Building Your Credit Card Points Strategy

You’re already spending six figures a year on business expenses, travel, and life. The only question is whether those dollars work for you or disappear into a 1% cash back black hole.

A well-structured card setup turns routine spending into business class flights to Tokyo, suite upgrades at the Park Hyatt, and $10k+ in annual travel value—without changing how you spend. This isn’t coupon clipping. It’s capital efficiency applied to your wallet.

What This Actually Gets You

A household spending $150k/year on cards with an optimized setup can realistically generate:

• $4,000-6,000 in annual point value (at conservative 1.5cpp redemption)
• 2-3 business class flights to Europe or Asia via partner transfers
• Suite upgrades at Hyatt, Marriott, or Hilton properties
• $1,000+ in statement credits from Amex/Chase perks

The setup takes an afternoon. The returns compound for years.

The Foundation: Transferable Points

The most valuable credit card ecosystems are built around transferable points:

• Chase Ultimate Rewards - Transfers to United, Hyatt, Southwest, and more
• American Express Membership Rewards - Transfers to Delta, Hilton, ANA, and more
• Capital One Miles - Transfers to various airline and hotel partners
• Citi ThankYou Points - Transfers to JetBlue, Turkish, and more

Building Your Card Portfolio

The Trifecta Approach

Many points enthusiasts recommend a “trifecta” - three cards from one ecosystem that maximize category bonuses:

Chase Trifecta Example:

1. Chase Sapphire Reserve (travel, dining)
2. Chase Freedom Flex (rotating categories, drugstores)
3. Chase Ink Business Preferred (office supplies, shipping, internet)

Maximizing Sign-Up Bonuses

Sign-up bonuses often provide the highest return on spend. A single bonus can be worth $500-$1,500+ in travel.

Best Practices

• Space out applications (one every 3-6 months)
• Track your 5/24 status with Chase
• Time applications for high-spend periods

Best Cards by Category

The right credit card for each spending category can dramatically increase your rewards. Here’s a breakdown of optimal picks.

The 80/20 reality: Three or four well-chosen cards capture most of the value. The diminishing returns on card #7 rarely justify the wallet complexity. The recommendations below are ordered by impact—start at the top and stop when the marginal gain isn’t worth your attention.

Quick Reference Table

Category	Top Pick	Earn Rate	Annual Fee	Notes
Restaurants	Amex Gold	4x MR	$250	Best flexibility with MR transfers
Groceries	Amex Gold	4x MR	$250	$25k/year cap; doubles as dining card
Amazon/Whole Foods	Amazon Prime Visa	5%	$0	Requires Prime ($139/year)
Travel	Chase Sapphire Reserve	3x UR	$550	Trip insurance + Priority Pass
Gas	Citi Custom Cash	5%	$0	Up to $500/month in top category
Everything Else	Robinhood Gold / Coinbase Amex	3-4%	$0-50	Best-in-class flat rates; see details below

Restaurants

Top Pick: Amex Gold (4x MR, $250/year)

The Amex Gold earns 4x Membership Rewards at US restaurants, which can be worth 6-8 cents per dollar when transferred to partners like ANA or Virgin Atlantic for premium cabin flights.

Alternative: Capital One SavorOne (3% cash back, no AF)

If you prefer cash back simplicity over points optimization, the SavorOne offers solid returns without the annual fee.

Groceries & Supermarkets

Top Pick: Amex Gold (4x MR up to $25k/year)

The same card that dominates restaurants also wins at US supermarkets. The $25k annual cap is generous for most households.

Alternative: Blue Cash Preferred (6% up to $6k/year, $95 AF)

If you max out the 6% cap and don’t value MR points, this pays better on pure groceries—but the low cap limits its utility for high spenders.

Note: Using Amex Gold for both dining and groceries reduces wallet complexity significantly.

Amazon & Whole Foods

Top Pick: Amazon Prime Visa (5%, no AF)

This card is unbeatable for Amazon purchases. The 5% return on the world’s largest retailer adds up fast.

Requirement: Prime membership ($139/year), which most high earners already have.

No real competitor: Amazon’s exclusive relationship with Chase means no other card comes close for this retailer.

Travel (Flights, Hotels, Rental Cars)

Travel is where premium cards pay for themselves. The right card isn’t just about earning rates—it’s about what happens when things go wrong.

Top Pick: Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x UR, $550 AF)

Beyond the 3x earning rate, the CSR provides:

• Trip delay/cancellation insurance
• Priority Pass lounge access
• 1.5 cents per point when booking through Chase portal
• $300 annual travel credit (effectively reduces AF to $250)

Alternative: Capital One Venture X (2x + 10x on portal, $395 AF)

The Venture X offers better lounge access (Capital One Lounges + Priority Pass) and 10x on hotels/cars booked through their portal.

Gas Stations

Top Pick: Citi Custom Cash (5% on top category, $0 AF)

This card automatically applies 5% cash back to your highest spending category each billing cycle, up to $500/month. If gas is your top category, that’s $300/year in rewards.

Business Alternative: Chase Ink Cash (5% up to $25k/year)

For business owners, the Ink Cash offers 5% at gas stations and office supply stores with a much higher cap.

Note: Gas is a common gap in most credit card setups—many people default to their catch-all card here.

Streaming & Subscriptions

Just use your catch-all card.

Unless you’re spending $500+/month on subscriptions, optimizing this category isn’t worth the mental overhead. Your Robinhood Gold (3%) or Coinbase Amex (4%) already handles this well.

Online Shopping (Non-Amazon)

Best approach: Rakuten + your existing Amex cards

Before any online purchase, check Rakuten for the retailer. Portal bonuses typically range from 3-10% and stack with your card’s earn rate. Link your Amex to receive bonuses as MR points instead of cash.

For retailers not on Rakuten, use your catch-all card. The marginal difference between 2-3% doesn’t justify adding another card to your wallet.

Everything Else (Catch-All)

This is where most people leave money on the table. Your catch-all card handles 20-40% of total spend—bills, services, random purchases. The difference between 1% and 4% on $50k is $1,500/year.

Top Pick: Robinhood Gold Card (3% on everything, $0 AF with Gold)

The Robinhood Gold Card offers an unmatched 3% cash back on all purchases with no caps or categories to track. The card itself has no annual fee, but requires Robinhood Gold membership ($50/year or $5/month). Gold membership also includes benefits like higher APY on uninvested cash and lower margin rates, making it effectively free if you use Robinhood for brokerage.

This is the highest flat-rate return available on a catch-all card, beating traditional 2% options by 50%.

High-Yield Alternative: Coinbase Amex (4% in crypto, $0 AF)

For those comfortable with crypto exposure, the Coinbase Amex offers an exceptional 4% back in cryptocurrency on all purchases. The catch: you must hold less than $200k in your Coinbase account to qualify for the top 4% tier. Above that threshold, rewards drop to 1%.

This card works best if you:

• Already use Coinbase and plan to hold or convert the crypto rewards
• Want the highest possible catch-all rate and accept crypto volatility
• Have less than $200k in Coinbase assets

Points-Focused Alternative: Amex Blue Business Plus (2x MR, $0 AF)

If you value transferable points over cash back, the BBP earns 2x MR on everything up to $50k/year. The MR points can be worth 1.5-2+ cents each when transferred to airline partners, potentially matching or beating cash back options.

Simple Cash Back: Citi Double Cash (2% cash back, $0 AF)

The traditional benchmark for flat-rate cash back. No gimmicks, no requirements—just 2% on everything.

Sample Wallet Configurations

Minimalist Setup (3 Cards)

For those who want maximum rewards with minimal complexity:

1. Amex Gold — Restaurants, groceries (4x MR)
2. Chase Sapphire Reserve — Travel, backup dining (3x UR)
3. Robinhood Gold Card — Everything else (3%)

Effective earning: 3-4x on 70%+ of spend

Optimized Setup (5-6 Cards)

For those willing to manage more cards for higher returns:

1. Amex Gold — Restaurants, groceries (4x MR)
2. Chase Sapphire Reserve — Travel (3x UR)
3. Amazon Prime Visa — Amazon, Whole Foods (5%)
4. Citi Custom Cash — Gas stations (5%)
5. Robinhood Gold Card or Coinbase Amex — Everything else (3-4%)

Effective earning: 4-5x on 80%+ of spend

Maximum Cash Back Setup

For those who prefer cash/crypto over points:

1. Amex Gold — Restaurants, groceries (4x MR, can cash out via Schwab)
2. Amazon Prime Visa — Amazon, Whole Foods (5%)
3. Citi Custom Cash — Gas or drugstores (5%)
4. Coinbase Amex — Everything else (4% in crypto)

Effective earning: 4-5% on most spend, paid in cash or crypto

Business Owner Setup

Swap in business cards for higher spending caps:

1. Amex Business Gold — Top 4 categories at 4x (up to $150k/year)
2. Chase Ink Business Preferred — Travel, shipping, internet, advertising (3x)
3. Chase Ink Cash — Office supplies, gas, internet (5%)
4. Amex Blue Business Plus — Everything else (2x MR)

The Bottom Line

You don’t need 12 cards and a spreadsheet. You need:

1. Amex Gold for where you eat and shop
2. Chase Sapphire Reserve for where you go
3. A 3-4% catch-all for everything else

Three cards. Zero mental overhead. $5k+ back annually.

The sophisticated move isn’t optimizing every last point—it’s setting up smart defaults and forgetting about it.