What's in My Wallet: Q2 2021 Edition

In Q2 of 2021, I am carrying a total of seven credit cards in my wallet, and they each target particular spending categories. Let’s take a look at what’s in my wallet!

The AMEX Gold Card

The American Express (AMEX) Gold Card is a great bonus earning card. It earns 4X Membership Rewards (MR) points at restaurants worldwide, 4X MR points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per year, 3X MR points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, and 1X MR points on all other purchases. Continuing with the valuation of MR points at 2 cents per point each, you are looking at an 8% return on restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases. I use my AMEX Gold Card mainly for groceries and at restaurants. It has an annual fee of $250 but comes with the $120 dining credit and $120 Uber credit.

Earning 4X MR points on groceries can give you many travel opportunities with AMEX’s 18 airline and 3 hotel partners.

The AMEX Gold Card is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 75,000 MR points after spending $4,000 in the first six months of account opening. I personally value MR points at 2 cents per point, valuing the sign-up bonus at $1,500. However, if you use a referral link or search for the offer using Google’s Incognito Mode, you may be able to find the same spending threshold but with a bonus of 75,000 MR points and up to $200 back in statement credit on eligible purchases at select U.S. home furnishing stores within your first three months of card membership. These stores include Anthropologie – Home & Furniture, Bed Bath & Beyond, CB2, Crate and Barrel, Crate and Kids, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Terrain, and The Container Store. On top of that, once the application is approved, the referrer can earn 4 additional MR points per dollar on all eligible purchases at the select U.S. home furnishing stores mentioned above, up to $25,000 in combined purchases for three months. This is the highest offer I’ve seen, and I don’t think there will be a better deal for a long time. I strongly suggest grabbing the card sooner than later, as the offer ends on 05/05/2021.

Use my referral link to get the historic high offer and earn 75,000 MR points AND $200 towards U.S. home furnishing stores! Photo credit: www.americanexpress.com

If you’d like to apply for the AMEX 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/EDWARSRzY6?XLINK=MYCP

The Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Business Card

I am currently working towards the sign-up bonus of 65,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $1,000 within the first three months, which is worth up to $910. The Barclays Aviator Business Card comes with an annual fee of $95 and is equipped with travel-focused benefits. By holding the card, the first checked bag is free when you fly American Airlines. This perk can extend up to four companions on eligible bags when traveling on domestic American Airlines flights. Preferred boarding benefit also applies to you and up to four companions on your reservation when traveling on itineraries operated by American Airlines. I will be flying American Airlines later in May, and with the waived baggage fees, I will easily save $120 for a roundtrip for two.

I’m coming out ahead by saving $120 on baggage fees on a single trip. Totally worth it.

The earning rates of the card are not strong. The Aviator Business Card will earn 2X AAdvantage miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines purchases and at eligible office supply, telecom, and car rental services. All other purchases will earn 1X AAdvantage miles. If you are worried about getting approved for a small business credit card, you may be surprised that sole proprietorship qualifies for many business credit card applications, and most side gigs or hustles certainly count. Need more guidance? Check out my detailed post on how to get a business credit card.

The AMEX Platinum Business Card

The AMEX Platinum Business Card has an annual fee of the card is $595, making it the most expensive credit card I have in my portfolio. Believe it or not, this is my gas card until Q3 of 2021. Normally, The AMEX Platinum Business Card earns only 1 MR point per dollar, but thanks to lucrative AMEX offers, I can earn up to 8 MR points per dollar at Phillips 66, 76, and Conoco gas stations. Because I reside in Texas, I can easily find those gas stations and earn additional MR points.

I can earn up to 8 MR points per dollar select gas stations until the end of Q2. Photo credit: www.americanexpress.com

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.

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 AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card

I have a few business trips coming up in May, 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.

In May, I will be visiting The Camby, Autograph Collection, in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo credit: www.marriott.com

The card is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $5,000 within your first 3 months of card membership. On top of the elevated offer, a new cardmember can earn up to $200 back at U.S. restaurants. AMEX is not stopping there; Until 12/31/2021, cardmembers will get a monthly statement credit of $20 when they spend more than $20 at restaurants each month. If you are interested in getting the AMEX Bonvoy Brilliant Card, I advise you to act fast since the elevated offer will expire on 05/12/2021. If you want to learn more, check out my detailed review of the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card.

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

The JetBlue Business Card

I am currently working towards the sign-up bonus of 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first three months, worth up to $650. JetBlue has offered a sign-up bonus of 100,000 points before, but that required total spending of $6,000 within the first 12 months, which is very doable. However, by the time the historic high offer comes around, I may be focusing on Chase credit cards. With a low spending requirement, I am happy to earn 50,000 bonus points while staying under Chase’s 5/24 rule.

Earn JetBlue miles now so you can travel later!

The JetBlue Business Card has an annual fee of $99, which is not waived the first year. The card comes with travel benefits that are geared towards JetBlue flyers. A cardholder can get a free first checked bag and up to three companions can enjoy the perk as well. They have to be on the same reservation, so this is perfect for family vacations. You also receive a 50% savings on inflight purchases of cocktails and food on JetBlue-operated flights. If you manage to spend $50,000 or more in a calendar year, you can receive TrueBlue Mosaic elite status for the rest of that year and the following year. It can be a nice status upgrade for those who fly JetBlue often, as you can earn more points per dollar, enjoy same-day switches, and get 2 free checked bags while enjoying complimentary inflight alcoholic beverages onboard. JetBlue awards you 5,000 bonus points after you renew the card for another year, and if you are a fan of JetBlue Vacations packages, you can enjoy an annual $100 in statement credit when you purchase it. Lastly, when you redeem your JetBlue points, you can get 10% of the redeemed points back to your TrueBlue account.

Qualifying for TrueBlue Mosaic elite status can elevate your travel experience when flying JetBlue. www.jetblue.com

The earning rates of the card are not strong. The JetBlueBusiness Card will earn 6X on JetBlue purchases, 2X at restaurants and office supply stores, and all other purchases will earn 1X back. If you are worried about getting approved for a small business credit card, you may be surprised that sole proprietorship qualifies for many business credit card applications, and most side gigs or hustles certainly count. Need more guidance? Check out my detailed post on how to get a business credit card.

The AMEX Hilton Aspire Card

Even though I am a Marriott loyalist, I still stay at Hilton properties when I find interesting hotels. In April and May, I will be traveling for work and when I stay at Hilton properties, I put all charges on my AMEX Hilton Aspire Card. The Aspire Card earns 14X per dollar spent on Hilton hotels and resorts when booked directly through Hilton and 7X on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly with select companies, and U.S. restaurants. All other purchases will earn 3X per dollar spent. As a Hilton Honors Diamond member, you’ll get a 100% points bonus and 10 extra points per dollar spent at Hilton properties. Therefore, the Aspire card earns a total of 24X per dollar spent on Hilton properties when booked directly with Hilton, yielding a grand return of 14.4%. With Hilton’s frequent points promotions, you can rake in a serious amount of Hilton Honors points in no time.

In April, I will be visiting The Peery Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, a historic hotel in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Photo credit: www.hilton.com

The American Express Hilton Aspire card is currently offering a signup bonus of 150,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $4,000 in 3 months. Be aware that since this is an American Express (AMEX) card, you’re only allowed to receive the signup bonus once per lifetime. With a valuation of 0.6 cents per point, the signup bonus is worth about $900. In addition, until 12/31/2021, cardmembers will get a monthly statement credit of $20 when they spend more than $20 at restaurants each month. The annual fee is $450, but cardmembers get a weekend night certificate (redeemable on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights at non-premium hotels), $250 incidental credit towards your airline of choice, $250 Hilton resort credit at select Hilton resorts, and Hilton Diamond status, the highest in Hilton’s member ecosystem.

In May, I will visit Arizona Biltmore Hotel, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, a beautiful resort in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo credit: www.hilton.com

If you’d like to apply for the American Express Hilton Aspire 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/EDWARSLgWl?XLINK=MYCP

Summary

From April to June of 2021, 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.