Sometimes two (or three) is better than one. While some enjoy the simplicity of just having one go-to credit card, those who don’t mind a little complexity can amplify their point earnings by adding just one or two more cards. In this post, we are going to highlight ways to boost your credit card earnings by using cards that complement one another.
The good news is that most don’t require paying large annual fees to make it happen. All three card trios we’re highlighting in this article have under $100 in combined annual fees with the potential to earn incredible rewards.
In this post, we are going to focus on groups of cards issued by the same bank that earn flexible points that can both be used on travel and be transferred to airline and hotel partners. This way you can use these combinations to compile rewards all in one program.
Featured Partner Offers
Citi’s Trifecta
- Fixed-earning card: Citi Double Cash® Card
- Earnings booster for small purchases: Citi Rewards+® Card
- Premium card: Citi Premier® Card*
By using this trifecta of cards, cardholders can earn at least 2 ThankYou points per dollar spent, up to 3 points per dollar spent on certain categories, a minimum of 10 points on all transactions and a 10% points rebate on the first 100,000 points redeemed each year. Plus, you’ll be able to transfer points to 17 airline transfer partners.
Earning Strategy
The premium card in the Citi trifecta is the see terms annual fee Citi Premier in this combo.
The Citi Premier Card offers the following rewards: 3 ThankYou points per dollar at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels, 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases and a total of 10 points per dollar on hotels, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2024.
In this trifecta, the $0 annual fee Citi Rewards+ Card is the go-to for purchases at supermarkets and on small daily purchases. The card lets you earn 2 ThankYou Points per dollar at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 in spending per year and 1 ThankYou Point per dollar on other eligible purchases, plus 5 ThankYou® Points per dollar on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com through December 31, 2025. However, earnings on all purchases are rounded up to the nearest 10 points. No matter if you buy a coffee for $3 or a banana for $0.50, you’ll earn 10 points. This card also gives you 10% of your points back, up to the first $100,000 points that you redeem each year.
The Citi Double Cash card fills in for all other purchases. Earn 2% cash back on all purchases—1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off. Rewards are earned in the form of ThankYou Points so the card effectively earns 2 ThankYou points per dollar on purchases.
Redeeming Points
Citi ThankYou points transfer to numerous airlines—including JetBlue, Air France/KLM, Emirates, Etihad, Qantas and Turkish Airlines.
For example, I used ThankYou points to get back to the U.S. from South Africa at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Although Delta isn’t a Citi transfer partner, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a ThankYou point transfer partner and a Delta partner. So, I was able to transfer 40,000 Citi points to Flying Club to book the nonstop Delta flight from Johannesburg to Atlanta. After a change to the Virgin Atlantic award chart for Delta, this flight now costs 45,000 points.
As an additional benefit, Citi Rewards+ cardholders get 10% points back on the first 100,000 ThankYou points redeemed each year. That means you can save up to 10,000 ThankYou points each year when you redeem your points for travel.
Welcome Bonuses
The Citi Premier is currently offering the opportunity to earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Meanwhile, with Citi Rewards+ Card new customers receive the following welcome offer: 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 in purchases within 3 months of account opening; redeemable for $200 in gift cards at thankyou.com.
However, note that Citi has a 24-month waiting period between earning a ThankYou point bonus. You won’t be eligible for a welcome bonus on these cards if you’ve earned a welcome bonus on the Citi Rewards+, Citi ThankYou Preferred, Citi ThankYou Premier/Citi Premier or Citi Prestige—or if you have closed any of these accounts—in the past 24 months. This means that if you are applying for both the Premier and the Rewards+, you’ll want to be sure to apply for the Premier first to get the significantly larger of the two bonuses.
The Citi Double Cash is currently offering $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening, fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points.
Annual Fees
For being this powerful, you might be surprised to learn that this trifecta only has a combined annual fee of just see terms per year. Both the Citi Double Cash Card and the Citi Rewards+ Card have no annual fees. The Citi Premier’s annual fee is see terms.
Plus, Citi Premier cardholders can earn a $100 statement credit for booking a hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) through the ThankYou travel portal each calendar year. If you’re able to take advantage of this offer, this can more than justify the trifecta’s combined $95 annual fee.
Find the Best Rewards Credit Cards of 2024
The Chase Triad
- Fixed-earning card: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
- Earnings booster: Chase Freedom Flex℠
- Premium card: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
By using this Chase triad, you can effectively earn at least 1.5 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points per dollar spent on all purchases, plus:
- 5 points per dollar spent on travel booked through Chase and on up to $1,500 per quarter in rotating categories with enrollment
- 3 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants, at drugstores, on online groceries and on select streaming services
- 2 points per dollar spent on all other travel
Points can be transferred to participating airlines and three hotel partners. Of the three, only the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card charges an annual fee of $95.
Earning Strategy
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is a cash-back card that earns 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in categories that rotate quarterly (requires activation), 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
The rotating category changes each quarter. Previous quarterly categories have included grocery stores, gas stations, wholesale clubs, internet, cable, phone services and select streaming services. You should at least use your Freedom Flex card for purchases in the rotating categories. You could also use it on travel booked through Chase, on dining at restaurants and at drugstores since it earns the same number of points per dollar for these categories as do the other cards in the trifecta
The Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on eligible dining and drugstores and 1.5% on all other purchases, plus an additional 1.5% cash back on the first $20,000 in purchases the first year.
If those bonus categories sound familiar, there’s a reason. These are three of the bonus categories offered by the Chase Freedom Flex. However, it still makes sense to get the Chase Freedom Unlimited® in addition to the Chase Freedom Flex. That’s because you’ll boost the trio’s minimum point-earning rate on non-bonus purchases to 1.5% cash back.
The premium card for this triad is the $95-annual-fee Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. You can also use the Chase Sapphire Reserve® if the additional earnings, bonus points and perks can justify the much-higher $550 annual fee. You’ll want one of these two cards as both earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, and you can combine the earnings from the Freedom cards with these points to gain the ability to transfer points to airline and hotel partners.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders can earn 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases.
These points can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to Chase’s airline and hotel partners, including United and Hyatt. The points can also be redeemed through the Chase Travel℠ portal for 25% more value with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. That makes the Sapphire Preferred the go-to for travel booked through the Chase Travel portal, online grocery purchases, select streaming services and all other travel purchases.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Up to 5x Reward Rate
Earn 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on allRead More
Welcome Bonus
75,000 bonus points
Annual Fee
$95
Regular APR
21.49%-28.49% Variable
Credit Score
Excellent, Good (700 - 749)
Offering a rare mix of high rewards rates and redemption flexibility, this card is a dream for frequent spenders on travel & dining – while charging a modest annual fee.
- Earn high rewards on several areas of spending
- Transfer points to travel partners at 1:1 rate
- Many travel and shopping protections
- Annual fee
- No intro APR offer
- Best travel earning rates are only for bookings through Chase
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 75,000 points are worth $937.50 toward travel.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
- Member FDIC
Redeeming Points
Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to eligible airline and hotel programs—including well-known programs such as Air Canada, British Airways, JetBlue, Southwest, United, Marriott and Hyatt. That makes Chase Ultimate Rewards a very flexible and valuable points currency for many cardholders.
On their own, the Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited earn cash back. However, the earnings on these cards can become transferable to other partners by using the “combine points” option to transfer the cashback earnings to your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
In addition to transferring points, you can also redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards through the Chase Travel Portal or by using the Pay Yourself Back feature. The Pay Yourself Back tool gives cardholders the opportunity to use points to erase purchases in a rotating set of categories. Through December 31, 2023, eligible transactions for the Pay Yourself Back feature include gas station and grocery store purchases as well as charitable donations.
Chase Sapphire Preferred points are worth 1.25 cents per point when redeemed for travel or for qualifying charities with Pay Yourself Back. That redemption rate is boosted to 1.5 cents per point if you redeem the points through the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Welcome Bonuses
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is currently offering the chance to earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Meanwhile, the Chase Freedom Flex offers a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. While the Chase Freedom Unlimited is offering a welcome bonus of an additional 1.5% cash back on up to $20,000 spent in the first year, worth up to $300 cash back.
Keep in mind that Chase has an unadvertised but firm rule for new accounts known as the 5/24 rule. If you have opened more than five new credit card accounts in the past 24 months with any bank, Chase will not approve an application for any of these three cards.
If you are near this limit, you’ll want to be strategic in which card you apply for first. We recommend starting with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, followed by the Chase Freedom Unlimited to boost your everyday purchases and unlock additional bonus categories. Finally, get the Chase Freedom Flex to boost your earnings in rotating bonus categories.
Annual Fees
As with the Citi trifecta, the Chase triad isn’t going to break the bank. Both the Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited have no annual fee. Considering all of its benefits, the Chase Sapphire Preferred has a very reasonable $95 annual fee. That means you’re paying just $95 out-of-pocket for this powerful card triad.
Chase’s Business Trio
- Fixed-earning card: Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
- Earnings booster: Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
- Premium card: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
If you have a small business, you can combine these three cards to earn a minimum of 1.5 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent with up to 5 points per dollar spent in certain categories. These points can be transferred to eligible airline and hotel partners. All for just a combined $95 annual fee.
Earning Strategy
To have access to Chase’s transfer partners, you’ll need to have the $95 annual fee Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card card.
The Ink Business Preferred card earns 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, and on advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year.
The Ink Business Preferred also earns bonus points on internet, cable and phone services. However, you’ll want to use the Ink Business Cash for these purchases.
That’s because with the Ink Business Cash card you’ll earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year and 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases. When you combine the earnings from this card with the earnings from the Ink Business Preferred, you effectively earn 5 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent in the 5% category.
For any other small business purchases, you’ll want to use the Ink Business Unlimited credit card. The card earns 1.5% cash back—or 1.5 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent when combined with the Ink Business Preferred card—on all purchases. That means you can think of this trio as earning at least 1.5 miles per dollar spent, with some purchases earning 3 to 5 miles per dollar spent.
Redeeming Points
Like with the Sapphire Preferred, owning the Chase Ink Preferred gives you the ability to transfer points to multiple airline and hotel programs. This includes familiar brands such as British Airways, JetBlue, Southwest, United, Marriott and Hyatt.
The highest-value redemptions are generally achieved through these transfer partners. However, Chase Ultimate Rewards points in your Ink Business Preferred account can also be redeemed through the Chase Travel Portal for paid travel at a rate of 1.25 cents per point.
Even better, you can combine Chase Ultimate Rewards points that you earn through Chase business cards with points earned through personal Chase credit cards. That means you can boost your points redemption rate through Chase Travel℠ to 1.5 cents per point if you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve. Or, combining points between business and personal accounts may make it more efficient to transfer points to an airline or hotel.
Welcome Bonuses
The Ink Business Preferred currently offers: 100,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Meanwhile, both the Ink Business Cash and the Ink Business Unlimited offer similar welcome bonuses. Ink Business Cash currently offers: $350 bonus cash back after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening. That’s equivalent to 90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points when paired with the Ink Business Preferred.
Chase’s business credit cards are also subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule. That means you won’t be able to open any of these three cards if you have opened more than five new personal credit card accounts in the past 24 months. The good news is that business credit cards generally don’t count toward the 5/24 limit.
If you need to prioritize which of these business cards you get first, we recommend starting with the Chase Ink Preferred. Then, get the Ink Business Cash for the incredible earnings rate. Finally, complete the trio with the Ink Business Unlimited.
Annual Fees
Despite the incredible earnings, the combined annual fees for this trio is just $95. Both the Ink Business Cash and the Ink Business Unlimited have no annual fees, and the Ink Business Preferred only costs $95 per year.
Cash-Back Combos
In this post, we focused on points-earning cards. However, there are plenty of combinations that can be quite powerful for those focusing on cash back. The best way to do so would be to pair a card that earns 2% cash back on all purchases with a card that earns 5% on rotating cash-back categories.
The best no annual fee 2% cash-back cards include Citi Double Cash® Card—which earns 1% when you make the purchase and 1% when you pay your balance—and the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Credit Card*.
Cards with 5% rotating cash-back categories include the Chase Freedom Flex and Discover it® Cash Back. Keep in mind that each card’s rotating categories may have different eligibility requirements. For example, the Discover it® Cash Back offers 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter up to a quarterly maximum of $1,500 in spending when activated. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
If you really want to amplify your cash-back earnings, you can get the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express to earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more) and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. (Terms apply. See rates & fees.)
Find the Best Credit Cards for 2024
No single credit card is the best option for every family, every purchase or every budget. We've picked the best credit cards in a way designed to be the most helpful to the widest variety of readers.
Bottom Line
As you can see from just these three trios, you can really boost your points earnings by strategically pairing cards. And, you don’t need to pay hefty annual fees to get large earnings.
In each one of these combos, you’ll effectively earn at least 1.5 points per dollar spent with earnings of 3 to 5 points per dollar in certain categories. Earning rates like these can help you score points quickly for a future trip.
To view rates and fees for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express please visit this page.
