While sign-up bonuses are a great way to earn a lot of points quickly, optimizing your ongoing spend with the right category bonuses can be just important to earn the most points possible. Here are the cards that have earned a place in my wallet (and virtual wallet) right now along with my referral links if this card is of interest to you:
Chase Southwest Performance Business card
This is not a card that I will likely physically carry day to day in the future, but I am finishing off the second phase of the minimum spend to reach the 120k points welcome bonus offer from September 2024. Once this spend is complete, I will earn the Companion Pass for the rest of 2025 and all of 2026! It does offer 4 upgrades to A-15 boarding positions per year (as a statement credit) so I will be sure to grab it if I plan to upgrade my position at the gate. I also use it for booking paid Southwest flights to earn 4X points.
Link (to any of the Southwest cards): https://www.referyourchasecard.com/226f/0UIVIO4W11
Amex Gold card
This one is a permanent keeper in the wallet to earn 4X points at grocery stores and restaurants.
Link (60k offer, has been higher in the recent past): https://americanexpress.com/en-us/referral/gold-card?ref=ANDRESoWCV&XLINK=MYCP
Capital One Venture X card
I use the Venture X for most of my spend that is not already covered by a category bonus, earning a simple 2X points for all purchases.
Link (note there is also a public offer of 75k points + $250 travel credit for the regular Venture card): https://i.capitalone.com/JAgp2tI92
Chase Freedom Flex card (Apple Pay)
This is a card my wife applied for last year that had no sign-up bonus but instead offered 10X points at grocery stores up to $12k spend for the first 12 months. Since groceries are one of our highest monthly costs this one was a easy decision to apply for, and we will easily max out that offer for 120k Chase points. While the Freedom family of cards earn cash back, the points can be merged with a premium Ultimate Rewards card like the Sapphire Preferred or Reserve which unlocks the ability to transfer the points to travel partners. Even better, for Q1 2025, grocery stores are one of the rotating 5X Chase Freedom Flex bonus categories which means we will earn a whopping 14X Chase points on our first $1500 of grocery spend this quarter which makes this a no-brainer to keep in my virtual wallet.
Link: https://www.referyourchasecard.com/18J/M1PSX04YRA
Chase Sapphire Reserve card
The Sapphire Reserve used to get all of my restaurant spend (3X), but that now goes to the Amex Gold. This is my go-to for travel spend as a 3X bonus category and is physically required to access Chase Sapphire Lounge locations.
Link: https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19q/UI7UN6JJDP
Chase Freedom Unlimited card
Similar to the Capital One Venture X, this card gets some spend that is otherwise non-bonused as it earns 1.5X everywhere and 3X at drugstores and restaurants. While this also earns cash back (like the Freedom Flex), these points are easily merged with the Sapphire Reserve to transfer to travel partners. Even though it earns 25% fewer points (1.5X vs 2X) than the Venture X, I value Chase Ultimate Rewards points slightly higher than Capital One miles (mainly due to having Hyatt as a transfer partner) so I use this card frequently.
Link: https://www.referyourchasecard.com/18J/IHRVI5L87L
Amex Business Gold card (Apple Pay)
My main use for this card currently is gas stations to earn 4X points. I could also use this at restaurants for 4X using tap to pay. I can also use it at select merchants for the $20 per month flexible credit and to earn 3X points for flights and hotels booked through Amex Travel if I wanted to prioritize earning Amex Membership Rewards points over Chase Ultimate Rewards points for travel purchases. This card also has a fantastic 150k point welcome bonus offer through referral right now. You can learn more here if you are interested:
Link: https://americanexpress.com/en-us/referral/businessgold-card?ref=ANDRESNM20&XLINK=MYCP
TL;DR: Sign-up bonuses are great for earning big chunks of points but optimizing ongoing spend with category bonuses is just as important for maximizing overall points earning. I supercharge my points earning by leveraging the best category bonuses across the 5 cards I carry in my wallet and 2 additional cards on Apple Pay.
