze which one is sensible in your particular person scenario.

After all, if you happen to do get into the world of journey bank cards, be certain you do not spend past your means and pay your balances in full and on time each month.

Associated: Greatest journey bank cards of 2025

For charges and charges of the Amex Gold, click on right here.
For the charges and charges of the Amex Platinum, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Amex Enterprise Platinum, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Bilt Mastercard, click on right here.
For rewards and advantages of the Bilt Mastercard, click on right here.