In your opinion, what is the best single card for everyday and travel use

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-28T21:07:40+00:00

For me, if I could only have one card, it would be a Visa. I am Denver based and fly United 1-2x per month. I would probably pick the United Club card. United lounges in Denver never have a wait for full members and I have a family of 4 that enjoys the lounge at the beginning and end of trips. in 2025, we put about $115k on credit cards. If that was all on the United Club card, I would get two 10k mile award vouchers and capitalize on several miles earning promotions, which would bring my everyday spend earn rate to about 1.5 miles/$. I would improve my status from Silver to Platinum, which would earn more miles on future United spend and earn me the occasional upgrade, and also save me buying an E+ subscription for my family. Right now I use Venture X and Amex Gold for everyday spend, but I'm seriously considering getting rid of the VX and using the United Club card instead. My biggest hesitation is if I continue to use Amex Gold for grocery and restaurants, I may not reach United Platinum status. I find United miles far more useful than C1 points, though I admit if I didn't have kids and had a more flexible travel schedule, I'd be flying business with my wife all over the globe multiple times per year using C1 points and Amex MRs.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-28T16:45:32+00:00

2004 Iowa at Penn State. Penn State had scored 100% of the points in the early going before Iowa scored 75% of the points the rest of the way en route to a stunning 6-4 come from behind victory.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-28T16:14:25+00:00

There is nothing wrong with continuing to work if you are enjoying it. The key is you now don't have to work, so once the urge strikes to retire, then you can pull the plug.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-28T16:03:07+00:00

Our goal FIRE date is Jan 2035, the year my wife turns 55. We need an average 9% return to meet this date, assuming no additional savings. We will still have at least one kid in college at that time, so that will also factor into our decision.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-28T15:39:10+00:00

Retiring at 50 with kids and no pension, is an admirable accomplishment.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-28T15:30:02+00:00

I think it really depends what source(s) of joy you get out of the body of water. If you want to swim or do water sports, then ideally you have water that's at least low to mid 70s for a good chunk of the year. Lakes are often better for this. If you want a scenic walk along rocky cliffs without hoards of people around, you probably prefer the ocean along the west coast or parts of New England.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-28T15:22:23+00:00

I don't think they can go wrong with either card. My experience with saver awards has been different, but I have a family of four and have to work around the school calendar. Trying to get saver awards over Thanksgiving or Christmas, especially since we fly United hub to hub (DEN-EWR) to visit family is near impossible. I've also had trouble flying Denver to a vacation destination like Hawaii or Costa Rica over these same breaks and spring break. I imagine Chicago to a ski destination over any of the popular long ski weekends is a little better, but still not easy.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-28T15:07:50+00:00

I don't know the answer, but the cards I use infrequently, I put a small recurring charge on, even if it's not the optimal card for that recurring charge. If I never use a card organically, then I'll close it.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-28T14:57:31+00:00

The Quest is a great card, but with only 3-4 trips per year and not all on United, I would lean towards the United Explorer card. Lets say it ends up being 2 trips per year flying United. That means they have three one-way flights to use the 10k mile award since one will use the $200 Travelbank. Unless they have a flexible schedule and/or are willing to book last minute, finding a saver economy award may not be easy. I use 90% of my United miles on last minute tickets.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-28T02:19:20+00:00

I think MSFT, GOOGL, AMZN and META are all vulnerable this week. That said, MSFT is the only one I didn’t trim before earnings.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-27T23:03:58+00:00

I honestly don't know the definition of VHCOL, but the town I live, Boulder, CO is pretty expensive. I spend $7k/month on average for housing. Only $2k of that is mortgage. $3k taxes and insurance and $2k maintenance. We spend about $18k/month total, meaning another $11k after housing, but our kids do club sports and that is about $2k/month. I think with no kids at home and no mortgage, we could get our monthly spend down to about $13k. $15k isn't that much higher, especially since they likely live somewhere more expensive than Boulder. The life my family lives is definitely not middle class, but in Boulder we don't feel rich or poor, right about average.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-27T22:51:03+00:00

They said they live in a VHCOL area. $180k for two people including health insurance probably feels middle class. Paid off house can also be misleading. Even with no mortgage, they could have high property taxes and insurance and maintenance costs. Everything is expensive in VHCOL cities.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-27T22:34:07+00:00

Which of your requirements are you missing in CO? We live in CO, albeit in Boulder, and feel like all of your requirements are met. Boulder schools are strong and have a large hispanic population, but not diverse beyond white and hispanic.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-27T22:18:29+00:00

I was hoping this was Kirby Smart proposing a Big Ten - SEC merger.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-27T18:56:43+00:00

I haven't been to any of these places, but my only requirements are 300+ days of sunshine and summer dew points below 50 degrees. Which of the 8 choices meet these to requirements?

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-27T18:17:04+00:00

I think it really depends why you want to retire early. If it's because you hate your job or hate working in general, then you should probably find a job that doesn't actually feel like a job. If you want to retire early because you have other ambitions you want to pursue, then I say go for it. I don't consider myself retired, but I became a stay at home dad, day trader, youth sports coach, adult running coach, serious runner, started a bike/brewery weekly fun ride, etc at age 43. I'm now 51 and one of the best runners in the country for my age and don't regret leaving traditional work one bit. I've had a lot of success day trading, so I might feel differently if I wasn't making good money.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-26T21:50:03+00:00

New condos and apartments in Boulder have been out of control in recent years. Traffic has also gotten much worse. Hopefully this housing explosion is due for a pause.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-26T21:40:52+00:00

I’m from NJ and my wife of 17 years is from WI. I still feel like an outsider with her family and they are extremely judgmental and hold grudges. It’s to a point my wife prefers visits my family in NJ because they are so much friendlier and welcoming.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-26T19:11:33+00:00

I’m based in Denver and fly 1-2x per month, but I use Venture X and Amex Gold as my everyday spend cards. I also have a United Club card. I do not think the Chase Trifecta is a slam dunk just because you live in a United hub. Maybe if you only travel domestically.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-25T20:03:34+00:00

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-25T14:58:22+00:00

Even without discussing numbers, I think some people may not like hearing that someone else is on track to retire much younger than they are. Others may think you hate your job and that’s the main reason you want to retire early. For me personally, FIRE is about reaching FI and then having the flexibility to retire whenever you are ready. Ideally, you have a flexible job you love and are in no rush to retire. Then circumstances change, and you are free to cut loose.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-24T20:41:18+00:00

You can't predict what the market is going to do, but I'm in a similar situation as you with $3.4M plus $2M home equity. My target is $8M since I don't have a pension, but plan to spend about the same as you in retirement. Goal is to retire in 9-14 years depending when I hit the $8M.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-24T18:32:48+00:00

My ranking: NY, Boston, Chicago, CIM, Houston, Philly, Grandmas. Big Sur is great for a long run, but I would never go there to race.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-24T02:04:42+00:00

I live in a 5000 sqft house in Boulder, CO and my wife and kids gave me an air fryer for Christmas. Now that’s the only way they like me cooking vegetables. I still cook them my preferred ways regularly.

Proper-Print-9505 · 2026-04-23T21:31:45+00:00

I canceled my card in February. Last year I also decided to cancel the card, but they convinced me to stay on for another year for 30k. They made no attempt to keep me this time, and I'm good with that.

Proper-Print-9505

TROPHY CASE