Always a loaded question, because the answer will be quite different depending on what you spend money on, how much you spend, how you plan to use those Ultimate Rewards and how much value you asssign to different rewards programs. Pairing a cash-back card with a travel rewards-oriented system like URs might not be the best option.
If your ultimate goal is to transfer points to say Virgin Atlantic or Air France/KLM, then the trifecta could certainly be paired with a number of cards earning Membership Rewards, ThankYou Points, or Marriott points. But to give any real kind of suggestion, we'd need to know what you're spending, where, and how you plan to use your rewards since these things are most certainly not one-size-fits-all.
@ChasingDreams wrote: “I might be different than others, but I don't like having a card that pulls spend away from my goal of maximizing the amount of Ultimate Rewards points I can earn. I have cards with AmEx and Discover, and keep them active with the occasional small charge here and there just to have those options open, but for the most part, it's all about getting the travel rewards with Chase. That said, some of Chase's co-branded airline or hotel cards can compliment the Trifecta with extra perks for that particular airline or hotel. Hyatt and Southwest are my picks for these.
Another option is a business card like the Ink Cash, which gets 5% at office supply stores (gift cards!) and on internet, phone, and cable services, and 2% on gas and restaurants. It earns Ultimate Rewards, so this card essentially turns the Trifecta into a Quadfecta. It also has a 50k point (or $500 cashback) sign-up bonus. It is a biz card though, so you'll have to be comfortable with that when it comes to application time. I'm gearing up to try for this one next year when I'm under 5/24 again!
@rgate88 wrote: “The Ink Preferred might be a good one if only for the SUB (80k/$5k in 3 months), plus the 5x on cell phone and Internet can help you rack up quick UR points. Again, business card, so take that into consideration. The WOH card would be a good hotel card to have, as the SUB can get you multiple free nights at lower tier hotels (10 nights at Cat 1 properties) and can give you good value on your UR points if you need a hotel night. Plus, the free night every year will easily cancel out the $95 AF.”
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Both of these are good advice.
My first thought was the Quadfecta … an INK card. I got that 80K SUB on Preferred and may downgrade it to the INK CASH since it works for me better.
I have also pursued their hotel cards. I got the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless when it offered 100K SUB (currently 75K I think) and am waiting to hear back on my World of Hyatt application with 50K SUB. They have an awesome collection of airline and hotel cards that most people can benefit from, and you can transfer UR points to some hotels and airlines from UR which might be a great combination.
Like @ChasingDreams, I think it is good advice when it comes to cash-back, points, or rewards not to spread your efforts too thinly. (*There is another excellent thread open on that very topic right now if you want to look it up.)
@Anonymous wrote:
I’m looking to get the Chase Trifecta and only missing the CSR. But i got to thinking wether there are any cards that go well with the Chase Trifecta. I’ve seen some people use the Amex Blue Cash Preferred with the Chase setup
As others have mentioned it really is not one size fits all. It depends on what you are spending on etc. For me with Chase I have the CSR, The freedom 5x category card, the freedom unlimited card (for non-bonus spend although I tend to use amex cards for that) and I have an old chase ink card that gives me 5x on cable/internet/office supply store/phones etc.
I earn a ton of amex points with the amex business blue plus that gives me 2 points per dollar on the first $50k and the amex gold card for grocery and restaurant spend.
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