I used to carry five travel cards and obsessively calculate which earned the most on every purchase. Now I carry three and I've stopped thinking about it. Here's the setup.
Card 1: Chase Sapphire Preferred — my default hotel card
Why: 2x points on all travel including hotels. No foreign transaction fees. Points transfer to 14 airline and hotel partners at 1:1 — including Air France, United, Hyatt, and Marriott. 60,000 point sign-up bonus (worth ~$750 in travel).
When I use it: Every hotel booking, every flight, every Agoda and Booking.com payment.
The math: A $200 hotel stay earns 400 points. Worth ~$5–8 in travel depending on how you redeem. Not exciting on its own, but it stacks over hundreds of nights.
Card 2: Amex Gold — for food and daily spend abroad
Why: 4x at restaurants worldwide (not just the US). 4x at US supermarkets. $120 dining credit per year. The welcome bonus is the biggest I've seen — regularly 60,000–90,000 points.
When I use it: Every restaurant, every cafe, every street food stall that takes cards. Also groceries when I'm staying in an apartment.
The math: At 4x on a $50 dinner, that's 200 Amex points. Transfer to Air France Flying Blue or Avianca LifeMiles and those points can be worth 2–3 cents each. That $50 dinner earned ~$4–6 in flights.
Card 3: Capital One Venture — the no-brainer catch-all
Why: 2x miles on every purchase, full stop. No categories. No thinking. Miles can be used as statement credit against any travel purchase at 1 cent each.
When I use it: Anything that doesn't fit the other two — transport, tours, random purchases. Also useful when merchants don't accept Amex.
The math: Dead simple. $1 spent = 2 miles = 2 cents in travel credit.
How I stack this with hotel hacks
The best move is combining these cards with Thai IP pricing (see my other post) and cashback portals. A $150 hotel booking through Rakuten at 5% cashback = $7.50 back. Paid with Chase Sapphire = 300 points (~$4.50). Total: ~$12 saved on a $150 booking. Every time.
The card I don't carry
I stopped carrying airline-specific cards (United, Delta, etc.) because they lock you into one ecosystem. The flexible points from Chase and Amex are worth more because you can transfer to whichever partner has the best redemption for your route.
Bottom line
- Hotels & travel: Chase Sapphire Preferred
- Food: Amex Gold
- Everything else: Capital One Venture
If you only get one, get the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It's the most versatile travel card I've used.
Written by Avi
Full-time traveler and travel hacker who has explored 50+ countries. Real experience, not theory — every guide comes from time actually spent in the place.
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