Premium Credit Cards Worth it?

Road warriors who travel for business 200+ days per year will find getting value pretty easy. But, if you are like me and you have a regular job that allows you to travel just a few times per year, getting enough value out of a premium card to justify the annual cost can be challenging.

I hate coupon books

Every article I read about the AMEX Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards gushes about how worth it they are. The caveat is always "if you can use these benefits, it is worth it". Well, I believe most users will struggle to make it worth it. I personally am not a regular user for the following:

1. Peloton (never)
2. Lulelemon
3. Saks Fifth Avenue
4. Monthly ride share credit (I do use ride shares, just not on a monthly basis)
5. Food delivery services like Grubhub
6. Card issuer hotel credits that go through their portal

And, the list goes on. The one possible usable perk for me is the hotel credit. I prefer finding points bookings as opposed to actually using cash. The hotel credits usually only covers one night or two and have restrictions that usually means I would have to use cash for part of the typical stay. I do have access to the Marriott associate rate so this makes the perk almost valueless to me. You need to weigh the benefit against your own needs.

Enhanced points on purchases means little

Wait, what?! Yes, those awesome points on travel, business purchases or whatever they offer with the premium cards are great for big spenders. However, if you are in this hobby, you are most likely getting a new credit card every three to four months that requires you to spend thousands of dollars in order to get a big sign up bonus. Because of that, picking and choosing which card to use to get the biggest point return on a purchase is always the same card - the one you are trying to earn a bonus on.

Should you get a premium card?

Yes. The key perks that we all can use are travel interruption coverage, lounge access, TSA/Pre or Global Entry, rental car coverage, rental car status, and hotel status. Now, many of these perks come with lower cost cards (e.g., Chase Sapphire Preferred at $95 per year has great travel and purchase protections plus much more). Also, some of the cards you will churn through for sign up bonuses will get you TSA/Pre or Global Entry for four years (long after you have dumped the card). So, the value starts to diminish, but some perks that you may value need a premium card.

Which cards are good candidates?

My preferred premium cards are as follows:

1. Capital One Venture X and Venture X Business - at $395 per annum, these cards have strong benefits. The only caveat is that in February 2026, the changes in guest and authorized user lounge access takes a major hit. If this is important to you, you may want to look elsewhere.
2. Chase Ritz Carlton Card - at $450 per annum, this may replace my Venture X in 2026 (I often travel with friends and family who don't have lounge access so lounge access for all is important for my use case). The big issue with the card is that you cannot just sign up for it. You have to product switch from a Chase Marriott card like a Bold or Boundless after one year to get the Ritz Carlton card. Also, there is a $300 per annum credit for airline incidentals that may or may not require some effort for you to spend. See my review here.
3. CITI Strata Elite - at $595 per annum, this card does require a bit of coupon book work to justify; but, for the first year it is well worth it. The sign up bonus is strong (currently 100,000 valuable CITI points) and the spending credits are mostly usable. If you double or triple dip the spending credits in the first year, it is an easy decision for a one year hold. I will add an article on how to do this soon but for now, go to Danny the Deal Guru's article here.

Airline and hotel premium cards

Now, the Ritz Carlton obviously falls into this category, however its benefits compete with the non-branded cards. If you are loyal to a particular hotel or airline, you should weigh their premium card offerings first. Then, look to see what benefits that you still want that are not being provided for with these cards. Only those missing benefits will count towards justifying another premium card.

Weigh all of your cards against a premium card

The "keeper" cards in your wallet will count the most. For example, the Chase zero annual fee Freedom cards provide three Chase Ultimate Rewards points on dining spend. The $325 per year AMEX Gold Card gives you four Membership Rewards points. How much value can you assign to that extra point? Typically, not that much yet I have seen articles that ignore this part of the equation. Also, only focus on the ones you would routinely put to good use.

Non-generic restaurant "deals" I value at close to nothing

Locally, I am a creature of habit and dine at the same usual restaurants. While traveling, I ask the locals. The restaurants that sign up with the credit card companies almost always are not on the list and often include some overpriced ones (especially if you are going to Las Vegas). If you regularly dine at upscale restaurants and you are somewhat adventurous, this may have value.