How much do you have to spend on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card to break even?

By our valuations, you need to spend $4,157 every year on travel or dining for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card to make sense for you. Without travel or dining, you’ll need to spend $12,471 every year for it to be worth it.

How much do you need to spend to break even on the Amex Platinum card?

The Amex Platinum card’s break-even point is when you spend $1,050 or more on flights booked directly with airlines, as well as flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com every year. Alternatively, you need to spend around $5,270 per year on other purchases if you can’t earn 5x points.

How much do you need to spend to break even with the Amex Gold card?

If you can take advantage of the $10 per month dining credit and the $10 per month Uber Cash benefit, the Amex Gold card essentially pays for itself. However, if you only use the Uber Cash benefit, you need to spend $1,477 at restaurants or U.S. supermarkets every year for it to be worth it. Alternatively, you can spend $1,970 per year on flights booked directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com, as well as $5,909 on non-bonused purchases to break even with this card.

How do I break even with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card?

It’s pretty easy to break even. The $95 annual fee is somewhat offset by the $50 annual Ultimate Rewards hotel credit, which means you only need to spend $750 per year on dining, online grocery purchases, or select streaming services to break even. Alternatively, you can spend $1,125 on travel purchases every year (2x points) or $450 on Lyft purchases (through March 2025), select Peloton equipment purchases, and travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards (excluding the $50 hotel credit) every year to break even on the card.

Break-even Spending for Credit Card Annual Fees [Ultimate Guide]

Credit cards are one of the easiest ways to get a chunk of your spending back, usually in the form of cash-back, points, or miles rewards.

But with a dizzying array of credit cards with various pros and cons, how can you know if a credit card is worth it for your needs?

Most worthwhile credit cards come with an annual fee, though that doesn’t mean that every credit card with an annual fee is worth it.

Similarly, many credit cards without an annual fee are worth spending on, while other no-annual-fee cards may not make the most of your purchases.

In this guide, we’ll help you demystify just how much you need to spend on a given credit card for it to be worth it — it’s all about break-even spending!

Table of contents

How Much Do You Have To Spend on a Credit Card To Break Even?
Break-even Points on Popular Chase and Amex Cards
Break-even Points on Other Cards by Issuer
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

How Much Do You Have To Spend on a Credit Card To Break Even?
Break-even Points on Popular Chase and Amex Cards
Break-even Points on Other Cards by Issuer
Final Thoughts

How Much Do You Have To Spend on a Credit Card To Break Even?

To calculate the break-even point for a credit card, we’ll look only at how much you have to spend for your rewards to offset the annual fee. This calculation excludes credit card benefits with a subjective valuation (like annual free night certificates). Calculating based on rewards spending, annual fee, and objectively-valued benefits offers an apples-to-apples comparison.

For example, a flexible $300 travel credit should be valued as such, while the value of a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership is subject to each member’s travel habits. Using a Priority Pass Select membership 20 times per year is a lot more valuable than using it once a year, for example.

Then, we will use our points and miles valuations to figure out how much you need to spend for the break-even point to be reached on a credit card.

We also won’t look at any welcome bonuses because almost all welcome bonuses make it worthwhile to hold a card for at least a year.

Break-even Points on Popular Chase and Amex Cards

Break-even Point for the Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with an annual fee of $550. It also has a $300 annual travel credit, which can easily be used flexibly.

So our “effective” annual fee is $250, which is $550 minus $300.

For the Chase Sapphire Reserve card to be worth it, we’ll need to accumulate at least 12,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which are worth $250 by our valuations.

That means in a given year, you’ll need to spend $4,167 on 3x categories like travel (excluding the $300 travel credit) and dining for it to make sense.

Break-even Point for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a mild annual fee of $95. It comes with a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards hotel credit, which we consider to be worth face value.

That means the effective annual fee is $45.

With the ability to earn 3x points on online grocery purchases, dining, and select streaming services, you only need to spend $750 per year to break even on this card.

Similarly, if you earn 5x points on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025) and travel purchased through Chase (excluding the $50 hotel credit), you’ll only need to spend $450 per year to break even.

Lastly, you could spend $1,125 on other travel purchases (2x points) to break even.

Break-even Point for The Platinum Card® from American Express

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer of up to 150,000 points with the Amex Platinum card! (The current public offer is 80,000 points.)

The Amex Platinum card is one of the most exclusive cards with tons of luxury travel benefits.

Sure, it has a $695 annual fee, but it also has an incredible range of benefits that deliver lots of value (see rates and fees).

For our purposes, we’ll consider up to $200 prepaid hotel credit on eligible stays, the $189 CLEAR credit, and up to $200 Uber Cash benefit to be face value. Therefore, the effective annual fee is $106.

The Amex Platinum card earns 5x Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines, as well as flights and prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com. Note that there is a cap of 5x earnings on flights booked directly with airlines or Amex travel to up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.

According to our valuations, you’d need to spend around $964 every year on qualifying flight and hotel bookings to offset the fee.

Alternatively, you could spend around $4,818 per year on non-bonused purchases to reach the Amex Platinum card’s break-even point.

Bottom Line: For this analysis, we excluded a lot of high-value perks and benefits of the Amex Platinum card. For most people interested in luxury travel, it makes sense to keep this card open even if you don’t make a single purchase on the card!

Break-even Point for the American Express® Gold Card

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer of up to 90,000 points with the Amex Gold card! (The current public offer is 60,000 points.)

The Amex Gold card is one of the best cards out there, thanks to a generous rewards structure.

The card comes with a $250 annual fee, though we subtracted $120 for the up to $10 monthly Uber Cash benefit that can be used on Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. (see rates and fees).

We didn’t value the $10 per month dining credit at face value, since the only flexible way to use it is at Grubhub, even though it’s also valid at The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.

So the effective annual fee is $130.

Since holders earn 4x points at restaurants worldwide, 4x points on U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 in spending every calendar year), and up to 3x points on flights booked directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com, you’ll need to spend the following amounts every year to reach the break-even point:

$1,477 at restaurants or U.S. supermarkets OR
$1,970 on flights booked directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com OR
$5,909 on other purchases

Bottom Line: If you can use the $10 monthly dining credit and the $10 monthly Uber Cash, having the Amex Gold card open is almost a no-brainer! We didn’t factor in the $10 monthly dining credit in our analysis, but the Amex Gold card is an excellent card to have if you spend a lot on dining, supermarkets, and flights.

Break-even Points on Other Cards by Issuer

The card products we discussed above are the most popular ones out there. But what about all of the other cards?

In this section, we’ll show you how much you have to spend on all the other major rewards cards available to break even.

Hot Tip: Different cards offer various benefits, including statement credits. And while some statement credits are more useful than others, we factored the statement credits we believe to be worth face value in calculating the break-even points of each card.

American Express

Card Name	Annual Fee	Effective Annual Fee	Bonus Categories	Break-even Spending Required (Yearly)
American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card	$0 Rates & fees	$0	2% cash-back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash-back is automatically credited to your statement.	None
American Express® Business Gold Card	$295 Rates & fees	$295	4x points on the 2 categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle from the list below (1x points on all other purchases): Airfare purchases directly from airlines U.S. purchases on online, TV, and radio advertising U.S. purchases on computer hardware, software, and cloud systems from select technology providers U.S. gas stations U.S. restaurants U.S. shipping	$3,352 in combined 4x categories OR $13,409 in non-bonused purchases
American Express® Green Card	$150	$150	3x points at restaurants, transit, and travel 1x points on all other purchases	$2,272 in combined purchases on 3x categories OR $6,818 in non-bonused purchases
The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card	$0	$0	2x points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (1x after) 1x points on all other purchases	None
The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card	$95	$95	3x points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (1x after) 2x points at U.S. gas stations 1x points on all other purchases *does not account for the 50% points bonus if you use your card 30 or more times on purchases in a billing period	$1,439 in purchases at U.S. supermarkets OR $2,159 in purchases at U.S. gas stations OR $4,318 in non-bonused purchases
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express	$0 Rates & fees	$0	2x points on the first $50,000 spent in purchases each year	None
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express	$0 Rates & fees	$0	3% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%) 3% cash-back at U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%) 3% cash-back at U.S. online retailers on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%) 1% on all other purchases	None
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express	$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 Rates & fees	$95	6% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%) and select U.S. streaming subscriptions 3% cash-back on transit and at U.S. gas stations 1% cash-back on all other purchases	$1,583 at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. streaming subscriptions OR $3,167 on transit and at U.S. gas stations OR $9,500 in non-bonused purchases
Business Green Rewards Card from American Express	$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95	$95	2x points on eligible purchases at AmexTravel.com 1x points on all other purchases	$2,159 on AmexTravel.com OR $4,318 in non-bonused purchases
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express	$695 Rates & fees	$106 (from $189 CLEAR credit and $400 in Dell credits)	5x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com 1.5x points (up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year) at: U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers U.S. electronic goods retailers U.S. software and cloud system providers U.S. shipping providers Purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else 1x points on all other purchases	$963 on flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com OR $3,212 in combined purchases on 1.5x categories OR $4,818 in non-bonused purchases
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card	$0 Rates & fees	$0	2x miles at restaurants and purchases made directly with Delta 1x miles on all other purchases	None
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card	$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99 Rates & fees	$99	2x miles at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., U.S. supermarkets, and on Delta purchases 1x miles on all other purchases	$4,125 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $8,250 in non-bonused purchases
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card	$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99. Rates & fees	$99	2x miles at restaurants, purchases made directly with Delta, U.S. purchases for advertising in select media, and U.S. shipping purchases 1x miles on all other purchases	$4,125 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $8,250 in non-bonused purchases
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card	$250 Rates & fees	$250	3x miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels 2x miles at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets 1x miles on all other purchases	$6,944 in combined purchases on 3x categories OR $10,417 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $20,833 in non-bonused purchases
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card	$250 Rates & fees	$250	3x miles on purchases made directly with Delta and directly with hotels 1.5 miles on single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, up to 50,000 additional miles per calendar year 1x miles on all other purchases	$6,944 in combined purchases on 3x categories OR $10,417 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $20,833 in non-bonused purchases
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card	$550 Rates & fees	$550	3x miles on purchases made directly with Delta 1x miles on all other purchases	$15,278 on purchases made directly with Delta OR $45,833 in non-bonused purchases
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card	$550 Rates & fees	$550	3x miles on purchases made directly with Delta 1.5 miles on eligible purchases made after a $150,000 threshold is reached through the end of the same calendar year 1x miles on all other purchases	$15,278 on purchases made directly with Delta OR $30,556 in combined purchases exceeding $5,000 each OR $45,833 in non-bonused purchases
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card	$450	$200 (from $250 Hilton resort credit)	14x points on eligible purchases made with your card at participating hotels or resorts within the Hilton portfolio 7x points on flights booked directly with airlines or AmexTravel.com, car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants 3x points on all other purchases	$2,857 on Hilton purchases OR $5,714 in combined purchases on 7x categories OR $13,333 in non-bonused purchases
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card	$95 Rates & fees	$95	12x points for eligible purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio 6x points on wireless telephone services purchases directly from U.S. service providers, U.S. purchases for shipping, flights booked directly with airlines or with AmexTravel.com, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies, and U.S. restaurants 3x points on all other purchases	$1,583 on Hilton purchases OR $3,167 in combined purchases on 6x categories OR $6,333 in non-bonused purchases
Hilton Honors American Express Card	$0 Rates & fees	$0	7x points on eligible purchases charged directly with hotels or resorts within the Hilton portfolio 5x points at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants 3x points on all other purchases	None
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card	$95	$95	12x points on eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio 6x points at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants 3x points on all other purchases	$1,583 on Hilton purchases OR $3,167 in combined purchases on 6x categories OR $6,333 in non-bonused purchases
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card	$250 Rates & fees	$250	6x points for eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy 4x points at restaurants worldwide and at grocery stores on up to $15,000 in combined purchases 2x points on all other purchases	$5,952 in Marriott Bonvoy purchases OR $8,928 in combined purchases on 4x categories OR $17,858 in non-bonused purchases
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card	$650 Rates & fees	$350 (from $300 dining credit)	6x points for eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy 3x points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines 2x points on all other purchases	$8,333 in Marriott Bonvoy purchases OR $16,666 in combined purchases on 3x categories OR $25,000 in non-bonused purchases
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card	$125 Rates & fees	$125	6x points for eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy 4x points at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, U.S. shipping providers, and wireless phone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers 2x points on all other purchases	$2,976 in Marriott Bonvoy purchases OR $4,464 in combined purchases on 4x categories OR $8,929 in non-bonused purchases

Capital One

Card Name	Annual Fee	Effective Annual Fee	Bonus Categories	Break-even Spending Required (Yearly)
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card	$0	$0	1.5% cash-back on all purchases	None
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card	$39	$39	1.5% cash-back on all purchases	$2,600 in purchases
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card	$95	$95	8% cash-back on tickets at Vivid Seats 4% cash-back on dining, entertainment, and popular streaming services 3% cash-back at grocery stores 1% cash-back on all other purchases	$1,188 in ticket purchases at Vivid Seats OR $2,375 in combined purchases on 4% categories OR $3,167 at grocery stores OR $9,500 in non-bonused purchases
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card	$0	$0	8% cash-back on tickets at Vivid Seats 3% cash-back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and grocery stores 1% cash-back on all other purchases	None
Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card	$150	$150	2% cash-back on all purchases	$7,500 in purchases
Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business	$0	$0	1.5% cash-back on all purchases	None
Capital One Spark Classic for Business	$0	$0	1% cash-back on all purchases	None
Capital One Spark Miles for Business	$0 intro for the first year, $95 after that	$95	5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 2x miles on all other purchases	$1,056 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel OR $2,639 in non-bonused purchases
Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business	$0	$0	5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 1.5x miles on all other purchases	None
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card	$95	$95	5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 5x miles on Turo purchases through May 16, 2023 2x miles on all other purchases	$1,056 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and Turo bookings OR $2,639 in non-bonused purchases
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card	$395	$0 ($300 travel credit and 10,000 bonus miles per anniversary year)	10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 10x miles on Turo purchases through May 16, 2023 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel 2x miles on all other purchases	None
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card	$0	$0	5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 1.25x miles on all other purchases	None

Chase

World of Hyatt credit card contactless payment — Image Credit: Chase

Card Name	Annual Fee	Effective Annual Fee	Bonus Categories	Break-even Spending Required (Yearly)
Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card	$95	$95	5 Avios per $1 spent on flight purchases made directly with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and LEVEL within your first year of account opening (3 Avios per $1 spent after that) 3 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations purchased with the hotel, within the first year of account opening (2 Avios per $1 spent after that) 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases	$1,520 in 5x Avios purchases OR $2,533 in 3x Avios purchases OR $7,600 in non-bonused purchases
Aeroplan® Credit Card	$95	$95	3x points at grocery stores, dining, and purchases made directly with Air Canada 1x points on all other purchases	$2,111 in combined purchases on 3x categories OR $6,333 in non-bonused purchases
Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card	$0	$0	5% cash-back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership 2% cash-back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores 1% cash-back on all other purchases	None
Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card	$0	$0	3% cash-back at Amazon.com and physical Amazon stores 2% cash-back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores 1% cash-back on all other purchases	None
British Airways Visa Signature® Card	$95	$95	5 Avios per $1 spent on flight purchases made directly with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and LEVEL within your first year of account opening (3 Avios per $1 spent after that) 3 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations purchased with the hotel, within the first year of account opening (2 Avios per $1 spent after that) 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases	$1,520 in 5x Avios purchases OR $2,533 in 3x Avios purchases OR $7,600 in non-bonused purchases
Chase Freedom Flex℠	$0	$0	5% cash-back on up to $1,500 of combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate and travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards 5% cash-back on Lyft (through March 2025) 3% cash-back on dining and drugstores 1% cash-back on all other purchases	None
Chase Freedom Unlimited®	$0	$0	5% cash-back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards 5% cash-back on Lyft (through March 2025) 3% cash-back on dining and drugstores 1.5% cash-back on all other purchases	None
Iberia Visa Signature® Card	$95	$95	5 Avios per $1 spent on flight purchases made directly with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and LEVEL within your first year of account opening (3 Avios per $1 spent after that) 3 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations purchased with the hotel, within the first year of account opening (2 Avios per $1 spent after that) 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases	$1,520 in 5x Avios purchases OR $2,533 in 3x Avios purchases OR $7,600 in non-bonused purchases
IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card	$99	$99	Up to 26 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, gas stations, and restaurants. 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases	$762 at IHG Hotels & Resorts OR $3,960 in combined purchases at 5x categories OR $6,600 in non-bonused purchases
IHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card	$99	$99	Up to 26 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, dining, select business purchases, and gas stations. 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases	$762 at IHG Hotels & Resorts OR $3,960 in combined purchases at 5x categories OR $6,600 in non-bonused purchases
IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card	$0	$0	Up to 17 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel 3x on purchases on monthly bills, gas stations, and restaurants. 2x on all other purchases	None
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card	$0	$0	5% cash-back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services each account anniversary year 5% cash-back on Lyft (through March 2025) 2% cash-back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year 1% cash-back on all other purchases	None
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card	$95	$95	3x points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year on shipping purchases, internet, cable, and phone services, advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines, and travel 5x points on Lyft (through March 2025) 1x points on all other purchases	$1,583 in combined purchases on 3x categories OR $4,750 in non-bonused purchases
New Business Card! Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card	$195	$195	5% cash-back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards 2.5% cash-back on purchases of $5,000 or more 2% cash-back on all other business purchases	$3,900 on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards OR $7,800 on purchases of $5,000 or more OR $9,750 on other business purchases
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card	$0	$0	1.5% cash-back on all purchases 5% cash-back on Lyft (through March 2025)	None
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card	$0	$0	Up to 14x points per $1 spent at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy when using your card 2x points per $1 spent on all other travel 1x points on all other purchases	None
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card	$95	$95	6x points for eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy 2x points per $1 on all other purchases	$2,262 in Marriott Bonvoy purchases OR $6,785 in non-bonused purchases
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card	$250	$250	6x points for eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy 4x points at restaurants worldwide and at grocery stores on up to $15,000 in combined purchases 2x points on all other purchases	$5,952 in Marriott Bonvoy purchases OR $8,928 in combined purchases on 4x categories OR $17,858 in non-bonused purchases
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card	$199	$199	4x points on Southwest purchases 3x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners 2x points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services, and local transit and commuting (including rideshare) 1x points on all other purchases	$3,827 in Southwest purchases OR $5,103 in purchases at Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners OR $7,654 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $15,308 in non-bonused purchases
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card	$69	$69	2x points on Southwest purchases, Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners, internet, cable, and phone services, and local transit and commuting (including rideshare) 1x points on all other purchases	$2,654 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $5,308 in non-bonused purchases
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card	$99	$99	3x points on Southwest purchases 2x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners and local transit and commuting (including rideshare) 1x points on all other purchases	$2,538 in Southwest purchases OR $3,808 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $7,615 in non-bonused purchases
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card	$99	$99	3x points on Southwest purchases 2x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners, internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming, and local transit and commuting (including rideshare) 1x points on all other purchases	$2,538 in Southwest purchases OR $3,808 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $7,615 in non-bonused purchases
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card	$149	$74 (from $75 Southwest credit)	3x points on Southwest purchases 2x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners, internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming, and local transit and commuting (including rideshare) 1x points on all other purchases	$1,897 in Southwest purchases OR $2,846 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $5,692 in non-bonused purchases
United℠ Business Card	$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99	$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99	2x miles on United purchases, dining, gas stations, office supply stores, and local transit and commuting 1x miles on all other purchases	$3,808 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $7,615 in non-bonused purchases
United Club℠ Business Card	$450	$450	2x miles on United purchases 1.5x miles on all other purchases	$17,308 in United purchases OR $23,077 in non-bonused purchases
United Club℠ Infinite Card	$525	$525	4x miles on United purchases including tickets, Economy Plus, inflight food, beverages and Wi-Fi, and other United charges. 2x miles on travel and dining 1x miles on all other purchases	$10,096 in United purchases OR $20,192 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $40,384 in non-bonused purchases
United℠ Explorer Card	$0 intro for the first year, then $95	$95	2x miles on United purchases, dining, and hotel stays 1x miles on all other purchases	$3,654 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $7,308 in non-bonused purchases
United Gateway℠ Card	$0	$0	2x miles on United purchases, gas stations, and local transit and commuting 1x miles on all other purchases	None
United Quest℠ Card	$250	$125 (from $125 United purchase credit)	3x miles on United purchases (after the $125 annual United purchase credit) 2x miles on all other travel, dining, and select streaming services 1x miles on all other purchases	$3,330 in United purchases OR $4,808 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $9,615 in non-bonused purchases
World of Hyatt Business Credit Card	$199	$199	Up to 9x points at Hyatt hotels 2x points in your top 3 spend categories each quarter through December 31, 2023, then your top 2 categories each quarter after that; eligible categories are: Airline tickets when purchased directly with the airline Car rental Agencies Dining Gas stations Internet, cable, and phone services Local transit and commuting Shipping Social media and search engine advertising 2x points on fitness club and gym memberships 1x points on all other purchases	$3,317 in purchases at Hyatt hotels OR $6,633 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $13,267 in non-bonused purchases
The World of Hyatt Credit Card	$95	$95	Up to 9x points at Hyatt hotels 2x points at restaurants, airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit and commuting, and fitness club and gym memberships 1x points on all other purchases	$1,583 in purchases at Hyatt hotels OR $3,167 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $6,333 in non-bonused purchases

Citi

Card Name	Annual Fee	Effective Annual Fee	Bonus Categories	Break-even Spending Required (Yearly)
American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card	$0	$0	2x miles on eligible American Airlines purchases and grocery stores 1x miles on all other purchases	None
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®	$450	$450	2x miles on eligible American Airlines purchases 1x miles on all other purchases	$16,071 in eligible American Airlines purchases OR $32,143 in un-bonused purchases
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®	$99, waived for first 12 months	$99	2x miles on restaurants, gas stations, and on eligible American Airlines purchases 1x miles on all other purchases	$3,535 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $7,071 in non-bonused purchases
CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®	$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99	$99	2x miles at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants, and gas stations 1x miles on all other purchases	$3,535 in combined purchases on 2x categories OR $7,071 in non-bonused purchases
Citi Custom Cash℠ Card	$0	$0	5% cash-back on your top eligible spend category each billing cycle up to the first $500 spent (1% thereafter) 1% on all other purchases	None
Citi® Double Cash Card	$0	$0	2x points on all purchases (1x when you buy and 1x when you pay your bill)	None
Citi Premier® Card	$95	$95	3x points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, and hotels 1x points on all other purchases	$1,979 in combined purchases on 3x categories OR $5,938 in non-bonused purchases
Citi Prestige® Card (no longer open to new applicants)	$495	$245 (from $250 travel credit)	5x points on restaurants and air travel 3x points at cruise lines and hotels 1x points on all other purchases	$3,063 in combined purchases on 5x categories OR $5,104 in combined purchases on 3x categories OR $15,313 in non-bonused purchases
Citi Rewards+® Card	$0	$0	2x points at supermarkets and gas stations (on the first $6,000 per year; 1x thereafter) 1x points on all other purchases *rewards round up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase	None

Final Thoughts

Whew! That was intense! Making an informed decision as to whether getting a specific credit card is worthwhile can involve some tricky math, but we laid it all out for you in this guide.

We calculated the effective annual fee by subtracting all of the face-value statement credits from the annual fee.

Then, we used our points and miles valuations to calculate the break-even spending amounts by category.

As you can tell, some cards are much easier to justify while others might not be worth it unless you can take advantage of the other subjective card benefits we didn’t account for.

We hope that you’ve found this guide useful!

The information regarding the American Express® Green Card, Business Green Rewards Card from American Express, Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Spark Miles for Business, Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business, Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Spark Cash Plus Card, Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business, Capital One Spark Classic for Business, Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card, Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card, Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card, United Club℠ Business Card, Citi Prestige® Card, Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®, CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.

4 comments

Apilr February 2, 2022
I think you missed the value of the free nights for the Marriott cards and IHG card. The value of those free nights will usually make up for the annual fees on those cards!
Liza February 2, 2022
With regard to the Chase Sapphire Reserve, wouldn’t it be useful to consider where the break even point would be if you had the trifecta of Chase cards (CSR, Freedom, Freedom Unlimited) where you can use each card to maximize point accrual and then combine the points into your CSR UR balance, particularly since the other cards have no yearly fee?
- Stephen Au February 3, 2022
  Hi Liza,
  At a very high level, we didn’t want to assume that cardholders have all 3. In fact, while it absolutely makes sense to have the Chase trifecta, many people choose to have just 1 card, which they like because of simplicity.
Jee February 5, 2023
A few noticeable glares. You put wrong information.
– Also you stated you wouldn’t count certain things b/c not all would use. $50 hotel voucher shouldn’t be counted as a benefit since it can only be used in a portal. And using Chase OTA = no hotel points and no rooms cost $50, so I don’t think that should’ve been added. (CSP)
– The $10 Uber Cash expires every month and it’s not something everyone uses and honestly kind of pointless if I’m paying $700 to care about $10 – so I’m confused as why that was added as an “all” benefit. (Amex Plat)

Earn Points

Use Points

Business Credit Card Reviews

Business Guides

Air Travel Guides

Airline Points

Earn & Use Hotel Points