You’ll hear this ad nauseam on TPG: When it comes to the best credit cards, there’s no one. What I mean is, there’s no one card that will magically fit everyone’s specific needs.
In fact, the best card you can get depends on a variety of factors, including what rewards currency you want to earn, how often you travel, your typical expenses, whether you’re willing to pay an annual fee, and more.
If you’re considering your first or next card, take a look at four absolutely powerful cards that I often recommend.
Related: Should you pay your rent with Bilt? We crunch the numbers
Compare my top picks for the best credit cards
Four of my favorite credit cards earn points and cash back, which is what I consider to be the most valuable rewards currency right now. Here’s how they stack up.
| Card name | Welcome offer | Yield | annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chasing Freedom® (see rates and fees) | Earn $200 cash back when you spend $500 in purchases within the first three months of account opening. |
|
$0 |
| American Express Blue Cash Preferred® Card | Earn a $250 statement credit when you spend $3,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership. |
Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars, which can be used as statement points and redeemed at checkout on amazon.com. |
Introductory annual fee is $0 for the first year, then $95 (see rates and fees) |
| Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | Earn 175,000 bonus points when you spend $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of becoming a cardmember. |
|
$550 (see rates and fees) |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) | Earn 125,000 bonus points when you spend $6,000 in purchases within three months of account opening. |
|
$795 |
Chasing unlimited freedom
This card is most powerful when paired with Chase Sapphire cards, such as Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and charges) or Chase Sapphire Reserve Because you can redeem your cash for valuable and transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
In addition to being a great starter card, Freedom Unlimited earns great rewards rates in popular categories that many of us already spend on (think dining and drugstore purchases). Additionally, it offers a generous welcome bonus and a flat 1.5% cash back on all non-bonus spend.
The most important thing? Freedom Unlimited has no annual fee but still offers benefits like purchase protection, extended warranty protection, rental car coverage, and trip cancellation and interruption coverage. I also like that there is no minimum amount required to redeem cash back and Cash back does not expire as long as your account remains open.
For more information, check out our review of Chase Freedom Unlimited.
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Apply here: Chasing unlimited freedom
American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card
If you’re a fan of multi-purpose cards, you might like the Amex Blue Cash Preferred as much as I do.
In fact, if you’re willing to pay the annual fee, this is one of the cards I most often recommend to those looking to earn credit card rewards. The Blue Cash Preferred has an annual fee of $0 for the first year, which gives you plenty of time to decide if this card is right for you before paying the $95 annual fee for the second year.
In addition to solid rewards rates on popular categories like U.S. Streaming (6% cash back), transportation (3% cash back), and U.S. gas stations (3% cash back), this card can earn up to 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets until you hit your annual spending cap of $6,000. If this happens, the cash back rate on subsequent purchases will increase from 6% to 1%.
This was my first credit card and one of my oldest credit card accounts. I originally got it when I realized I could earn over a 1% flat cash back rate on my grocery store business.
I still use this card for small grocery shopping and I get about $200 in cash back every year thanks to the aforementioned bonus rate increase. When this was my go-to grocery store (before I bought Amex Gold), I easily earned at least $400 in cash back with this card.
Note: Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars, which can be used as bill points and redeemed at checkout on amazon.com.
RELATED: 2 Grocery Cards, Double the Rewards: Why I Double Up at the Supermarket
That’s not even the best part. Best of all is up to $120 in Disney streaming bill credits per calendar year (up to $10 per month; valid for US sites only; registration required; auto-renewable). These include Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu.
If you maximize this credit limit, it will completely offset the card’s annual fee and then some. This is a huge win for me, especially if you already subscribe to streaming content on these platforms like I do.
For more information, check out our review of the Blue Cash Preferred.
Apply here: American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
If you are considering applying for a co-branded hotel card, choose Hilton Aspire.
In addition to excellent earn rates on Hilton hotel stays, this card offers benefits that offset the $550 annual fee and are easy to maximize.
For example, this card offers one of my favorite perks: up to $200 in annual flight points each year. This statement credit is available up to $50 per quarter for flights purchased directly with the airline or through amextravel.com.
The Hilton Aspire is also a great travel card because, like the Sapphire Reserve, it charges no foreign transaction fees (see Rates and Fees) and you can enjoy up to $209 in Clear Plus statement points per year (auto-renewable; registration required) when you sign up for membership and pay with this card.
However, the best perk of being a Hilton Aspire cardholder is that you can earn up to $400 in Hilton Resorts bill points each calendar year (up to $200 every two years) when you make qualifying purchases at qualifying hotels.
As someone who maximizes those three statement points — at hotels like Resorts World Las Vegas in August 2024 and Hilton Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa in August 2025 — the Hilton Aspire has proven its worth and earned a nice spot in my wallet.
I’ve taken full advantage of resort points at both hotels, which made a huge difference to both trip budgets, as I used the points to pay for dinner, as well as an afternoon coffee pick-me-up after a busy morning of sightseeing. Eating out is one of the most expensive aspects of traveling, so whenever I can get a break through bill credit, I take advantage of it.
Related: How to use up to $400 in annual Hilton Aspire Resort points
For more information, check out our review of the Hilton Aspire Card.
Apply here: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Even with the annual fee increasing from $550 to $795 earlier this year, the Sapphire Reserve remains my all-time favorite card.
First, this card earns my favorite rewards currency: Chase Ultimate Rewards points. I love the transferability of the currency, and I typically transfer points from my Sapphire Reserve account into loyalty programs like Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, United MileagePlus, and World of Hyatt.
In fact, earlier this year, I used 15,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to fly home to Pennsylvania after a short trip to Oahu, Hawaii, saving over $300. While this redemption is more or less on par with TPG’s October 2025 Ultimate Rewards point valuation (2.05 cents each), I always prefer to book flights with a transfer bonus in place because it means I can keep more points for future travel.
Unfortunately, there were no rewards when I booked the flight, so I still used points to avoid paying over $300 for a one-way ticket.
In addition to offering high-value points, Sapphire Reserve offers a solid earn rate on some of my top spending categories (Lyft, flights, hotels, and dining), and thanks to world-class insurance and protection (including major rental car coverage and trip delay reimbursement), Sapphire Reserve makes the perfect travel companion. Plus, there are no foreign transaction fees when you shop abroad.
Then there are the statement points, which if used in full, are enough to offset the card’s annual fee.
Three of my favorites include:
- Generous $300 in travel credits per year (if you use this credit toward specific purchases, remember that the credit will automatically apply to any purchase coded as travel).
- Pay up to $120 in in-app Lyft credits per year and $10 per month (through September 30, 2027; excludes Wait & Save, bike and scooter rides).
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus for up to $120 every four years.
Related: 6 Little-Known Chase Sapphire Reserve Benefits That Pay Big
For more information, check out our review of Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
How do I choose my top cards?
This list includes three cards that I use regularly and one that I hope to add to my wallet in the near future (Freedom Unlimited). I use the Sapphire Reserve every day, and the Hilton Aspire and Blue Cash Preferred a little less often, but still enough to earn my preferred rewards currency.
These cards offer incredible value for my type of spending, especially in the travel and dining categories. To learn more about how I compiled this list and how TPG applies strict guidelines to every card we review and score, check out our methodology .
bottom line
For me, the best credit cards are dual-purpose, give me transferable points or cash back, and offer benefits like statement credit that I can easily use. I like to diversify my credit card rewards so I have multiple redemption options when I’m ready to book a trip (use points) or complete an online order (use cash back).
While the four cards on this list are some of my current favorites because they provide tremendous value, I do have other cards that do less but still provide benefits that I use regularly that make them worth keeping. Whether you’re just starting out on your credit card journey or it’s your 10th time applying, remember that the best cards are always the ones that offer you benefits that fit your spending and budget.
For American Express Gold Card rates and fees, click here.
For Hilton Aspire Card rates and fees, please click here.
For Amex Blue Cash Preferred rates and fees, click here.
Related: The Best Rewards Credit Cards to Add to Your Wallet
