The card_name is the newest entry into the ultra-premium credit card category. It has a large new-cardholder bonus, loads of perks, and a hefty annual fee. The net result is a first-year value of well over $800! Let’s take a look at what it offers:

• 75,000 bonus miles (equal to $750 towards travel) when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit. $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel. Book your choice of flights, hotel nights, or car rentals.
• 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary.
• Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck(R).
• Airport lounge access. Enjoy complimentary access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and the Partner Lounge Network.
• $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection.
• Annual fee is $395.

Here is the rewards structure on purchases:

• 10X Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options. They offer a Price Match Guarantee.
• 5X Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel.
• 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
• Redeem miles for any airline, any hotel, rental cars, and more.
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs.

Redemption details. Capital One “miles” can be redeemed directly for a cash statement credit on a 1 mile = $0.01 basis when offsetting any travel purchase made on the card within the past 90 days. In other words, 75,000 miles = $750 toward travel. That means you can fly on any airline or stay at any hotel, pay with this card, and then “erase” that purchase using your miles balance later. This even includes AirBNB vacation rentals, car rentals, and Uber rides.

This means that earning 2 miles on on every $1 in purchases essentially makes this a 2% back card when applied towards travel. Earn even higher rewards of 5 miles per $1 spent on on flights booked through Capital One Travel, and 10 miles per $1 spent on on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

The Capital One Travel portal offers price matching: if you find a better price on another website within 24 hours of booking, they will refund you the difference.

Miles transfer options. Capital One now allows you to transfer your “miles” into select airline miles programs as well. Here are the airline transfer partners:

• Aeromexico
• Air France/KLM
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Avianca Lifemiles
• British Airways Avios
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad
• EVA
• Finnair
• Qantas
• Singapore Airlines Krisflyer
• TAP Air Portugal
• Turkish Airlines
• Virgin Red

Hotel partners

• Accor Live Limitless
• Choice Hotels

If you know how to leverage one of these international airline miles programs, this can be a very valuable option. Otherwise, it’s nice to know you can always get a certain level of value by redeeming against any travel purchase.

Airport lounge access details. Capital One is creating their own lounges within select airports (currently only DFW). Venture X cardholders get unlimited access and can bring 2 free guest per visit. Additional cardholders are also free (no extra annual fee) and have the same benefits of bringing 2 free guests per visit.

As a Visa Infinite card, you also get Priority Pass membership, which includes access to 1,300+ participating VIP lounges, in more than 600 cities and more than 148 countries. You can bring yourself and up to 2 free guests.

Various other perks.

• Cell phone protection. Protect your cell phone every time you pay your bill with your Venture X card. If it’s stolen or damaged, you’ll get reimbursed up to $800 per claim with a $50 deductible.
• Primary rental car collision-damage waiver insurance.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Hertz President’s Circle® status.

Bottom line. The card_name is an ultra-premium rewards card that earns a minimum of 2 Miles per dollar on all purchases, which you can either redeem against any travel purchase or transfer to one of their airline/hotel partners. There is an new-customer offer of 75,000 bonus miles (worth $750 towards travel). If you can take advantage of the $300 annual travel credit, and add the 10,000 miles on every anniversary, then you’ve effectively offset the $395 annual fee in all future years.

Due to the $800+ first-year value, I will be adding this card to my list of Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

The Chase Freedom Flex Card is the new 5% cash back rotating category card for Chase, including the notable addition of 3% cash back on dining out and drugstore purchases. All of the popular features from the old Freedom remain as well: Up to 5% cash back on select categories throughout the year, no annual fee, and the ability to earn Ultimate Rewards points (useful in combination with Chase Sapphire cards). Highlights:

• $200 cash bonus (20,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after $500 in purchases in your first 3 months.
• 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers.

Here are the ongoing features of the Freedom Flex:

• 5X points (5% cash back) on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in rotating categories each quarter you activate.
• 5X points (5% cash back) on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards(R).
• 3X points on dining out, take-out, and eligible delivery services.
• 3X points on drugstore purchases.
• 1X points on all other purchases.
• Cell phone insurance is one of the noteworthy World Elite Mastercard benefits. “Up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year in cell phone protection against theft or damage for phones listed on cardmembers’ monthly bill.”
• No annual fee.

From October 1st through December 31st, 2023, you can earn 5% cash back (or 5X Ultimate Rewards points) on up to $1,500 spent in the following categories:

• PayPal
• Wholesale Clubs
• Select Charities (full eligibility list)

Enroll after logging into your online account (look on the right-hand side). 5% rewards won’t apply until after you activate your rewards, so it is best to activate now before you forget. No annual fee.

Remember that these cards earn Ultimate Rewards (UR) points, which can then be redeemed for cash at 1 UR point = $0.01. Therefore, you can either view a category as 3X points per dollar points, or 3% cash back. When UR points are transferred to a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve card, they can become much more valuable when converted to frequent flier miles or hotel points. For example, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, 5x points = 5 United miles per dollar spent, 5 Hyatt points per dollar spent, or 7.5% value back towards travel redeemed at the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal.

This is a new card (different than the regular Chase Freedom Visa), so everyone should be eligible for the bonus, but Chase does have an unofficial rule that they will automatically deny approval on new credit cards if you have 5 or more new credit cards from any issuer on your credit report within the past 2 years (aka the 5/24 rule). This rule is designed to discourage folks that apply for high numbers of sign-up bonuses. This rule applies on a per-person basis, so in our household one applies to Chase while the other applies at other card issuers.

If you have an existing Chase card like the original Freedom card, you may be able to convert to this card by calling them directly. You won’t get the sign-up offer, but you will get the new ongoing features.

Bottom line. The Chase Freedom Flex Card is a unique rewards card that lets you earn 5% cash back on select categories each quarter, in addition to a constant 3% cash back on dining out and drugstore purchases. If you have a Chase Sapphire card, this card is a great way to earn Ultimate Rewards points while using the additional redemption options of the Sapphire (hotel points, airline miles, and travel redemptions).

card_name is a small business rewards card that earns a solid cash back rate with no complicated categories. There is also generous welcome offer for new applicants, which is great for a “keeper” business card. Here the highlights:

• Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months.
• Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement.
• 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then reg_apr,reg_apr_type, based on your creditworthiness and other factors as determined at the time of account opening. APRs will not exceed 29.99%.
• No annual fee. (See Rates and Fees)
• Terms Apply.

This is a solid offer for small business owners who want a simple-yet-competitive rewards credit card. If your business purchases don’t exceed $50,000 within each calendar year, this card provides flat 2% cash back. In addition, your cash back is automatically credited to your statement as a statement credit, so you don’t have to remember to redeem anything.

My primary small business card for day-to-day spending is the sibling Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (my review), which offers 2X Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 in purchases each year and 1 point per dollar thereafter. I prefer earning the double Membership Rewards points per dollar over 2% cash back because I regularly redeem each MR point for more than 1 cent per point of value. I happen to enjoy the flexibility of having some Membership Rewards in my back pocket to convert to airlines miles and hotel points, and this card also helps keep them active.

If you don’t expect to get at least 1 cent per mile value by converting to airline miles or hotel points, then this card is better. Many people will prefer the simplicity of cash.

Business credit card eligibility. Many people aren’t aware that they can apply for business credit cards, even if they are not a corporation or LLC. Any individual can be a small business. Perhaps you sell items on eBay, Craiglist, or Etsy. Maybe you do some graphic design, web design, freelancing and/or consulting. If you received a 1099-MISC tax form and filled out a Schedule C, that means you have business income, you pay self-employment taxes, and you’re a sole proprietorship. This is the simplest business entity, but it is fully legit and recognized by the IRS. On a business credit card application, you should use your own legal name as the business name, and your Social Security Number as the Tax ID.

This card will require you to personally guarantee that you’ll pay them back what you charge on the card, which means they’ll check your personal credit score like any other consumer card. However, as the card is a business card, American Express won’t have it show up on your personal credit report, so it won’t change things like your credit limits, average account age, or credit utilization ratio.

Bottom line. card_name is a small business rewards card that earns a flat 2% cash back on purchases up to $50,000 per calendar year with no annual fee. This is a high cash back percentage, and your rewards are automatically credited on the next monthly statement, so you don’t have to remember to redeem anything. (See Rates and Fees)

New limited-time offer. The Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express can be a useful credit card if you fly on Delta even once or twice per year due to the free first checked baggage perk. Right now, they are running a limited-time offer. Highlights:

• Limited Time Offer: 70,000 Bonus Miles after spending $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer expires 4/13/2022.
• 70,000 Skymiles is worth at least $700 in Delta airfare. With this card, you get a minimum value out of your Skymiles via the “Pay with Miles” option. 70,000 Skymiles can reduce the price of your Delta ticket by $700 at the very least. (5,000 mile = $50 minimum redemption.) You can still book traditional award tickets and possibly get better value.
• $$100 Delta Flight Credit: After you spend $10,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year, receive a Credit to use toward future travel.
• First checked bag free. Delta now charges $30 for the first checked bag, each way. That means this perk is worth $60 per person each roundtrip. For a family of four, this perk is worth $240 per person each roundtrip.
• Annual fee is waived for the first year, then $99. (See Rates and Fees)

Here is the new rewards structure on card spend:

• 2X miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery.
• 2X miles at U.S. supermarkets.
• 2X miles on Delta purchases. 2 miles for every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.
• 1 miles per dollar spent on all other purchases.

It is best to apply for this card during a limited-time offer, as you can only get the welcome bonus one per card version:

Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had this or previous versions of this Card. We may also consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility.

I will be adding this limited-time offer to the Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

The Hotels.com Rewards Visa credit card is a no-annual-fee travel rewards credit card for folks who don’t have loyalty to a specific hotel chain. Instead, you earn free nights from the Hotels.com loyalty program (detail below). Right now, they are running a limited-time offer for new cardholders – 2 free rewards nights worth $250 total ($125 max value each). Here are the highlights:

• Limited Time Offer: Get 2 reward nights worth $250 total (max $125 per night)*, when you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. *Excludes taxes and fees. If a night costs less than $125, you won’t get the difference.
• Collect 1 stamp each time you spend $500 on purchases with your card. You also get 1 stamp for every night you stay at any eligible property booked on Hotels.com. When you collect 10 stamps, you’ll get 1 reward night to redeem on future bookings through Hotels.com. Choose from over 500,000 properties in 200+ countries around the world.
• Free Hotels.com Reward Silver tier status for the first 12 months, including perks such as free breakfast, airport transfers, free WiFi and more at select properties.
• Pay your monthly cell phone bill with your card and get up to $600 protection against damage or theft (subject to a $25 deductible).
• No annual fee.

Bonus Rewards Nights details. The redemption value of each bonus reward night as part of this sign-up bonus is limited to $125 per night. If the night costs less than $125, you don’t get any refund. If the night costs more than $125, you just pay any difference. Note the following fine print about how it doesn’t cover taxes and fees. The limited-time offer is for 2 free nights, but the standard offer is only 1 free night.

If you choose a reward night room, apartment, or other equivalent accommodation that costs more than $125, you pay the difference and you are responsible for taxes, fees, and other charges. If you choose a room, apartment, or other equivalent accommodation that costs less than $125, the redemption value of the bonus reward night is limited to the cost of the accommodation before taxes, fees, and other charges. You cannot combine the bonus rewards nights’ values or apply the difference to any other reward night. There will be no cash refunds for any residual amounts.

Hotels.com Rewards program overview. This hotel program tries to make it more straightforward to get a free hotel night. Each night you book through Hotels.com at an eligible property, you get a “stamp”. Collect 10 stamps and you get a free night. The value of that reward night is based on the average cost of the nights you booked. So if you booked all $100 per night hotels, then the free night would be worth $100. If you booked all $500 per night hotels, then the free night would be worth $500. Fair enough.

The rewards from this credit card are meant to mix in seamlessly with your paid hotel nights. Every $500 you spend on this card, you will get another “stamp”, as if you stayed a night at a $110 per night hotel. So if you charged $5,000 on this card over time, via credit card spending alone you would have collected 10 stamps at $110/night and earned a free Reward Night worth $110. That works out to 2.2% back on purchases (110 divided by 5,000) when redeemed for a hotel night reward at full value or higher (just pay any difference).

The stamps also help you get “VIP status” with Hotels.com. Their Silver tier is free for the first year with this card, but otherwise requires 10 stamps in a year and includes perks like price matching, free breakfast, and free Wi-Fi at participating VIP Access properties. Their Gold tier requires 30 stamps in a year and includes free room upgrades at VIP Access properties.

Pros: Hotel room flexibility and no annual fee. An important factor is that this free night applies at at any of 500,000 hotel rooms worldwide, not just restricted to a specific chain and whatever inventory they decide to release. As long as there is a hotel room that is being sold for $110 and you have a $110 Reward night, you can book it, even if it is not a “standard room”. This card also has no annual fee. Wells Fargo is the issuer, which may make it easier to qualify for if you already have cards from the other major issuers like Chase and American Express.

Cons: Not enough premium over cash. Even though this card offers the equivalent of 2.2% back in value towards a very flexible hotel room, it is still not as easy to redeem as cash back. So you have to compare with straightforward 2% cash back, or possibly getting better than 2.2% value from a specific co-branded hotel credit cards like Hyatt or Hilton. If I was already a Hotels.com Rewards program user, then I might take the 2.2% value as it is even better than a 2% cash back card. If I was a Hyatt loyalist or didn’t stay at hotels frequently, then it wouldn’t be worth the added complications. When you book a hotel through Hotels.com (or similar site like Priceline or Expedia), you don’t earn chain-specific loyalty points on the stay.

Bottom line. The Hotels.com Rewards Visa credit card is a great fit if you already use the Hotels.com Rewards program instead of being loyal to a specific chain. You can earn 1 stamp per $500 spent on the card, which will help you get free hotel nights at a solid rate (2.2% value back) and also help you reach the next tier of VIP Rewards status. The limited-time sign-up bonus of 2 free nights worth up to $250 value is relatively strong for a card with no annual fee.

One of the most common resolutions is to pay down debt. Rewards-earning credit cards may not be optimal for those carrying balances and thus more impacted by 18% interest rates than a relatively puny 2% back on purchases. Consider the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card, which doesn’t offer a fancy rewards structure but has brought back their longest 0% APR intro balance transfer period. The highlights:

• 0% Intro APR for 21 months on balance transfers from date of first transfer and 0% Intro APR for 12 months on purchases from date of account opening. After that the variable APR will be 17.99% – 28.74%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening.
• There is a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
• Get free access to your FICO® Score online.
• With Citi Entertainment®, get special access to purchase tickets to thousands of events, including concerts, sporting events, dining experiences and more.
• No annual fee.

The strong part of this card is the long 21 month period, so you can spread out payments over 1.75 years and ideally pay it all off by the end. There is a 5% balance transfer fee ($5 min). However, if you’re currently paying 18% APR, then a 5% fee is the equivalent of paying 3.33 months of interest at that previous rate, and then you’ll still be left with 17.7 months at 0% interest.

Once the intro period on all 0% cards expire, the rates will go right back up. You’ll either need to pay it off or transfer your balance again if you need more time. This card lets you spread your payments out over 21 months instead of 6 or 12.

If you are certain that you can pay it off within a shorter time period, look for a card with no balance transfer fee. Compare with other low fee 0% APR balance transfer offers.

Bottom line. The Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card is a card targeted that for those serious about paying down their balances. The 0% introductory period of 21 months on balance transfers is the longest they offer, with a one-time 5% balance transfer fee ($5 min). No annual fee.

• Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card application link

The Capital One Spark Miles for Business is a rewards business card offering a big early spend bonus offer in addition to ongoing 2 Miles per $1 on every purchase. Here are the highlights:

5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

• Unlimited 2 Miles per $1 on every purchase, everywhere.
• 50,000 bonus miles – equal to $500 towards any travel-related purchases – when you spend $4,500 in purchases within the first 3 months.
• Unlimited 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
• $0 annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee after that.
• Transfer your miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs.
• Redeem your miles instantly for any travel-related purchases, from flights and hotels to ride-sharing services.
• Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck(R).
• Miles never expire as long as your account is open.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Free additional employee cards.

Consider that if you meet the $4,500 spending requirement within 3 months, you will end up with 50,000 miles + 9,000 miles from 2X rewards = 59,000 miles = $590 towards travel purchases on $4,500 spending (13% cash back!).

Note that “Existing or previous Accountholders may not be eligible for this one-time bonus.” For comparison, there is also a Spark Select for Business and Spark Classic that are different cards with lower sign-up bonuses but no annual fee.

The 2 miles per dollar spent for all purchases is a strong rewards structure, and the annual fee is waived for the first year as well. From the second year onward, you’ll have to weigh that against the $95 annual fee after the first year. The math says that you would have to spend more than $19,000 every year ($1,583 a month) to make the 2X miles and $95 annual fee (Spark Miles)pay out more rewards than 1.5X miles and no annual fee (Spark Miles Select).

The travel can be booked directly through airlines and hotels, and there are no blackout dates or award seat limits to worry about.

Miles transfer options. Capital One now allows you to transfer your “miles” into select airline miles programs as well. Here are the airline transfer partners:

• Aeromexico
• Air France/KLM
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Avianca Lifemiles
• British Airways Avios
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad
• EVA
• Finnair
• Qantas
• Singapore Airlines Krisflyer
• TAP Air Portugal
• Turkish Airlines
• Virgin Red

Hotel partners

• Accor Live Limitless
• Choice Hotels

If you know how to leverage one of these international airline miles programs, this can be a very valuable option. Otherwise, it’s nice to know you can always get a certain level of value by redeeming against any travel purchase.

If you are looking for a comparison with other strong business cards, check out my updated list of Top 10 Best Small Business Credit Card Bonus Offers.

The World of Hyatt credit card is a Hyatt consumer credit card issued by Chase that offers several perks for those that enjoy Hyatt hotels. There is a current sign-up bonus of up to 50,000 Hyatt points. Here are the highlights:

• Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
• Enjoy complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as your account is open.
• 1 Free Night award each year after your Cardmember anniversary at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort.
• 1 Additional Free Night award at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort if you spend $15,000 during your cardmember anniversary year.
• Receive 5 tier qualifying night credits towards status after account opening, and each year after that for as long as your account is open.
• Earn 2 qualifying night credits towards your next tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card.
• Earn up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent at Hyatt hotels & 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
• Earn 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
• $95 annual fee.

If you’ve gotten a bonus from any Hyatt Card within the last 2 years, please note the following:

The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Hyatt Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Hyatt Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months.

If you have the old Chase Hyatt card, you can call them up and ask for upgrade options.

The 5/24 rule applies to this card. On many Chase cards, there is an unofficial rule that they will automatically deny approval on new credit cards if you have 5 or more new credit cards from any issuer on your credit report within the past 2 years (aka the 5/24 rule). This rule is designed to discourage folks that apply for high numbers of sign-up bonuses. This is applied on a per-person basis, so in our household one applies to Chase while the other applies at other card issuers. The 5/24 rule is now believed to apply to this card.

What can you get with 50,000 Hyatt points? Here are all the Hyatt redemption options, but the most popular options are for free hotel nights, points+cash hotel combinations, or room upgrades. Hyatt allows you the flexibility of combining your points with any other World of Hyatt member to redeem an award.

After the recent Marriott/Starwood merger, I believe that Hyatt points are now the most valuable hotel points on a per-point basis. In general, I would rather convert my Chase Ultimate Rewards points into Hyatt points than any other hotel program.

Below is their points award chart, and here is their award search tool. Free rooms start at 5,000 points. A suite upgrade is 6,000 points.

For example, 50,000 points can get you two free nights at the Category 6 properties like the Hyatt Regency Maui or Grand Hyatt Kauai (25,000 pts/night). You also avoid the resort fees of up to $45 per night with an award redemption. Alternatively, 50,000 points would get you 4 nights at a Category 3 like the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando (12,000 pts/night) with some points left over. Finally, you could get 10 nights at 5,000 points per Category 1 night like the Hyatt Place Austin/Round Rock.

If you compare with the cash cost of these hotels, the number varies you are nearly always getting between 1 cent and 2 cents per point value, sometimes more. We are staying at the Grand Hyatt Kauai this summer on Hyatt points from this card, where the cash value is $701 per night when you include all taxes and the $35/night resort fee. That works out to 2.8 cents per Hyatt point.

Annual fee and free anniversary night. This card does have a $95 annual fee, but in exchange you get a Free Night Certificate good at any Category 1-4 hotel or resort. I can easily get $95 of value out of this certificate, so this card is a keeper card for me. Your travel situation may be different.

You can also earn an additional free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel if you spend $15,000 during your cardmember anniversary year. I had to spend $6,000 to reach the sign-up bonus the first year, so I went ahead and reached this hurdle to reach a total of 2 free Cat 1-4 nights + 50,000 points after the first year. I probably won’t go for it in future years, though.

Hyatt points expire after 24 months of inactivity, but earning points via this credit card counts as activity. Chase Ultimate Rewards points also convert to Hyatt points and the transfer counts as activity.

Ongoing rewards structure. I might book my Hyatt nights on this card, but the rest of the rewards aren’t terribly exciting to me.

• 9 points total per $1 spent at Hyatt – 4 Bonus Points per $1 when you use your card at Hyatt hotels & 5 Base Points per $1 you can earn as a World of Hyatt member.
• 2 points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airlines tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships.
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other card purchasesoffer details reference link*

The free Discoverist status from this card gets you a free bottle of water daily, a free upgrade to premium WiFi internet, dedicated check-in area, and a 2pm late checkout upon request at participating locations. You are also eligible for a minor room upgrade within your type booked.

Bottom line. The Chase World of Hyatt card is the new co-branded Hyatt credit card. As with most of these types of card, the best value is obtained by folks like like to stay at Hyatt properties. World of Hyatt is my favorite hotel rewards program, and thus my favorite hotel point to earn.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

The Chase Freedom Card is a popular cash back rewards credit card. What makes it unique is the combination having no annual fee and the ability to get 5% Cash Back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter. Here are the highlights:

• Learn more about this card HERE

• $150 cash bonus after $500 in purchases within your first 3 months.
• 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate.
• New 5% categories every 3 months like Gas Stations, Restaurants, and Select Grocery Stores
• Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
• Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open and there is no minimum to redeem for cash back.
• 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers. 3% intro balance transfer fee when you transfer a balance during the first 60 days your account is open, with a minimum of $5.
• Free credit score, updated weekly with Credit Journey^SM
• No annual fee.

Note the following text regarding the sign-up bonus eligibility:

This product is available to you if you do not have this card and have not received a new cardmember bonus for this card in the past 24 months.

2020 5% Cash Back Category Calendar

From July 1st through September 30th, 2020 you can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in the following categories:

• Amazon.com
• Whole Foods Market

Activate each quarter at ChaseBonus.com, via your online account page, or call the number on the back of the card.  The categories usually include at least one big-spending area, and seem to go with the seasons (home improvement for spring, gas and travel for the summer). This is another “keeper” card for me, as I can keep it around and use it when the bonus categories fit my spending needs.

If you’d rather have “set it and forget it” rewards, compare with the Chase Freedom Unlimited Card, which offers a flat 1.5% cash back on everything (no special 5% categories) and no annual fee.

Synergy with Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve. Technically, you earn Ultimate Rewards points which can also be converted to airline miles or hotel points instead of cash if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

This turns the 5% cash back categories into 5X Ultimate Rewards categories. That’s like earning 5 United miles per dollar spent, or 5 Hyatt points per dollar spent. With the Sapphire Reserve, 5X Ultimate Rewards = 7.5% back towards travel (flights, hotels) booked through the Chase travel portal.

Bottom line. The Chase Freedom Card is a unique cash back rewards card that lets you earn 5% cash back on select categories each quarter. It’s a little extra work to keep track of things, but it allows me to earn hundreds of dollars in extra cash each year without buying extra stuff I don’t need.

• Learn more about this card HERE