💳 What's in My Wallet for 2026

Advertiser Disclosure

I'm going into 2026 with 41 credit cards and right now, it feels like it's an audit waiting to happen. Every card made sense when I opened it, but the annual fees stack up, credits get harder to use, and at some point the math stops working.

So this year, I ran everything through an app I built to model cards against real spending data, and the results were clarifying. Some cards I assumed were keepers weren't, and a few I'd been undervaluing turned out to be the strongest in my wallet.

Below is a breakdown of my goals for the year, the cards I own and where it stands, and the best card combos and more. 

P.S. If you end up applying for anything, I'd appreciate you using the links below or our Best Cards Page, but if you find a better offer somewhere else, please go for it.

🎯 My 2026 Goals

Last year was about adding the right cards. This year is about cutting the ones that no longer make sense.

• Cancel 5–10 cards with fees I can't justify. A $895 card I only value at $360 in real perks is a $535 annual loss. 
• Stop chasing incremental earnings. There's no new card I could open where the ongoing earn bump would justify another account to manage. I want to focus on optimizing what I already have.
• Keep one card per transferable points program. I hold balances across Amex, Chase, Capital One, Citi, Bilt, Wells Fargo, and Alaska, so every card needs to either earn its keep or anchor a currency I want to protect.
• Protect lounge access. Centurion and Capital One lounges are the ones we actually use, so I will keep cards that have access. 
• Be more disciplined about points vs. cash back. I have a lot of points and I'm not traveling fast enough to use them efficiently. If I'm paying more than 1.2¢ per point earned when I could just take 3% cash back, I should take the cash back.
• Stay open to the right welcome bonus. A well-timed bonus still delivers 20%+ effective returns on spend. I'm not done opening cards, just more selective.

🔎 A Look Inside My Wallet

Here's how I'm thinking about every card I hold. It's ironic because I haven't carried a physical wallet in years since everything lives on my iPhone via Apple Pay.

American Express

• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (3 cards, canceling): At $895/year, I only value the perks at around $360, which is a $535 net cost. Each one was worth opening for a 200K-point welcome bonus, but in year two with no bonus, none of them make sense to keep.
• American Express® Business Gold Card (3 cards, canceling 2): The credits have serious diminishing returns when you hold multiples. I'm keeping one for the 4x on advertising and software spend; canceling the other two.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express (2 cards, keeping both): When I add up what I'd actually pay for the Resy restaurant credit, Clear, Uber, Lululemon, Fine Hotels & Resorts, and airline incidental credits, I land well above the $895 annual fee. And the Centurion lounge access is a bonus on top.
• American Express® Gold Card (status TBD): My oldest Amex card (2003), but I have other cards covering dining and groceries, and the $325 annual fee only yields about $125 in credits I'll actually use. I'm going to reach out for a retention offer first and if that doesn't pan out, I'll either downgrade to the Green card or possibly upgrade to a third Platinum.
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (likely canceling): I kept this long enough to hit Lifetime Platinum with Marriott. The 85K-point free night certificate is worth ~$595 at face value, but I haven't found the right use for it yet. If I can redeem it before renewal, I'll keep it; otherwise it's getting canceled.
• Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (canceling): $125 annual fee for a 35K-point free night certificate I rarely use, and now that I've hit Lifetime Platinum I no longer need the elite nights.
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (keeping): One of the best value cards in my wallet. The $550 annual fee is more than offset by the free night certificate (we've used it for rooms worth $1,000+), Hilton Resort credit, flight credit, and free Diamond status.
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (keeping): Lower annual fee than the Aspire, with a Hilton credit and a free night certificate after $15K in spend. There's also an upgrade/downgrade cycling strategy with the Aspire (read this Frequent Miler for details) that can yield two or three free night certificates per year.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card (keeping, for now): The 15% discount on Delta award bookings is the reason I'm keeping this. On a trip where I redeem 200K miles, that's 30,000 miles saved, which is more than covering the annual fee. If I go a full year without a Delta redemption, I'll reassess.
• Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express (keeping): No annual fee and almost 20 years of credit history on this card. I put a small transaction on it each year to keep it active.

Chase

• Chase Sapphire Reserve® (2 cards, keeping both for now): The first is a clear keeper—dining credit, $300 travel credit, Peloton, and Apple TV+ credits all deliver real value. My wife's card stays open primarily to keep her Ultimate Rewards balance alive, since it's her only UR-earning card.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (canceling): Worth opening for the 200K-point welcome bonus, but the Edit credits are nearly impossible to use and net perk value lands around $500 against a $795 fee. 
• Amazon Prime Visa Card (keeping): 5% back on Amazon, where we spend heavily. No annual fee.
• World of Hyatt Business Credit Card (keeping): Earns elite nights toward Globalist status, a 10% rebate on Hyatt stays, Instacart credit, and statement credits.
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (keeping, for now): The $150 annual fee is hard to justify while I have A-List status from Sapphire Reserve spend, but if I lose that status next year, priority boarding and free checked bags become meaningful again. Reassessing at renewal.
• Chase Freedom Flex® (keeping): The 5x rotating quarterly categories are great when they align with our spending. Converting the Freedom Unlimited into a second Freedom Flex to double our capacity in strong bonus quarters.
• Chase Freedom Unlimited® (converting to Freedom Flex): 1.5x on everything no longer competes with our other cards.
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (keeping): Earns 3x on ads and several bill payment platforms, and it's now one of the better all-travel cards since the CSR dropped its 3x-on-all-travel benefit.
• Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (keeping, no annual fee): 5x on phone and office supplies with no annual fee. Once I cancel the Amex cards with wireless credits, the billing becomes simpler.
• United Gateway℠ Card (keeping, no annual fee): My wife's oldest card with no annual fee and good for her credit history. We put an occasional transaction on it to keep it active.

Capital One

• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (2 cards, likely keeping 1): The 10K miles anniversary bonus and $300 travel credit make the net annual fee manageable on one card, but the marginal value of a second lounge membership is zero. 
• Capital One Venture X Business (2 cards, keeping 1): This card unlocked extended guest lounge access after a big spend year. The goal is one Venture X personal and one Venture X Business so we each have Capital One lounge access.

Bank of America

• Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card (keeping, daily driver): Currently earning 3.28% on everything and 4.4% on travel and dining with Platinum Honors but once the Preferred Rewards changes take effect (3 months after your first renewal after 11/1/26) and the multiplier drops to 1.5x, the math changes: it becomes a 2.625% card, which still isn't bad but no longer stands apart.
• Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® (keeping): No annual fee, earns 2.625% on everything with Platinum Honors. Solid for business spend.
• Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards credit card (keeping): 3x base on a chosen category up to $50,000/year—5.25% with Platinum Honors—with no annual fee. One of the best cash back cards for business spending I've found.
• Alaska Airlines Visa® Signature Business Card (likely canceling): Now that the Atmos Summit card exists, the annual companion fare is the only real perk and it's hard to use. I'll see if a product change to another Business Customized Cash is possible.
• The Atmos™ Rewards Visa Summit Card (keeping): One of my favorite cards right now, with a net annual fee that's positive by about $250. Every dollar earns elite qualifying points toward Alaska status, partner award booking fees are waived, miles are shareable with my wife at no cost, and spending $60,000 in a calendar year earns a 100K-point companion award. When you factor in all the benefits, it effectively earns like a 4.5–5x card on everyday spending.

U.S. Bank

• U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card (2 cards, holding reluctantly): US Bank nerfed this card from 4.5% to 3% cash back on Apple Pay, their travel credit is more restrictive than advertised, and they refused to honor a reimbursement commitment their own agent made in writing. They also promised transfer partners and haven't delivered. I'm holding until I can transfer or cash out the points, then I'm done.

Citi

• Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (keeping): Earns 3x on flights, hotels, gas, groceries, and dining. The $95 annual fee is essentially the cost to keep my ThankYou Points alive and access Citi's unique transfer partners like Eva Air.
• AAdvantage® Business World Elite Mastercard® (likely canceling): I opened this to chase American status, but now that the Atmos Summit card gives me a better path to Alaska status, I have no reason to fly American. The companion certificate and loyalty points are close to justifying the $99 fee, but I'll probably ask for a retention offer first.

Wells Fargo

• Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card (keeping, no annual fee): This converted from my Bilt card. No annual fee, and Wells Fargo lets you transfer points in single-point increments, which is useful for keeping partner loyalty balances alive. I'm not building a strategy around Wells Fargo points, but this card costs nothing to hold.

Bilt

• Bilt Palladium Card (keeping, top earner): My card optimizer tool consistently ranks this as the best single card for anyone with rent or a mortgage. It's a 2x card with what I consider the most valuable transferable points out there, and the rent/mortgage earning is the bonus on top. Net annual fee runs about $320 after credits, but between the welcome bonus and outearning every other card on everyday spending, it easily justifies its place in the wallet. Learn more about rates and fees here.

Other

• Target Circle™️ Card (keeping): Earns 5% back at Target with no fees.

🚫 How I Decide to Keep, Downgrade, or Cancel a Card

Once the annual fee posts, I ask myself three questions: Do I actually use and value the perks? Am I earning more on this card than I would on an alternative? And if I close it, do I lose a points currency I care about? Here's the framework I follow when a card doesn't pass that test:

1. Downgrade first. Many issuers let you product change to a no- or low-fee card within the same family. This keeps your credit line open and protects your credit history.
2. Ask for a retention offer. Before canceling, call the issuer. Sometimes they'll offer a waived fee or bonus points for meeting a spend threshold. Always worth asking.
3. Cancel as a last resort. If neither option works, cancel your card, but only after the annual fee posts, within the 30-day refund window if possible. If you're outside that window, consider whether you can still extract value from the remaining credits before you close it.

🤩 The Best Card Combos

Here are the takeaways I gathered from my CardTool app. 

• Best single card: Bilt Palladium Card, assuming you have rent or a mortgage. Without that, it becomes a very good 2x card with strong point value.
• Best two-card combo (for most people): An "everything" card + a category-specific bonus card. The American Express® Gold Card comes up most often as the best second card, followed by Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card.
• Best single-issuer combo: Citi Strata Premier℠ Card + Citi® Double Cash Card is surprisingly strong and often beats the single-issuer combos from Chase and Amex (who lack a true 2x-everything card).

📇 Tools I Use to Manage It All

With 41 cards (for now), keeping track of everything requires good tools. These are the ones I actually use.

• Not sure if you want to add this: CardTool: The tool I built to run spending optimization across every card combination. It's also where I track credits and annual fees. I'm working on making it available to more people but you can add yourself to the waitlist here and you'll be first to know. ATH members can also get free access here.
• CardPointers Pro: My favorite tool for managing my portfolio. It tracks all my card perks and credits, shows upcoming annual fee dates, and most importantly, auto-adds card-linked offers from all your connected cards. The browser extension alerts you when you're shopping at a store where you have an active offer, and it can activate the same offer across multiple cards so you can use it more than once. That feature alone has saved me well over $1,000. Get 30% off here or 50% off as an ATH member.
• CardRight and Travel Freely are also other solid options for tracking your cards and points balances, depending on what you need.