Decoding Confusing Credit Card Names
Many travel rewards credit cards have fancy names that include words like Plus, Preferred, Premier, and Reserve, making them hard to differentiate. Plus, issuers sometimes don’t vary the names much between cards within a family, so it can be hard to tell which version is the no-annual-fee version and which is the premium version.
This guide will cover some of the card types that often confuse most people and how to differentiate between them.
What does the name mean?
At least with cards like this Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express CardConsumers can infer that the Platinum version will be more expensive and theoretically have more perks than the Gold version. After all, platinum is worth more than gold in the real world.
What is another noticeable difference? Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express compared to Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American ExpressWhat is popular becomes more exclusive.
The information about the Amex EveryDay, Amex EveryDay Preferred has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
But how can an average traveler figure out the difference between Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire CardWhich is more premium — something superior or something aspirational?
The information about the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
These are just a few examples, but they’re not exhaustive. Here are some of the most confusing names among the major travel rewards credit cards and the differences you should know.
Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card
Marriott Bonvoy is a unique hotel loyalty program because it partners with two credit card issuers, Chase and American Express—both of which offer three different Bonvoy cards. Not only does this make it confusing to decide which card to choose, but all of Marriott’s co-branded card names start with the letter B.
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Here is the current list of all Marriott Bonvoy credit cards in order from highest to lowest:
The easiest way to decipher a card based on the issuer is that Bonvoy cards issued by American Express include the term American Express as part of the card’s full name. Another interesting way to differentiate cards by their name rather than looking up their annual fees or benefits is that lower-tier Bonvoy cards have short names (e.g., Bold & Bevy), and higher-tier cards have longer names (e.g., Boundless, Bountiful, and Brilliant).
If you are a Marriott loyal customer, you may have Multiple Bonvoy Credit Cards in your wallet. You’ll benefit from prime night credits, statement credits, and other perks split evenly between your Bonvoy cards.
Read our Comparison between Boundless and Brilliant to see how they rank.
Related: Marriott Bonvoy Bold vs. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless: Which Marriott Starter Card Is Best for You?
The information about the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Credit Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Hilton Honors Surpasses Aspire
Which sounds better, Surpass or Aspire? American Express issues Hilton credit cards and there are four types of cards. Of the four, two are easily recognizable: Hilton Honors American Express Card And Hilton Honors American Express Business Card. The former has a simple name and can be assumed to be a low-end card, while the latter uses corporate terminology to help differentiate.
The Aspire card is more expensive and has more benefits than the Surpass card, so you will have to upgrade to a Surpass card to switch to an Aspire card.
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has an annual fee of $550 (see prices and fees), earn up to 14 points per dollar and come with perks like Hilton Honors Diamond Statusfree of charge night reward In almost any Hilton Worldwide, Hilton Resort statement credit up to $400 per cardholder year, annual airline credit up to $200 and Hilton property credit up to $100. Registration is required to enjoy certain benefits.
As the youngest, Hilton Amex Surpass comes with a modest annual fee of $150 (see prices and fees), earn up to 12 points per dollar and offer perks like the Hilton Honors Gold Card, up to a $200 Hilton credit, a path to the Hilton Diamond Card, and the ability to earn rewards like a free night based on annual spending.
To learn more about how each Hilton card compares to each other, check out Surpass vs Aspire Head to Head Guide.
Related: 6 Reasons to Get the Amex Hilton Aspire Card
Capital One and Venture
Why Capital One Names a Card, Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card I don’t understand it. It’s a meaningless acronym that tells you nothing about the card and its monetization structure.
Two keys difference between it and the similar name Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card The Venture card earns 2 miles per dollar on every purchase and has a $95 annual fee (see prices and fees), as well as benefits like Global Entry filing fees or TSA PreCheck repaymentVentureOne, on the other hand, earns 1.25 miles per dollar and has no annual fee or statement credits available.
However, Capital One is inconsistent with its card names. Based on the Venture cards, you would assume that any Capital One card with One as part of the card name would be a lower-tier version of a non-One card. That’s true for the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, which has a $95 annual fee compared to Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card No annual fee (see prices and fees).
But this is not the case with Quicksilver cards. Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card And Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card Both get 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
Quicksilver has a sign-up bonus of $200 cash after spending $500 in the first three months of account opening, but there is no annual fee (see prices and fees), while QuicksilverOne has no sign-up bonus and a $39 annual fee (see prices and fees). You need a better credit score to buy Quicksilver, so in that respect it follows the Card rule over CardOne, but it’s still pretty confusing nonetheless.
To learn more, read Capital One Savor vs Quicksilver.
Related: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Review: A Great Travel Card for Beginners
The information about Capital One Savor has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Is Plus or Premier the priority on Southwest?
Plus and Premier are some of the most used monikers on credit cards, and Southwest is one of the worst offenders because two of its personal co-branded cards are Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card.
The top level card is a bit more recognizable because it is called Southwest Rapid Rewards® Preferred Credit Card.
Related: Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card Review: Low Annual Fee and Lots of Benefits
Instead of going into specifics here, you can check out this post directly Compare all three individual Southwest cards. One standout fact to keep in mind is that the Priority has more perks than the other two cards, such as a higher anniversary bonus of 7,500 Rapid Rewards points, a $75 annual Southwest travel credit, four annual boarding upgrades, and 25% back on in-flight drinks and Wi-Fi. It also has the highest annual fee of $149.
The information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier credit card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
According to Chase, is your business rated Preferred or Premier?
Chase has introduced a whole new level of confusion in its business cards with names like Ink Business Premier® Credit Card And Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
The Ink Business Preferred Card has a $95 annual fee and cardholders will earn 3 points for every dollar spent over $150,000 on combined purchases of travel, transportation, internet, cable and phone services, as well as advertising purchases made on social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year.
Related: Solid Cash Back but Little Flexibility: Chase Ink Business Premier Card Review
The Ink Business Premier Card has a $195 annual fee and earns 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more.
Interestingly, despite its high annual fee, the Ink Business Premier still earns rewards that can only be redeemed for cash or travel through the Chase portal, but unlike other Chase cards, it cannot be transferred to airline or hotel partners, including the inability to transfer points to other Chase cards. The Preferred, on the other hand, has a lower annual fee and allows cardholders to transfer their points to all of Chase’s airline and hotel partners.
In this case, it’s better to go with Premier Preferred business. There are some other significant differences, but you can check out our full review of Chase Ink Business Preferred.
For more details on all Ink business cards, Check out our complete guide to Ink cards.
Unlimited Freedom Redundancy
While the Chase Freedom card (which is no longer open to new applicants) has been around for years, Chase has announced another version called the Chase Freedom Unlimited® And Chase Freedom Flex® a few years ago. The three cards are pretty much identical other than just having the same name.
All three cards have no annual fee. All earn cash back Ultimate Rewards points that can be redeemed for combine with Ultimate Rewards points transferable if you have another card like Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
However, the Unlimited version earns 1.5% cash back on purchases while the Freedom earns one point per dollar on purchases but gets 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent per quarter. turn merchant categories. Which card is right for you? depends on your spending habits.
Related: The Best Cards to Pair with the Chase Freedom Unlimited
The last line
Credit cards are confusing enough without issuers and rewards programs introducing a variety of similar cards with all sorts of fancy terms in their names, such as Bonvoy Brilliant.
That’s why it’s worth keeping an eye on loyalty programs. Every update and improvement will likely mean there are new and improved — or at least additional and different — cards to choose from. At the very least, you should know what options are available for the specific loyalty programs you choose so you can be sure you’re choosing the best card or cards for your needs.
For Hilton Aspire Card rates and fees, please click This.
For Hilton Surpass Card rates and fees, please click This.
