Which Credit Cards to get?
Start with beginner cards. These are cards that have no annual fee. They’re low-committal which means it doesn’t take much to manage them and they help you build your credit while earning you credit card points.
Then after you get the hang of the beginner credit cards, you then want to open more advanced cards. Advanced cards usually come with annual fees however you can do a lot more with them compared to the beginner cards.
For example, you could get the Chase Freedom Unlimited as a beginner card and slowly earn Chase Ultimate Reward points then after a year, you can open a more advanced card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve (can only have 1 Sapphire at a time) and use your Chase points to travel for free.
I’ve heard that you’re more likely to get approved for the Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex if you already have a relationship with Chase (so like if you already bank with Chase and use their checking account for example). I don’t know if it’s true but if it is, then that might be a good place to start to get your first credit card. Just apply for any of the cards that have $0 annual fee.
This video shows the progression from beginner cards to more advanced cards:
My Credit Card recommendations for beginners: (These cards have $0 annual fees)
Chase Freedom Unlimited
Citi Custom Cash
Capital One Savor
Chase Freedom Flex
Citi Double Cash
You don’t have to limit yourself to one issuer but it would make sense to get a beginner card that matches with your advanced card.
For example, if you decide to open the Citi Double Cash with Citibank, then it makes sense to get an advanced card also with Citi such as the Citi Strata Premier. This way, all of the points that you earned on your beginner card can be used on your advanced card. However, you could always get the Capital One Savor for example alongside your Citi card to not limit yourself to just Citi bank.
Here are some card recommendations for more advanced credit card users: (Make sure to only get these cards After getting one of the beginner cards)
Chase Sapphire Preferred / Chase Sapphire Reserve
(Annual fee $95 / $550)
Citi Strata Premier
(Annual fee $95)
American Express Gold
(Annual fee $325)
Capital Venture X
(Annual fee $395)
(Annual fee $0)
American Express Platinum
(Annual fee $695)
You have plenty of options here but I would recommend picking a credit card(s) that fits your life style. One credit card might look more appealing to get than the other depending on where you live or what you like to spend money on. Just look up the perks of each card before applying so you can determine if it makes sense for you.
For example, lets say that Texas doesn’t have any Chase Sapphire lounges but they have a Capital One lounge. Probably would make more sense to get the Capital One card because you can take advantage of that perk.
Another example, lets say you only like staying at certain hotels when you travel (ex. Hyatt), well Chase can transfer to Hyatt hotel and Capital One cannot. So it would make more sense for you to get the Chase credit card.
