Some things improve exponentially when put together: Cheese and crackers, shoes and socks, TVs and remote controls. The same axiom applies to credit cards, too. Just like other well-suited couplings, credit cards can work better together—when you use them strategically—than as separate entities.
By choosing the right combination of cards, you can increase your earnings potential hand over fist. But there’s no one blend of card combinations that’s a fit for everyone. If you’re looking to amp up your earning power by owning complimentary credit card pairings, here’s how to get started.
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Start With Where You Spend the Most
Every household’s spending patterns are unique, which means the optimal card combination will vary from person to person. Take a look back at your monthly credit card statements or see if your credit card company or companies offer a snapshot of your expenses so you can identify where most of your spending goes.
Ideally, you’ll be using a card that offers high rewards on the category where you’re spending the most. A card that offers a sky-high rewards rate on airfare for example, may not mean much to your bottom line if you rarely take a flight. Similarly, if you do most of your household shopping at warehouse clubs, a card offering bonuses on supermarket spending won’t help you, no matter how generous the cash-back return.
If your card’s rewards structure doesn’t match up with your spending partners, read our picks for best cards across a variety of categories to help you pick a card that does.
Next: Fill in the Gaps
Once you’ve narrowed down a card that maximizes rewards on your top spending category, consider what you’re earning on your other areas of spending. Most rewards cards that offer elevated earnings in a handful of categories tend to offer far lower rewards on other spending, typically around 1 point per dollar spent or 1% cash back. Your goal is to find a card that offers rewards on your other areas of spending that’s higher than that baseline earnings rate.
For example, say you have a card that earns elevated rewards in your two biggest areas of spending, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card which gives cardholders the ability to earn 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases.
Instead of settling for lackluster returns on every other way you spend, you could amp up your earning power by pairing it with the Chase Freedom Unlimited® which earns 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on eligible dining and drugstores and 1.5% on all other purchases, plus an additional 1.5% cash back on the first $20,000 in purchases the first year.
By strategically pairing the two cards, you’d do better than the 1% you’d earn on “everything else” if you only owned the Sapphire Preferred. You can also combine your Chase Ultimate Rewards® to redeem them at the Preferred’s 1.25 cents per point rate for travel booked through Chase or transfer them to travel partners and access travel insurance for your next trip including: trip delay, trip cancellation, baggage delay, lost luggage, and primary rental car insurance.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited alone does not offer the 25% bonus on travel redemptions, the ability to transfer to partners or the suite of travel insurance benefits that the Chase Sapphire Preferred does.
Determine Your Deal Breakers
Creating the right card combo also depends on your overall preferences when it comes to credit cards. Are you willing to pay an annual fee? And if so, are you willing to pay an annual fee that may be several hundred dollars? Although you can find several excellent card pairings that will cost you less than $100 annually, the richest rewards and perks are generally found on cards that have a hefty price tag.
Pairing the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, which carries an annual fee of $550 with the no-annual fee Chase Freedom Unlimited might make good sense from a rewards-earning perspective alone if you think you’ll earn enough back in rewards to justify the annual fee.
However, you should also consider the other benefits that come with the Sapphire Reserve including Priority Pass airport lounge access, travel insurance, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit and a 50% bonus on the value of your points when redeemed for travel through Chase Travel℠. It’s worth considering how you value card perks in addition to rewards to determine your break-even point on any card with an annual fee.
Another thing to keep in mind when trying to build your own complimentary credit card family: What is your tolerance for tracking your spending on any cards that have spending caps on their bonus categories? Will you be able to remember to keep track of which card to use at which vendor? This is the heart of maximizing your rewards-earning potential. There’s no point in owning a card that earns elevated rewards in certain areas if you can’t remember to pull out the right card when it’s time to make a purchase.
If you think you’ll find it too cumbersome to keep track of multiple cards and when to use each one, there’s no point in building up a stack of different cards to use at different times. Keep things simple and aim to have just two cards that compliment each other.
Stay Organized
Keeping track of your rewards is also an important part of a winning card-pairing strategy. Be sure to track your earnings so you can make sure you’ve received the right amount of points for your purchases and be aware of any category caps one or more of your cards might have.
For example, the Chase Freedom Flex® credit card has quarterly rotating bonus categories that earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in categories that rotate quarterly (requires activation), 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 1% cash back on all other purchases. By tracking your spending, you’ll know when you’ve hit the quarterly spending cap and should switch to using a card with a higher earnings rate to pay for your purchases in those categories.
You might find it helpful to add a small note on a sticker to each of your cards as a reminder for what types of purchases they’re best used for.
Know Your Redemption Goals
Maximizing your rewards also means knowing how you want to use your earnings. If you’re saving up for one big redemption it can make sense to pair cards that earn rewards that can be combined from the same issuer. The Big Three are Chase Ultimate Rewards®, Citi ThankYou Points and American Express Membership Rewards.
This strategy also works if one of your cards allows your points to take on more value when redeemed for certain things, like travel. If you use cards that let you pool all of your rewards, they can all be redeemed at that enhanced value.
Find The Best Credit Cards For 2024
No single credit card is the best option for every family, every purchase or every budget. We've picked the best credit cards in a way designed to be the most helpful to the widest variety of readers.
Bottom Line
If you’re interested in taking your credit card earnings up a notch, consider pairing a card you have with one that earns complimentary rewards to help you amplify your rewards potential on every purchase. There are multiple ways to strategically pair up two or even three or more cards to enable you to earn the maximum possible rewards on your spending.