The Credit Cards In My Wallet

To the point

I am often asked about the credit cards in my wallet. Here are the ones I keep and why!

Table of contents

The Credit Cards In My Wallet

These credit cards are the perfect combo, in my wallet, in 2020.

Card	Why
	To get 5 points per dollar for groceries, convenience stores, food delivery as well as restaurants and bars. To get 5 points per dollar for many businesses like Amazon or the SAQ thanks to gift cards To transfer points to Marriott Bonvoy or redeem them in statement credits towards travel purchases
	To get 6 points per dollar for travel To get 3 points per dollar at Costco, Walmart and at places where American Express is not accepted To not pay conversion fees for foreign transaction purchases For its $100 annual travel credit To get free Wi-Fi on-board (Swiss, Lufthansa, Singapore, etc.) For 10% discount for hotel bookings on Expedia or Agoda
	To get 5 points per dollar for my Marriott spending For its Annual Free Night Award (35,000 points value) For 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year for my Marriott Bonvoy Elite status
	To get 3 points per dollar for all my electronic devices (Apple, Dell, etc.), office supplies (Office in Wholesale, etc.) purchases To split my personal expenses from those of my company

American Express Cobalt™ Card

The American Express Cobalt™ Card is the best American Express Credit Card.

With the American Express Cobalt™ Card, you earn between 1 and 5 points per dollar:

Category	Points per dollar
Groceries	5
Food delivery	5
Restaurants and bars	5
Convenience stores	5
Gas station	2
Transportation	2
Travel	2
Other	1

You can get up to 30,000 Membership Rewards Points as a Welcome Bonus, that’s a $300 value. You can earn 2,500 Membership Rewards^® points for each monthly billing period in which you spend $500 in net purchases on your Card.

So, if each month you spend $500 in the 5x categories, you could get up to 60,000 points or $600 during the first year! You can redeem your points in statement credits towards travel purchases, or even on your everyday purchases. Or you can transfer your points to Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors.

Besides, this Card provides premium insurance :

Car Rental Theft and Damage Insurance
Baggage delay insurance
Lost or Stolen Baggage Insurance
Flight delay insurance
$250,000 Travel Accident Insurance
Hotel or motel burglary insurance
Purchase Protection^® Plan
Buyer’s Assurance^® Protection Plan

I’ve had the American Express Cobalt™ Card since it came out in 2017, and it’s not ready to leave my wallet (like many members of the milesopedia community)!

I use it especially forgroceries, restaurants and gift cards purchase (SAQ, Amazon, etc.) at Metro, Super C or Couche-Tard. I earn 5 Membership Rewards Points or 6 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar.

HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^®

The HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^® is a great credit card with no foreign transaction fees, especially for travel purchases.

For a limited time, you can get:

Quebec: up to 130,000 points (or $650) with no minimum spend requirement
Outside Quebec: up to 100,000 points ($550) after $5,000 in Card purchases in 6 months and a First-Year Annual Fee Rebate

With the HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^®,you earn:

6 points per dollar for travel purchases (flights, hotels, Airbnb, all-inclusive, etc.)
3 points per dollar for all other purchases

It’s a 1% to 3% value depending on your purchases!

You can apply your points on any travel purchase charged to your HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^® (flights, hotels, Airbnb, all-inclusive, etc.). But you can also transfer your points to three airline loyalty programs: British Airways Executive Club, Asia Miles and Singapore Airlines Krisflyer.

Introducing the HSBC World Elite® Mastercard®

Finally, with the HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^® you get:

$100 annual travel credit (for airport lounges, for example)
Unlimited access to Boingo WiFi hotspots around the world
10% discount for hotel bookings on Expedia or Agoda
Premium insurance for your travels and purchases

Finally, the HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^® does not charge any conversion fees for foreign exchange transactions: you save 2.5% for each transaction.

And it’s one of the best credit cards for Costco where you earn 3 points per dollar.

I have had the HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^® since 2018 and a great welcome offer at that time (115,000 points).

Since then, the offer has risen to 130,000 points (never seen before). Considering that this card provides a $100 annual travel credit,it costs me only $49 per year!

I use it for all my travel purchases to get 6 points per dollar (Airbnb, Expedia hotels, Air Transat flights, train tickets, etc.). Also, this is the credit card I use at Costco (3 points per dollar) and abroad (no foreign currency conversion fees).

Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express^® Card

The Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express^® Card is the best credit card for free hotel nights.

You can earn 50,000 Welcome Bonus points, enough for several free hotel nights at one of the 7,000 Marriott Bonvoy properties around the world. And you can earn 2 points per dollar on all your purchases.

Besides, you will receive an Annual Free Night Award after your anniversary each year (35,000 points value) and 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year, counting for your Marriott Bonvoy status.

Finally, this Card has reliable insurance:

Baggage delay insurance
Lost or Stolen Baggage Insurance
$500,000 Travel Accident Insurance
Flight delay insurance
Hotel or motel burglary insurance
Car Rental Theft and Damage Insurance
Purchase Protection^® Plan
Buyer’s Assurance^® Protection Plan

I hold both Marriott Bonvoy credit cards for individual and for small business. Each of these cards offers an Annual Free Night Award after your anniversary each year (35,000 points value), more than offsetting the annual fee ($120 and $150, respectively).

Also, I can progress faster in my Marriott Bonvoy Elite status thanks to the 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year (not cumulative with both cards unfortunately).

Finally, I use the Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express^® Card at Marriott Bonvoy properties to get 5 points per dollar for all my expenses.

American Express Business Edge™ Card

The American Express Business Edge™ Card is a small business credit card in Canada. The annual fee is only $99 and this credit card offers up to 42,000 Membership Rewards points in the first year, a $420 value.

You can earn 3 times the points on:

Office supplies (Staples, etc.)
electronic (Apple, Dell, etc.)
Rides
Gas
Eats & Drinks

Besides, you can add up to 99 supplementary cards at no cost.

Having a business, I use the American Express Business Edge™ Card to split my business and personal expenses.

With this card I get 3 points per dollar for office supplies and electronics. No other credit card offers as many points for these spending categories! And I’m thrilled to have this card: thanks to the purchase insurance, I was able to get a refund of $1,000 following the theft of my iPhone in South Africa, bought less than three months before directly from Apple!