Points Maximizing

I've collected more credit cards than Apple Wallet can handle. I once hit a bug where it literally ran out of space for new cards. Here's how I think about whether a card is actually worth it.

Sticker value × usage factor = my valuation

Roughly, the roadmap: a premium card for lounges, credits, and strong travel earn. A hotel card because the annual free night certificate usually pays for the fee by itself. An airline card only if you're loyal to one carrier. Everyday cards to fill the gaps.

Premium

Amex Platinum $895/yr, net +$1,281/yr

Perk	How I use it	Value
Digital Entertainment ($300/yr)	YouTube Premium subscription	$275.88
FHR/Hotel Collection ($600/yr)	Book FHR 2+ times/yr for breakfast, late checkout	$600
Resy Dining Credit ($400/yr)	Always use quarterly	$400
Airline Fee Credit ($200/yr)	Always use	$200
Lululemon Credit ($300/yr)	Would spend anyway	$300
Uber Cash + Uber One ($320/yr)	Rides & Eats monthly	$200
Centurion + Delta Sky Club (capped at 10 visits/yr)	~10 visits/yr @ $20 value	$200
Equinox Credit ($300/yr)	Don't use	$0
Oura Ring Credit ($200/yr)	Don't use	$0
Walmart+	Wouldn't pay for this	$0

5x on flights and strong travel protections carry it, though Delta Sky Club access is now capped at 10 visits a year unless you spend $75k. The FHR hotel credit, Resy dining credit, and airline fee credit are the ones I actually use every year.

Capital One Venture X $395/yr, net +$135/yr

Perk	How I use it	Value
Travel Credit ($300/yr)	Always book $300+ portal travel	$300
Anniversary Miles (10k/yr)	Redeem ~1.5¢	$150
Capital One Lounges	~2 visits/yr	$80

2x on everything is my default for miscellaneous spend. The $300 travel credit and anniversary miles cover most of the fee on their own.

Chase Sapphire Reserve $795/yr, net +$426/yr, don't currently hold it

Perk	How I use it	Value
Travel Credit ($300/yr)	Use fully	$300
The Edit Hotel Credit (up to $500/yr)	Two-night min; use half	$250
Dining Credit ($300/yr)	Use half	$150
Apple TV+/Music ($250/yr thru 2027)	Value at half	$125
DoorDash Promos ($300/yr thru 2027)	Use half	$150
StubHub Credit ($300/yr thru 2027)	Use half	$150
Lyft Credit ($120/yr thru 2027)	Value ~80%	$96
DashPass / Peloton (thru 2027)	Wouldn't use	$0

Several of the credits are temporary through 2027. Makes more sense if you're already deep in the Chase ecosystem (Freedom, Ink), since the uplift stacks with what you're already doing.

Hotel

Hilton Aspire (Amex) $550/yr, net +$950/yr

Perk	How I use it	Value
Free Night Cert (annual)	Redeem at $500+ Hiltons	$500
Hilton Diamond Status	Breakfast/upgrades/lounge (~10 nights)	$400
Hilton Resort Credit ($400/yr)	Use fully	$400
Airline Incidental ($200/yr)	Use fully	$200

The annual free night certificate is the whole card. I've used it at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, Conrad Tokyo, and Napa Carneros for stays that would've run about $1,500. Diamond status and the resort/airline credits round it out (the airline credit is actually $200, not $250).

Hilton Surpass (Amex) $150/yr, net +$550/yr

Perk	How I use it	Value
Quarterly Hilton Credits ($200/yr)	Always use $50/quarter	$200
Free Night Cert (after $15k spend)	Always hit the spend	$500

Cheapest path to Hilton Gold plus a free night certificate, now after just $15k in spend (down from $20k). The quarterly $50 credits are easy to use.

Hilton (no-fee) $0/yr
Free keeper that maintains credit history, nothing more.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (Amex) $650/yr, net +$350/yr

Perk	How I use it	Value
Free Night Cert (85k)	~$500 hotels	$500
Dining Credit ($300/yr)	Use fully ($25/mo)	$300
Platinum Status	~5 nights/yr upgrades	$200
25 Elite Nights	Not useful to me	$0

85k-point free night certificate covers roughly $500 hotels, and the $300 dining credit is easy to use at $25/month. Platinum status adds occasional upgrades.

Marriott Boundless (Chase) $95/yr, net +$155/yr

Perk How I use it Value

Free Night Cert (35k) ~$250 hotels $250

15 Elite Nights No value to me $0

A 35k free night certificate against ~$250 hotels covers the fee with room to spare.

Perk	How I use it	Value
Free Night Cert (35k)	~$250 hotels	$250
15 Elite Nights	No value to me	$0

Ritz-Carlton Visa Infinite (Chase) $450/yr, net +$400/yr

Perk	How I use it	Value
Free Night Cert (85k)	~$500 hotels	$500
Priority Pass (2 free guests, $27/extra)	Host family/friends ~10×/yr	$350

85k free night certificate plus Priority Pass, still good for hosting family and friends though guest access is no longer unlimited (it's now 2 free guests per visit, $27 each after). Not open to new applicants directly: get it by applying for Boundless first, then product-changing up.

IHG Premier (Chase) $99/yr, net +$101/yr

Perk	How I use it	Value
Free Night Cert (40k)	~$200 hotels	$200
4th Night Free	Never used this	$0
Platinum Status	Minimal upgrades	$0

A 40k free night certificate against ~$200 hotels. I don't get much use out of the 4th-night-free perk or status.

Airline

Atmos Rewards Ascent $95/yr, net +$305/yr

Perk How I use it Value

Companion Fare (annual, $6k spend) Use on ~$400+ tickets $400

Free Bag Covered by status $0

Annual companion fare after $6k spend, worth using on tickets $400 and up. Alaska and Hawaiian merged their loyalty programs into Atmos Rewards in October 2025, and this card got renamed along with it.

Perk	How I use it	Value
Companion Fare (annual, $6k spend)	Use on ~$400+ tickets	$400
Free Bag	Covered by status	$0

Atmos Rewards Summit $395/yr, net +$305/yr

Perk	How I use it	Value
Lounge Day Passes (8/yr)	~5 used @ ~$40 each	$200
Companion Award (25k mi/yr)	25k mi @ ~2¢	$500
Free Checked Bag	Covered by status	$0

This used to be a full lounge membership; now it's two Alaska Lounge day passes a quarter (eight a year) plus a discount toward Lounge+. The companion perk is now a 25k-mile award each anniversary rather than a discounted fare, but it pencils out about the same. The 3x on dining and foreign purchases is best-in-class if you travel internationally.

Everyday

Amex Gold $325/yr, net +$99/yr

Perk	How I use it	Value
Uber Cash ($120/yr)	Use completely monthly	$120
Dining Credit ($120/yr)	Use via Grubhub monthly	$120
Resy Credit ($100/yr)	Use twice yearly	$100
Dunkin' Credit ($84/yr)	Use monthly	$84

4x on dining and groceries is the real value here. The fee jumped to $325 back in 2024, but Amex added Resy and Dunkin' credits since, so it still comes out ahead if you use them all.

Amex Everyday $0/yr, neutral
Free keeper to age credit history.
Chase Freedom Flex & Unlimited $0/yr, positive
Flex covers 5% rotating categories, Unlimited covers 3% on dining and drugstores plus 1.5% on everything else. Good no-fee downgrade options to keep around.
Amazon Prime Visa $0/yr
5% back at Amazon and Whole Foods with an active Prime membership (3% without).
Credit union cards $0/yr, neutral
Still good for aging credit history.

Notes

Welcome offers move around a lot, so it's worth checking you're getting the current best one before applying anywhere.

Paying taxes with a credit card costs about 1.8 to 2.0% in processing fees. It can still make sense to hit a big welcome bonus or when a card's effective earn rate beats that fee.

Everything's on autopay, and I do a quick review each quarter to make sure the math still holds.