By David Koch, CFP®, AIF®, CFA, Director of Portfolio Management/Senior Wealth Advisor
How to Get the Most Out of Your Credit Card
I have been playing “credit card roulette” for decades. But I’m not talking about the credit card roulette where everyone drops their credit cards at the end of a meal and one is randomly selected to cover the entire bill. Instead, I open and close between one to two cards per year in order to get the lucrative sign-up bonuses. While it may require some effort to move items on autopay off of the closed cards, the sign-up bonus could potentially be used for two round-trip tickets to Europe. As long as you play your cards right (pun intended), the rewards have the potential to be worth the effort.
What to consider when getting new credit cards for perks:
- Reward eligibility: It’s important to note that the issuers are cracking down on eligibility. Chase, for example, only allows you to get a sign-up bonus for a particular card once every four years, and American Express (AmEx) now only allows you to get a sign-up bonus for each of their cards once, for life. Luckily, AmEx has a lot of different cards, and, for example, a Platinum Business card is different from a Platinum personal card.
- Adding your spouse: One thing that I suggest avoiding is adding your spouse to your cards as authorized users. Each of you could be eligible for the sign-up bonus, provided that you both have the required credit score. There is the possibility to get twice the bonuses if you apply separately.
- Credit score: Although opening a new credit card is a hard inquiry on your credit, I have not noticed any negative impact on my score by opening one to two cards each year. I use the app Credit Karma to monitor my score.
- Meeting spend goals: Another consideration is that most bonuses are contingent on hitting a spending goal within a certain amount of time, like spending $5,000 in the first 90 days. If this is outside of your normal spending patterns, wait until you have a large expense before opening a new card.
Annual credit card fees: Lastly, be aware of the annual fees. In the past, many cards would waive the first year’s fee, but fewer are doing that anymore, so ensure you’re getting at least that much in value from the card itself on an annual basis. I have found that some of the more expensive cards are surprisingly the ones whose fee is the easiest to compensate for through their perks – just be sure to take advantage of all of them.
Relevant credit cards that should be on your radar in June 2025
The American Express Platinum Card Benefits (as of June 2025)
Fee: At $695/year, this is one of the more expensive cards out there, but it offers many benefits that could potentially offset the fee, if they’re used. AmEx has announced they are making changes to the perks, and there are rumors that the annual fee may be increasing as well.
Airport lounge access: If you travel a lot, even somewhat, then access to airport lounges is a great perk. It is nice to find a comfortable seat, charge your devices, and have a snack (maybe even an adult beverage) while waiting for your flight. The food often isn’t great, and I wouldn’t pay the ~$50 to enter one, but they’re included in the annual fee.
American Express offers access to over 1,400 lounges in more than 500 airports around the world through their Priority Pass membership, and you can bring two guests (3 total) each time. 14 visit/year would be your break-even for the annual fee, but there is also a $200 hotel credit on select bookings through their website.
Airline fee credit & hotel perks: There is also up to a $200 airline fee credit for incidental charges. You must select one qualifying airline for the year (choose wisely!), but it can cover baggage fees, seat-selection fees, and in-flight meals and beverages. You also get Gold status in Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy, which can get you not only late check-outs, but sometimes complimentary breakfast.
Uber & other credits: Another perk is $15/month in Uber credit (worth $180/year), and $20/month for eligible purchases on Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, or The Wall Street Journal (worth $240/year). It also comes with a Walmart+ membership, which then comes with a Paramount+ Essential membership (worth $155/year). There is also $25/month credit for Equinox, which would cover about 1/10th of your gym membership, and $189 in CLEAR® Plus Credit – which I use neither.
APRs: If you use most of these perks, the fee can be worth it, but APRs tend to be high with AmEx, so make sure to pay your bill at the end of each month. I find the Platinum can be a good card for frequent fliers.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card Benefits (as of June 2025)
Fee: The Sapphire Reserve is increasing its fee from $550/year to $795/year. That’s a 45% increase, but they are adding additional perks. The most significant perk is that the Reserve card offers a $300 annual travel credit, which covers a little more than half the fee; however, that now only covers less than 40% of the new fee. Still, 40% is 40%.
Great for travel: That $300 can be used for (according to Chase): airlines, hotels and motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds, operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages.
Sapphire Reserve also offers 8x bonus points when you book flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, activities and tours through their Chase Travel portal, 4x points on airlines and hotel when booked direct, and up to a $500 credit each year (note: that is $250 twice per year, not in one booking), to book specific hotels in a collection they call “The Edit.” Like the Platinum AmEx (and other premium cards), it also offers Priority Pass™ lounge access (worth about $50 each time you use them).
Accumulate points faster: Because of the generous multipliers, there is the potential to accumulate points quicker with the Sapphire than with the AmEx Platinum, but be sure that you’re using The Edit hotel and travel credits, otherwise you’re not likely to make up for the fee. I find the Sapphire card can be a good all-around card.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card Benefits (as of June 2025)
Great for staying at Marriotts: The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® card (note: not the Bonvoy Boundless, Bold, or Bevy cards) grants you automatic Marriott Platinum Elite Status, which gets you a 50% bonus on all Marriott Bonvoy points earned during stays, automatic room upgrades, 4:00 PM late checkout (subject to availability), and a “Welcome Amenity,” which can include free breakfast (depending on the hotel). They’re obviously trying to get you to become more loyal to the Marriott brand, but those are nice perks if you stay in hotels often.
In my opinion, the card’s biggest perk is the annual free night, which is worth up to 85,000 points and can be topped up with additional points for higher-tier properties. This could potentially lead to a free night at a property that would otherwise cost $600 or more. Holding the card each year also puts 25 “Elite Night Credits” into your account for achieving lifetime status.
Restaurant/travel credits: The Brilliant card also credits you $25/month at restaurants ($300/year total). The card includes trip delay insurance, baggage insurance, a credit towards TSA Pre/Global Entry (up to $120/4.5 years), and free premium Wi-Fi at Marriott properties.
Fee: At a $650/year annual fee, it can be a premium card, but if you eat out once a month ($300 in dining credits), and you make sure to use your annual free room each year (could be worth $600 or more), then you’ve already made the most out of your annual fee. The Brilliant card can be beneficial for frequent Marriott hotel guests.
Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Benefits (as of June 2025)
Renter perks: The Bilt card is unique in that it offers a perk that can be valuable to renters. They will make one direct deposit each month towards rent, without any additional fees. It does not come with a sign-up bonus, but it does not have an annual fee either; however, if you’re paying, say, $3,000/month in rent, that’s worth 36,000 points (up to 100,000 points/year). Since the payment is done through direct deposit, the landlord doesn’t even know that it is going through the card.
Dining & Travel: Bilt also offers 3X points on dining, 2X on travel, and 1X on other purchases, and points can be transferred to over a dozen travel partners, including Hyatt, American Airlines, and United. The card includes similar benefits to other premium cards, like trip delay reimbursement, trip cancellation insurance, cell phone protection, and rental car coverage. Unfortunately, the card does not offer access to lounges.
One minor caveat is that you must make five transactions per month on the card to earn points. This card can be beneficial for individuals who rent their home.
Lay all your (credit) cards on the table
Selecting a credit card for the perks is a personal decision that’s based on your personal financial situation, goals, and objectives. I understand that many people may not want to open and close multiple credit cards per year, which is why it’s important to select the card that works for your lifestyle. If you have any questions about how credit cards fit into your larger financial plan, please reach out to a Halbert Hargrove financial advisor today.
References
Bilt Mastercard Credit Card — Full Review [2025] – Upgraded Points
Bilt Rewards Credit Card Review 2025 – Forbes Advisor
2025 Bilt Rewards Mastercard Review: Gimmick or Worth It?
The American Express Platinum Review 2025: Worth The Splurge … – Forbes
Who should (and shouldn’t) get the American Express Platinum?
The Amex Platinum Credit Card Review – Worth It? [2025]
Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve – The Points Guy
JPMorgan Chase is hiking the annual fee of its popular Sapphire Reserve card by 45% | CNN Business
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Credit Card review: Marriott …
Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Credit Card Review (2025)
Disclosure:
Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors, LLC (“HH”) is an SEC registered investment adviser with it’s principal place of business in Long Beach, California. HH may only transact business in those states in which it is registered, notice filed, or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration or notice filing requirements. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. For information pertaining to the registration status of HH, please contact HH or refer to the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure web site (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). Additional information about HH, including our registration status, fees, and services can be found at www.halberthargrove.com.
This blog is provided for general information purposes only. No portion of the blog serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from HH or any other investment professional of your choosing. It should not be construed as a solicitation to offer personal securities transactions or provide personalized investment advice. Any reference to specific products, services, companies, etc. is for general information purposes only and should not be construed as a recommendation or endorsement. The information provided does not constitute any legal, tax or accounting advice. We recommend that you seek the advice of a qualified attorney and accountant. All opinions or views reflect the judgment of the author as of the publication date and are subject to change without notice. All information presented herein is considered to be accurate at the time of writing, but no warranty of accuracy is given and no liability in respect of any error or omission is accepted.
