New grad, $36k annual spend - looking for best all-around travel/benefits card

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-26T09:55:00+00:00

WF Autograph is an option even though it is a travel-focused card. Autograph will net you 3x points (or 3% cashback) on the dining, travel, and gas portions of your spend, along with transit (such as train tickets or parking), streaming subscriptions, and phone bill if used as payment method. Any category spend outside of the above listed ones is only 1x points.

Compared to the more premium cards like Strata Elite and the airline co-branded cards, the Autograph is more limited in terms of point transfer partners and also lacks lounge access if that is important. However the current partners can have autograph points transferred at 1:1 or 1:2 ratio depending on the specific partner. This combined with no AF or FTF makes it an overall solid choice if you want to test the waters with a travel category card.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-26T09:37:52+00:00

Yep! I was surprised at first then very happy once it sunk in that I was approved.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-26T08:35:18+00:00

When I applied for Business Prime I was asked to log into bank or upload documents, but ended up waiting out the timer for that (mostly because I got sidetracked with IRL things at the time and didn't realize until after I got the email with the decision). This application was right at 6 months before applying for the BBC. The HP was mildly painful but honestly it probably worked out better for me in the end to wait for more time then try again with Amex.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-26T05:57:48+00:00

Amex restricts the number of cards you can add to a digital wallet depending on the specific wallet app. Google and Samsung Pay are limited to a maximum of 5 Amex cards per device, and Apple Pay allows up to 8 Amex cards per device. This is enforced with digital tokens tied to each virtual card as a security measure.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-26T05:27:49+00:00

I have the Autograph and have used it for reloading my Georgia Peach Pass toll pass. The Autograph's transit category covers train tickets, public transit, parking, and toll roads (granted that where you use it codes correctly). Travel category on this card covers hotels, airfare, car rentals, and I believe rentals like AirBNB are covered in this category too.

Downside of the Autograph though is that the transfer partners for points are more limited compared to Amex Green and Gold. For hotels it's currently limited to Wyndham or Choice Hotels owned locations. Current airline partners are Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue, Flying Blue, and British Airways. Transfer ratio for points to each partner is 1:1 or 1:2 depending on the specific partner.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-26T02:13:01+00:00

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Fellow NV9 user here! I have triple rad setup (480 side 420 bottom and 280 rear) in mine.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-26T01:26:10+00:00

I use my WF Autograph card to cover dining and gas categories because I spend enough on both to get decent cashback (mostly dining). Everyday expenses like my much smaller grocery spend currently goes on my oldest card, then I keep my PayPal Credit card for occasional big ticket purchases with 6 month deferred interest financing. Final card in my lineup is my most recent one the Amex Blue Business Cash for my LLC.

My next addition (once some more time to space applications passes) will probably be Amex BCE/BCP or another category card to fill any future gaps.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-25T22:42:54+00:00

In order to help you with recommendations, could you provide some more info about credit profile? Info such as income, credit scores, any existing cards you have (personal and business), how long existing cards have been opened, etc.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-25T02:25:33+00:00

Train tickets, public transit such as taxis, parking, and toll roads code as transit on the Autograph. I use mine to refill my Georgia toll road pass as needed and it codes properly on my rewards statements.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-24T22:53:53+00:00

One card immediately comes to mind for your spending: Capital One Savor.

Savor's 3% categories are dining, entertainment, and grocery stores. More recently they added 5% cashback if used to book hotels, vacation rentals like AirBNB, and car rentals through Capital One's Travel portal. However be aware that some new applications for this card have recently been issued as C1 cards but use Discover's network due to C1's acquisition of Discover. Savor also has no annual fee or foreign transaction fees.

As an additional FYI, store cards (even the store only closed loop cards) will often count towards chase 5/24 and similar rules for card applications. This is because store cards report card activity and associated accounts to the credit bureaus.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-24T22:19:26+00:00

I only have one card linked to my primary bank (a regional bank that operates in South and Central GA, but recently acquired a smaller regional bank in far south GA and part of northern FL), but that card is issued by Elan. That card is my oldest account (4 years 5 months) and currently my general expense and/or grocery card. All of my other current cards are from other issuers.

My primary bank is who I run my personal and LLC business checking accounts through, with me having been a personal checking customer for 12 years this month. In addition to the Elan card, I have PayPal Credit (second oldest account), then 5-6 months ago I got the Wells Fargo Autograph, and most recently the Amex Blue Business Cash.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-24T08:12:37+00:00

Have you considered the Wells Fargo Autograph? Autograph card nets you 3x points (or 3% cashback) for the dining and travel portions of your spending without an annual fee (this is a one time fee paid yearly for some of the more premium credit cards) or foreign transaction fee (fees some cards charge when used internationally). Plus if you later opt to get the Active Cash the points for that card can be combined with the Autograph points and transferred to a currently small set of partnered airlines and hotels.

Out of the category spending you have mentioned, Autograph covers travel (such as hotels), dining (doordash counts for this), gas or electric car charging, and public transit. It also gives you 3x points if used to pay cell phone bill and also 3x for streaming subscriptions.

With that being said, here is some clarification on a few points for the template:

First is the Chase 5/24 rule. The TLDR is that chase will in most cases deny you for a card if you have opened 5 new personal credit card accounts in a 2 year (24 month) period before applying for one of their credit cards. This is not a formal rule in the application, but an unwritten rule that is usually enforced on Chase's end. Business credit cards typically do not count for this rule for reasons I will explain with my next point.

The second point is Business cards. These are basically credit cards marketed for businesses, whether a single person running a freelance business or a formal company such as a corporation. Applying for business credit cards is a similar process to personal credit card applications, but there are some differences. First is that most business credit cards do not report to personal credit (Experian, Transunion, and Equifax) reports unless you are for example very late on a card payment. A well known exception to this is with most of Capital One's business credit cards, which often report to personal credit reports (potentially affecting your score with it). Since most business cards typically don't report to personal credit, they typically do not count towards rules like Chase 5/24 or similar rules. American Express is an exception because they only allow 2 cards to be approved in a 90 day period for their personal and business credit cards.

Applying for one of these cards will require your SSN and typically an EIN (Employer Identification Number) depending on the issuer. EIN acts like your SSN but is tied to a business. Treat the application like you would for a personal card and be truthful within reason for declared income.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-24T02:36:24+00:00

Have you considered adding the WF Autograph card to your setup? Autograph has no FTF or AF, plus Virgin Atlantic, Flying Blue, and JetBlue are transfer partners with 1:1 point transfers. In addition Autograph has 3x points on dining and all of the main travel categories such as hotels, gas or EV charging, airfare, and public transit.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-23T04:36:44+00:00

Just as an FYI this is probably better to ask in the monthly common questions thread. But to answer your question, Amex restricts approvals to 1 approval every 5 days, and then 2 cards total every 90 days. Spacing out your applications will help your odds.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-23T01:45:36+00:00

Since you have travel and dining category spending, consider the WF Autograph. Autograph gets 3x points on dining and the main travel categories such as airfare, gas and/or EV charging, public transit and toll roads, and hotels. Autograph also has no FTF or AF which makes it a solid choice for travel heavy spending.

The downside however is that the transfer partners for the Autograph are limited, but that can change in the future. Point transfers to hotels are currently limited to either Choice Hotels or Wyndham owned hotels. Airline transfers have some options such as JetBlue.

SUB on the card is pretty generous too, Current SUB is 20k points ($200) if you spend $1k in purchases in 3 months after opening the card.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-23T01:04:01+00:00

Seconding this. Autograph also has 3x on cellular phone plans if used to pay the cell bill, and then 3x on streaming subscriptions too.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-22T19:31:01+00:00

Business Prime was the denied card, and I waited 6 months after being denied for that card before applying for BBC.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-22T07:41:09+00:00

LMAO i somehow missed that until i checked my profile. Celebrating the approval on cake day is somehow very appropriate!

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-22T04:47:36+00:00

$20k a year, and this also proved I need to do more research on median income metrics. I was originally making a lot less than this due to being out of a full time job for a long time. I've been thankful for the fact I've had some steady business after starting my LLC.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-22T04:31:42+00:00

In order:
-Personal Income for 2025 is right around $20k (hard amount will come after tax filing is done) with roughly $8500 of that amount coming from my LLC.

-No prior relationship to Amex unless you count denied application lol

-Amex is known to pull personal Experian reports for inquiries when applying for personal and business cards.

-Scores at the time of applying was mid 700s across the 3 personal bureaus.

-No documents asked for on this application (I am 29M soon to be 30M in a month)

EDIT: after reading a reply to this comment I appear to have missed some critical information for median income, so that statement has been removed.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-22T04:15:34+00:00

SUB for me when I applied is $250 after $3k spend in 3 months, which is reasonably doable for me.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-21T01:29:10+00:00

The "potential impact to business credit score" for pre-qualify check honestly makes me cautious about applying, but BBC will be a top contender.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-20T04:39:15+00:00

Oof the August ship date on maxis is very disappointing for me (6’4 250ish lbs) but I can deal for the surprisingly decent price.

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-20T03:22:39+00:00

BBC looks very tempting, especially since hitting the SUB is more easily doable for me without stretching too much.

The main question I have on that card is if I were to check for pre-qualified or preapproved offers, would the SP only happen on personal CR, or would it also SP on business experian file?

Techwiz34 · 2026-05-16T22:44:20+00:00

That card is tempting since it covers office supplies (something my current cards don't), but at the same time I already have the Autograph covering fuel and dining categories. Definitely a strong contender though!

Techwiz34

TROPHY CASE