Credit Cards We Have Opened So Far in 2026
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EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE:
Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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It's been a busy year so far!We’ve been earning lots of points…and spending quite a few points too (hello, Thailand planning!). 😬 In less than half a year, we have earned over 800,000 points just from welcome offers, and we’re not slowing down yet.
One of the biggest considerations of our strategy? ⏳Every single one of these cards were opened during an elevated or limited time offer.
Here are the cards we’ve opened so far and exactly how many points we earned from the welcome offers (keep in mind that many of these limited time welcome offers have now changed). ⬇️
Aimee’s cards
1. The New United℠ Business Card
My first card of the year was a business card from Chase that earns United Airlines miles. This was actually the second time I have opened this card! I was able to open this card again because it had been more than 24 months since I last earned the welcome offer, and I no longer had the card open.
After spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, I earned 100,000 bonus miles!
➡️ Related: United Airlines Deep Dive
*All information about The New United℠ Business Card has been collected independently by Packed with Points. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
2. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
This is the second Hilton card I have opened (I also used to have The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card) and I knew I wanted to use these points and the free night at a bougie property in Thailand!
After spending $3,000 on the card in the first 3 months, I earned 130,000 Hilton Honors points AND a Free Night Reward! (*Current offer for this card: Earn 130,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership) That is an uncapped Free Night Reward meaning that I can use it for any room as long as there is a Standard Room Rate available. 🔥👏🏻 We typically see elevated offers on these cards including the Free Night Reward at least once a year, so keep an eye out for that!
➡️ Related: Your Long-Term Hilton Strategy
3. Capital One Venture Business
A brand new card on the market meant that I needed to jump on that new offer as soon as possible! I already love Venture miles, and have two other cards that earns these type of flexible rewards, so this was a great opportunity to build up my stash.
After spending $7,500 on the card in the first 3 months, I earned 75,000 Venture miles. I also could have opted to earn the second tier of the welcome offer that it offered at the time I signed up (an additional 75,000 miles after spending $30,000 total), but I decided to put my spending on the Hilton card to earn the Free Night Reward instead.
➡️ Related: How to Use Capital One Venture Miles
4. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
I’ve been in Amex pop-up jail for over a year and a half now. 🫠 So after receiving another dreaded pop-up message that I was not eligible for the American Express® Gold Card, I decided to pivot.
I jumped on an offer in my American Express account for this no annual fee (rates & fees) business card. My targeted offer was for 25,000 Membership Rewards® points (keep in mind that this will vary from a public offer) after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first 4 months, which was a pretty good deal for that $0 annual fee.
➡️ Related: American Express Membership Rewards® Transfer Partners
5. Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card
Next up, let’s talk about why this airline program isn’t talked about more?! Maybe people aren’t sure what it is, or maybe some don’t realize the killer award flight deals you can find through Alaska Airlines, but either way….I’m here to change that. 😉
I opened this card to earn 70,000 Atmos Rewards points after spending $2,500 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
➡️Related: All About Atmos Rewards
Keegan’s cards (my player 2 🩷)
4. Citi Strata Elite℠
Keegan technically opened this card in 2025, but we strategically opened it at the very end of the year so we could take advantage of the annual benefits it offers three times with just one annual fee. Read more about that in the blog post linked below. 👀
After spending $6,000 on the card in the first 3 months, we earned 100,000 Citi ThankYou Points. This was a limited time elevated offer that made this card a no-brainer!
➡️ Related: Why I applied for the Citi Strata Elite℠ card
*All information about The Citi Strata Elite℠ has been collected independently by Packed with Points. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
5. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
The ONLY time I recommend opening this card is when it has the elevated offer to earn 5 Free Night Awards. So I knew that this was the year I wanted to refer Keegan to finally get this card. We’ve used the free nights already in London and Alaska!
After spending $3,000 on the card in the first 3 months, we earned 5 free night rewards worth up to 250,000 points. This offer typically comes around at least once a year, so that is the best time to open this card!
*All information about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card has been collected independently by Packed with Points. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
6. Chase Sapphire Reserve®
The limited time offer on this card this year made this one a no-brainer for us. Keegan needed a card that offered lounge access, we needed a new card for some bigger purchases over the summer, and this card will now get BOTH of us into a lounge at our home airport! 🎉
After spending $6,000 on the card in the first 3 months, we earned 150,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points (limited time offer).
➡️ Related: Ultimate Guide to the Chase Sapphire Reserve®
*All information about the Chase Sapphire Reserve® has been collected independently by Packed with Points. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Let’s add it all up!
From these six welcome offers we have earned:
805,000 bonus points! 🌟🤯
That’s not even accounting for all the points we earned from the minimum spending, and the two Hilton free night rewards we have earned (which I have used to book a property that cost over $1,300 a night ‼️).
By following this strategy, we easily earn over a million credit card points a year, and we are well on track to do the same for 2026! Ready to jump in yet? 😏
Next up, you need the Beginner’s Guide to Credit Card Points & Miles!
EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
