Great Combo for personal and business. The Sapphire Reserve is superior to the Preferred, and the travel rebate is automatic $300 on anything, much better than the AMEX travel credits which are tied to in-flight fees on a specific airline.
The Sapphire and Ink Preferred will net you 130K points for sign up bonuses, which is conservatively worth $1,950 (most would say $2,700). And they have great earnings across all types of travel.
Also don't read Doctor of Credit for recommendations, he's just shills what is paying him the most, but does have some good data (mostly picked from other sites.)
If you plan to fly a lot of United, the Chase United Club card has some decent perks:
A. United Club membership bundled into annual fee (more valuable now that they increased the standalone membership fee)
B. 1.5 miles on all purchases, 2 miles on United
C. free checked bags (matters less if you're United elite).
D. Primary rental car coverage, elite status into both Hyatt and Hertz
Alternatively, Chase just announced a killer sign-up bonus for their new Southwest Business card -- 80,000 miles:
https://thepointsguy.com/news/southwest-adds-premium-business-card/
Provides primary coverage for collision for car rental. Translation: they don't hit your auto collision coverage. They pay first dollar.
Amex Platinum worth a look. It’s ideal for business travelers. Hefty annual fee but value is there if used correctly: 5x points when book online, $200 airline credit each year, $100 TSA/Global Entry credit, Premium Lounge access, Property credits and third night free opportunities at select hotels, $15 Uber credit per month.
If you sign up at good time (e.g - 50k points bonus after spending first $3,000) the first year more than pays for itself.
I didn't think I'd get the value out of it to make up for the fee, as I don't frequently check bags to cash in on the airline credit, so the $100 Gold credit will probably be closer to being useful, and I don't care about lounges. I also haven't had the need for Global Entry yet, although when that changes, I might consider it.
And when I analyzed my spending patterns, I typically would get more bonus points from the Gold. Although if I start traveling more for work, that could change.
points offer. Plenty of opportunities for the coveted 100k offer for the personal and 75k for business.
Though...since I'm military they waive the annual fee which makes things so much better.
-- 200 airline credit
-- Priority Pass for access to lounges or $32 off your check at participating bars/restaurants
-- Great rewards program
-- Hilton Gold off the start
-- Global entry fee reimbursement
just to name a few.
The personalized customer service they provide is fantastic. When you call them from your phone, you actually get person on the line quickly...who already knows who you are when you call.
I once had my wallet stolen. I called them around 6:30pm to notify them. I had a FedEx'd replacement in my hand by 10:30 the next morning.
And if you travel a lot, access to the Priority Pass or Centurion Lounges are worht the price for the card itself.
Good for AmEx to do that for military, as the card was very good even with the fee.
There's a restaurant in the STL airport, but I have yet to use it - the idea of getting to the airport just to eat appalls me.
I have access through the Amex Bonvoy Brillant card which makes financial sense for me for staying at hotels in the Phoenix area throughout the year. (I use the free stay nights in the Spring)
Double points on travel and dining and you can transfer to partners. The Reserve gives 300 in travel credit and has some other nice perks as well
I received an e-mail to that effect, so look into perhaps the Chase United card or some combination of the two to maximize your affinity benefits.