Brian Jung is one of the best YouTubers covering all the amazing things about credit cards and investing.
He frequently covers the top cards to have in your wallet, and what cards you should add based on your current credit tier and travel habits.
Below are the cards you should consider, according to Brian Jung.
Top Credit Cards Overall
1. American Express® Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card is one of my favorite cards because it earns:
- 4x Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.,
- 4x Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x).
- 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
Plus, card members get nice credits when you enroll your Gold Card to offset the annual fee:
- $120 Uber Cash: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account, and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations.
2. The Platinum Card® from American Express
The Platinum Card® from American Express is a great premium travel rewards card for travelers who want airport lounge access, including Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta), Escape Lounges, Priority Pass lounges.
The American Express Platinum has a $695 annual fee, but you receive many annual statement credits when you enroll your card to offset the fee, including:
- $200 Airline Fee Credit (after you select a qualifying airline and incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®)
- $200 Hotel Credit (on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay)
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit (up to $20 each month: Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times)
- $200 Uber Cash Credit ($15 per month with $35 in December when you add your Platinum Card to Uber or UberEats account)
- $155 Walmart+ Credit (covers the cost of a $12.95 monthly membership)
- CLEAR Credit (up to $189 towards an annual Clear membership for expedited airport security)
You also earn 5x Membership Rewards points when booking flights directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year) and 5x Membership Rewards points when booking prepaid hotels with American Express Travel.
On top of that, you automatically earn Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Honors Gold statuses, which offer points bonuses, room upgrades, late check-out, and other premier benefits.
3. Chase Sapphire Preferred
- Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards Bonus Points for Spending $4,000 in the First 3 Months
- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 3x Points on Select Streaming and Online Grocery (excluding Walmart, Target, and Wholesale Clubs)
- 2x Points on All Other Travel Purchases
- 10% Anniversary Points Boost
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the best rewards cards for travelers who want solid earning rates for travel and dining expenses.
For only $95 per year, this card earns 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, 3x points on dining, online groceries, and streaming services, and 2x on all other travel purchases.
Cardholders will also get a 10% anniversary points bonus, a 12-month DoorDash DashPass subscription, and a $50- anniversary hotel statement credit.
Plus, it provides extensive travel protections, including trip delay, primary rental car, baggage, and purchase protection plans.
4. Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card
- Earn a $150 Amazon Gift Card Upon Approval
- 5% Cash Back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods
- 2% Cash Back at Restaurants, Gas Stations, and Drugstores
- 1% Cash Back on All Other Purchases
- Purchase Protection, Extended Warranty, Secondary Rental Car Insurance, and Baggage Delay Insurance.
- No Annual Fee
The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is a no-annual fee card that offers 5% cash back at Amazon and Whole Foods if you have a Prime membership.
The Amazon Prime Visa also offers nice card benefits such as lost luggage reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, secondary rental car insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty.
5. Chase Freedom Flex℠
- Earn $200 Bonus Cash Back After Spending $500 in the First 3 Months
- 5% Cash Back in Quarterly Bonus Categories (up to $1,500 in combined spending after activation)
- 5% Cash Back on Travel Purchased Via Chase
- 3% Cash Back at Restaurants, Eligible Food Delivery, and Drug Stores
- Cell Phone Insurance and Purchase Protection
- No Annual Fee
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is a great no-annual fee card that earns 5% cash back in quarterly categories (up to $1,500 in combined spending) and on travel purchased via Chase Ultimate Rewards.
The Freedom Flex also earns 3% cash back at restaurants, eligible food delivery, and drug stores.
The card also comes with nice benefits such as cell phone insurance, extended warranty, purchase protection, secondary rental car insurance, and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
Climbing the Credit Card Tier List
Brian Jung also recommends various cards based on your credit card tier, including the Baby Tier, the Rookie Tier, the Mid-Tier, God Tier, and Elite Tier.
Best Baby Tier Credit Cards
The baby tier is designed for people who want to earn rewards but have minimal credit history.
Citi® Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer boasts a strong 2% rewards rate on purchases, where you get 1% back when you buy and 1% when you pay.
This zero-annual-fee card offers a solid earning potential as long as you pay your balance on time, and it provides a simple way to rack up points with no bonus categories to track.
You can also boost your rewards by also holding the Citi Premier® Card (review), which allows you to transfer points to airline and hotel programs. This combination effectively allows you to earn 2 airline miles per dollar on all spending with the Citi Double Cash.
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards
- Earn a $200 Bonus After Spending $500 in Purchases in the First 3 Months
- 1.5% Cash Back on Every Purchase
- 5% Cash Back on Hotels and Rental Cars Booked via Capital One Travel
- No Annual Fee
The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is a no-annual-fee credit card offering 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
It also comes with nice benefits such as no foreign transaction fees, extended warranty, and travel accident insurance.
Best Rookie Tier Credit Cards
The rookie tier credit cards have no annual fee and help you get your foot in the door with major banks like Chase and American Express.
We have already covered the Chase Freedom Flex and Amazon Prime Visa above, so here are the other credit cards:
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a good no-annual fee credit card option that offers 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back at restaurants, takeout, eligible delivery services, and on drugstore purchases. Plus it offers 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
The card also offers nice benefits such as purchase protection, extended warranty, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, and secondary rental car insurance.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
- Earn a $200 Statement Credit After Spending $2,000 in the First 6 Months.
- 3% Cash Back at U.S. Supermarkets, U.S. Online Retail Purchases, & U.S. Gas Stations (each on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, 1% thereafter)
- 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening. After that, 18.74% to 29.74% variable APR.
- No Annual Fee (Rates and Fees)
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is a great no-annual fee credit card option that earns 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. online retail purchases, & U.S. gas stations (each on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, 1% thereafter).
The Blue Cash also offers $7 back each month after using your Blue Cash Everyday Card to spend $12.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription to The Disney Bundle, including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. (Enrollment required.)
Plus, a $180 annual credit for Home Chef purchases in the form of a monthly $15 statement credit
Mid-Tier Credit Cards
Mid-Tier credit cards are where you can start to get a lot of value, but you will be paying an annual fee.
We have already covered the American Express Gold and the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which are great options.
Here are the other mid-tier cards you should consider:
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- Earn a $250 Bonus as a Statement Credit After $3,000 in Eligible Purchases in the First 6 Months
- 6% Cash Back at U.S. Supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year; 1% thereafter) and on Select U.S. Streaming
- 3% Cash Back on Transit, Ridesharing, Parking, and at U.S. Gas Stations
- $0 Intro Annual Fee for the First Year, then $95. (Rates and Fees)
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express offers an outstanding 6% cash back rewards for purchases at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year; 1% thereafter) and on U.S. streaming services, making it perfect for anyone who wants to maximize earnings from everyday expenses.
Plus, the card offers 3% cash back on transit, rideshare, parking, and U.S. gas stations.
The card has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year (then $95 thereafter), but earns 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit, including rideshare, taxis, buses, trains, and parking.
World of Hyatt Credit Card
- Earn Up to 60,000 Points: 30,000 Points for Spending $3,000 in First 3 Months + Up to 30K Points with 2x Bonus Points per $1 in the First 6 Months on Up to $15,000 Spent
- 4X Points at all Hyatt Hotels
- 2X Points on Dining, with Airlines, Local Transit, & Gyms
- One Free Night Each Year (Category 1-4) + Extra Free Night After Spending $15,000 Per Calendar Year
- Automatic Discoverist Status
- $95 Annual Fee
The World of Hyatt Credit Card is one of the better hotel credit cards that offers 4x points at Hyatt hotels and 2x points in several categories, including at restaurants, airline tickets purchased directly with airlines, local transit, commuting, and fitness clubs.
Plus, you get a free hotel night at a Category 1-4 Hyatt Hotel to offset the $95 annual fee, and you can earn an additional night when you spend $15,000 in a calendar year.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
- Earn 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points after $5,000 in Eligible Purchases in the First 3 Months. (Offer Ends 5/3/2023)
- 6X Points at Marriott Hotels & Resorts
- 4X Points at Restaurants Worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, U.S. Phone Service Providers, and on U.S. Shipping Purchases.
- Annual Free Night Award (up to 35,000 Points)
- 15 Elite Night Credits and Gold Elite Status
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $125 Annual Fee (Rates and Fees)
The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card is a good option for travelers who stay at least a few times per year in a Marriott.
The card comes with Marriott Bonvoy elite status, a free night award (up to 35,000 points), a 7% room rate discount, and 15 elite night credits.
For rewards, the Marriott Bonvoy Business earns 6x points at Marriott Hotels, 4x points at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, and U.S. shipping purchases.
God Tier Cards
God Tier cards are the ultimate luxury cards that offer maximum benefits. The cards have high annual fees, but you can offset them by taking advantage of the great benefits.
We’ve already covered the Platinum Card from American Express.
Here are the other God Tier cards so you can travel in style:
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is an outstanding choice for business owners who want airport lounge access including the American Express Global Lounge Collection, Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs, Escape Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, and more.
The Business Platinum card also offers several statement credits to offset the $695 annual fee:
- $200 Airline Fee: Annual airline fee credit of up to $200 on charges by the airline you select per calendar year.
- $400 Dell: Annual statement credit on all U.S. Dell purchases, up to $200 semiannually.
- $120 Wireless Phone Services: Annual statement credits for purchases made directly with any U.S. wireless telephone provider, up to $10 per month.
- CLEAR: Up to $189 toward an annual Clear membership for expedited airport security.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Statement credits for Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85) every four years (4.5 years for PreCheck).
You can also earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com, and 1.5x points on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year
The American Express Business Platinum comes with automatic Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold so that you can enjoy perks like room upgrades, late check-out, and a points bonus.
Additionally, the points you earn can be transferred to several Amex transfer partners such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Delta SkyMiles, and Marriott Bonvoy. This potentially increases the value of your points depending on how you redeem them.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards Points for Spending $4,000 in the First 3 Months
- $300 Annual Travel Credit
- 10x Points on Hotels and Rental Cars and 5x Points on Flights Booked Through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3x Points on Dining, Takeout, & Eligible Food Delivery
- 50% More Redemption Value
- Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $550 Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a great option for travelers who want premium perks such as airport lounge access and top-tier travel protections.
The Sapphire Reserve has a $550 annual fee, but you receive an annual easy-to use $300 travel credit and access to 1,300 Priority Pass airport lounges.
Plus, great benefits such as trip delay insurance, primary rental car insurance, trip cancellation insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, purchase and return protection, extended warranty, and no foreign transaction fees.
Cardmembers also earn extra points with 5x points on flights and 10x points on hotels and car rentals through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x points on travel, dining, and food delivery purchases, and 1x points everywhere else.
You can also cash out points at a 50% bonus (1.5 cents per point) when redeeming points towards travel or transfer the points to Chase’s airline and hotel partners.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire is a premier card packed with top-notch hotel benefits and earns 14x Hilton Honors points at Hilton hotels and resorts, and 7x points at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines.
This premium hotel rewards card has a $450 annual fee, but it comes with an automatic Hilton Honors Diamond status, which gets you a 100% points bonus, milestone bonuses, suite upgrades, free breakfast, and other top-tier hotel perks.
Plus, you receive up to $250 Hilton resort statement credits, $250 airline fee credits, and $100 Hilton on-property credit, which easily offset the card’s yearly fee.
Cardholders also enjoy unlimited Priority Pass lounge access with two guests and one free weekend night award at any Hilton hotel.
Bonus: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium travel rewards card that’s perfect for travelers who want outstanding travel perks like annual travel credits, worldwide airport lounge access, and travel and purchase protections.
The Venture X earns 2x miles on all purchases helping you maximize every dollar of your spending. Plus, you can earn 10x miles on hotels and rental cars, and 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One.
The card has a $395 annual fee, completely offset by an easy-to-use travel credit of up to $300 back annually as statement credits for Bookings via Capital One Travel, and 10,000 points (worth at least $100) for each account anniversary.
Plus, you get airport lounge access via Priority Pass, Capital One, and Plaza Premium Lounges, Hertz President’s Circle elite status, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, rental car insurance, trip and luggage insurance, cell phone insurance, and purchase protection.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, please click here.
