Credit Card Affiliate Industry Misleading You

People have spent millions of dollars on credit cards personally and for their business. And I’m going to tell you right now, most of the credit card advice out there is not good in United States. Why?

Because almost everyone giving you recommendations is getting paid huge commissions to push the same cards over and over. Now, I don’t make a scent from affiliate links for credit cards, and I’m about to show you the only three credit cards I think are worth using. So, let’s get into it. Part one, the credit card affiliate industry is not guiding you well. If you’ve ever searched best credit cards on YouTube or Google, you’ve probably seen the same cards pop up over and over again. Have you ever wondered why these credit cards pay massive commissions to websites and influencers every time you sign up?

Let me show you real numbers. For example, Chase will pay up to $500 per year for referring friends. AMX will pay up to $400 per person. That is why you see people constantly pushing MX Platinum, even if it’s totally unnecessary for most people. Now, a lot of these influencers are not recommending cards because they’re actually appropriate for you. They’re recommending them because they make money off of you. And they’ll say things like, “We do independent reviews.” Do you? Or do you optimize for whoever’s paying you the most?

The Biggest Credit Card Myths

Now, before I share the three best credit cards, I want to cover something really important.

Part two, the biggest credit card myths. Now that you know how deceptive the credit card affiliate industry can be, let’s talk about the biggest credit card myths that are wasting your time and money. These are the things that people get totally wrong. And if you believe them, you’re probably over complicating your life. So, there’s no point in knowing the best credit cards until you understand these myths.

The Only Three Credit Cards Worth Using in US

Maximize Every Perk

Myth number one, you need to maximize every perk. You know how many people obsess over every tiny perk? Uh, my MX Platinum gives me car rental upgrades. Okay, how often do you actually rent a car? Once a year? Who cares? Even if you miss out on a $100 upgrade. So what? Stop wasting hours tracking every single perk. Pick the best card for what it does best. Use it and move on.

Travel 

Myth number two, travel is worth your time. People spend hours trying to gain credit card points. Let me tell you something. If you’re spending more time on credit card perks than actually making money, you might be doing it wrong. Yes, if you travel a lot, you should use a good credit card. But if you’re spending hours and hours trying to get the best value per point, if you have a custom spreadsheet with VLOOKUPs that automatically draws data in and updates it every 12 hours, you might need to get a life.

Premium Card to Travel

Myth number three, you need a premium card to travel. Well, guys, the best perk is not lounge access or travel credits. You know what the best perk is? The best perk is having enough money to book whatever you want when you want. So, if you don’t make enough to justify a premium card, don’t get one. Just get a no fee cashback card and be done with it.

The Only Three Cards Worth Considering

All right. Now, part three, the only three cards worth considering according to me. Now, listen. I’m not going to give you a list of 15 different cards with complicated spending categories in a spreadsheet that you have to dump into AI to figure out. It’s a complete waste of time. Instead, I’ll break it down to three cards that actually matter, including what they’re good for, how I use them, and the perks that I’ve actually gotten.

Fidelity’s 2% Cashback Card

Number one, Fidelity’s 2% cashback card. This is the simple workhorse. I think this is one of the best normal cards you can get. It gives you 2% cash back on everything. No weird categories neither need to track if you’re using gas on Thursday and then I use this card and then I use my grocery bill but only for granola bars. No, just cold hard 2% cash back. Too many people are over complicating credit cards. They chase sign up bonuses optimized for rotating categories. They waste hours trying to game the system. If you don’t want to mess with all that, this card is the answer. And remember, if you don’t make enough to justify an annual fee, you can get a simple no fee cashback card like this one and then move on with your life.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Number two, Chase Sapphire Reserve. The best travel card. If you travel a lot, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the best cards, period. You get 3x points on dining, 3x points on travel, and up to 10x points if you book travel through their site. And this is the key, the points actually transfer to airlines and hotels at good rates. Now, People use this card for almost all of my travel spending, and the miles are really valuable. For example, I recently used the points to book $60,000 worth of business class flights, which I got completely free. Now, the annual fee is pretty high. It’s about $550, but you get a $300 travel credit automatically. So, the card does somewhat pay for itself if you travel enough.

MX Platinum

All right, before we get to the third credit card that I personally use, let me just say this. If you like no normal money advice that actually helps you build wealth, hit that subscribe button because you’ll get real talk on money, business, and living a rich life. Number three, MX Platinum. All right, the MX Platinum, in my opinion, is one of the most overhyped cards on the market. I have this card. I pay hundreds of dollars a year and every single day I wake up, I look in the mirror, I go, “Do I need this card?” I used to have this card for one reason. Because the lounges, MX lounges used to be really cool.

The problem is now they’re overcrowded. The food isn’t good. You can hardly get into any of them. Forget the lounges. There’s only one reason I still keep this card. A MX fine hotels and resorts. If you’re already planning on booking a very nice hotel and you don’t use a travel advisor, the MX FHR program can give you some serious benefits. For example, if you book a really nice hotel, let’s say you’re staying at the Langham Hotel in Chicago, you will get these perks. Free breakfast, which is very valuable, especially for two people, $100 in hotel credits, early check-in, late checkout, and a room upgrade when available. That’s actually really beneficial. But if you’re just keeping this card for random rental car upgrades or lounges, I don’t think it’s worth it.

The No Wrong Takeaway

The no Wrong takeaway. Most credit card videos are sometimes not transparent. I’m not making a scent from you signing up for any of these cards. So, here is what I personally use. Fidelity 2% cash back. This is simple. It’s appropriate for most people. The Chase Sapphire Reserve. This is great for travelers, especially if you can justify the annual fee. It has really good point redemptions. MX Platinum. Some people worry about their kids. Some people worry about their dog.

I worry about, should I still have this card every day of my life? So, now that you know the truth, I want to hear from you. What is the most overrated credit card that you’ve ever had? Drop it in the comments.