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 throughout 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 for 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 others 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 75,000 points (up from 60,000!) after spending $5,000 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 and a $50 hotel credit, and it has some great transfer partners, like Hyatt and Southwest.

<All information about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has been collected independently by The Traveling Hansens. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.>

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

 ➡️ Check out my recommended travel rewards cards

Card #2

The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card is my next suggestion. This card earns $750 cash back when you spend $6,000 in the first three months. It’s marketed as a cash-back card; however, it actually earns Chase points, which are transferable as long as you also have the Sapphire Preferred.

<All information about Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card has been collected independently by The Traveling Hansens. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.>

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.

Check out my deep-dive post about the Ink Unlimited here.

 ➡️ Find all of my favorite business cards here

Card #3

The Capital One Venture 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.

I previously recommended grabbing the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card first. However, Capital One recently changed its rules and added family language. This means you can’t earn the bonus on a “lower” card (like the Venture with a smaller annual fee) if you’ve already earned the bonus on the “bigger” card (like the Venture X with a bigger annual fee). So now, I recommend grabbing the Venture first!

But, if you’re looking for a premium card and aren’t worried about being ineligible for the Venture, the Venture X is an excellent choice, and you could definitely grab that first. You can compare the two in this article.

Check out this article to learn more about how to use your Capital One Miles.

 ➡️ See my top travel rewards cards recs

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.

 ➡️ Check out the best hotel cards

Card #5

Lastly, another Chase Ink card – the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. This card earns 90,000 points when you spend $8,000 in the first three months. These business cards are the best way to stock up on valuable Chase points without counting toward 5/24.

<All information about Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has been collected independently by The Traveling Hansens. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.>

You can have these Ink cards for the same business, so I recommend opening each of them to earn more Chase points.

Check out my deep-dive post about the Ink Preferred here.

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

 ➡️ Find all of my favorite business cards here

If that last card has too high of a spending requirement, check out all of this month’s best offers and choose something that better fits your travel goals and spending!

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, like a spouse or partner that you travel with, to 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.