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You see him on TV and see videos of him jetting off somewhere in the fancy seats at the front of a plane. "How does he do that?" you wonder. Then, you hear that he doesn't pay for most of his travel but instead uses credit card points and miles for free (or close to free) travel.
So, what's in the wallet of Brian Kelly — founder of The Points Guy — that enables him to travel this way? What credit cards is he using to earn all of those frequent flyer miles? Let's look at the credit cards he can't leave home without.
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Cards currently in The Points Guy's wallet
Brian Kelly, The Points Guy founder, carries 10 credit cards and a debit card in his wallet each day. Those cards are:
- American Express® Business Gold Card.
- American Express® Gold Card.
- Bilt Mastercard®.
- Business Centurion® Card from American Express.
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
- Chase Freedom Unlimited.
- Citi Prestige® Card.
- Ink Business Preferred Credit Card.
- The Platinum Card® from American Express.
- Chase debit card (for ATM withdrawals).
Let's look at why these are his go-to cards.
American Express® Business Gold Card
As you can imagine, Brian has a lot of business expenses and having a card that automatically adjusts its bonus-earning categories each billing cycle makes things easy. Plus, American Express Membership Rewards points are extremely valuable.
Cardholders automatically earn bonus points in the categories where they spend the most. You'll earn 4 points per dollar on your first $150,000 of annual expenses in the eligible bonus categories (then 1 point per dollar after that). These categories include airfare purchased directly from airlines; U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio); U.S. purchases made directly from select technology providers of computer hardware, software, and cloud solutions; U.S. purchases at gas stations; U.S. purchases at restaurants and U.S. purchases for shipping.
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Read our full review of the Amex Business Gold card.
American Express® Gold Card
If you need to know one thing about Brian, it's that he's quite the foodie. This card is great for those who love to dine out.
This card earns 4 points per dollar on dining at restaurants worldwide and on takeout and delivery in the U.S. It also offers the highest return on spending (8% back, based on our latest valuations) in this category. You can also earn 4 points per dollar on up to $25,000 of spending at U.S. supermarkets per year (and then 1 point per dollar after that). Cardmembers also receive up to $120 in annual credits with Uber that can also be used with Uber Eats, as well as up to $120 in annual dining credits with select restaurants like Grubhub, Cheesecake Factory and Shake Shack or even orders of wine from wine.com.
Read our full review of the Amex Gold card.
Bilt Mastercard®
Most people who pay rent on their apartments can't pay with a credit card. When they can, there are often steep fees. The Bilt Mastercard doesn't charge fees on rent payments and allows cardholders to earn points and miles when paying rent. This is also the only credit card that earns flexible points and has a permanent path for transferring these points to American Airlines. Along with rent payments, Bilt cardholders can earn 2 points per dollar on travel and 3 points per dollar on dining. Brian uses this card all the time.
Read our full review of the Bilt Mastercard.
Business Centurion® Card from American Express
This card is available by invitation only, and you'll need to spend around $500,000 per year on your Amex accounts to be invited to apply. Then, you'll pay $10,000 to open the card and another $5,000 per year to keep it after that. But the perks it offers are abundant. While the rates at which you earn points from spending on this card aren't impressive, how you can use them deserves attention. When paying with your points to buy airfare, you'll get a full 50% of those points back if you're booking a ticket with American Express' travel service. That makes points worth 2 cents apiece when paying for airfare with points, doubling the value that most other people get when paying with points at checkout for airfare purchases from Amex Travel. And since these count as purchased tickets, you'll still earn miles and status-qualifying activity on these flights.
Cardholders also have access to a personal concierge, elite status with hotel brands, elite status with multiple rental car programs and elite status with Delta Air Lines. As if that weren't enough, cardmembers also have meet and greet services on arrival at select international airports, VIP arrival and departure services at select airports to help you speed through immigration lines, guaranteed access to Centurion Lounges at numerous airports, Priority Pass lounge membership, unlimited visits to Equinox fitness centers, reserved seats at events and much more.
In fact, Brian's wallet itself was a gift from the Business Centurion folks during a previous holiday season.
Read our full review of the Business Centurion Card.
The information for the Business Centurion Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Brian once said this is the one credit card he can't ever see himself closing. He uses it constantly, and there are two main reasons why.
First, Capital One miles have consistently gained value over the past few years. On top of the fact you can use them with some of your favorite airline and hotel programs for free travel, you can also use your miles to pay yourself back by erasing travel purchases you paid for with the card. This includes things like paying for a boutique hotel that doesn't participate in a rewards program as well as using Blade for a helicopter ride from the airport into downtown New York City to avoid traffic jams. The card earns 2 miles per dollar on all purchases and even more when purchasing travel from Capital One travel.
Read our full review of the Capital One Venture card.
Chase Freedom Unlimited
Some credit cards earn extra points at the supermarket while others earn extra points when you pay for a hotel. But this is a great card for all of those "other" purchases that don't earn any bonus points. This could be everything from a parking garage to buying a pack of stamps.
With the Freedom Unlimited card, you earn 5% cash back on travel booked through Ultimate Rewards, 3% back on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services), 3% back at drugstores and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all of those "other" purchases. Plus, the card doesn't have an annual fee. Additionally, if you have a premium credit card with Chase, you can turn your cash-back earnings into Ultimate Rewards points to use with travel partners.
Read our full review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited.
Citi Prestige® Card
Unfortunately, this card is no longer open to new applicants. That's too bad since it has some incredible perks and earns points quickly. This includes 5 points per dollar at restaurants, airlines and travel agencies. That's a 9% return on spending (based on our latest valuations) and these are categories where Brian spends a lot of money.
Cardholders also earn 3 points per dollar at hotels and cruise lines, and benefits include getting a fourth night free when booking a hotel via Citi's travel platform plus up to $250 per year in travel credits. That's on top of credits for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee and cellphone insurance that applies automatically if you're paying your monthly bill with this card.
Read our full review of the Citi Prestige.
The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
This card provides a great return on spending for business expenses that come with running a business like TPG.
Cardholders earn 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 in annual spending across travel, shipping purchases, advertising with social media sites and search engines and on internet, cable and phone services. Paying for advertising and for the internet to keep the website running are both necessities — and earning lots of points on these expenses is a bonus.
Despite being a business card, this card earns the same Ultimate Rewards points as the other Chase cards mentioned above, meaning it's easy to amass them quickly and redeem them for free or nearly-free travel at outsized value.
Read our full review of the Ink Business Preferred card.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
It's true that many of the benefits on the Amex Platinum Card mirror those of the Business Centurion Card discussed above. Benefits on this card include lounge access at numerous airports, up to $200 in annual hotel credits, monthly credits to use with Uber and Uber Eats and elite status with both the Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors programs.
However, the reason this card sits in Brian's wallet every day hits closer to home: For just $195 per year, you can add authorized users to the account (see rates and fees). This means Brian's parents can each get their own Platinum Card, offering them hotel elite status and airport lounge access when traveling on their own. Enrollment is required in advance for some of these benefits.
Read our full review of the Amex Platinum Card.
Chase debit card
At some point, everyone needs cash. This could be for buying Pad Thai from a street vendor in Bangkok or just giving a tip during a hotel stay, but you'll need some money in your pocket on these occasions.
While Brian has a Sapphire Banking account with Chase, there are a few rules you should look for in choosing a bank if you're a traveler. First, make sure you won't pay fees when using ATMs that aren't owned by your bank. Next, make sure you won't pay extra fees for withdrawing money in another country. A great ATM/debit card won't charge you fees for accessing your own money.
Bottom line
When you first hear about it, it can sound too good to be true: "I use points and miles for free vacations." After reading a bit more, it can seem overwhelming — especially when you consider all of the different credit cards in The Points Guy's wallet and the myriad of ways he uses them on different purchases to rack up extra frequent flyer miles.
However, The Points Guy has all of the information you need to get started with your points and miles pursuits. If you're new to points and miles, head over to our beginner's guide to learn more.
Additional reporting by Liz Hund.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
