Hey, how's it going everyone? Its Ernest from Trip Astute. Happy Holidays! In this
video, we're going to review what credit cards are in my wallet at the end of
2018 and which ones are out.
(light chiming music)
I know a lot of you have asked me to do a "what's in
my wallet" video, so I thought I would end the year with the review of which cards
are staying in my wallet, which ones are leaving, and which ones were added. But
first, if you're new here, welcome to our channel. Trip Astute a travel channel
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innovative gear. If that sounds interesting to you, please consider
subscribing. First we'll cover the newcomers to my wallet this year. Number
1: American Express Gold card. I'm excited to be earning American Express
Membership Rewards points again. It's been a while since I've had them and I know a
lot of you have asked me to do videos on the American Express cards. I've
hesitated to do them since I didn't have a points-earning American Express card
until now, so I couldn't pull accurate screenshots or even speak from personal
experience. But now that I have one, you can expect to see more videos on the
Gold Card and Membership Rewards program. This is definitely an interesting card
and it looks like American Express is really trying to win over the Chase
Sapphire cardmembers with this card. Number 2: US Bank Cash+. I've been
interested in this card for a while. I'm definitely not a big spender when it
comes to daily expenses, but I still have this dream of having most of my spend
earning some kind of a bonus. I thought this card might be a good fit to help me
reach that goal and to fill in the gaps. I like that it has customizable rotating
bonus categories. However, I don't expect to generate a lot of cash back from this
card. But I think it'll be useful to have, especially since I do a rotating bonus
category video every three months. Number 3:
Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Business card. I wasn't planning on getting this
card but I got it for the purpose of earning enough points to get another
year on our Southwest companion pass. Last year, I earned a companion pass by
applying for the personal Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card and we really
benefited from having the pass. Having it for another year seems like a no-brainer
for us so we strategically planned to get
the card and use Southwest hotel bookings to
earn enough points to get our companion pass renewed. I'm gonna do a video on the
Southwest companion pass program since it's very valuable and easy to get if you
plan it right. And now, here are the cards that have become a regular part of my
everyday carry this year. Number 1: Chase Sapphire Reserve. You all know how
much I love Chase Ultimate Rewards points, so this shouldn't be a surprise. I still
love my Sapphire Reserve, and it's probably the most valuable card in my
wallet. Since I tend to spend a significant amount on dining and travel,
especially parking expenses here in LA, this card really works well for me. Also,
the $300 annual travel credit makes this card feel like it only
has a $150 annual fee. Even though most of my dining out spend will probably end up
on the American Express Gold card, I still think I'll be able to take
advantage of this card's benefits. Number 2: Chase Ink Business Preferred. This is
my primary business card for Trip Astute. Like the Sapphire Reserve, it earns a lot
of bonus points. Even the opening bonus on this card is an amazing eight
thousand points. I basically use it for all my business expenses and it's
definitely a keeper in my wallet. Number 3: Chase Ink Business Cash.
This is another card that I keep and use all the time. I have another small
business that I run so I use the Ink Business Cash for all of those expenses.
I also charge my internet and streaming services on this card since it earns
five points per dollar on purchases from office supply stores, internet, cable, and
phone services. It doesn't have an annual fee so it's a great card to have
especially since it also earns Ultimate Rewards points. Number 4: American
Express Blue Cash Preferred. This is a powerhouse cash back card. It earns me
six percent cash back on groceries and three percent back on gas, and I'm able
to take advantage of many of the Amex offers. However, this card will likely get
downgraded to the no annual fee version since I'll be using the Gold card for
grocery purchases this year. Though if I decide not to renew the Gold card after
the first year, I'll likely restore this card as my primary grocery card. Number
5: Chase Freedom. This is another workhorse in my wallet. I try to take
advantage of the five percent quarterly rotating bonus categories which can earn
me 7,500 Ultimate Rewards points every quarter. With no annual fee,
this card is definitely staying in my wallet. Number 6: Chase Freedom Unlimited. This
card is my go-to card for any expenses that are not covered by a bonus category.
It earns a flat rate of 1.5 points per dollar so it's a great no-nonsense card
for expenses where I can't really maximize a bonus category. Number 7:
Discover It. Like the Chase Freedom, the Discover It card offers a rotating
quarterly bonus. However, similar to my American Express Blue Cash Preferred
card, it earns cash back. But I can put that money toward my travel budget. Okay,
those are the cards I actually carry in my wallet. However, I do have a bunch of
other credit cards that I don't necessarily carry with me all the time,
but I keep active since I get some kind of reward or benefit with them, even if
they have an annual fee. Here's a list of cards that I have as well. Number 1:
Chase IHG Rewards Club Select. I've covered this card in several videos. I
basically keep it because I get Platinum Elite status with IHG and more
importantly, a free anniversary night with my $49 annual fee. The free night
alone is worth so much more than the annual fee. Chase is trying to get me to
upgrade to the new IHG Premier card, but honestly I don't think that I would take
advantage of the new benefits. And I don't want to pay the $89 annual fee. The
next card on my list is the Chase Hyatt card. Like the IHG Rewards Club card,
this card offers a bump in loyalty status and provides a free night every
year with an annual fee of $95. There are a ton of awesome hotels in Hyatt's
portfolio where you can use your annual certificate. Since I can almost guarantee
that I'll get a room for more than the value of the annual fee, it's worth
keeping this card. Next is the Chase United MileagePlus Explorer card. I
never use this card but I keep it for the lounge passes, free check-in baggage,
priority boarding, and additional award availability. If you have this card, you'll
actually see more award seat availability for flights when redeeming
points. To me, these benefits are worth the $95 annual fee. I've contemplated
cancelling this card, but I'm gonna keep it for at least another year, especially
with some of the changes in United's economy baggage policy. The Citi Double
Cash is also in my drawer. I thought about closing the account but I figured
I would just keep it just in case anything changes in my current setup,
especially with Chase. The Double Cash used to be my go-to non-bonus spend card,
but it was replaced by the Freedom Unlimited. I know
that may sound strange because the Double Cash earns 2% while the
Freedom Unlimited only earns 1.5%, but keep in mind that the Freedom Unlimited
earns Ultimate Rewards points which are valued at at least 1.5 cents.
So essentially, I'm earning 2.25% with the Freedom Unlimited,
which is why I prefer it. Lastly, I do have two USAA credit cards that are also
in my drawer. I got both of these credit cards when I was a cadet in
college. The only reason I even keep these cards is because they are my
oldest credit cards, so cancelling them would probably affect my credit score since
it would decrease my average age of accounts. And sadly, there are a few
credit cards that didn't make it to the end of 2018. This includes the following
cards. Club Carlson Premier Rewards. While this card has helped me to earn a lot of
Club Carlson points, I've struggled to redeem the points. Club Carlson does have some
incredible resorts around the world like their Radisson Blu brand. But we've not
been able to use the points when traveling due to limited availability or
high point rates. Even though I was earning 40,000 Club Carlson points every
year with my $75 annual fee, I decided to cancel the card. Chase Southwest Rapid
Rewards Plus. As I mentioned earlier, I got this card last year in order to earn
a companion pass. At the time, Southwest was offering California residents the
opportunity to earn a free companion pass as a welcome offer. The only
problem is I didn't really use the card, and even when paying for Southwest
flights, I prefered to use my Sapphire Reserve card since I could earn
Ultimate Rewards points. So, I decided to cancel this card since there wasn't a no
annual fee downgrade option and applied for the business version instead. And
that's my wallet wrap-up for 2018. Let me know what you think in the comment
section below. Also, I would love to hear what cards have joined, stayed, or left
your wallet this year. If you're interested in applying for any of the
cards featured in this video, please consider using the credit card links on
our website. We've partnered with CardRatings.com, so any sign-ups that go
through our site helps to support the channel, especially when it comes to
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or found it useful, please like and share it with others. It really helps us to
grow the channel and our community. Again, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday
season. Until next time, travel safe and travel smart.