My favorite card

If I had to choose just one card, it would undoubtedly be the Chase Sapphire Reserve. I consider it the ultimate card because it offers three points per dollar spent on travel and dining, along with travel protections that include medical benefits. Chase points are called ultimate rewards.

This card has a steep annual fee of $550. Which sounds expensive but you get a $300 annual travel credit that can be used with travel booked through any provider. It has built-in protections for travel. This takes some of the stress of the unknown expenses if your flight gets delayed or cancelled. Check out this link to see all the benefits of the card.

Guide to Chase Sapphire Travel Insurance | Chase

I recently upgraded to a new card, but for many years, I maintained the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. It offers benefits similar to my current one, such as earning Ultimate Rewards points. However, with the Preferred card, you accumulate 2 points on dining and travel rather than 3, and the travel protections vary slightly—for instance, it doesn't include medical benefits. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is only $95 a year vs $550 of the above card. We travel enough I feel the $550 is worth it but if you are jtasting out the preferred is another way to get started on this hobby without breaking the bank.

The best use of ultimate rewards is transferring them to their travel partners:

Air Canada

IHG Hotels & Resorts

Aer Lingus

British Airways

Emirates

Air France

Iberia

Jet Blue

Singapore Air

Southwest

 United

Virgin

Atlantic

Marriott

Hyatt

My ultimate rewards transfer at the rate of 1,000 Ultimate Rewards to 1000 of any of the programs above.