I've been using AMEX for many years and have found it to be a good card for miles but now it looks like there are many more (and possibly even better) options out there.  Chase Sapphire and Capital One Venture have some pretty good programs in particular.  I'm just trying to figure out what the 'catch' is with these cards but they seem to be pretty straightforward with no hassles or gimmicks.

ETA:  I don't carry a balance so APRs don't really mean anything to me.  I just use CCs so that I don't have to carry cash around.

Summary of benefits:
Chase Sapphire
Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months (which I will do no problem)
2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Earn a 7% annual points dividend - even on points already redeemed
First year free.  $95 afterwards.

Capital One Venture
Earn 25,000 bonus miles, equal to $250 in travel
2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
No limit on the miles you can earn and miles won't expire
Fly free on any airline, any time with no blackout dates
$0 intro annual fee for the first year; $59 after that

To me, the Captial One Venture looks like the better choice in the long run.  I say in the long run b/c the Chase Sapphire gives you that 50k point bonus right up front (vs 25k with the Capital One).  But the 2 points for every dollar on every purchase every day looks way better.  I'm just trying to figure out if those points are going to be harder to spend or if there's any other catch that I'm not seeing.

AMEX Green.


Those sound good now.


AMEX has been very consistent over the years in keeping their terms the same.  That's something they even market.  With AMEX you can turn those points into just about anything with hardly any red tape.
What's the fine print with the other guys?



When will Chase or C1 change their terms?  No one knows.  Personally I would go with the Sapphire (and still keep my AMEX)

Cabelas VISA

I like getting free Swarovski Bino's

Chase rewards 1% back on everything I buy.

I use it for everything.

Get a $100 gift card to just about any store on the planet every 2 months or so.

Amex has gotten a little tighter.  You used to be able to just call and transfer travel expenses into point deductions.  Now, they make you book your travel through their website to redeem points.  It's not all that bad - I actually like having everything consolidated like that but it lacks the flexibility that some of these newer card programs offer.

Why do you say go with the Sapphire?  To me, the only real benefit is the extra 25k bonus points up front.  After that, it seems to fall behind the C1.  Not arguing here, just trying to narrow it down as best as possible.

Marriott visa from Chase.

I'm platinum with Marriott from work though, so I'm already invested in Marriott.  Might as well get as many points as possible.

The only problem is I rarely use the card, since we have corporate AMEX's.

The name, Chase.


Heck, get both

I'd like any Swarovski binos



 

I also have the Marriott Chase Visa, but I only use it to pay for hotel stays at Marriott for the 10x/dollar points deal.  Otherwise, it never gets used.

Slight thread hijack- how is the Chase Amazon rewards card? Currently using a BOA Worldpoints Mastercard.

Bank of America Alaska Airmiles card... miles never expier (if you se the card at least once every 24 monts), $99 companion ticket annually...  2 trip to Maui, 1 to Disney World.  Going to book another Maui trip for next fall soon.

UPDATE:

After doing a little further research, I settled on the Fidelity AMEX as it gives you 2% cash back on all purchases deposited into my Fidelity account with no yearly fee.

The only disadvantage to this card is that it is an Amex and therefore there will be occasions that I will have to pay with my Chase Marriott Visa, but those occasions are few and far between.

I use my Capital One Venture card almost exclusively. I have tried to find a card that would provide more rewards, but I don't think there is one.

You can redeem your "miles" for any travel-related purchase made on the card, so you don't have to use a card-specific site or company. It's really more of a cash-back card, as the double mileage credits translates to 2% back on purchases, but you can only redeem it for full value towards credit on a travel-related purchase. As long as you stay in a hotel a couple times a year, you can treat it like a straight cash-back card and just get a statement credit for your rewards.

If you look around at some of the card review sites, the Venture is pretty much the top rewards card out right now.

If you mean carry a balance; at some point you'll likely get the option to spread out payments on 'items that qualify' on the typical AMEX charge card.  I think its items that cost more than $200 or something.

I think he's just referring to the fact that a lot of merchants don't accept AMEX, so he will have to use another card at times.

I agree, there doesn't seem to be anything better than 2% on all purchases, although there are a couple right up there with it.  The C1V card seems to offer the greatest flexibility as far as spending points on travel.

That being said, nothing beats cash which is why I went with the Fidelity Amex.  I like that it gets deposited into my already existing investment account.  I realize that the C1V is nearly as good as cash in that you spend the points instead of your own money on travel expenses which is why the C1V was a VERY close next best choice for me.

No, what I meant was that there are still some (few) places that don't accept Amex and so I end up paying with a Visa card instead.

Nevermind I just read the post above.

Cabela's Black Visa.  

No annual fee.  1% in free Cabela's shit from everywhere.  2% back from Cenex gas stations.  5% back in Cabela's purchases.  Lots of new promotions w/ 5-9% back from lots of companies like Best Buy, Sears, JC Penney, etc.  Did I mention no annual fee.  Did I mention that I haven't paid for my last two guns (G17 w/ light and Trijicons and Hi Point 995TS w/ red dot) and a fucking shitload of 9mm ammo? My last 2k in ammo was free just because of the card I use, and I don't carry a balance or pay interest.  The last time I paid for ammo McCain was running for POTUS.

Haven't bought a gun in a while and sitting on over $900 in Cabela's credit should I get around to spending it.  Thinking about forgetting it for a while and pulling home a free boat one of these days.

Between personal expenses and reimburseables for work, I put 2-5k on a Discover Card every month.  Their customer service is excellent.  You get 1% on everything, plus 5% on certain purchases that rotate through the year.

Using amazon rewards, 3 points per 1$ purchase on
their site.100 points gives you 1$ to spend.

You get 2 and 1 points for purchases outside of amazon.