If you’re new to points and miles and you feel unsure how exactly to get started, then let me put your mind at ease. It doesn’t have to feel overwhelming or confusing. This article will walk you through the first five cards I recommend for anyone just getting started. I’ll also give you some resources so that you can turn around and actually use all of those points you earned!

Getting started

Before we get started, here are a few things you need to know.

• First, it’s very important that you’re able to stick to a budget and only spend within your means. Earning tons of points is great, but if you’re paying interest each month, then that completely negates the benefits. You should only open cards which you can earn the welcome offer from your regular spending.

• Second, everyone’s spending and budgets are different. Some people may be able to meet the spending requirement within a few weeks, while other people may take the full three months. Both ways are totally fine.

• As a general rule, I recommend waiting 90 days between card applications. However, when alternating between banks and between business and personal cards, I sometimes apply sooner than 90 days apart. No matter what, I recommend a minimum of 30 days between applications.

• Finally, you can double your points by referring a family member or friend that you travel with to each of these cards! You’ll get a referral bonus, and they’ll earn all of these same welcome offers. Then, you can combine your points and use them all to book trips.

Card #1

My number one card recommendation for all beginners is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. With this card, you can earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. It’s a great beginner card because the points are easy to earn, it has good benefits like 3X on dining, a 25% points boost through Chase Travel℠, and it has some great transfer partners, like Hyatt and Southwest.

Here are some helpful links related to this card:

• All About the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card – this deep dive article tells you everything you need to know about the card.
• All About Chase Ultimate Rewards®
• Hyatt + Southwest: Vacations for $11.20 Per Person

Card #2

The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is my next suggestion. This card earns $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening. It’s marketed as a cash-back card, however, it actually earns Chase points, which are transferrable as long as you also have the Sapphire Preferred.

Before you say, “But I don’t have a business,” hear me out. Business cards are much easier to qualify for than most people realize. You don’t need a registered business; just a small side hustle of some kind. Basically, anything that brings in any amount of income outside of W2 work, even if it’s small. This can be something like selling used stuff on Marketplace or eBay, rideshare or food delivery driving, babysitting, dog walking, nannying, tutoring, freelance work, etc. There are lots of options!

Business cards are an easy way to stock up on a lot of points because the welcome offers tend to be higher than personal cards. Also, they generally don’t count against Chase’s 5/24 rule, which is important to consider long-term.

Card #3

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is my third suggestion. The welcome offer is for 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This is my go-to card for all of my spending when I’m not working toward a welcome offer for a different card.

This card has a ton of benefits like a $300 annual travel credit, airport lounge access, TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit, no foreign fees, 10,000 bonus miles on each account anniversary, purchase protections, travel protections, and more. I wrote a deep–dive article all about why I love it.

It’s important to note that the card has a higher annual fee than other “beginner” cards. It falls solidly into the premium card category, but I think the benefits more than make up for it. However, if it’s too much for you to stomach, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is another great option. You can compare the two cards in this article.

Also, check out this article to learn more about how to use your Capital One Miles.

Card #4

Next up, a hotel card for your favorite chain. Once you’ve gotten some flexible points and miles under your belt, co-branded hotel or airline cards are a great option. These are cards that earn points for a specific hotel or airline. I like to start with hotel cards because most of them come with an annual free night certificate on each account anniversary. The sooner you open the card, the sooner you’ll get that free night.

I have an article that covers all of my recommended hotel cards and explains more about why they’re valuable. Find that here.

Related: Top Hotel Cards

Card #5

Finally, the Ink Cash‘s sister card – the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card. Honestly, the order of these two Ink cards doesn’t matter. They both earn 75,000 valuable points and have no annual fee, so they’re the best way to stock up on Chase points without counting toward 5/24 or paying any annual fees.

There are actually four Ink cards – three of which earn Chase points and one that earns cash back. I don’t recommend the one that earns cash back unless you’re just trying to cover the cost of expenses. Earning flexible Chase points is always my recommendation since they can be used so many ways.

You can have all of the Ink cards for the same business, so I recommend opening all three that earn Chase points. Just make sure to space out our applications a minimum of 90 days apart, but even further apart isn’t a bad idea. Chase has been cracking down on approvals if you try to open them too frequently.

You can compare all of the Ink cards in this article.

Wrapping Up

If you follow this plan, you will have over a year’s worth of cards to open and can earn nearly 500,000 points (depending on which hotel card you get). If you refer a player two to all of these same cards, you can double that number. That huge amount of points will set you up for success to start booking award trips for a fraction of the cash cost!

P.S. If you’re looking for other card recommendations beyond what’s listed here, check out my current best offers page.