These are the cards I use or have used myself, and honestly this isn't some ranked list I pulled off the internet, it's just what has worked for our family and why I'd tell you to open each one.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase · $95/year
If I could only tell you about one card it would be this one, because the welcome bonus is big and the fee is low and the points move over to real airlines and hotels (one thing to know is Hyatt is 4:3 from this card now, so 1,000 Chase points gets you 750 Hyatt points, and the 1:1 rate is only on the Reserve). Chase has the 5/24 rule, so you want to open their cards before you open anything from anybody else, and this is the one I'd start with.
Chase Ink Business Preferred
Chase · $95/year
This one is for business spending and the welcome bonus is usually huge (it's 100,000 points right now). The points go into the exact same Chase pool as the Sapphire so they all stack together, and if you have any self-employment income at all, even a little side hustle, you can apply for this. Business cards don't count toward 5/24 either, so you can open it without using up one of your slots.
Delta SkyMiles Gold Amex
American Express · $0 the first year, then $150
This is the card I just opened for our Europe trip, and if you fly Delta at all it makes sense, because you earn miles on every purchase and you get a free checked bag every time you fly Delta, which pays for the fee pretty fast if your family checks bags. The miles go straight into your SkyMiles account and they don’t expire.
Capital One Venture
Capital One · $95/year
This one is simple, you get 2x on everything and there's no category juggling, and Capital One miles transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan and Turkish Airlines and a bunch of others. Right now there's also a $300 Capital One Travel credit in your first year on top of the bonus (that's a limited time thing, so check it before you apply). The Venture X is the upgraded version with a higher fee that basically pays for itself if you use the travel credit, so it's worth looking at when your bonus comes around.
These are cards I like but I'd only open them when they're running a strong welcome offer, so the timing really matters here.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold or Boundless
Chase · $0 to $95/year
Marriott is our go-to hotel for road trips because they're everywhere and the points are easy to earn, and free nights go a long way when you're stopping every couple hundred miles across the country. I wouldn't open this card for a small bonus, but when they run something big (100,000 points or more, or right now the Boundless is giving three free night awards) I jump on it, because that's real money in hotel nights for a family our size.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus
Chase · $99/year
Southwest has something called the Companion Pass and honestly it's one of the best deals in points travel. You earn 135,000 Southwest points in a calendar year (or fly 100 one way flights, which is a LOT of flying) and the person you pick flies with you for just the taxes and fees for the rest of that year and all of the next one, and cardholders get a 10,000 point boost every year so you really only need 125,000. The Plus is 50,000 points right now and the Priority is 60,000, so opening a personal card and the business card early in the year and hitting both bonuses gets you most of the way there in one shot, and once you have it your family travel gets so so much cheaper.
Card details and welcome offers change constantly (these numbers are as of September 2026), so always confirm the current offer on the issuer's site before you apply. These are my honest opinions based on what's worked for our family, and none of this is financial advice, it's just what I'd say if you asked me in person.
xo, Amy