My Credit Card Stack
Intro
Thanks to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and the Military Lending Act, I've collected a handful of credit cards to take advantage of their many perks and benefits. I'm making this post to be able to share with friends who are interested in doing the same. Most of these cards come with pricy annual fees, but the fees are waived for military members.
Disclaimers
- I am not a financial advisor. I am a dumb 23 year-old. This is not financial advice. Do not blame me if you make poor decisions with credit cards.
- The information contained in this post is accurate to my knowledge as of September 21, 2026. Even then, I could be giving you false information. Check your own sources, but I'll try to come back and update this.
- I never carry a balance on any cards or miss payments. Please laugh at me if you think I make poor decisions with credit cards, but I'm not that dumb.
- I am comfortable with frequently reducing my credit score as a side effect of hard inquiries and opening new cards. You may not have this same tolerance.
- I will be cancelling most of these cards before leaving the military to avoid paying annual fees.
The Stack
- Navy Fed GO REWARDS Credit Card (my first card, just to build credit)
- 3x Amex Platinum Cards (you can get multiple)
- 3x Amex Gold Cards
- Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card
- Amex Hilton Honors Aspire Card
- Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
- Prime Visa Card
Strategy of When to Open Cards
Most of the cards with annual fees offer points if you meet a spending threshold within a set time after opening the card. I only ever hit one of the Amex thresholds, but opening credit cards before you need to make big purchases can help you hit them. You could pay rent with them as well, or make purchases for family members.
Where I Get Value
These are my most-used perks from each card. I don't use all of them, so check official documentation for the full benefit lists. Most Amex benefits require you to enable them within the app before you use them. Follow official instructions.
Amex Platinum
- $100 Resy credit each quarter
- Go out for a free meal at a Resy restaurant.
- Order gift cards online to stack credits for future restaurant visits or gifts. The purchase must show in your Amex statement as a charge from the restaurant. Many restaurants use third-party billing services that do not meet this requirement. Toast will show the restaurant name in your statement and activate the credit.
- Takeout is also an option, with the same requirement that the restaurant name must show in your statement. Check the billing service/mechanism first!
- $75 Lululemon credit each quarter: Great for gifts!
- $200 Uber cash per year: Just link it in the app and get $15 each month per card
- $25 monthly digital entertainment credit: You can get cheap streaming services for free.
- Free Walmart+ membership: Insanely convenient for city and suburban living.
Amex Gold
- $50 Resy credit every 6 months: Use the same strategy as the Platinum card.
- $120 Uber cash per year: Just link it in the app and get $10 each month per card
Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve
- Yearly Companion Certificate: Get a second ticket free to a flight within the US or to Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central America.
Amex Hilton Honors Aspire
- Diamond status
- Annual free night reward
Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
- Platinum Elite status
- Annual free night reward
Chase Sapphire Reserve
- $150 StubHub credits every 6 months
Prime Visa
- A no-brainer if you pay for Amazon Prime and don't mind opening a Chase Bank account
Efficiently Gaining Points
I don't spend much mental effort on optimizing points gained with each purchase. My daily card is the Amex Gold. I'll use others when the benefits require it. The Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card is a popular choice for groceries, but I get most of my groceries with Walmart+ on the Amex Platinum.
Efficiently Using Points
I've been too lazy to invest time into learning methods for using points. One day.
Tracking Benefits
I should probably make a spreadsheet or something to track when I use benefits. It's a bit annoying to scan through statements when the apps don't track it for you.