What’s in
Our Wallet?
Every card we carry, why we have it, and what we actually use it for
Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are referral links — we may earn a bonus if you apply and are approved. We only list cards we actually carry and use ourselves.
⭐ Our Favorite — Start Here
💎
Chase Sapphire Preferred
$95 annual fee
🎁
Sign-up bonus is consistently generous — one of the best entry-point offers in travel cards.
🛡️
Trip insurance saved us twice — both times a kid got sick before a trip, we recovered non-refundable costs in full.
🍽️
3x points on dining — all restaurant spending goes on this card.
🏨
Hyatt transfer partner — the best transfer in the Chase ecosystem. Our Maui stays were booked this way.
🔧
Extended warranty — covered a kitchen appliance right after the manufacturer warranty expired. Unexpected but very welcome.
💰 Premium Cards
🚀
Capital One Venture X
$395 fee — offset to essentially free
💵
$300 travel credit + 10K anniversary points each year. Net effective annual fee: essentially $0 or better.
🛋️
Priority Pass lounge access + Capital One Lounges. Airport waits with kids are much more bearable.
🚗
Hertz President’s Circle status included. Skip the counter, choose your car, drive off. 15-minute process vs 90-minute line.
✈️
2x on everything — we put daycare, groceries, and all general spending here.
⚜️
American Express Platinum
$895 fee — over $3,500 in annual credits if you actually use them
🏨
$600 hotel credit — $300 semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection stays through Amex Travel. We’ve used this at the Swan & Dolphin (Disney) and Portofino Bay (Universal), plus the FHR perks: $100 property credit, free breakfast, room upgrades, and 4PM late checkout.
🍽️
$400 Resy credit — $100 each quarter at U.S. Resy restaurants. Easy to use even on quick family dinners; no reservation required, just pay the bill at any Resy-affiliated spot.
📺
$300 digital entertainment credit — $25/month toward Disney+, Hulu, YouTube TV, Peacock, Paramount+, NYT, WSJ, and more. Kids’ streaming basically covered.
🛂
$209 CLEAR+ credit — full reimbursement of an annual CLEAR membership. With two kids in tow, bypassing the security line is genuinely priceless.
🚗
$200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One — $15/month Uber Cash plus a $20 December bonus, plus credits toward an Uber One membership. We use this on airport days and food delivery during travel.
✈️
$200 airline fee credit — covers checked bags, seat selection, in-flight purchases, and similar incidentals on a pre-selected airline.
🧘
$300 Lululemon credit — $75 each quarter. Easy to stack with sales and the “We Made Too Much” section; CrossFit gear sorted.
🛋️
Best-in-class lounge access — Amex Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club (when flying Delta), Priority Pass Select, and partner lounges. Over 1,550 lounges worldwide.
⭐
Automatic Hilton Honors Gold + Marriott Bonvoy Gold status (enrollment required) — free breakfast at Hilton, room upgrades when available, and 25% bonus points on stays.
💎
5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel, plus 5x on prepaid hotels through Amex Travel. The earning rate isn’t strong on everyday spend — pair with the Amex Gold or a Chase card.
🏨 Hotel Cards
🏩
Chase IHG Premier
$99 annual fee
🎁
Free night cert (40K points) every year. We redeemed ours at the Kimpton in DC — would have cost $345 in cash.
🌋
Sign-up bonus put to use on Big Island — 120K points covered a 4-night Holiday Inn stay worth $1,600 in cash.
🌙
4th night free on points — book 3 nights with points and the 4th is free automatically.
✈️
$50 United TravelBank cash + Global Entry / TSA PreCheck credit each year.
🌺
Chase Marriott Bonvoy
$95 annual fee
🎁
Free night cert (35K points) every year — fee is recouped immediately with even a modest redemption.
🌊
Sign-up bonus used on Big Island — two free nights at Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort worth $1,200 in cash.
🌙
5th night free on points — redeem 4 nights and get the 5th automatically. We’ve used this in Hawaii and Banff.
Quick Reference
| Card | Fee | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Preferred | $95 | Start here. Best all-rounder. |
| Capital One Venture X | $395* | Lounges, car rental status, 2x everything |
| Amex Platinum | $695* | Hotel credits, FHR perks, CLEAR |
| Chase IHG Premier | $99 | IHG hotels, 4th night free |
| Chase Marriott Bonvoy | $95 | Marriott hotels, 5th night free |
*Credits and perks offset these fees significantly — see each card above for details.
New to travel cards? Read our full rewards explainer first
Start Here →