Bankrate staffers share the one card they can’t live without

I’m not much of a traveler, so I’ve never been drawn to travel credit cards. Instead, I prefer good old-fashioned cash back cards — and my Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is one of my favorites. This card not only serves as my grocery card, but also as my fun card. I use it for all of my grocery store and restaurant purchases, plus everything entertainment-related.

I don’t go out to concerts much, but I love going to plays, orchestra performances and comedy shows, all of which I can often find deals on through the Capital One Entertainment portal. I also love visiting zoos and aquariums, so it’s nice to be able to get a little cash back on those tickets, as well. Most importantly, I can do all of this without having to worry about reward points conversions or annual fees.

My favorite card is the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express. I wanted an American Express card due to the issuer’s reputation, but I didn’t want to pay the hefty annual fees that come with a lot of its other cards. This one hits all the categories I need, since it earns cash back on online shopping (my weakness) and it’s my go-to card for getting gas. I’m not a huge grocery shopper, so the $6,000 spending cap on the category doesn’t interfere with my usual spending.

Another reason that I’ve come to love it is that it’s gotten better the longer I’ve had it. Rewards and the welcome bonus have increased, and there are new credits on the card that weren’t originally included. The Disney+ and Home Chef credits are great additions, especially since the card still has no annual fee. These card upgrades may not be a regular occurrence, so I’m going to enjoy them as long as I can.

If I was forced to only have one card, I’d go with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. I had to choose between bonus categories or a flat rate, so when I evaluated my overall spending, I found there are enough cards that don’t offer higher points/miles per dollar spent in key categories, making Venture X’s flat rate earnings (2X on everything, plus 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel) more valuable to me.

The Venture X gives me all the premium travel benefits I need, which is important since I travel frequently. I also have several redemption options to cash out or transfer points, giving me plenty of flexibility. It’s the closest card that at least somewhat covers all the major bases I look for, and it pays for itself many times over when I put all my spending on it.

My favorite card for redemptions is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card because I’m a sucker for a high-value Hyatt redemption. I love transferring my points to my World of Hyatt account for stellar value — such as a fall break trip to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, where my family of four stayed at a beautiful $450-a-night resort for just 15,000 points a night.

But my ride-or-die card is my Capital One Venture X. It’s the go-to I grab when my purchases won’t earn me more with another card. It’s the one that allows my children to happily indulge in complimentary gummy bears while I sip sparkling wine in an airport lounge. It’s the one that got me hooked on TSA PreCheck. It’s the one that helps me pay for random travel experiences — goat herding in Portugal, anyone? — that my other travel rewards simply can’t cover.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I can’t live without my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Its 3X points for online groceries includes delivery and pickup from my local Kroger and Instacart orders. This card is my go-to for online grocery shopping because it helps me rack up points for that regular spending category and encourages me to save time by ordering online instead of being tempted when shopping at a store.

I have 12 credit cards, but my current favorite is the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Credit Card*. This isn’t the flashiest card in my wallet, since it doesn’t earn travel rewards, lounge access at airports, dining out or rotating cash back categories, to name a few. The Fidelity Rewards card earns a flat 2 percent cash back on every purchase, which is as simple a cash back structure as you can get. It has no annual fee, the points never expire and there are no cash back caps or category restrictions.

Let’s say you spent $2,000 a month on the Fidelity card for things including groceries, shopping, gas and more. That 2 percent rewards rate adds up to $480 a year in cash back. But with the Fidelity card, there’s more. You can set up your Fidelity card to automatically transfer your cash back to a connected Fidelity investment account. I have mine paired with a traditional IRA, but you can just as easily connect it to a Roth IRA or any other kind of Fidelity account that makes sense for you and your investment strategy.

I can’t live without my Capital One Venture X. This is the card that earns me the most because most of my spending doesn’t fit into any category bonus rewards given on other cards. The 2X miles on every purchase makes racking up rewards very easy and I regularly use it to book travel. The card’s annual credits easily offset its $395 annual fee.

One of the best parts is that I don’t need to book through Capital One Travel to redeem my miles — I can just focus on finding the best deal. I also take advantage of the travel benefits the card offers, including a $120 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, a $300 annual credit for booking via Capital One Travel and 10,000 bonus miles every year. There’s also free unlimited access for the cardholder and two guests to more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounges and participating Priority Pass lounges, which makes the travel experience so much nicer.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is the go-to starter card I recommend — and it’s the cornerstone of my credit card strategy. Its flat-rate rewards are perfect, since a sizable chunk of my spending ends up being at superstores such as Walmart, online or on other expenses that usually only earn 1 percent back. In my opinion, it outmatches 2-percent-flat-rate cash back cards thanks to its additional 3 percent cash back categories on dining and drugstore purchases, exceptional travel protections and other perks.

The Freedom Unlimited card pairs remarkably well with other cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It doesn’t step on the toes of many other cash back cards, and its rewards can drastically increase in value toward travel when paired with a premium Chase card, including the Chase Sapphire ReserveⓇ Card.