Best Starter Credit Cards
The cards highlighted below are our recommended cards to start with for earning travel rewards. Beyond the cards listed here, there are many more bank, hotel and airline specific cards available but these are great cards to get your feet wet!
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Our top recommended card to start with is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. This card has a relatively low annual fee ($95/year) for earning valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred to a variety of travel partners. Their partners encompass 11 different airlines and 3 hotel chains, including Hyatt, which many travelers find is a huge value compared to other hotel chains. You will need to be under 5/24 in order to apply for this card and cannot have had any Sapphire card in the past 48 months to be eligible for the signup bonus.
Welcome Offer: 60,000 Bonus Points after spending $4000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Notes:
- $95 Annual Fee
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $50 Travel hotel credit when booked through Chase portal
- Travel protection when travel booked with card
Ready to apply? Click here for Chase Sapphire Preferred Application
Capital One Venture X
The second card we recommend applying for is the Capital One Venture X. We recommend applying for this card early on in your application process as Capital One can be selective in approving applications and may more readily deny your application if there are too many recent credit inquiries. Although this card comes with a hefty annual fee of $395, the perks available with this card make the annual fee negligible. In addition to a $300 travel credit available each year when booking through the CapOne portal, you also receive 10,000 miles on your anniversary date, which we estimate to be worth around $100. See notes below for additional perks!
Welcome Offer: 75,000 Miles after spending $4000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Notes:
- $395 Annual Fee
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $300 Annual Travel credit when booked through Capital One Travel
- Up to $120 credit towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Unlimited lounge access for cardholder and two guests to Capital One lounges and Priority Pass lounges (over 1300 lounges worldwide)
Ready to apply? Click here for the Capital One Venture X Application
Southwest Airlines Personal and Business Cards
One of the greatest values in earning points and miles is earning the Southwest Companion Pass. If timed correctly, earning the companion pass will allow the companion that you designate to fly with you for free for the remainder of the year in which you earn the pass plus the entire following year. With that in mind, it is advisable to earn the Companion Pass as early in the year as you are able to maximize the travel benefits. And not only does your companion fly free with you but the miles that you earn for your sign-up bonuses with the Southwest cards can be redeemed for travel as well! To earn the Companion Pass, you currently need to earn/accumulate 135,000 Rapid Rewards points in one calendar year or by flying 100 one-way qualifying flight in a calendar year. By strategically signing up for a personal and a business Southwest credit card and hitting the sign-up bonus, you will be on your way to earning the Companion Pass.
Welcome Offers: Southwest offers 3 personal credit cards, all with a current Sign-up Bonus of 50,000 Rapid Rewards Points after spending $1000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Notes:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus -$69 annual fee; 3,000 anniversary points
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier – $99 annual fee; 6,000 anniversary points
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority- $149 annual fee; 7,500 anniversary points
- *Note – you can only hold one Southwest personal card at any one time
- Southwest Premier Business Card – 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening; $99 annual fee; 6,000 anniversary points
- Southwest Performance Business Card – 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, $199 annual fee; 9,000 anniversary points
- *Note – you can hold both Southwest business cards at the same time
Ready to apply? Click here to get started on the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Application
Chase Ink Business Cards
There are several advantages to adding business cards to your strategy. Most (but not all) business cards do not count against your 5/24 number, many have zero to very low annual fees, and many business cards do not appear on your personal credit history. Don’t have a business? You might be surprised at what qualifies for a business in the eyes of a bank. Do you drive for a ride-share, walk dogs, babysit, tutor, sell items on Facebook Marketplace or eBay? These all count as businesses. Chase has 4 Ink Business Cards, but we only recommend applying for the following 3: Ink Business Cash, Ink Business Unlimited and Ink Business Preferred. We recommend starting with the Ink Business Cash as it has a lower spend requirement spread out over a longer period of time.
Welcome Offer: Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening.
Notes:
- Although this is listed as a cash back card, you actually can earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points instead for a total of 75,000 points if you meet the spend requirements
- If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can combine the points earned from the Ink Business Cash into your Chase Sapphire Preferred account to transfer to airline and hotel partners
Ready to apply? Click here to get started on the Chase Ink Business Cash Application