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60,000 Bonus Points
Chase Sapphire Preferred®
The undisputed king of beginner travel cards. Points transfer 1:1 to premium partners like United, Southwest, and Hyatt.
Annual Fee: $95
Foreign Fee: 0%
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🍽️
60,000 Bonus Points
American Express® Gold Card
The best card for foodies. Earn 4x points at restaurants worldwide and US supermarkets. Comes with $120 in dining credits.
Annual Fee: $250
Foreign Fee: 0%
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💎
75,000 Bonus Miles
Capital One Venture X
A premium travel card that essentially pays for itself. Get $300 annual travel credit and 10,000 anniversary miles every year.
Annual Fee: $395
Lounge Access: Yes
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🏠
Pay Rent for Free
Bilt World Elite Mastercard®
The only credit card that lets you earn points on rent (up to 100k points/year) with absolutely no transaction fees.
Annual Fee: $0
Dining: 3x Points
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How to Choose Your First Travel Card
If you are new to points and miles, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® is almost universally recommended as the starting point. The points are highly flexible, and the $95 annual fee is very easy to justify.
If your budget heavily skews towards eating out and buying groceries, the Amex Gold will rack up points faster than anything else on the market.
Remember the golden rule of travel credit cards: Never carry a balance. The interest rates will completely wipe out any value you get from the points.