Every now and then, I write a post summarizing the cards I use day-to-day, so here’s the 2026 edition of that series. You can check out past versions here: 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2019.
Since the earliest post back in 2019, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve (AR) has always made the list. Unfortunately, due to recent changes from U.S. Bank, it’s no longer one of my daily drivers. We have already canceled one of the two ARs, and it is very possible that we may cancel the second one as well.
Capital One Venture X joined my lineup in 2023’s post, but since the launch of Bilt Version 2, that’s changed. Venture X has effectively dropped off, and I’m now considering canceling one or both of my Venture X cards (personal and business). The Bilt Pladdium, with 2x earnings on everything plus 4% back in Bilt Cash, simply outperforms every 2% card out there, including Venture X. Similarly, though I still have Amex Blue Business Plus, I don’t use it anymore because of Bilt Pladdium.
I primarily use the Chase Aeroplan Card to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points. UR points can be transferred to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio and redeemed through the Pay Yourself Back (PYB) feature at a 1.25x rate (essentially, 1,000 Aeroplan points can be redeemed for $12.50). This value can be further increased when Chase runs UR-to-Aeroplan transfer bonuses of 20-30%. Combined with the Aeroplan Card’s 10%bonus (Chase Aeroplan Cardholders receive a 10% bonus on Chase Ultimate Rewards point transfers to Aeroplan when transferring at least 50,000 points in a single transaction), you can reach an effective redemption rate of over 1.5x, meaning 1,000 UR points can yield $15 or more. I will continue to renew my Aeroplan card for this reason alone.
I should use my Citi Strata for 6x earnings on “Nights” purchases (specifically, Fridays and Saturdays from 6 PM to 6 AM ET), but I’m too lazy to time this nonsense. I also have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which earns 3x on dining and could be even more valuable when factoring in UR transfer bonuses to Aeroplan. I will most likely be cancelling both Strata and Sapphire Reserve when annual fees are due. Neither of them has wowed me.
For utilities, I still use the U.S. Bank Cash Plus. My Chase Ink Cash earns 5% on internet, cable (people have cable?), and phone services, but my internet bill is cheaper when paid directly from checking, and my $15/month phone service with Mint is largely covered through Amex Business credits ($10/month credit stacked into my account). I also have a Wyndham Business Card (discussed here), but it’s not a daily-use card either, yet I plan to continue to renew this card as it is an excellent card.
On the debit side, I previously used FutureCard daily for commuting, but it is now discontinued or at least on hold. I also used the Primis 50¢ Cashback Debit, but that’s been nerfed into a 1% cashback card. Primis card was great for small transitions like paying for daily commuting. I’ve recently started looking for new fun debit cards to use…we’ll see where this leads.
Closing Thoughts
We’ve gone from my 2021 post of two everyday cards to one everyday card in 2026. I think this is partly because Bilt Pladdium is too good, and everything else is not that exciting for me at the moment. I am willing to bet Bilt Cash at the minimum will be nerfed. If you travel frequently, the $100 monthly credit towards hotels can be a huge boost (better if you can get work to reimburse you for it). Ironically, I will likely cancel at least one of our two Bilt Pladdium next year when the annual fees hit.
