Credit Cards I Recommend

~$1,000+ in points as a sign-up bonus

• Best for: Beginners starting their travel rewards journey
• Annual fee: $95

The best first travel card, and the one I recommend to almost everyone getting started. The $95 annual fee sounds scary, but the built-in credits more than cover it: you get a $50 annual hotel credit when you book through the Chase Travel portal, which alone pays for more than half the fee before you've earned a single point. On top of that you get a monthly DoorDash credit (and a complimentary DashPass membership) that easily covers the rest for most people, so the card can effectively pay for itself. The real magic is the sign-up bonus: it's worth around $1,000 (and often more) when you redeem points the right way — either through the Chase Travel portal at a boosted rate, or by transferring points 1:1 to airline and hotel partners like United, Southwest, and Hyatt, where the same points can stretch far further. Add strong everyday earning on travel and dining plus trip protections, and it's an easy first card to keep long term.

Why it’s worth it

• $50 annual hotel credit through the Chase Travel portal — covers more than half of the $95 fee.
• Monthly DoorDash credit + complimentary DashPass, which can cover the rest of the fee.
• Sign-up bonus worth ~$1,000+ when redeemed through Chase Travel or transferred to partners.
• Points redeem for 25% more value when booked through the Chase Travel portal.
• 1:1 point transfers to airline and hotel partners (United, Southwest, Hyatt, and more) for outsized value.
• Bonus points on travel and dining, plus trip cancellation/interruption and rental car protections.

No sign-up bonus

• Best for: Everyday spending with a flat, high cash-back rate
• Annual fee: $0 card fee (requires Robinhood Gold: $50/year or $5/month)

A strong everyday card with a flat 3% cash back on all purchases — about the highest everyday rate in the credit card game without having to juggle rotating categories or points. Even better, the cash back can go straight into your Robinhood brokerage account, which makes it feel a little more gamified than a plain cash-back card. The card itself has no annual fee, but it does require a Robinhood Gold membership, which runs $50 for the year (or about $5/month). There's no referral program for this card, so the link below just points to Robinhood's card page.

Why it’s worth it

• Flat 3% cash back on every purchase — one of the highest everyday rates out there.
• Cash back can be deposited right into your Robinhood brokerage account at 3%.
• No rotating categories or points to track — the same rate on everything.
• No annual card fee, though it does require Robinhood Gold ($50/year or ~$5/month).
• There's a waitlist, but posting in the r/RobinHood subreddit and asking the mods often gets you approved in about three days.
• Heads up: credit limits are usually on the lower side (around $10,000), so heavy spenders may want to pay the card off mid-cycle to free up room.