Credit Card Reviews

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card – credit score, income requirements + odds of approval

June 29, 2022 by Rosemarie Clancy

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Capital One has some very popular cards for travelers, and many people are familiar with them from their heavy promotion in television ads featuring celebrities like Jennifer Garner and Samuel L. Jackson.

The ads talk about earning double miles on everything and trading them in for airline tickets with no blackout dates. The commercials end with the line “What’s in your wallet?” and many people have decided that one of the Capital One cards deserves a slot.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is unusual though because while it calls its rewards miles, it doesn’t earn real miles in a traditional airline program. What you earn are points that can be used to book travel through Capital One’s portal, erase travel charges on your statement or transfer to travel partners.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Fixed Value Cards

Cards like those issued by Capital One and Barclaycard are known as fixed-value credit cards. They are different from airline co-branded cards that offer tens of thousands of miles as a sign-up bonus and the opportunity to earn bonus points on airline ticket purchases and other categories like dining depending on the card. Most other purchases on co-branded credit cards generally earn just one point per dollar spent on everything else.

Airline miles in a traditional reward program can only be redeemed for seats on the carrier they are affiliated with or its partner airlines, but the redemption value can vary depending on how they are used and you need to find an award seat in order to use them to get free air travel which is why Capital One talks about no blackout dates.

Fixed value cards like the Capital One Venture card however, have more predictable earning and trade-in value. All purchases earn 2x miles, and all miles are worth a penny each on trade in. For example, $10,000 in purchases will earn you 20,000 miles that can then be used to book travel or erase a travel purchase of $200.

Credit Score Required

Like most travel credit cards, you will need to have excellent credit to be approved. That means your credit score needs to be at least 720.

You may be eligible with a score as low as 700, but if the score is 750 or more that will give you the best chance at obtaining this card. You also need to have had a credit card with a limit over $5,000 for three years or more before applying.

If you don’t know what your credit score is you can find it at many online banking sites which offer a free credit score to those that bank with them. Or you can use a service like CreditKarma to see your credit score and credit report.

Your FICO credit score, which is the one that is used most often to screen credit card applications is made up of several factors on your credit report including:

payment history (35%),
the amount you owe (30%),
credit history (15%),
new credit (10%) and
your mix of credit (10%).

It’s a good idea to review your credit report for errors as that may impact your application. If you find something that is not correct, report it to the credit bureau and see if you can get the mistake removed before applying, especially if it is dragging your score down as it may stop you from getting approved.

There are three credit reporting agencies that track your credit history including Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You are allowed to get a free credit report from each of them annually so you can make sure the credit reporting agencies are reporting your credit history accurately.

Credit History and Income Level Needed

There are a few things on your credit report that will cause your application to be denied. If you have ever declared bankruptcy or defaulted on a loan that will stop you from getting approved for the Capital One Venture card. And if you have been more than 60 days late on a credit card, medical bill or loan in the past year they will also deny your application.

You will be asked what your income level is on the application, and in addition to wages you can report other sources of income like child support payments, though you can leave that out if you want to. There is no particular income level required for approval as what you earn is only one of the things that Capital One takes into account when reviewing your application.

As with any credit card application, the higher your income is, the better your odds are of getting approved. If you are earning over $100,000 a year then this may help offset some less-than-stellar credit history as long as you don’t run afoul of the issues noted previously that will cause an automatic denial.

Odds of Approval

If you have an excellent credit score, good credit history and sufficient income, then you have very good odds of getting approved.

Capital One doesn’t have rules like Chase’s 5/24 rule, where the bank will deny you if you have opened more than five cards with any issuer in the past two years. The bank does consider how many cards you have opened recently though, and although there is no particular number of recent applications allowed, it can be another reason for having an application denied.

If you’re worried about not getting approved for the Venture card or you think you may not qualify, you can see what Capital One credit cards you are pre-approved for with no impact on your credit report by using the bank’s pre-approval application.

It will ask for your name, Social Security number, employment status, income and housing costs and it will determine whether or not you qualify for a number of Capital One cards including the Venture card.

Keep in mind that you can still get approved even if you are not offered this card when you check on pre-approval status, but your odds of getting approved are lower if Capital One is not offering you this card when you fill out the pre-approval application. You can also still be denied, but it’s not likely if you’ve gotten pre-approval.

Who is the Capital One Venture Card For?

The Capital One Venture card is perfect for someone who is interested in earning free travel through sign-up bonuses and spending on a credit card, but wants more earning power for all of their spending and flexibility when it’s time to book travel. Capital One has widened its appeal to travelers in recent years with the addition of travel partners that miles can be transferred to so that is another redemption option.

The Venture card is also good for people who don’t have the time or inclination to learn the nuances of frequent flyer programs, which can be complicated. Airline loyalty programs can often offer outsized value on redemption, especially for international travel in first or business class. But finding award space on the dates you want to travel can be challenging, especially if you want to travel to a popular destination during peak travel season.

With the Venture Rewards card you can have the best of both worlds. Points can be used to reimburse you for travel charges on your card, or you can use them to get even more value by transferring them to a travel loyalty program.

You can also choose to book your travel through the Capital One travel booking portal, which is powered by Orbitz. Miles are worth the same penny per point as they are worth when you use them to erase a travel purchase, but you don’t have to wait for the charge to hit your statement and you can skip the extra step of erasing the charges so this is the simplest way to redeem your points for travel.

Capital One Venture Card Benefits

The Capital One Venture card comes with a 60,000 bonus miles for signing up and spending $3,000 in the first three months of opening the card. If you already have this card or you’ve received this bonus before you may not be eligible for this welcome offer.

You earn 2x miles on all purchases, so you don’t have to worry about using different cards to get bonus points for select categories. Other cards with a similar annual fee only let you earn double points on select categories like travel and dining purchases and everything else earns just a single point.

Even though the Capital One Venture credit card is promoted as a travel credit card, it is not affiliated with a particular airline or hotel like co-branded travel cards so there are no benefits like free checked bags or upgrades.

One nice thing about using Capital One rewards to erase an airfare purchase on your statement or to book travel through the bank’s portal is that you will still earn miles in an airline program or points in a hotel program because using your Capital One miles is the same as using cash to buy the ticket or book the room. This can help you achieve elite status faster and get perks like free checked bags or lounge access with your airline elite status.

Capital One Lounge Openings

The card doesn’t offer extensive airport lounge access like some other cards, but it opened its own lounges starting with Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in fall 2021, with two additional lounges scheduled to open in Denver International Airport and Dulles International Airport outside Washington, DC, in 2022.

This follows in the footsteps of American Express that has opened its own Centurion lounges in over a dozen airports to give its most valued cardmembers a premium lounge experience.

Capital One lounges will have all the amenities you would find in traditional airport lounges like high-speed WiFi, chef-inspired meals at dining stations, pre-packaged food that you can take on the plane with you, fully stocked bars, coffee stations and quiet work zones where you can charge your devices.

Other offerings, which vary by location, will include shower suites, relaxation rooms, yoga and cycling rooms, and luggage lockers so you can go out and explore a city during a long layover.

Airline and Hotel Reward Program Transfer Partners

The Capital One Venture card also has travel partners that points can be transferred, unlike co-branded airline and hotel cards which earn points that stay within the frequent traveler loyalty program they are affiliated with and need to be used to book travel with that supplier or its partners.

There are currently 17 airlines and hotels that you can transfer your Capital One miles to, but look at the transfer ratios before you pull the trigger on that as they vary.

There are several airline programs that have a 1:1 transfer ratio for Capital One Venture miles including Aeromexico, Avianca, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Finnair, Qantas and TAP Air Portugal. Capital One miles also currently transfer to one hotel program at a 1:1 ratio and that is Wyndham Rewards, though Choice Privileges is expected to come on board this year at that transfer rate.

These are the partners that you will get the most value from since you are earning miles at a rate of 2x per dollar. For these programs, 10,000 Capital One miles will translate to 10,000 miles in the airline or hotel program.

Several airlines have a less generous transfer rate of 2 Capital One miles to 1.5 airline miles, which is still a good deal because you’re earning the Capital One miles at double the rate of many other cards. The airlines that have a 2:1.5 mile transfer ratio include Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Alitalia, British Airways, EVA Air, JetBlue and Turkish Airlines. For these carriers, 10,000 Capital One miles will become 7,500 airline miles when transferred.

There are also a few airlines that transfer at a 2:1 ratio, which is not as good as the other transfer rates, but still useful especially if you are just looking to top off your account. The airlines that accept two Capital One miles for each airline mile are Emirates and Singapore. The ALL Accor hotel program also has a 2:1 transfer rate. In this case, 10,000 miles = 5,000 miles or points in the airline or hotel program.

Other Travel Benefits

The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card also has some other benefits for travelers as it is a Visa Signature card. It offers travel accident insurance, and there are no foreign transaction fees. It also includes a car rental collision damage waiver (CDW) so you can rent a car and avoid that costly insurance if you pay for the rental with your Capital One card. It also comes with a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

Capital One Shopping

Capital One also has a shopping portal that looks for discount coupons at the online retailers you are shopping at and automatically applies them to your purchase. You can also use your points for purchases on Amazon.

Or you can redeem your rewards at millions of online stores through PayPal. To do this you just need to link your Capital One Venture Rewards card to your PayPal account and use your rewards balance when checking out.

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card

The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card has an annual fee of $95, and some people don’t like to pay a fee to hold a credit card. There are a lot of great benefits that can help offset that cost, but if you don’t want to pay a fee you might be interested in the Capital One VentureOne Rewards card, which sounds similar but has less benefits.

The VentureOne card also has a smaller sign-up bonus at only 20,000 points for spending $500 in the first three months, but that is a much more manageable minimum spend than the $3,000 in spending required to get the Venture card bonus. And you’ll only earn 1.25 miles per dollar compared to 2x with the Venture card, so you’ll earn less miles on your spending.

One attractive element of the VentureOne card though that is not offered with the Venture card is a 0% introductory APR for 15 months (followed by an ongoing variable APR of 16.49%-26.49% after that) so this card may be a better fit than the Venture card for someone with a tight budget.

There is also a Capital One VentureOne Rewards card for people with good credit, but with that offer you won’t get a sign-up bonus. The card will still earn 1.25 miles per dollar spent so it is another option for people who have a credit score below the excellent range that is needed to get approved for the Capital One Venture card or VentureOne card with a sign-up bonus. Also, the APR on this card is between 16.49% APR and 26.49% APR (variable).

Final Thoughts

The Capital One Venture card is a great travel card, especially for people that are just starting to collect miles and points for award travel, because it has a simple earning scheme that doesn’t require you to use different cards or watch for rotating bonus categories to earn bonus points.

It’s also good for experienced miles and points collectors, especially since Capital One added transfer partners back in 2018 and has been adding more every year. It is also more attractive to travelers now that Capital Once has started opening airport lounges, especially if you fly out of one of the cities where they have plans to open.

The Capital One Venture card is most often compared to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which is very popular with travelers. Both cards earn points that can be used in their own travel booking portal and both transfer to multiple airline and hotel programs.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a better transfer rate to most of its travel partners as they usually transfer at a 1:1 ratio, and you get a 25% bonus when booking travel through the Chase portal. But most of the spending on that card is only earning 1x per dollar.

You also won’t be eligible for a sign-up bonus for the Chase Sapphire Preferred if you’ve gotten a bonus for either a Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve® in the past 48 months. And if you’ve applied for too many cards in the past two years, Chase will also not approve you because of its 5/24 rule.

As other banks tighten their rules about who can apply and get sign-up bonuses for their cards, Capital One has become a great option for people who may not qualify for travel rewards cards at other banks because of restrictions they have in place.

The Capital One Venture card is also a good option if you have several frequent traveler accounts, but not enough points in any of them to book award travel, because you can transfer your points to Capital One travel partners to reach your travel goal.

Another great selling point of the Capital One Venture card is that miles in its program don’t expire like many airline programs, and if you have a tendency to save up your points for a big vacation you don’t have to worry about an airline program devaluation which can greatly decrease the value of the rewards you’ve been saving.

And best of all, you can earn 2x points on your everyday spending, and can then use them for any airline ticket at any time as long as there is a seat available. This is a big plus for people who have had trouble using airline miles because they don’t understand how mileage programs work, or they travel during peak season and can’t use traditional miles because of limited award seat availability.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Top 11 Credit Cards for Airport Lounge Access (2022)

May 20, 2022 by Adam Luehrs

Find out which credit cards unlock access to thousands of luxurious airport lounges worldwide.

Access to thousands of airport lounges is on the table for 2022 and new ones are being added constantly (see Capital One travel lounges). Getting the right card in your wallet is the secret to getting your body in a plush, comfortable seat inside an airport with great runway views, hot meals, work stations, private bathrooms and much more. Which cards pull out all the stops when it comes to lounging in style for free during stopovers? As airlines vie to recapture post-pandemic travelers, the cards have definitely been shuffled around a bit since 2019. The most exciting aspect is that airlines are expanding both their lounge offerings and their lounge access.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Let’s cover the best credit cards for complimentary airport lounge access in 2022!

Here’s a look at the credit cards offering the best lounge access in 2022:

1. The Platinum Card® from American Express: Access to the most lounges of any card! Choose from 1,200 airport lounges in 130 countries.
2. Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Access to 1,200 VIP airport lounges around the world via free Priority Pass Select access.
3. Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Delta SkyClub access with potential for a big status boost on your Medallion status with every purchase!
4. HSBC Elite Credit Card: Free and unlimited LoungeKey access with an annual fee that’s lower than other elite cards.
5. Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®: Free American Airlines Admirals Club® membership with opportunities to jump to a higher status through card purchases.
6. Mastercard® Black Card™: Automatic enrollment in Priority Pass Select for access to more than 1,300 lounges around the world.
7. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card: Complimentary Priority Pass™ Select access for entry to more than 1,200 lounges around the world when flying on any airline.
8. American Express Green Card: $100 LoungeBuddy Credit.
9. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Complimentary Priority Pass access with the bonus of complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status.
10. United℠ Explorer Card: Two United Club passes per year with a card that offers opportunities to earn PQPs.
11. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Complimentary access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection with big potential to earn extra points and status upgrades.

The Platinum Card® From American Express

If it’s sheer volume you’re looking for, this personal credit card offers access to the largest number of airport lounges. Platinum Members enjoy totally unlimited complimentary access to Centurion Lounges with Priority Pass Lounges access. That’s a lot of luxury to be rolling your luggage into between flights! In fact, it adds up to access to 1,200 airport lounges spread across 130 countries. What’s more, AMEX is adding new lounges every year. All of that choice won’t seem overwhelming because cardholders can use the American Express app to swiftly find lounges on the go!

There’s also a really big cherry on top with this card. It is one of the rare cards to provide lounge access for a cardholder while also giving the green light for two additional guests. While most cards and lounges have been on a streak of restricting or phasing out guest perks, Platinum still rolls out a red carpet that’s big enough for two to three people every single time!

Let’s quickly cover some specifics of this card.

Yes, the limitless lounge access that goes along with this card comes with a price. The annual fee on the Platinum Card® from American Express is $695. However, a little perspective helps when justifying the decision to jump for this card. An annual Priority Pass membership costs $429. However, the AMEX Platinum is just a little more with actual AMEX-branded lounge access paired with Priority Pass membership. You’re also getting the prestige and credit boost of having this elite card.

The free lounge access is just skimming the surface of the perks offered by the AMEX Platinum. Let’s not forget that this card comes with 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels with a threshold of $500,000!

You can also make back half of your annual fee just by taking advantage of the card’s $240 digital entertainment credit that rewards you with $20 each month when you pay for select digital subscriptions using your card.

There’s also a $200 annual hotel credit, $200 annual airline fee credit, $200 Uber cash credit, $179 CLEAR credit and $300 Equinox Credit.

Lastly, AMEX will give you an annual Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® credit. While there are simply too many perks to get into with this card, the AMEX Platinum offers dozens of “extras” that include things like upgrades to Marriott Bonvoy™ Gold Elite status or Hilton Honors Gold status without qualifying stays, free flight upgrades, car rental protection, special cruise privileges and more!

Chase Sapphire Reserve

The caveat with Chase Sapphire Reserve is that you have to be looking specifically for robust Priority Pass access for this card to be worth it in terms of airport lounge access.

The Sapphire Reserve card actually mirrors many of the perks of the slightly more elite Platinum Card® from American Express for a lower annual fee of $550.

In addition, Sapphire Reserve is only slightly behind the elite AMEX card with its offering of access to 1,200 VIP airport lounges around the world via free Priority Pass Select membership. Lounge guests flashing their Sapphire membership enjoy perks like free snacks, drinks and Wi-Fi whenever they touch down! You can also bring along two guests per visit!

Some of the other perks that pad this card include 3x points on worldwide dining and travel, 1:1 points transfers, a $300 travel credit and credits for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔®. There’s also a bump of 50 percent more points when redeeming airfare, car rentals, cruise reservations and hotels.

Some of the auxiliary perks of this card include $60 in DoorDash credits, a free DashPass subscription, a free year of Lyft Pink ($199 value), trip cancellation insurance, a rental collision damage waiver, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, travel insurance and emergency medical and dental benefits.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

This card is perfect for a self-selecting group that prefers to fly with Delta. In addition to giving you free Delta SkyClub access, this card is going to catapult you to Medallion Status much faster! It’s a win-win deal.

With an annual fee of $550, this card will be a better bet for most than simply paying the $545 annual fee for Delta Sky Club membership because of all the perks and potential for earning back baked into it! In addition to complimentary Delta SkyClub access for you, this card throws in two one-time guest passes per year. While that’s not as generous as the two-guests-per-visit perk offered by both the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and AMEX Platinum, it’s still something. There’s also access to the Centurion® Lounge whenever you book flights with your card. Members with this card also get upgrade priority over other Medallion members within the same level and fare class.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card has a nice roster of Delta-oriented perks. The big one is that you can earn 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $30,000 in purchases up to four times per year through the Status Boost perk. In addition, the Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) Waiver waives all other requirements for Platinum, Gold or Silver Medallion Status if you make at least $25,000 in purchases per year with your card.

Purchases made on Delta flights and Delta Vacations will earn you 3x miles. Everyday purchases made with your card will earn you 1 miler per dollar with zero limits on how much you can earn.

That challenges you to reach that $30,000 annual spending threshold for your Status Boost by using your card to pay for everything from gas to groceries. Some of the additional perks built into this card include a Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® credit, a baggage insurance plan, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, car rental insurance and access to the Premium Global Assist Hotline when you find yourself in a logistical or legal pinch while traveling.

HSBC Elite Credit Card

The big draw of the HSBC Elite Credit Card is free and unlimited access to LoungeKey lounges. Of course, you might not be very familiar with LoungeKey. One of the newer players in the lounge industry, LoungeKey provides lounge access at more than 1,000 locations around the world for cardholders aligned with various credit cards. Coming in with a lower-than-average annual fee of $395, the HSBC Elite Credit Card offers decent perks. The bonus breakdown for purchases made with your card breaks down to 3x travel purchase points for airfare, hotels and car rental. While you’re getting 2x dining points, it’s 1x points for all other purchases. There’s also $400 in travel credits on the table.

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®

A favorite among people who fly with American Airlines, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard® comes with a free Admirals Club® membership that’s valued at $650. That’s not bad when you consider that the annual fee for this card is $450.

This next point is why this card is worth considering even if you’ve already shelled out the fee to get Admirals Club® membership. The card will actually give you a prorated refund on membership if you’re an existing Admirals Club® member. Upgrading can be a great way to maintain the membership you already love while gaining some extra perks every time you spend.

This card provides 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases. You’ll earn 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases. You can also jet your way to elite status with American Airlines faster once you have this card in your wallet. That’s because the card gives you 10,000 Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) after you spend $40,000 annually. You’re getting handed an opportunity to cultivate 50,000 bonus miles. The longer list of perks offered with this card includes priority boarding, one free checked bag on domestic flights, 25 percent off airline food and beverage purchases and Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® credits.

The perks on this card are neat and easy. While Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard® won’t have much value for you if you’re already invested in another airline due to years and years of loyalty, it is probably the best card for getting free lounge access every time you fly if you’re an American Airlines devotee.

Mastercard® Black Card

Offering automatic enrollment in Priority Pass Select, the Mastercard® Black Card provides access to more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide. If you want to bring a guest along, the fee is $32 per person.

While the Mastercard® Black Card isn’t the only card to offer free Priority Pass Select membership, it does stand out for being a card that’s geared for luxury-oriented leisure travelers while having a $495 annual fee that’s lower than many other cards.

Cardholders receive $200 in annual air travel credit that can be used for airline tickets, baggage fees, upgrades and other flight-based purchases. All of your credits will automatically land in your account without any maneuvers on your end.

Members also receive a $1,000 gift card for TCS World Travel jet expeditions if they spend $35,000. The other perks to go along with this card include a Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ credit, baggage delay insurance, travel accident insurance, auto rental collision waiver, 24/7 Mastercard Global Service, trip cancellation/interruption insurance and travel assistance.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card

A no-brainer decision if you book stays at Marriott when flying, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card provides complimentary Priority Pass™ Select access for entry to more than 1,200 lounges around the world when you fly with any airline.

Also baked into this card is $300 in annual statement credits for purchases made at hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy program.

This card shines for frequent travelers by offering 6x points on hotels, 3x points on dining and 3x points on flights. There’s also a $300 Marriott Bonvoy statement credit. You also get one free night as a reward each year for your card anniversary.

American Express Green Card

If you spend part of the year in Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain or Switzerland, this card is designed specifically for you.

While this card does come with lounge perks, it is not a heavy hitter in terms of lounge access by any means. The American Express Green Card only offers a single $100 Lounge Buddy Credit per year. However, that could be all you need if you’re just looking for lounge access one to two times per year when you’re making a trek home.

This card also comes with 3x membership rewards at restaurants, transit and travel. There’s 1x membership reward points on all other purchases. In addition, this card comes with great classic AMEX perks like a $100 CLEAR credit, trip delay insurance, upgrades via points, car rental loss/damage insurance, baggage insurance, purchase protection and more. The annual fee on this card is just $150.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

A great card if you’ve been coveting Hilton Honors Diamond status, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card grants your wish when you sign up! Yes, this card comes with complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status.

This card also comes with Priority Pass access that opens up entry to 1,200 lounges around the globe. In addition to free entry for you, you’re getting free entry for up to two guests per lounge visit. The perks for hotel lovers keep coming with an astounding 14x points on hotels and resorts. You’re also getting 7x points on select travel and dining.

In addition, this card comes packed with credits like a $20 airline fee credit and $100 Hilton on-property credit. You’re also covered with extra cardholder perks like car rental loss and damage insurance, access to the Premium Global Assist® Hotline and a baggage insurance plan. The annual fee on this card is $250.

United℠ Explorer Card

If you fly with United a couple times per year, this card might hit the spot. First, the disclaimer on this card is that it is not a lounge superstar by any stretch of the imagination. You’re not getting the highly generous and unlimited lounge access that’s offered by many of the elite cards on this list when you go with this card.

However, United customers who fly once or twice a year might like the added perk of getting some free lounge access on top of enjoying what is a really solid credit card. The United℠ Explorer Card comes with two one-time United Club passes per year.

While visiting a United airport lounge, you can enjoy drinks, snacks and Wi-Fi in a very posh setting. However, this card probably isn’t worth signing up for just for that perk. That’s why knowing about some of the other nice features of this card helps with making your decision.

First, you’re getting 2x points on dining, hotel stays and United purchases. All other purchases get 1x points. There’s also the perk of getting one free checked bag per trip. That adds up to about $150 saved per flight!

If you’re climbing the points ladder with United, this card offers the chance to earn up to 1,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) per year. Each $12,000 spent equals 500 PQPs. What makes this card really stand out is that it’s the first on the list to offer perks for no annual fee! While there’s a $0 intro annual fee for your first year of owning the card, the fee does rise to $95 per year after that.

This card also includes Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ credit.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

While personal credit cards are famed for offering better lounge access than business cards, the Business Platinum Card® from American Express is one card to have your eye on if you often mix business with travel. This card offers big bonuses and big rewards! Of course, the big question has to do with what it offers in terms of lounge access. This card comes with complimentary access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection. That means access to more than 1,300 beautiful lounges across more than 140 countries.

In addition to pampering you with Centurion® Lounge and International American Express Lounge access, you can also visit partner lounges operated by big names like Delta Sky Club®.

This card comes with 5X Membership Rewards points for your flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex’s travel portal. There’s also an airline bonus of 35 percent with the potential to get up to 500,000 points back per calendar year.

Some of the other perks included with this card are a $200 airline credit fee, $179 CLEAR Credit, a credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, car rental loss insurance, a baggage insurance plan, premium car rental privileges and Premium Global Assist® Hotline access. You’re also invited to skip to Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status without the need to book the number of qualifying stays needed!

Next, it’s time to get to what makes this a “business” card. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express actually rewards you for making a larger purchase by offering more points! You’re getting 1.5x points on purchases of $5,000 or more. It adds up for the potential of 1 million extra Membership Rewards® points each year! One of the priciest cards to own, the Business Platinum Card® from American Express comes with an annual fee of $595.

American Express® Gold Card vs Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®

May 19, 2022 by Rosemarie Clancy

The American Express® Gold Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® are popular credit cards for travelers because they offer a flexible points currency. Amex Gold rewards cardmembers with Membership Rewards points and Chase has the Ultimate Rewards program.

Both programs are similar in that they offer cardholders the ability to transfer points to travel partners, book travel through an online portal or cash points in for experiences, statement credits or gift cards. Points don’t expire in either program as long as you hold a card that earns them.

These cards have very different annual fees. The mid-tier Chase Sapphire Preferred is the most affordable at $95 a year, Amex Gold is also considered a mid-tier card but it costs $250 a year to hold, and the premium Sapphire Reserve is $550 annually.

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	Sapphire Preferred	Amex Gold	Sapphire Reserve
Annual Fee	$95	$250	$550
Welcome Bonus	80,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months	60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 6 months	50,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
Credits	$50 annual hotel credit when booked through Chase	$120 in Uber Cash and dining credit ($10 each monthly)	$300 in annual statement credits for travel purchases
Bonus Categories	5x on travel booked through Chase and 2x on other travel, 3x for online grocery purchases, dining and streaming services	4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), and 3x on flights	5x on flights and 10x on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase, 3x on all other travel, 10x on Chase Dining and 3x on other dining
Anniversary Bonus	10% of your total purchases	N/A	N/A

As you can see, if you’re considering signing up for one of these cards, the annual fee is a big consideration.

The fee can be offset by travel credits and the card’s earning potential, but only if you use the benefits and maximize the rewards earning potential. It’s important to evaluate the earning opportunities of each card to see if it fits your lifestyle, spending patterns and travel goals.

Sign-up Bonuses, Credits and Bonus Categories

Another big consideration for many is the sign-up or welcome bonus, which is pretty similar for these three cards. The Sapphire Preferred offers 80k points and the Amex Gold offers 60k points after spending $4,000, but the key difference is that American Express gives you 6 months to meet that minimum spending requirement while Chase gives you just 3.

Surprisingly, the card with the most expensive annual fee of the three cards has the smallest bonus. The premium Chase Sapphire Reserve only offers a 50,000 point sign-up bonus after spending $4,000 in the first three months.

If the sign-up bonus is your main motivation for signing up for one of these cards, then the Chase Sapphire Preferred is your best bet.

Travel and Other Credits

In addition to the value of the sign-up bonus, you can easily offset about half of the annual fee on any of these cards if you take advantage of the travel credits offered. The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a $50 credit on a hotel booking through its Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. The Chase Sapphire Preferred gives you up to $300 in statement credits on travel purchases through its portal every year.

The American Express Gold card offers $10 a month in Uber credits for rides or Uber Eats. You just need to add your card to your Uber account to get the Uber Cash each month. You also get another $10 a month in dining credits that can be used for Boxed, GrubHub, Seamless, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, The Cheesecake Factory and participating Shake Shack locations, for a total of $240 a year in credits.

Bonus Points Categories

The next thing to consider if you are trying to figure out which of these three cards is the best one for you, is how many points you can earn each year. Bonus points earning categories can really boost your balance and help you achieve enough points to book an airline award ticket or free hotel stay sooner.

The Preferred card offers 5x bonus points per dollar spent on any travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal with the exception of the hotel booking that qualifies for the $50 credit. You’ll earn 2x on all other travel including airfare, hotels, taxis and trains.

Other bonus categories for the Chase Sapphire Preferred include 3x for online grocery purchases, dining and select streaming services. All other purchases earn one point per dollar spent.

The Reserve card offers 5x on airlines booked through the bank’s portal after you receive the $300 annual credit for those bookings, and 10x on hotel stays and car rentals booked through its portal. You’ll also earn 10x with Chase dining partners, 3x on all other dining, and one point per dollar spent on everything else.

The Amex Gold card offers Earn 4x Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and 4x Membership Rewards® Points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x) so these points can really add up whether you are dining out or eating at home. The Gold card also offers 3x on airfare purchases through the airline or amextravel.com, and one point per dollar on everything else.

You should review your spending habits to determine the best card for earning points. Clearly the Sapphire Reserve offers bigger bonus categories, but the 10x ones are tied to purchases made through its Ultimate Rewards site, so if you don’t intend to use the portal for travel or prepaid dining, takeout or cooking events, then this may not be the best card for you especially considering the high annual fee.

The 4x bonus on food purchases and 3x on any travel purchased with the Amex Gold is also very tempting, but that card also carries a substantial annual fee so it’s a good idea to crunch the numbers on how much you expect to spend on the card to figure out if the bonus points and other perks are worth it.

Membership Rewards vs Ultimate Rewards

One of the best ways to get the most value out of the points you earn in each of these programs is to transfer points to a travel partner to get an award flight or free hotel stay. While there is some overlap of partners, you should review the list of travel suppliers each card issuer partners with to see if they are ones that you hope to use for your reward travel if you plan to transfer points to a loyalty program.

Travel Partners

Points can be used to top off a balance in an airline or hotel loyalty program or you can transfer the full amount for a redemption. All three cards have airline partners that cover the three major alliances so you can probably fly to any destination you like, but booking a partner airline can be even more complicated than just finding award space on the carrier’s program that you transferred points to, so this is another consideration.

American Express Membership Rewards Partners

American Express partners with 12 airline programs and three hotel chains for its Membership Rewards program. Airline partners include Asia Miles, British Airways Executive Club, Delta SkyMiles, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Finnair Plus, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Iberia Plus, Qantas Frequent Flyer, SAS EuroBonus, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

Most transfer at a 1:1 ratio, but there are some exceptions, and transfers can take up to five days. Check here for more details.

Amex hotel partners include Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy and Radisson Rewards. Transfer rates vary and can take up to 10 days. Check the website for more details. Other travel transfer partners include Club Eurostar and Nectar.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Partners

Chase partners with 11 airlines and three hotel chains. Airline partners include AerLingus AerClub, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Emirates Skywards, Flying Blue (Air France/KLM), Iberia Plus, JetBlue TrueBlue, Singapore Airline KrisFlyer, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, United MileagePlus and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

Chase hotel partners include IHG Rewards Club, Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt. Ultimate Reward Points transfer to all travel partners at a 1:1 ratio in 1,000 point increments. Most points transfer by the next business day, but it can take up to a week.

Chase transfers are generally quicker and the points transfer ratio is simpler for many frequent traveler programs, so this is a plus, especially if there is limited award availability. You take a chance on transferring points and losing your desired airline seat if there is limited availability and a delay in transfer.

When it comes to domestic airline programs, If you’re loyal to Delta then the Amex Gold is a good choice. But if you prefer to fly on United, JetBlue or Southwest then one of the Chase cards is your best bet if you plan to transfer points to an airline loyalty program.

As far as hotel programs, both the Sapphire cards and the Amex Gold partner with Marriott, but if you are loyal to Hyatt, the Chase cards are a better option. If Hilton is your preferred hotel program, then Amex is the best fit.

If you’re not familiar with airline and hotel loyalty programs, or you don’t like searching for space or being limited by award availability, there are other options to redeem your points for travel.

Travel Booking Portals

You can use your reward points in either program to book your travel through the American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards booking portals. They both work like traditional travel booking sites so they are easy to use. The Chase portal is powered by Expedia and Amex uses its own online booking portal for redemptions.

Booking through the portal is a good option if there are limited award seats available as both of these sites will show all flights and hotel rooms available so you don’t have to worry about finding award space. It’s also a good approach if you want to keep your travel booking experience simple.

Because award redemption is tied to the price of airline fares and hotel accommodations though, this can cost more than using your points in an airline frequent flyer program or hotel frequent guest program.

The standout card for booking through the issuer’s portal is the Chase Sapphire Reserve. That’s because it offers a 50% bonus on points used. The Sapphire Preferred comes in second in this category with a 25% point bonus when booking through the portal. Amex offers points rebates to its business card holders, but not on the personal Gold card so those points are worth a penny each when booking travel through amextravel.com.

The sign-up bonus alone on each of the Sapphire cards is equal to $750 in free travel when booked through the Chase portal. Even though the Reserve bonus is 10,000 points lower, it is still worth the same amount because of the 50% point bonus when booking through the portal.

Chase also has a Pay Yourself Back feature that lets you redeem your Ultimate Rewards points for statement credits in select rotating categories. If you hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you’ll get a 25% bonus, and Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders get a 50% bonus for these redemptions.

Benefits of Each Card

All three of these cards come with great travel benefits including no foreign transaction fees when making purchases overseas.

The Chase Sapphire cards come with car rental insurance coverage, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, emergency assistance, as well as extended warranty protection and purchase protection when you use your card to make purchases.

The Amex Gold gives you access to the Hotel Collection, personalized travel service, car rental loss and damage insurance, baggage insurance and the Global Assist Hotline. The card also comes with purchase protection, extended warranties and dispute resolution, as well as access to American Express Experiences and American Express Preferred Seating, which gives you access to premium seats for select cultural and sporting events.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve also includes Priority Pass Select membership which gives you access to 1,300 airport lounges worldwide, and it comes with a statement credit of up to $100 every four years as reimbursement for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS expedited security screening programs.

Both the Sapphire cards also come with a complimentary DashPass subscription from DoorDash, which gets you unlimited deliveries with no fee and reduced service fees. This benefit needs to be activated by March 31, 2022.

Also, through March 2022 if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card you can earn 5x on Lyft rides, which is 3x points in addition to the 2x you earn on travel. If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the bonus for Lyft rides is 10x through March. There are similar bonuses for Peloton bikes and equipment purchased using one of the Chase Sapphire cards if that is on your radar in the new year.

Issuer Rules

You may have made up your mind about which of these three cards you are interested in, but one big consideration is whether the bank will approve you. They all require a good or excellent credit score to have a successful application, but there are also some other things you should be aware of.

Chase has a 5/24 rule, which means if you have applied for more than five cards from any issuer in the past two years, then you will be denied. Also, you can only hold either the Sapphire Preferred or the Sapphire Reserve, so if you already have one of these Sapphire cards you would have to upgrade or downgrade to get the other.

Lastly, you can only receive the sign-up bonus once every 48 months for either card in the Chase Sapphire family, so make sure it’s been at least four years since you last got a bonus on a Sapphire card or you’ll miss out on those bonus points.

American Express on the other hand, will only give you a bonus on any of its cards once in a lifetime. So if you’ve previously signed up for the Amex Gold card and gotten a bonus, then you should go for one of the Sapphire cards if you meet their criteria to get a sign-up bonus.

Amex also has a rule that only allows you to hold five personal credit cards at any time, but you can have up to 10 charge cards and the Amex Gold card is considered a charge card with no pre-set spending limit so this should not be an issue unless you already have nine other Amex cards.

Final Thoughts

All three of these credit cards are great for travelers as they offer bonus earning opportunities, credits for travel and other benefits. They all offer elevated welcome bonuses occasionally, and that is a great time to apply for one of these three cards so watch for that.

But if you want to add one to your wallet right now, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is your best bet if you want to keep the annual fee low and if you’re not sure how much of the travel credits you can use in the year ahead. It’s also the only one of the three that offers a 10% anniversary bonus on points earned, so this card is actually worth keeping in your wallet at least for the next four years.

If you apply now that will let the clock start ticking on when you can upgrade to the Sapphire Reserve and still get a sign-up bonus. It’s also a good idea to apply for Chase cards if you’re under the 5/24 rule, so many people apply for those cards sooner rather than later as you never know when the next attractive sign-up offer will catch your eye and that may push you over the limit of card applications that Chase allows.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card VS Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

May 18, 2022 by Rosemarie Clancy

There are many travel credit cards to choose from, but two of the most popular ones are the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Both credit cards have been around for a while, and they have been heavily marketed to consumers so many people are familiar with them.

You may have seen one of Capital One’s celebrity spokespeople on its TV commercials like Samuel L. Jackson and Jennifer Garner pitching the benefits of earning double miles on everything, booking airline seats with no blackout dates, and then asking viewers, “What’s in your wallet?”

The two cards are very similar in many ways. The Venture and Sapphire Preferred are both mid-tier cards that carry an annual fee of $95. And they both earn flexible points, which can be redeemed for travel or transferred to airline and hotel partners.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Quick Comparison

	Chase Sapphire Preferred	Capital One Venture
Annual Fee	$95	$95
Welcome Bonus	80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.	60,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months.
Credits	$50 annual hotel credit when booked through UR	N/A
Bonus Points	5x on travel booked through Chase and 2x on other travel, 3x for online grocery purchases, dining and select streaming services	All purchases earn 2x
Anniversary Bonus	10% of your total purchases	N/A
Foreign Transaction Fees	None	None
Global Entry/TSA Precheck	None	Up to $100 credit

How the Programs Work

The Chase Sapphire card earns points in the bank’s Ultimate Rewards program. Capital One calls their rewards “miles,” but they are not affiliated with an airline program, so they work more like reward points. You use the miles to “erase” travel purchases on your card.

They are both popular with people that are new to miles and points because of their simple redemption options, as well as with experienced miles and points collectors, because of the many travel partners they each have that points can be transferred to.

Where they are different is how you earn points, how you redeem your points for travel and which travel partners they allow you to transfer points to.

Whether you’ve seen ads about these credit cards or a friend recommended one of them, the thing that probably caught your eye was a huge sign-up bonus. Welcome bonuses give you a big stash of miles and points that are often enough to book a pair of round-trip domestic airline tickets. That can easily offset the annual fee of the card and save you money on airfare, which can be $500 or more for a domestic roundtrip, depending on where you are flying.

Before we go into the points-earning potential of these two cards, let’s compare their sign-up bonuses so you can see how many you will earn on each card after meeting minimum spend. Then we’ll go into bonus categories to see how they fit your lifestyle and travel habits.

The Capital One Venture card comes with 60,000 bonus miles once you spend $3,000 in the first three months. That’s worth $600 in travel, because the miles are redeemed for statement credits against travel expenses charged on the card at the rate of one mile per penny.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred also now comes with 80,000 bonus points worth $1,000 in travel after spending $4,000 in the first three months.

Even though the bonuses are the same, the Ultimate Reward points earned by making purchases on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card are more valuable if you are using them to book travel in the Chase portal because the card comes with a 25% bonus for those kind of redemptions.The sign-up bonus on the Sapphire Preferred is worth $1,000 compared to $600 worth of travel using the Capital One card. That’s a good reason to apply for the Sapphire Preferred card and strive to meet the extra $1,000 in minimum spend.

Earning Rewards

Another big consideration when choosing between these two cards is how you earn points. The Capital One Venture card is simple. Every purchase earns 2x miles, so you don’t have to worry about bonus categories. If you spend $1,000 a month on your card, you will earn 2,000 points which can be redeemed for $20 worth of travel.

Chase Bonus Point Categories

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card on the other hand, has several bonus categories. You earn 5x bonus points on travel purchased through its portal and 2x on all other travel including hotels, airfare, trains and taxis. You’ll also earn 3x on online grocery purchases excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs, 3x on dining out or ordering food through eligible delivery services, and 3x on select streaming services. You earn one point on everything else.

Limited Time Bonuses

Other perks of the Chase Sapphire Preferred include a complimentary DoorPass subscription, which gives you unlimited DoorDash deliveries with no delivery fee and reduced service fees. You need to activate this benefit by December 31, 2024.

Another benefit of the Sapphire Preferred card for a limited time is 5x points on Lyft rides through March 2025. That’s 3 extra points per dollar in addition to the 2x you would normally earn using this card. And one more limited-time bonus earning opportunity is 5x points on each Peloton Bike, Tread and Guide purchase over $450. You can earn up to 25,000 bonus points this way through June 30, 2022.

And another nice perk of the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a 10% anniversary bonus on all purchases made the previous year. If you spend $10,000 on the card during the year, you’ll earn an additional 1,000 points when the annual fee is due.

Which Card is Best for Earning Points?

To determine which card has the most earning power, you should review your traditional purchase history and see how these bonus categories mesh with your lifestyle. For example if you travel, dine out, get takeout or shop for your groceries online, you will earn double or triple points on all those purchases. If you book your travel through the Chase portal, which is powered by Expedia, then those points will add up quickly at 5x points per dollar.

Redeeming Points and Miles

In addition to using either rewards currency to pay for travel by getting a statement credit on Capital One travel purchases or using the Chase portal to purchase travel at a 25% bonus, Chase also has a Pay Yourself Back feature where you can use your points and get a 25% bonus on them to pay yourself back in rotating categories.

The payback benefit was introduced during the pandemic when many people were not traveling, and there is no current expiration date, though this perk will likely be canceled at some point. There are also other redemption options like gift cards, but you can also choose to cash your Chase Ultimate Rewards points in at the rate of one penny a point. An easy way to calculate the value is to remove the comma in your points, and add a decimal point before the last two zeros. For example, 20,000 points = $200.00.

But if you like to keep things simple or use several credit cards for your purchases and don’t want to keep track of which one to use for bonus points, then you’ll find the Capital One Venture card more attractive as everything earns double points.

Airline and Hotel Partners

Another great way to redeem your points or miles in either the Chase or Capital One program is to transfer your rewards to a travel partner. If you travel often and belong to several loyalty programs, this is a good way to get outsized value for your points or miles.

You should consider the travel partners that each card issuer works with if this is your goal or something you are considering. This is a great option if you want to top off an airline or hotel program to get an award seat or free night.

Chase Travel Partners

Chase has 14 travel partners. Airline programs that you can transfer points to include:

Aer Lingus AerClub
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
British Airways Executive Club
Emirates Skywards
Iberia Plus
JetBlue TrueBlue
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
United Mileage Plus
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

🏨 Hotel partners include:

IHG Rewards Club
Marriott Bonvoy
World of Hyatt

Capital One Transfer Partners

Capital One has 17 travel partners. Airline programs you can transfer your miles to include:

Aeromexico Club Premier
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Avianca LifeMiles
British Airways Executive Club
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Emirates Skywards
Etihad Guest
EVA Infinity MileageLands
Finnair Plus
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Singapore KrisFlyer
TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

🏨 Hotel partners include:

ALL – Accor Live Limitless
Choice Privileges
Wyndham Rewards

As you can see, the two banks have a few overlapping travel partners, but not many. You should have a destination in mind before you transfer points, and make sure award space or that the hotel you want to book with points is available, as the points cannot be transferred back to your Capital One or Chase Ultimate Rewards account.

Keep in mind that most of these airlines belong to one of the three big airline alliances including Oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam, so you can use miles to book travel nearly anywhere in the world.

You can transfer points to most programs in increments of 1,000 points or miles at a 1:1 ratio, but that varies so be sure to check on how many points you will receive before you hit the transfer button.

Also, be sure to check the price of a ticket or hotel room night online for the route or hotel you are interested in booking as some cash rates may be better than miles or points redemptions in a hotel or airline loyalty program because discounted fares and room rates may be cheaper than the redemption offered by the airline or hotel chain through their rewards program.

It’s also important to keep in mind that you need to keep the card open to redeem or transfer points. If you hold the card for a year and plan to close it when the annual fee is due, be sure to redeem or transfer your points to a travel program before you close it. And use the points or miles before they expire in the program you transferred them to. Most airline miles and hotel points are good for at least a year even with no activity. The points in the Capital One and Chase Ultimate Rewards programs don’t expire as long as you hold the card.

Premium Cards and No-Annual-Fee Cards in the Same Family

Both of these cards also have other cards in the same family that earn the same rewards. There are no-fee versions of both cards if you want to downgrade and earn points or miles without paying an annual fee.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards

Chase has the Freedom, Freedom Unlimited and Freedom Flex cards that earn 1 or 1.5 Ultimate Reward points, and also have bonus categories. These points earn Ultimate Rewards points, but they are considered cash back cards.

If you have either the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Sapphire Reserve card though, you can transfer the points earned on your Freedom cards to either of the Sapphire cards and from there to travel partners. Or you can use them in the Chase portal and get a 25% discount with the Chase Sapphire Preferred or a 50% discount using the Chase Sapphire Reserve for your redemption.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a premium card that costs $550 a year to hold. It has a new sign-up bonus of 60,000 points vs 80,000 for the Sapphire Preferred, but it comes with a $300 travel credit, which helps offset the fee. You also earn more rewards with this premium card as you get 5x on flights booked through Chase and 10x on hotels and car rentals booked through the portal.

The Sapphire Reserve offers 3x points on all other travel and dining. It also comes with Priority Pass, which gives you access to 1,300 airport lounges worldwide, and a $100 credit for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or Nexus every four years, as well as a host of other benefits. But not everyone wants to pay a big annual fee to hold a card, and if you don’t travel often, then the Chase Sapphire Preferred is probably a better fit.

Capital One Cards

Capital One has the VentureOne card with no annual fee, but it only earns 1.25 miles per dollar on all purchases vs the 2x earning power of the Capital One Venture. This is a good card to downgrade to if you want to keep your miles and your line of credit, but don’t want to pay the annual fee on the Capital One Venture card for another year.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Capital One recently entered the premium travel credit card market with its launch of its Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card late last year.

It comes with a $395 fee, which is much less than the Sapphire Reserve at $550, but it comes with a huge sign-up bonus of 75,000 points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. This card earns 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels rental cars through Capital One Travel, and 5x on flights booked through the portal. Everything else earns two miles per dollar spent.

With the Venture X premium card you get an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One, and 10,000 miles on your anniversary. It also includes access to Capital One Lounges and more than 1,300 Priority Pass lounges internationally, and a $100 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.

If you like earning rewards and you want more travel perks, consider upgrading to the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the VentureX. These cards carry a much bigger annual fee, but come with a lot more earning potential and premium travel perks.

Credit Score and Bank Rules

Both Chase and Capital One require a good-to-excellent credit score to be approved for a card. Your score should be at least 700 if you are thinking of applying for either the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Capital One Venture. If you have a great credit history and high income, you might be approved if your score is in the high 600s, but most of the good travel card issuers like to see a score of 720 or more.

Neither Chase or Capital One like to approve applications for people who open too many credit cards. How many is too many? Well, for Chase, it’s five cards over a two-year period. The bank has a 5/24 rule so if you have applied for more than five cards in 24 months your application will be denied.

Chase Rules

Chase also has a rule that states you can only earn the sign-up bonus for a Chase Sapphire card once every 48 months. And you can’t have two Chase Sapphire cards at the same time. So if you already have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, then you need to close that or downgrade it.

Capital One Guidelines

Capital One has a reputation for declining applications from people with too many open lines of credit or recent applications. It’s not a formal rule, but there are some other guidelines that may block your application. The bank won’t approve you for a card if you’ve ever declared bankruptcy or defaulted on a loan, been more than 60 days late on a credit card, loan payment or medical bill. And in order to get approved, you need to have had a loan or credit card for three years with a limit of more than $5,000.

Bottom Line

The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture cards are both great credit cards for people who like to travel or who travel for business. Both cards have flexible redemption options, and both card programs are easy to understand and use to both earn and redeem points, even for beginners.

And if you’re an experienced miles and points collector, then both of these cards are also great because they have many travel partners. Either card is a good option to transfer your rewards, but be sure the program you are looking to top off or transfer enough for an award is one of the transfer partners.

To make the best choice, review your spending patterns, and the hotel and airline programs you use, to see which of the two cards will help you earn the most points and get you to your next vacation destination sooner. And if you travel often and will use the credits on the premium cards from Chase or Capital One, consider getting one of them.

Credit Score Needed for Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express in 2022

May 16, 2022 by Rosemarie Clancy

Many people sign up for a credit card to get bonus miles and points for travel, but some prefer their rewards in the form of cash. The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express (terms apply) is a good cash back card that offers bonus earning opportunities in popular everyday spending categories.

The card doesn’t have an annual fee, and it offers 0% introductory APR on purchases for 15 months followed by a variable APR of between 14.74% to 24.74% after that. It also comes with a $200 welcome bonus which is credited on your statement once you meet the minimum spend of $2,000 in the first six months.

✈️ Looking for a new credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Bonus Categories

Cardholders earn 3% cash back on up to $6,000 in purchases at US supermarkets per year. You won’t max out this bonus category unless you spend more than $500 a month on groceries.

Purchases at gas stations and select department stores including Bloomingdale’s, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Macy’s and Nordstrom earn 2% cash back, and all other eligible purchases earn 1% cash back per dollar spent.

Cash back is received in the form of reward dollars that can be cashed in at a rate of one penny per point, so 25,000 points = $25.00, which is the minimum amount needed to get a statement credit.

Who is the Amex Blue Cash Everyday Card For?

This card is good for someone who doesn’t want to pay an annual fee for a credit card, but still wants to earn rewards for their spending. While many travel rewards cards offer bonuses for travel and dining, the bonus categories on the Amex Blue Cash Everyday rewards those that use their card to buy groceries and gas.

The $200 welcome bonus is also accessible for people that don’t spend $1,000 or more a month. Many travel rewards cards require a minimum spend of $3,000 or more in the first three months of having the card. The Amex Blue Cash Everyday card gives you half a year to meet the $2,000 in spend needed to earn the bonus, which amounts to less than $350 a month in spending.

It’s also a good choice for someone who wants to finance a big purchase and pay over time without having to pay interest because it has no interest on purchases for the first 15 months followed by a variable APR of between 14.74% to 24.74% after that. Most travel rewards cards do not offer 0% interest for purchases.

This card is probably not the best option for someone who travels frequently for business and eats out often, but it’s a great choice for families that prepare most meals at home and travel primarily by car. It’s also good for someone who frequents the department stores that offer double rewards.

Credit Score Range Typically Required

Your credit score needs to be 700 or more, which means it has to be on the high end of a good score which is between 690 and 719. Or your score needs to be in the excellent range, which is 720 to 850.

Both FICO and VantageScore use a range of 300-850 to determine credit scores. If your score is in the fair range (630-689) or below, then you will most likely not get approved for the Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express.

What’s included in my credit score?

Just over a third (35%) of your FICO credit score is based on your payment history, and another 30% is calculated based on the amount owed. These two factors together make up two-thirds of the overall score.

Your credit history, which looks at the length of time you have been granted credit, makes up 15% of the model, and new credit and the mix of credit mix account for 10% each. These last two metrics are concerned with how many new lines of credit you have applied for and the different types of credit you have, which can include home, car and student loans in addition to credit cards.

Income Level Required

In addition to reviewing your credit score, and even possibly modifying the weight given to the factors involved in it, American Express also asks what your income is on your credit card application. They also ask what your housing cost is to help them determine your ability to pay your credit card bills.

There is no specific income requirement for the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card, but what you make is one of the important factors when deciding whether or not to approve your application. It will also come into play when Amex decides what credit limit the card will come with if your application is successful.

Odds of Approval

If your credit score is good to excellent, your income levels are sufficient, and you’re not carrying too much debt on your credit cards, you have a good chance of getting approved.

A typical successful applicant would be someone who has had a mix of credit over a number of years, a good payment history on those lines of credit, and someone who hasn’t opened a lot of new credit lines recently.

Your credit card balance should also not exceed more than 30% of your combined credit lines. A lower debt-to-credit ratio improves your odds, and likewise a higher ratio of debt to credit will decrease your odds. But keep in mind that this is only one factor being considered.

American Express Rules

Your credit score and other factors noted above are not the only things that come into play when your application is getting reviewed. Like most credit card issuers, American Express has certain rules that may block you from getting approved.

For example, you can only apply for two American Express cards in a 90-day period, and you have to wait five days in between applications. Also, you can only have five active Amex cards with a preset spending limit at a time, including both personal and business cards. Popular cards like American Express® Gold Card (terms apply) and The Platinum Card® from American Express cards (terms apply) don’t count as they don’t have a pre-set limit.

Also, another important consideration is that you will only receive the welcome bonus one time for each of its products, so if you’ve ever had the Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express before and gotten a welcome bonus, you will not be eligible for the $200 bonus if you apply again.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

If you are thinking about signing up for the Blue Cash Everyday card, but you’ve had it before or you want to earn greater rewards, you might want to consider the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (terms apply).

This mid-tier version of the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card does have a $95 annual fee in the second year, but it includes a statement credit of $300 as a welcome bonus once you spend $3,000 in the first six months.

If your spend is closer to $500 a month rather than just a few hundred, this might be the better option for you because the annual fee is waived the first year and the bonus earnings are greater.

Bonus Categories for the Blue Cash Everyday vs. the Blue Cash Everyday Preferred

The Preferred version of the card lets you earn 6% cash back at US supermarkets up to $6,000, which is double the rewards offered by the no-annual-fee Blue Cash Everyday card. Subscriptions to select US streaming services also earn 6% cash back with the Preferred card. This is not a bonus category for the Blue Cash Everyday card so it only earns 1% cash back for streaming.

You’ll also earn 3% cash back at domestic gas stations and eligible transit such as buses, trains, parking, rideshare, taxis, tolls and other transit costs. The Blue Cash Everyday card only earns 2% at gas stations and no bonus rewards on transit. All other purchases on the Blue Cash Everyday Preferred card earn 1% cash back.

0% Introductory Offers for Blue Cash Everyday vs. the Blue Cash Everyday Preferred

The Blue Cash Everyday Preferred by American Express offers a 0% intro APR for the first year (12 months), but that is 3 months less than the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card offers, so if you want longer to pay off a balance for a big purchase then the no-annual fee version might be a better choice. The Preferred card also has a variable APR after the 12 month intro period of between 14.74% to 24.74%.

Both cards offer a buy now, pay later Plan It financing option that allows you to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Any plan created during either card’s intro 0% APR period will have no plan fees. Plans created for purchases after the introductory period ends will have a monthly plan fee of up to 1.33% of each purchase over $100 based on the length of time in the plan, the APR that would normally apply and other factors.

Travel and Shopping Benefits

Both the Amex Blue Cash Everyday and the Preferred version come with the same package of travel benefits and shopping protection. If you use your card to pay for a car rental, you can decline the collision damage waiver and you will have secondary coverage for theft or damage in a covered territory.

Cardholders also have access to the Global Assist Hotline when they travel more than 100 miles from home including help with lost luggage, translations, and legal and medical emergencies, though the card member will be responsible for costs by third-party service providers.

Both cards also come with protection on purchases made with the card. If you need to return something you bought with the card and the merchant won’t take it back, Amex will refund you up to $300 per item with a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year. You also get theft and accidental damage protection on purchases up to 90 days and $1,000 per occurrence for a maximum of $50,000 per calendar year.

Credit Score Needed for Amex Blue Cash Everyday Preferred

The Preferred version of the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card requires a similar credit score and history as the no-annual fee version, so you should compare both cards to see which is a better fit for your needs.

If you want to take some of the guesswork out of whether you will be approved for either one of these cards, especially if your credit score is borderline and you’re not sure if you qualify, you can see if you pre-qualify on the American Express site.

It’s not guaranteed that you will be approved if you do pre-qualify, but it is a good indicator of whether you will be successful in obtaining a particular Amex card.

Bottom Line

If you’re in the market for a credit card that offers cash back on everyday spending like groceries and gas and you don’t want to pay an annual fee, then the Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express is a great choice. It offers a good cash back welcome offer and the minimum spend is very manageable.

If you can meet a slightly higher minimum spend ($3,000 vs. $1,000 in the first six months), then the Blue Cash Everyday Preferred will get you more rewards for your gas station and supermarket purchases. The Preferred version also offers 6x bonus rewards on streaming services so the typical family can really rack up rewards with these bonus categories.

The downside of the Everyday Preferred card is that it does carry a $95 annual fee, which is waived the first year. The extra $100 welcome bonus ($300 for the Preferred vs. $200 for the no-annual-fee version) can offset that difference, but once the annual fee kicks in you would have to evaluate whether you spend enough in the bonus categories to maximize the rewards and justify the annual fee.

Both cards require the same good to excellent credit score, but the Preferred version may have a higher threshold of creditworthiness because mid-tier cards often have higher lines of credit. But if you have excellent credit, the Preferred version offers greater rewards and you can always downgrade to the no annual fee version after the first year if you want to avoid the annual fee.

If you carry several credit cards in your wallet, the Blue Cash Everyday Card by American Express or the Preferred version can be a great addition that lets you earn 2x, 3x or 6x on categories outside of travel and dining which are the most popular bonus categories for most travel rewards cards.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Credit Score Needed for Southwest Airlines Credit Cards

May 9, 2022 by Adam Luehrs

Getting super-cheap flights isn’t the only reason to stay loyal to Southwest. Home to the Rapid Rewards program, this budget airline has poured a lot into its suite of personal and business credit cards. Tens of thousands of reward points are on the table right now as part of a specific limited-time offer if you have the credit score and income in place to get approved. We’ll get to the details on that in just a minute.

Southwest is one of the better rewards platforms out there to tie your sails to for a number of reasons.

First, it’s the only program that offers unlimited reward seats that are totally unfettered. You’re not dealing with things like blackout dates and expiration deadlines for your points. There’s also tons of built-in ways to save when you make Southwest your go-to airline for earning points. Just the fact alone that your bags fly free with Southwest by default means that you don’t have to worry about applying any of your hard-earned rewards to luggage when you could be scooping up choice seats instead. Southwest also doesn’t ding you with change fees. The point being made here is simply that Southwest really makes you feel like you can dig into your rewards without tons of restrictions and red tape.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Currently you have 4 Southwest Credit Card Options to choose from. Here are those offers followed by some of their features and highlights:

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (annual fee of $149)

Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Receive 7,500 anniversary points and a $75 Southwest® travel credit each year
3X points on Southwest purchases
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card (annual fee of $99)

Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Receive 6,000 anniversary points each year
3X points on Southwest® purchases
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming
2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (annual fee of $69)

Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Receive 3,000 anniversary points each year
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming
2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (annual fee of $99)

Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open
Earn 3 points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases
Earn 2 points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car partners
Earn 2 points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases

How to Determine the Credit Score Needed for a Southwest Card

While Southwest doesn’t publish its formula for determining who qualifies for Southwest-branded credit cards, there are a few open secrets regarding how the company qualifies cardholders. First, you should know that there’s more scrutiny as you move up to the elite cards. If your credit is a little shaky, you may still be able to get your hands on one of the basic cards in the Southwest roster. However, you also have to be prepared to appeal for manual approval to “make your case” if you don’t get approved automatically.

Credit Range Required for Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cards

As a rule, Southwest only automatically approves card applicants with credit scores in the “good” range for its basic cards. That means that going in with a credit score between 700 and 850 is ideal. While there may be some wiggle room below 700 if you only need a basic card, you’ll need to hit 600 at the minimum. Once you’re going for the premium cards in the Southwest lineup, the threshold where people seem to be getting approved smoothly is around 740.

Income Needed for Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cards

Again, Southwest doesn’t post any requirements for income. Like most credit cards, Southwest cards use an approval process based on the CARD Act that requires credit card companies to ensure that applicants have the monthly income needed to make monthly payments without necessarily setting a specific minimum requirement for income. That means that Southwest is mostly concerned with your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio when approving you for a credit card. Your DTI is actually what any lender is looking at whenever you apply for a loan, mortgage or some type of financing product.

DTI is a percentage expressing how much of the gross monthly income that you’re taking in goes toward paying down debt. A person with a higher income can have a much higher DTI than a person with a lower income. This is why there’s no “clear” answer about income requirements. While making six figures is going to put you in a better spot to qualify for a Southwest card than someone making $50,000, your DTI can skew things away from your favor.

In the mortgage world, lenders probably aren’t going to give you a loan if your DTI is up above 43 percent. Where it gets tricky is that there’s no standard in the credit card world. While we know that credit card companies like a lower DTI, we don’t exactly know what number they use for cutting applicants off. However, we do know that the Federal Reserve’s standards see anything above 40 percent as being a sign of stress. The Federal Reserve considers a DTI of 20 percent to be good. It’s estimated that credit cards are generally happy with applicants with DTIs of 30 percent. You can figure out your own personal DTI right now by dividing your total monthly debt by your total monthly gross income.

Keep in mind that income isn’t just “wages” when you’re talking about credit card applications. In addition to personal income, you can submit information regarding gifts, allowances, Social Security benefits, trust distributions, scholarships and grants to boost your income. The income of a spouse or partner can also be included.

The Chase 5/24 Rule

Before dipping your toe into the Southwest family of credit cards, you need to know about the Chase 5/24 rule. This infamous rule that is technically “off the record” is one of the biggest determining factors regarding whether or not you’ll get a credit card. It’s known that Southwest credit cards are subject to the 5/24 rule.

The gist of the 5/24 rule is that you’ll be automatically denied for a new Chase credit card if you’ve already been approved for five credit cards within the last 24 months. That means that opening five cards or more in two years will get you cut off from new cards that come with tons of shiny perks. The reason why Chase does this is simply to knock out the “churn” problem that is so common when cards offer perks and rewards. Customers will often try to legally “scam” the system by opening tons of new credit cards with generous sign-on bonuses before closing them before the next annual fee is due. While most credit card companies don’t want to discourage people from opening multiple cards, the policy of no more than five cards every two years is in place to prevent excessive activity with opening and closing accounts. This makes searching for the right card with the right perks even more important because you don’t want to waste one of your approvals on a card that won’t serve you as well as another card.

Credit Score Needed for Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

Let’s talk about what you need for a credit score for the baseline Rapid Rewards card. While this is a great card for someone who travels here and there, it is by no means a powerhouse travel credit card. It offers some great everyday perks that definitely make it worth considering. While you may be interested in this card if you’re only a light traveler, it’s also a good card to consider if you’re a heavy traveler without the credit score to qualify for a more elite card within the Southwest roster. The two points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases combined with one point for every $1 spent on everyday purchases will make this a great option for everyday purchases with a travel slant even though you’re not getting the cash back and travel credits packed into the other credit cards. Keep in mind that this card is the only one in the Southwest roster of personal cards to not waive foreign transaction fees.

Generally, you’ll need to be up over 600 with your credit score to even be considered for this card. Getting to the 650 range is better for an automatic approval. If you get denied with a credit score below 650, you can appeal to have your application manually approved if you’re convinced that your income and DTI will be enough to get you over the line.

Credit Score Needed for Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

If you want 7,500 anniversary points, $75 in Southwest annual travel credits, four seat upgrades per year and 20 percent back on all in-flight drink and Wi-Fi purchases, be prepared to show up with a higher credit score. Considered the elite card in the lineup, the Priority card from Southwest typically requires a credit score of 700 and above. While there may be some leeway if you’re up near 680 or 690, be prepared to make a case with a very high income and low DTI if you appeal your denial because you’re below 700. This is a great card for someone who travels with Southwest frequently. The 20 percent back on in-flight drinks and Wi-Fi is a really good catch. This is also the only card of the three to offer upgraded boardings simply because you happen to own the card. You don’t have to reach any minimum balance to get these four free boarding upgrades. It’s also the only card of the three to give an annual travel credit. Your purchases with this card also set you up for tier-qualifying travel credits. While this card comes with an annual fee of $149, the perks built into the card will more than pay for the annual fee if you travel just a handful of times in a year.

Credit Score Needed for Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

A great pick if you have a small business that sees you boarding Southwest flights a few times per year, the Premier card gives you 6,000 bonus anniversary points each year on a card with an annual fee of just $99. We can see some pretty big overlaps between what this card offers and what the cards in Southwest’s personal lineup offer. The biggest similarity is that you’re getting two times the points on Southwest purchases with that consistent matching of one point for every dollar on everyday purchases.

A credit score of 700 to 850 is recommended when applying for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Visa. Ideal for small-business owners who make frequent trips with Southwest, this card offers a smart way to earn points and perks without a big investment. It offers quite an upgrade from the already impressive Premier business card. Just keep in mind that it comes with an annual fee of $199 that’s essentially double the annual fee of its “younger sibling.”

The 9,000 anniversary points given every year really put a bow on this card. This card also brings things up to the next level from the personal cards because it allows you to earn three points for every $1 spent on Southwest purchases instead of just two. It also gives you a special category for earning two points for every $1 spent when you make purchases for social media, advertising and more using your card. That all comes on top of the one point for each $1 spent that you get for all purchases. The reason why this is a top business card for anyone who books flights frequently with Southwest is that it packs in tons of traveler perks that will only be appreciated if you actually fly with this card. Business owners who don’t fly often probably won’t appreciate these ultra-specific perks. The first notable perk is that you can earn up to 365 in-flight Wi-Fi credits per year. The second is that you get Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ credits totaling up to $100 every four years. You’re also getting four boarding upgrades per year like you get with the Priority personal credit card.

Final Thoughts

The big thing to remember is that required credit scores are only recommendations. Like all credit card brands, Southwest doesn’t publish or publicize its minimum requirements to qualify for cards. There’s no doubt that the company uses complicated formulas to identify low-risk and high-risk cardholders. However, we don’t know the specific cutting-off points used by the company when determining who can qualify. This is why you’ll see outliers discussing how they were approved for a credit card with a credit score below 600 even though it’s thought to be “impossible” to get a card with a score that low. In these cases, Southwest may be approving a person because they happen to have a very strong income.

What is the big takeaway when figuring out the credit score needed to be approved for a Southwest personal or business credit card? Generally, you won’t be approved for any cards in the Southwest roster without a credit score of at least 600. As you move up to the more elite cards, 700 becomes the assumed minimum. Southwest’s business cards also tend to prefer applicants in the range of 690 to 850.

If you get denied for a Southwest credit card when you apply online, it doesn’t have to be the end of the story. You can contact customer service to ask to have your application manually reviewed by someone. While this isn’t a guarantee that you’ll get your application approved once someone gives it a second glance, this can be an option if you have a high income with low a DTI even if your credit score is lagging just slightly.

What should you do if you want to sign up for one of these cards? First, check your credit score to see where you stand. This is going to help you avoid any unnecessary pulls that are going to be done when you apply for cards that are “out of your league.” Once you’ve decided that you definitely want to get your first Southwest card, sign up for the Rapid Rewards program if you’re not already enrolled. This is actually the program you’ll be using to redeem the travel perks and rewards you earn with your Southwest credit card.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

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