The best credit cards for a diversified wallet

You’ll hear this ad nauseam at TPG: When it comes to the best credit card, there isn’t one.

And by that, I mean there’s no single card that magically fits every individual’s specific needs. For example, one of my biggest expenses is groceries, so I have a card that earns a high reward rate in this category.

On the other hand, one of my friend’s biggest monthly expenses is her rent, so she has the Bilt Mastercard®* in her wallet to net Bilt Points (up to 100,000 points in a calendar year; use the card five times each statement period to earn points) on every rent payment she makes without incurring a transaction fee (see rates and fees).

Though the Bilt card can be an asset for nonrenters, it’s not in my wallet because I don’t rent and choose to prioritize other products that provide me more value.

I’d tell you that one of the best cards you can get is the American Express® Gold Card because it earns excellent rates in two of my top bonus categories. My friend would say the same about the Bilt card — and that’s what I love about credit card rewards. There’s an ideal product for every kind of budget and spender.

If you’re thinking about your first — or next — card, check out the four that I love and recommend the most.

*TPG founder Brian Kelly is a Bilt adviser and investor.

Related: Should you pay your rent with Bilt? We crunch the numbers

Comparing my top picks for the best credit cards

My top four credit cards earn points and cash back, the reward currencies I currently find most valuable. Here’s how they stack up.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

The Sapphire Reserve remains my all-time favorite card, even after the annual fee increased from $550 to $795.

First, this card earns my favorite reward currency: Chase Ultimate Rewards points. I love that this currency is transferable, and I typically move points from my Sapphire Reserve account to loyalty programs like Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt.

In fact, earlier this year, I used 15,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to fly back home to Pennsylvania after a quick jaunt to Oahu, Hawaii, saving me over $300. Though this redemption was more or less on par with TPG’s October 2025 valuation of Ultimate Rewards points at 2.05 cents apiece, I always prefer booking a flight when there’s a transfer bonus since that means I get to keep more of my points for future travels.

Unfortunately, no bonuses were available when I booked my flight, so I still used my points to avoid paying more than $300 for a one-way ticket.

Aside from offering high-value points, the Sapphire Reserve also features solid earning rates in some of my top spend categories (Lyft, flights, hotels and dining) and is the perfect travel companion thanks to world-class insurance and protections, including primary rental car insurance and trip delay reimbursement. Plus, there are no foreign transaction fees when you make purchases abroad.

Then there are the statement credits, which, if used in their entirety, more than offset the card’s annual fee.

Three of my favorites include:

• A generous $300 annual travel credit (if you’re saving this credit for a specific purchase, keep in mind that it kicks in automatically for any purchase that codes as travel)
• Up to $120 in annual in-app Lyft credits disbursed as up to $10 each month (through Sept. 30, 2027; excludes Wait & Save, bike and scooter rides)
• Up to $120 for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus every four years.

Related: 6 lesser-known Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits that pay off big

For more information, check out our review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Apply here: Chase Sapphire Reserve

American Express Gold Card

Depending on the week, the Amex Gold fluctuates between being my most-used and second-most-used card.

My Sapphire Reserve is generally my catchall card unless I’m shopping for groceries or dining out, in which case my Amex Gold is the star of the show. I love to host and cook for friends and family, and whether I’m keeping it simple with chicken, rice and beans or zhuzhing it up with a rib-eye steak and lobster, the Amex Gold earns me another favorite reward currency each time I tap to pay: American Express Membership Rewards points.

I’ve transferred Membership Rewards points to airline partners, including Delta SkyMiles and JetBlue TrueBlue (though I generally don’t use this specific partner if I can avoid doing so, since the transfer ratio is 250 Membership Rewards points to 200 JetBlue TrueBlue points).

I actually used some Membership Rewards points for my Oahu trip in addition to the Chase Ultimate Rewards points I previously mentioned. The Amex points got my mom from New York to Seattle, where we rendezvoused before flying down to Honolulu together for a lovely mother-daughter weekend. Without transferable credit card points, I wouldn’t have been able to share this experience with my mom.

For more information, check out our review of the Amex Gold.

Apply here: American Express Gold Card

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

If you’re considering applying for a cobranded hotel card, let it be the Hilton Aspire.

In addition to excellent earning rates on Hilton hotel stays, this card is loaded with benefits that offset the $550 annual fee and are easy to maximize.

For example, this card offers one of my favorite perks: an up to $200 annual flight credit each calendar year. This statement credit is disbursed as $50 per quarter for flight purchases made directly with an airline or through amextravel.com.

The Hilton Aspire is also a great travel card because, like the Sapphire Reserve, it does not charge foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees), and it comes with an up to $209 Clear Plus statement credit each year when you sign up for a membership and pay with this card (subject to auto-renewal; enrollment required).

The best perk of being a Hilton Aspire cardholder, however, is the up to $400 Hilton resort statement credits you get each calendar year (up to $200 biannually) for eligible purchases at eligible properties.

As someone who maximizes all three of these statement credits — at properties like Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World in August 2024 and Hilton Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa in August 2025— the Hilton Aspire has proven its worth and more than earned its spot in my wallet.

I’ve fully maxed out the resort credit at both properties, and it made a huge difference in both trip budgets since I used the credit to cover meals like breakfast and dinner, plus afternoon coffee pick-me-ups after busy morning excursions. Dining out is one of the pricier aspects of traveling, so anytime I can get a break thanks to a statement credit, I take advantage of it.

Related: How to use the up to $400 Hilton Aspire resort credit each year

For more information, check out our review of the Hilton Aspire card.

Apply here: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express

If you’re a fan of a multipurpose card, you might just love the Amex Blue Cash Preferred as much as I do.

In fact, this is one of the cards I most often recommend to those looking to get into credit card rewards if they’re willing to pay an annual fee. It helps that the Blue Cash Preferred features an introductory $0 fee for the first year, which gives you plenty of time to decide if this card is a good fit for you before you incur its $95 annual fee in year two.

Besides earning solid reward rates in popular categories like streaming, transit and U.S. gas fill-ups, this card earns a whopping 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets until you hit a $6,000 spend cap each year. If this happens, you go from 6% to a 1% cash-back rate.

This was one of my first cards and remains one of my oldest credit card accounts. I initially got it when I realized I could earn more than a flat 1% cash-back rate on grocery store runs.

I still use this card for smaller supermarket purchases, and every year, thanks to the elevated reward rates mentioned above, it nets me about $200 in cash back. When this was my grocery store go-to (before my Amex Gold), I easily earned at least $400 in cash back with this card.

Note: Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit and at amazon.com checkout.

Related: 2 grocery cards, twice the rewards: Why I double up at supermarkets

And that’s not even the best part. The cherry on top is the up to $120 Disney Streaming statement credit each calendar year (up to $10 each month; valid for U.S. websites only; enrollment is required; subject to auto-renewal). This includes Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu.

If you max this credit out, it completely offsets the card’s annual fee and then some. That’s a big win in my book, especially if you already pay a subscription to stream content on any of these platforms, like I do.

For more information, check out our review of the Blue Cash Preferred.

Apply here: Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express

How I chose my top cards

This list includes the cards I use most often. My Sapphire Reserve and Amex Gold are used daily, while my Hilton Aspire and Blue Cash Preferred are used with slightly less frequency but still enough to earn me my preferred reward currencies.

These four cards provide incredible value for my type of spending — especially in the travel and dining categories. To learn more about how I compiled this list and how TPG applies rigorous guidelines to each card we review and rate, check out our methodology.

Bottom line

For me, the best credit cards work double-time, netting me transferable points or cash back, and offer perks such as statement credits I can easily use. I like to diversify my credit card rewards to have various redemption options when I’m ready to book a trip (using points) or complete an online order (using cash back).

While the four cards featured in this list are my current favorites because they provide terrific value, I do have additional cards — with zero annual fees — that see less action but still offer benefits I use often enough to make them worth keeping. Whether you’re starting out in your credit card journey or are on your 10th application, remember that the best cards are always the ones that provide you with perks that suit your spending and budget.

For rates and fees of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
For rewards and benefits of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Aspire Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred, click here.

Related: The best rewards credit cards to add to your wallet