What's in My Wallet: January 2021 Edition

Because I have more than 20 credit cards, I frequently change what I carry in my wallet depending on travel plans and business needs on that specific month. In the month of January, I am carrying a total of six credit cards in my wallet, and they each target particular spending categories.

The AMEX Gold Business Card

The first card is the AMEX Gold Business Card. I am currently working towards the sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards (MR) points, worth up to $1,000. The card will cost you $295 every year and earns 4X back on on the two categories with the highest business expense in each billing cycle. The categories are airfare (must be directly purchased from airlines), U.S. gas, U.S. shipping, U.S. dining expenses (both delivery and takeout), U.S. advertising purchases, and U.S. technology-related purchases such as computer hardware, software, and cloud solutions. A cardholder can earn 4X back on $150,000 every calendar year, and then will earn 1X back on all other purchases. There is no limit on the point earning and AMEX will automatically calculate every billing cycle on which categories you spent the most to award your 4X MR points. Though the card lacks airline or dining credits to offset the hefty annual fee, it has unique benefits such as a 25% MR points rebate when using MR points to buy airfare on AMEX Travel and Pay Over Time benefits. The card is great for those seeking a straightforward solution to busy business needs.

You can “choose” your own 4X categories with the AMEX Gold Business Card. Photo credit: www.americanexpress.com

If you’d like to apply for the AMEX Business Gold Card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! http://refer.amex.us/EDWARSsgpV?XLINK=MYCP

The AMEX Platinum Business Card

I am currently working towards the sign-up bonus of 100,000 Membership Rewards (MR) points for the AMEX Platinum Business Card. The annual fee of the card is $595, making it the most expensive credit card I have in my portfolio. The card comes with a plethora of benefits, including $200 airline credits, $200 towards Dell purchases, access to Priority Pass lounges, and Centurion lounges. The card earns 5X MR points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com and 1.5X MR points on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more, up to 1 million additional points per calendar year. All other purchases 1 MR point per dollar. The unique benefit of the card is that when you use MR points to purchase a flight (it must be your selected airline), you can get 35% of the points reimbursed, up to 500,000 MR points back per calendar year.

The AMEX Business Card earns 5X MR points on flights, and it’ll use it exclusively for upcoming flights.

If you’d like to apply for the AMEX Business Platinum Card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! http://refer.amex.us/EDWARS3sca?xl=cp15

The Chase Freedom Card

Unfortunately, the Chase Freedom Card no-longer accepts new applications because, in late 2020, Chase announced the release of its predecessor: the Chase Freedom Flex Card. The original Freedom Card and the new Freedom Flex Card both have the same benefit of earning 5% back on Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points on rotating quarterly categories. However, the Freedom Flex Card offers more multipliers and perks, most notably 5% back on UR points on the Chase Travel portal and 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases. I won’t product-change my grandfathered Freedom Card to the Freedom Flex Card because I want to have a higher limit on 5% rotating categories. As of right now, you can earn 5% UR points from Chase on up to $1,500 in combined purchases at selected categories per each quarter. Having both cards will raise my limit from $1,500 to $3,000. For Q1 of 2021, expenses at wholesale clubs, internet, cable and phone services, and select streaming services will earn 5X UR points. Don’t forget to activate your 5% earning potential on Chase’s website.

I’ve made changes to my phone, internet and streaming providers to earn more UR points this quarter! Photo credit: www.chase.com

If you’d like to apply for the Chase Freedom Flex Card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! https://www.referyourchasecard.com/18f/WVB87VWUQ1

The Citi Premier Card

The Citi Premier Card is a great workhorse card as it earns 3X ThankYou points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, on flights, and on hotels. All other purchases earn 1X ThankYou point per dollar spent. The card has an annual fee of $95, but if you need an all-around credit card, this card may be perfect for you. Moreover, it earns valuable ThankYou points, and Citi recently added a $100 annual hotel savings benefit. You can use this benefit once per calendar year, and you can enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, when booked through Citi’s ThankYou travel portal. There are more benefits to the card, and if you want to learn more, check out my detailed review of the Citi Premier Card.

All of my gas purchases will be done using my Citi Premier Card.

The AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card

I have a few business trips coming up in mid-January, and I will be staying at Marriott properties. Although I have my card information saved in the app, I like to carry the card for instances when the hotel wants to swipe the card. The AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card earns 6 Marriott Bonvoy points at Marriott properties, and 3 points at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines. All other purchases earn 2 points per dollar. It does have a high annual fee of $450, but you can enjoy up to $300 in statement credits each year of your card membership, and you’d receive one free night certificate. You can use this certificate to stay at any domestic or international Marriott property worth up to 50,000 Bonvoy points per night. The card offers additional benefits, and if you want to learn more, check out my detailed review of the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card.

When I visit San Antonio for work trips, I will use my AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card to stay at Marriott hotels.

If you’d like to apply for the American Express Bonvoy Brilliant Card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! http://refer.amex.us/EDWARSb1jy?XLINK=MYCP

Summary

For the month of January, I will be carrying six credit cards in my wallet. Each card is geared towards earning specific multipliers. Please be mindful that my current selection of credit cards is entirely subjective, and when you build your deck of credit cards, you need to carefully evaluate your fixed and projected monthly expenses and select the cards accordingly. What cards do you have in your wallet? Leave a comment below and if you have any questions about choosing the right card, feel free to submit a request for a FREE consultation or send our team an email.