Choosing a Credit Card: Step 1—Core Cards

TL;DR: Start your travel hacking journey with one or two cards that match your spending, offer the perks you’ll actually use, and—ideally—come with a solid welcome bonus you don’t have to chase 

This is the first part of our three-part series on maximizing your travels with minimal effort. The first step is to get a few “core” cards–ones with manageable annual fees, whose bonuses match your spending, that give you the essential credit card benefits that you need, and which you can pick up without losing out on an elevated sign-up bonus. 

What makes a great core card?

The perfect core card is one that you can get any day, and will work for you every day. 

Annual fee. I prefer cards with no net fee; that is, either the card doesn’t charge an annual fee, or the fee is offset by statement credits and other benefits that put enough money back in your pocket that it doesn’t “cost” anything, on net, to hold it. This makes it easier to establish the card as a long-term “keeper” and one of the anchors in your wallet year after year.

Earning. You’ll usually only need one or two cards to cover your main spending categories and boost your rewards beyond the 1-point-per-dollar baseline of most credit cards. After that, trying to squeeze out an extra point or two on, say, gas or streaming isn’t worth much. You’ll get far more value from a well-timed sign-up bonus than from optimizing the last 10% of your monthly spending.

Benefits. What perks and protections are important to you? Is airport lounge access essential? Do you need benefits with a frequently-traveled airline? Do you want extended warranty and purchase protections on major purchases? You want your first couple cards to have you covered with all your travel essentials. You may also get more value from certain card perks than from waiting for the perfect bonus. For example, if you’re taking a big family ski trip using Delta points, the savings from getting free checked bags and a 15% discount on the redemption could far outweigh getting a suboptimal bonus offer on a Delta co-branded Amex card.

Bonus. Finally, certain cards are perfect as core cards because their welcome bonuses are the same year-round, or close to it. That way you can just dive in and get set up with the cards that you need without FOMO–they’re not likely to offer an extra 20k points the week after you sign up. 

Our favorite cards to start with

My overwhelming favorite pair of cards to start with are the Bilt Mastercard and the Capital One Venture X. There are a few reasons for this.

1) They’re simply the best cards currently on the market 🥇

The Bilt card offers bonus points on travel, dining, and–uniquely–rent payments, and those points are the best in the business to boot. The Venture X, meanwhile, offers an entryway into the premium experience, with lounge access, concierge service, rental car elite status, and premier shopping and travel protections.

2) They complement each other 🤝

The Bilt earns big bonus points on dining and rent, while the Venture X offers everyday value with double points (or more) on all purchases. 

3) They’re free (ish) 🆓 

The Bilt card has no fee, while the Venture X charges $395, but hands $300 back in travel, plus $100 worth of points each anniversary

4) You don’t need perfect timing 📅

Bilt doesn’t offer a sign up bonus, while the Venture X bonus is 75k almost every day. Elevated bonuses are so rare that it’s just not worth waiting for one. 

5) You can help out LazyPoints! 🦥

I can recommend that you use our referral links (for the Bilt and Venture X) confidently because these cards truly are the best, in my opinion, and I don’t worry about costing you points if you actually use them. I’m still going to say double check the best offer before using them, but the odds of a mis-timed application costing you rewards is much lower with these cards than most others on the market.*

*Note that the Venture X’s main competitors have recently announced refreshed cards, increased fees, and massive welcome offers, so keep this in mind when considering whether and when to apply for a Venture X. 

Other solid options if Bilt + Venture X aren’t a fit for you

Although the Bilt and Venture X are the perfect starter pair of cards for many people, there are a few other cards that could be well suited to the role. Among my other favorites:

Mesa Homeowner’s Card: Earn points for your mortgage. It’s still new, so the welcome offer isn’t always available or consistent yet. If you can get the 50,000 points when signing up, that’s probably a great deal.

Amex Gold: It’s power earning for those who spend a lot on food. The standard offer is usually 60k points, and elevated offers are rare. You can often earn 90-100k via a referral from a friend; if you keep checking, you probably won’t have to wait too long to find that kind of offer.

Citi Strata Premier: With 3x points on dining, gas, flights, and direct flight bookings, it’s a flexible earner, and could be a good fit if you can use the $100 credit toward a $500+ hotel booking via Citi each year. The 75k point welcome offer comes around fairly regularly.  

Chase Sapphire Preferred: This is the blogosphere’s favorite credit card. I disagree, but with a manageable annual fee ($95 with a $50 hotel credit), strong protections, and bonus points on dining, travel, and certain online grocery and streaming services, it can be a strong option, especially for those who prefer to stop at Step 1 and focus on a single card. 

Hotel cards: Having a hotel card can mean big savings and perks when staying with a particular brand. If you’re a loyalist, it can make sense to target them early. Airline cards work similarly. 

Spending bonuses: If you are a big spender and want to focus on a single card, some offer additional perks once you reach a certain threshold–either directly or indirectly. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve will give you Southwest Airlines A-List status and a $500 credit once you spend $75,000 on the card in a given year, while American Airlines co-branded cards earn Loyalty Points on each dollar of spending, meaning you can unlock elite status from heavy spending on the card. 

A few core cards leave other doors open

The rules for credit card applications and bonuses are complicated and are getting moreso all the time—5/24, pop-up jail, 1-per-lifetime, 8/65… the list goes on. But adding one or two great cards won’t block you from most major offers.

Lazy take

Get one or two cards that you can keep for a long time–manageable fees, strong earning, and travel and purchase benefits you need (or want!), and a welcome bonus that is evergreen or at peak. This is a great base to start from. With just the Bilt and Venture X, you could have lounge access, premium protections, and a healthy amount of points for travel each year–all for free on net. 

Those points might not be enough to take you as far as you want to go each year. That’s where step 2 comes in. In our next installment, we’ll talk about solid cards that can help you fund a whole trip, and stay useful for you long after.