What’s the best 3 card setup after Gold changes

After the changes to the Amex Gold card and with my renewal date coming up, I don’t feel like playing this card game anymore.

This has made me rethink my credit card strategy. I’m focusing on those who earn moderately and perhaps have a partner or child, but still want to travel without making it too complicated. Here’s what I’ve decided on for the best 3 card setup:

  1. VENTURE X:

This card seems to have lost some popularity here, but its benefits are still fantastic. If you fly once a year, the effective annual fee is negative. This card gives you 2x points on everything, plus travel perks and good point value. Booking through the portal connects you directly with the airline if you have them linked, which is a nice plus.

  1. BILT:

This card has no annual fee and allows you to earn points on rent and 3x on dining, plus it has some great perks at Walgreens. Most importantly, you can transfer points to Hyatt, which is always a fantastic deal.

  1. Blue Cash Preferred:

This may seem odd since I’ve already mentioned 2 point cards, but let me explain. If you spend $500 a month on groceries, which is common if you have a family, and streaming services can reach over $50 a month, that totals to $6,600 a year. With 6% cash back, you’re looking at about $400 in value, not even counting the 3x for gas and transit. Even when considering the opportunity cost of 2% back on the Venture X and its $95 annual fee, you still come out way ahead. Plus, it gives you some cash back that helps pay those annual fees, making it feel less painful when those fees come due.

I’d love to hear what others think and what adjustments could make this setup even better!

If you have the VX, consider getting the Savor card instead of the BCP. I have the BCP and think it’s great, but since you’re talking travel, combining VX points with Savor cash back might be more useful than the 6% on groceries and streaming.

Savor also offers 3% on streaming (though I’m not sure it covers as much as the BCP). If you’re committed to BCP, the Savor could be a backup when you hit that $6k grocery limit.

Definitely Savor instead of BCP, especially since you mentioned spending more than the BCP can provide.

Why go for BCP when you already have the Venture X? You could save $95 on annual fees, making BCP effectively 4.5% back instead of 6%. Plus, you’ll earn points for Venture redemptions much faster.

Bilt is a clear win since it has no competition and no fee, but if you want to split your spending, you’ll need a significant value difference. I don’t see that between BCP and Savor.

Disclaimer: I really don’t like AMEX. I had the Platinum for six years before getting rid of it this summer. I’ve had the Gold card for almost a year and I’m thinking about whether to renew it this month. I wanted to swap to the discontinued USBAR for 4.5% on groceries. I might stick with the Gold card for one more year since it’s my best grocery option.
EDIT: I just learned the PayPal debit card gives 5% on groceries. That might be the final reason to ditch my Gold card.

The Blue Cash Preferred is the least troublesome AMEX card, but it still has its annoyances.

The 6% on groceries is a bit misleading.

It has a $95 annual fee and only offers 6% for your first $6,000 spent.

At least it’s not broken down into monthly credits like Uber does for Gold/Platinum. It’s annual, but you have to hit exactly $6,000 to maximize returns.

Breaking it down…

If you spend $3,000 on groceries in a year, you’ll earn $180. $180-$95=$85. That gives you $85/$3,000 which is 2.8% back.

Spend precisely $6,000 on groceries, your return will be $360-$95=$265. $265/6000 is 4.4% back.

If you spend $12,000 on groceries, your total return will be $360+$60=$420. $420/6000 is 3.5% back.

Maxing out is 4.4%, but realistically probably around 3%. That’s not bad but it’s not really 6%.

You mentioned you prefer simplicity. How closely will you be tracking this spending cap?

Pros:

-$7/month for the Disney+ and Hulu bundle really helps cover the annual fee. But you need to have that bundle (I have Hulu no Ads, my girlfriend already has Disney Plus, so there’s no point adding Disney, which would be a higher cost).

-6% back on streaming services is a solid rate that isn’t counted towards the cap (I’m already getting 5.25% with my BoA CCR)

-If you factor in the $250 sign-up bonus, offsetting the $95 annual fee, it’s clear that you’ll see positive returns over one or two years. But with AMEX, you can only get one sign-up bonus per card for life. They’re strict with churners.

Cons:

-It’s cash back, not Membership Rewards points. I’m more on Team Cashback than Team Travel, so that means you can’t downgrade your Gold to a BCP or transfer the Gold Membership Rewards points before canceling.

-AMEX Acceptance (but it should be fine for the grocery stores and streaming services you’re planning to use it for)

-Watching and Planning for exactly $6,000 grocery spending. Figuring out what to do once you hit the cap.

You might be better off with the Savor long-term. No caps, no foreign transaction fees, and no annual fee, so you won’t have to make up for the fee with monthly credits. You can easily change the Savor cash back into Venture miles, which pairs nicely with the VX. The 3% dining overlaps with your Bilt but adds streaming and other forms of entertainment.

So, it really comes down to:

  1. Do you already have the Hulu/Disney bundle? That way, the AMEX credit is not steering your spending, but rewarding you for something you spend on anyway?

  2. Do you generally spend significantly more or less than $6,000 a year on groceries?

  3. Would you take advantage of the entertainment category? Do you and your partner attend concerts? (You’ll get 8% back if you buy through the C1 website.) Do you go to the movies or bowling regularly? Planning a yearly Disney trip? Do you visit museums?

As an alternative to the Capital One Duo.

  1. Venture X for lounge access, travel booking at 5%/10%, and 2% everywhere when abroad.
  2. BILT for rent and four dining charges a month (aim to hit the 6% on the 1st)
  3. Smartly for 4% on everything.

Use Smartly for almost everything besides booking travel or going abroad. Doesn’t get easier than that.

@Evans

(I have Hulu no Ads, my girlfriend already has Disney Plus, so I have no reason to add Disney, which would cost more than $7).

I only have Hulu no ads and the credit goes to that every month.

I don’t think it’s wise to open cards just for temporary credits, but you don’t really need one of their bundles to earn that credit.

@Dariel
Good to know!

@Evans
Bilt isn’t 1x = 1%. Cashing out points for rent cash back is probably worse than AMEX statement credits at 0.6 cents per point. It’s a poor option for Team Cashback; you’d likely do better with a 1% debit card (which are easy to find).

I love it because I’m Team Travel, but I’d avoid it for Team Cashback.

@NomadNerd
Bilt earns you points for rent. It has no annual fee.

You won’t find another card that gives points for rent.

That’s simply extra money.

I don’t cash out Bilt points for rent, I transfer them instead. You don’t have to choose strictly between cash back and points.

Even if I cashed them out at 0.6 cents, 0.6 times your rent is better than 0 times your rent.

@Evans
Many rent portals either don’t charge fees for debit or have very low fees.

In these cases, a 1% debit card might be a better choice than 0.6% if you’re on Team Cashback, even if you’re using the Bilt ACH method to avoid fees.

Let me clarify…

  • I highlighted ‘Team Cashback’,
  • My flair says ‘Team Travel’.
  • I mentioned it’s great for ‘Team Travel’.

Understand that part of knowing which team you are on is recognizing when it makes sense to shift approaches. I stick by my stance that Bilt isn’t a good deal for cash back when debit cards with cash back are available.

Also, don’t equate getting 1x (or any x) to percent cash back when you’re dealing with points that are not actual cash. That’s not how this works.

@NomadNerd
Almost all rent portals charge fees for credit card payments, often around 3%.

Bilt offers the ACH transfer option. That’s essentially its purpose.

I’d assume you know this already and are just being stubborn for some odd reason.

It’s reasonable to treat points like 1 cent as a minimum value if you won’t invest a lot of time into redeeming them or if your travel plans are less adaptable.

A lot of folks interchange 3x and 3% as the same.

Bilt offers 1% back on rent. That statement isn’t controversial. If you manage to redeem for more, then great!

I’m unsure as to why you’re upset or which point you’re trying to make.

People who prefer cash back can still get a Bilt card. They aren’t forced to redeem Bilt points for cash. It’s not a cult.

@Evans
It’s pretty clear you don’t grasp my point since you keep discussing credit cards when I specifically mentioned debit cards.

(They’re not interchangeable in this case, but I’m done arguing.)

I was actually working towards this setup too at one time. I opted to replace Bilt with CFF to handle the spending on groceries after hitting the $6k limit on BCP.

I shuffled my 3 card setup recently and although I really loved my VX, I frequently visit airports with Sapphire lounges due to family and layovers. Since Chase has transfer partners that suit me better, I eventually switched to the CSR as my go-to premium card!

@Lilnim
I see VX as beneficial just for their free Priority Pass for authorized users. If I can manage $400 using their $300 credit, and I can earn 10k points each year, the effective annual fee is zero. Any other perks are just additional bonuses.

I still primarily use CSR for its 50% extra point value on redemptions and the transfer partners that I use a lot.

BCP… I’m not sure why it’s getting so much attention here. There are better cards with no annual fee that give 5% on groceries and/or higher limits. The C1 duo with 3% on Savor offers better options.

I’m joining the many voices recommending Savor at 3x paired with a VX.

I find C1 points are worth around 1.7 cents per point, so 3x C1 equals about 5.1% cash back. I won’t stress to hit 6k for less than a point if I successfully optimize that. Your results may differ. (I also have entertainment tickets that Savor will take care of.)

If I eventually decide to drop my AMEX Gold (not there yet, as I keep getting deals like Pay Over Time offers, AU offers, and retention offers that make it worthwhile), this would form a straightforward trio for sticking with Team Travel (I would take a different route if focused on Team Cashback).

You’re paying rent; Bilt paired with Venture X is a strong combination early in the credit card game.

streaming services can now be around $50 or more monthly

I don’t mean to offend; you can spend your money as you wish, but I think a lot of people don’t really have enough free time to actively enjoy multiple streaming services at the same time? I’d suggest sticking to one service at a time, then moving on to another once you’ve finished what there is to watch. That would be my approach.

@Maxwell
I certainly spend way beyond $50. Personally, I can’t imagine sticking to one service without having a few for a variety. Most people I know feel the same.

Also, several cards will categorize Apple’s services and store charges as streaming. This includes apps, games, cloud storage, and AppleCare, as well as media like tv and music. Even things like Sirius radio could count. Some ISPs will also count as streaming. I can definitely see this stacking up for lots of folks. BCP covers all this at 6%. I’m spending over $150 per month in that category or even more, so BCP works out well for me. I’ve also used Citi Custom Cash for streaming before to help cover those costs.

Why do you think the VX has lost appeal? It’s still quite popular in this forum.

For the same annual fee as BCP, you could explore the Citi Strata Premier which offers 3x for gas, groceries (plus dining, but Bilt covers that).

This card will allow transfers to American Airlines soon, which I’ve found very useful for domestic bookings! (10k for a SAN-PHL trip in mid March)