Every year, I end up picking up a few new credit cards. And each one has a specific reason. Maybe a card has a huge welcome offer. Maybe there’s a gap in my points strategy I need to fill. Maybe it’s a targeted promotion… or just a perk I know we’ll actually use.
And every year, once the dust settles, I have to do the less exciting part: figure out which ones deserve to be long-term keepers. Did the card do what I thought it would, or was I mistaken?
In 2025, the four new cards that made it into our rotation were:
- American Express Gold
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- JetBlue Business
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus
Here’s how each one fits into our “wallet system,” what overlaps with other cards we already carry, and what we’re keeping vs. cutting.
How I Decide If a Card Is a Keeper
I’m not trying to build a museum collection of plastic. A card stays long-term when it checks at least one of these boxes:
- It fills a gap (a category or benefit we don’t already have covered)
- It earns meaningfully better than my other options for the spend I actually do
- The credits are “automatic” for us (we’re not forcing purchases just to feel better about an annual fee)
- It plays well with our other goals (like hitting a spending threshold on another card and then shifting to a different points currency)
American Express Gold: A Keeper (and my wife Sharon’s “after-threshold” card)
The Gold Card overlaps the Hilton Surpass—especially in the “everyday spending” categories. But overlap doesn’t automatically mean redundancy.
Here’s why Gold works for us:
- It gives us a strong way to earn Membership Rewards when we’re not focusing on Hilton points.
- It becomes the perfect “handoff” card for Sharon once we hit (or decide not to chase) the $15K Surpass spend threshold for the free night.
- Most importantly… we can actually use the credits without changing our behavior.
Why the credits don’t feel like “work”
This is where the Gold Card usually succeeds or fails. For us, the credits are easy:
- Dining credit: Grubhub and Wine.com are already part of our routine.
- Uber credit: it gets used between rides and Uber Eats.
- Dunkin’ credit: I just reload my Dunkin’ account every month.
- Resy credit: since we’re already going to a Resy place to use my Amex Platinum credit, this is an easy “stack.”
Verdict: This is a keeper. It fits cleanly into our spend strategy and doesn’t require me to play games to break even.
Chase Sapphire Preferred: Keeper (It’s My Only UR Card)
This one is simple: the Sapphire Preferred is my only Ultimate Rewards card, which means it’s the card that makes the whole UR ecosystem work for me.
Even beyond that, it’s the card I like using for travel expenses because Chase’s definition of “travel” is broad in a very practical way. I’m not just talking airfare and hotels — it’s the stuff that adds up in real life:
- Cruises
- Train tickets
- Mass transit
- Parking, tolls, and other “getting around” purchases
Verdict: Keep. End of story.
JetBlue Business: Served Its Purpose, Now It’s Redundant
Sharon picked up the JetBlue Business Card for a very specific reason: it was useful while she was pursuing the JetBlue “25 for 25” goal, and the card’s benefits helped along the way.
But now that she’s Mosaic 1, the “headline” JetBlue credit card perks aren’t nearly as valuable for her. Mosaic takes care of the practical stuff we care about most (like bags when traveling together), so keeping a second JetBlue card in the household starts to feel like paying an annual fee for duplicate coverage.
Why we only need one JetBlue card
We pool points, and I can book the flights using my JetBlue card. That means:
- I can still trigger the credit card perks that matter when booking awards (like getting points back after redemptions, when applicable).
- We don’t need Sharon’s card for household coverage.
- The only time Sharon would miss the card perks is when I’m flying solo… and in that case, I’m the one with the card anyway.
Verdict: I’m keeping my JetBlue card. Sharon’s JetBlue Business card is getting canceled (or product-changed if there’s a no-fee option that makes sense).
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus: The Unexpected Keeper
When I first got the Southwest Plus card, I assumed it wouldn’t last. It was more of a “get a companion pass” move than a forever card.
Then Southwest changed the game.
With Southwest’s move toward assigned seating and reshuffling what matters for cardholders, the Priority card doesn’t look as appealing as it used to — especially for us.
Why Plus makes more sense for how we fly
We only fly Southwest a few times per year. And while getting four upgraded boardings on the Priority card made a lot of sense in the old world, I’m fine with the new reality:
- I can wait until 48 hours before departure to grab a Standard seat.
- If I really want extra legroom for a specific trip, I can pay for it occasionally instead of paying a higher annual fee every year “just in case.”
- The lower annual fee of the Plus card is easier to justify for an airline we don’t fly constantly.
Verdict: Keep the Plus. Cancel the Priority.
Final Thought
I’m always trying to keep our card strategy from turning into a cluttered drawer of half-useful perks. The goal isn’t to have the most cards — it’s to have the right cards that work together.
- Amex Gold: keeper (easy credits + great “post-threshold” MR earner)
- Sapphire Preferred: keeper (my only UR card + broad travel coverage)
- JetBlue Business: redundant now — cancel / product change
- Southwest Plus: keeper (best fit for how often we fly Southwest)
And that’s the real test: when the annual fees come due, do the benefits still feel like a win… or do they feel like homework?
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