Best credit card combinations for everyday spending

Running around town to fill up your gas tank or restock your pantry may not be the most glamorous part of your day, but with the right credit card (or cards), you can make those everyday tasks much more rewarding. In fact, using the right credit combination that perfectly matches your spending habits and most common bonus categories, you could quickly amass big rewards.

There are many card combos out there that you could try to capitalize on your everyday purchases. You could use rewards to earn a free hotel stay or fund your Netflix subscription while you go about your regular spending. The best combos include cards from the same issuer, so you can easily pool rewards without losing any value.

Here are some of the best favorite credit card combinations for everyday spending.

Best Chase credit card combo

A fan favorite card combo that we must mention is the Chase Freedom Unlimited* coupled with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Although the two cards have some bonus-category overlap, you should use the Freedom Unlimited for 5 percent cash back on Lyft purchases (through March 2025), 3 percent back on drugstore purchases and 1.5 percent on general purchases. As for the Sapphire Preferred, it excels in earning 5X travel points booked through the Ultimate Rewards portal, 3X points on select streaming services, dining and online grocery purchases and 2X on general travel.

For the overlapping categories such as dining and Chase Ultimate Rewards travel, we suggest using the Sapphire Preferred due to its 25 percent boost to points when redeemed for travel through the Ultimate Rewards portal (making your points worth 1.25 cents apiece). Furthermore, the Sapphire Preferred offers a 10 percent anniversary points bonus on your previous year’s spending.

All in all, this credit card combo is potentially lucrative with the Freedom Unlimited’s 1.5 percent cash back rate on general purchases and the Sapphire Preferred’s boosted point redemption for Chase travel. Both cards cover most everyday categories, so you can earn serious rewards through your regular spending.

Estimated annual rewards: Chase Freedom Unlimited + Chase Sapphire Preferred

Who should apply: Chase Ultimate Rewards superfans or anyone looking to earn serious travel rewards are good candidates. Chase’s travel rewards program is one of the most robust and popular, and this card combo should set any new cardholder up for success with the program.

Best Citi credit card combo

Another solid card pairing is the Citi® Double Cash Card and Citi Premier® Card. Alone, the Citi Double Cash is one of the best cash back cards, with its up to 2 percent back on every purchase — 1 percent when you make the purchase and another 1 percent when you pay your bill on time. As for the Citi Premier, it offers 3X ​​points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels.

Why combine the two cards? You can use the Double Cash to earn up to 2 percent cash back on purchases that do not qualify under the Citi Premier Card’s bonus categories. And as an added bonus, the Citi Premier gives you an annual $100 off a prepaid hotel stay of $500 or more, if it’s booked through the ThankYou portal. It’s also easy to combine your cash back rewards with your Citi ThankYou points, since Citi fulfills your rewards on the Citi Double Cash as ThankYou points ($1 is worth 100 points).

Together, the two Citi cards push the rewards rate to 2.58 percent cash back for the average cardholder. We figure that a cardholder who spends around $15,900 per year on these two cards can earn around $315 in cash back per year.

Estimated annual rewards: Citi Double Cash + Citi Premier Card

Who should apply: If you’re already a big fan of the Citi Double Cash and its simple yet rewarding cash back, then adding the Citi Premier Card to your wallet is an easy move. Like other travel rewards programs, Citi ThankYou points are fairly flexible — allowing you to redeem them for gift cards, merchandise, statement credits, Citi transfer partner travel and more.

The main advantage of this pair is the Citi Double Cash’s ease of use and the $100 annual hotel credit from the Citi Premier Card, a rarity among other mid-tier travel cards.

Best American Express credit card combo

When you say “everyday categories,” you probably mean dining, groceries, gas and maybe transit (for example, rideshare services or the subway). However, many credit cards great for everyday spending rarely cover all these categories, although this card combo comes close. If you’re carrying the American Express® Gold Card and the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express in your pocket, you’ll have more rewards than you know what to do with.

Its 6 percent cash back at US supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year, then 1 percent) and 3 percent cash back at US gas stations and on transit make the Blue Cash Preferred one of the best for everyday spending. The 6 percent cash back on select US streaming subscriptions rounds out the card as an excellent, all-around card.

We recommend using the Blue Cash Preferred on groceries to take advantage of that 6 percent rate. Once you’ve reached the spending cap on the Blue Cash Preferred, you can fall back on the Amex Gold at US supermarkets (4X points on up to $25,000 per year, then 1X point). The Amex Gold also earns 4X points at restaurants, another key everyday category. Adding to its already generous rewards, the Amex Gold also provides up to $120 annually in Uber Cash and a $120 dining credit.

Estimated annual rewards: Amex Gold Card + Blue Cash Preferred

Who should apply: Because the Blue Cash Preferred and the Amex Gold both charge annual fees ($0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 and $250 respectively), you should carefully consider whether these cards are worth the cost. If you’re living the high life, spending plenty on everyday purchases as well as luxuries, this credit card combo may be a perfect fit for you.

Although the expected $153 cash back (based on a $15,900 annual spend) from this card combo may not seem impressive, don’t forget the Amex Gold comes with various credits that should cover most of the cost of the annual fees. Nevertheless, we estimate you’d need to spend around $20,610 in a year to earn around $300 in rewards. So, if you spend around that much or well over it each year, you’ll have no problem enjoying this card combo.

Best Capital One credit card combo

Quickly making a name for itself in the travel rewards program space, you should not underestimate Capital One cards. In fact, the combo of the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card and the is lucrative indeed. Let’s start with the everyday categories of the Capital One SavorOne Card, which includes 3 percent cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery stores. As for the Capital One Venture, it earns 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2X miles on every purchase.

You should use the Capital One SavorOne Card for all your grocery shopping, dining, Disney+ and Spotify accounts and movie theater visits. For travel and all other general purchases that aren’t included in either card’s bonus categories, like gas, it’s best to use the Venture Card.

The Capital One SavorOne Card’s strength lies in its unlimited cash back (with no spending cap all year round), and according to The Points Guy, you may convert your cash back into Capital One miles by transferring it to your Venture Card. The Capital One Venture Card pairs well with other cards because of its 2X miles on every purchase and ability to transfer miles to Capital One travel partners.

Estimated annual rewards: Capital One Venture Card + Capital One SavorOne Card

Who should apply: For new cardholders who want to test out travel rewards without committing to a big rewards program like Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Travel is a great place to start. This card combo especially is good for beginners because of its relatively low cost in annual fees. The Venture Card has an annual fee of $95, and the Capital One SavorOne Card charges no annual fee.

It’s also a good combo if you like stockpiling miles while staying home, then using them all up on a massive vacation. You can easily do that with the grocery stores, entertainment and streaming site bonus categories on the Capital One SavorOne and flat-rate 2X miles on the Venture Card.

Tips for stacking cards

• Use the right card for each category of spending. It may seem obvious, but remember to use the card with the bonus category in groceries at the supermarket. For purchases not covered by a bonus category, try to use the card with a higher rewards rate on general purchases. As long as the rate is more than 1 percent or 1X point, the card is earning decent rewards.
• Max out spending caps. To get the most value out of your cards. For example, using the Blue Cash Preferred, you should try to hit that $6,000 cap for the US supermarket category. That’s about $500 a month, which is pretty manageable for families. However, if that’s outside your food budget, you could look for other non-food items you typically need that you can purchase at the supermarket, such as cookware or greeting cards or over-the-counter medication.
• Buy gift cards. If you’re full on groceries, many supermarkets will allow you to purchase gift cards with your credit card. Even if your card doesn’t give bonus rewards on Amazon.com or Best Buy purchases, you can always buy a gift card from the supermarket and still earn cash back or points on that purchase.
• Make it a trio of cards. Why stop at only two cards? You can further increase your earning rate by adding in an additional card that offers a bonus on other bonus categories that your card combo doesn’t cover. In fact, many credit card aficionados speak highly of card trios such as the Chase trifecta or Citi trifecta.

Bottom line

With the right credit combination, you can earn hundreds of dollars in rewards on your everyday purchases. While the average cash back card earns a 1.5 percent cash back, you can easily double that amount by pairing the right cards. That’s not a bad incentive to run your errands.

*Information about the Chase Freedom Unlimited has been collected independently by CreditCards.com. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy.