The OPTIMAL Order To Get Credit Cards (Starting From 0)

In this video we’re walking through the optimal order to get credit cards. The credit card game has some rules that the issuers set which can make things challenging if we’re trying to determine the ideal order to get certain cards for maximum value. This video will help to give an overview of the credit card optimal order and what I would do if I was starting my credit card journey from nothing today.
As always, each person’s credit card journey and preferences are going to look a bit different depending on what you value personally, but I tried to cover as much as I could for everyone here!
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CHECK OUT SOME OF MY OTHER VIDEOS:
▶️ I Ranked Every Credit Card (Here’s What’s ACTUALLY Good): • I Ranked Every Credit ...
▶️ The Only 5 Credit Cards You Need in 2024: • The Only 5 Credit Card...
▶️ 7 BEST High Yield Savings Accounts of 2024: • 7 BEST High Yield Savi...
▶️ Budgeting For Beginners | How I Save 80% of My Income: • Budgeting For Beginner...
CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
0:22 - First Card
3:44 - Optimization Strategy
5:09 - Second Card
6:23 - Third Card
8:30 - Fourth Card
9:58 - Business Cards
12:29 - Choose Your Path
13:08 - Team Cash Back
14:47 - Team Travel
DISCLAIMER: Some of the card links and other products that appear on this website are from companies which Daniel Braun will earn an affiliate commission or referral bonus. Daniel Braun is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers.
The content in this video is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available.

[@watson023]

For business cards, Wyndham Business Earner. $95 annual fee. 8% on gas, 5% on utility bills, and here's the big thing. Match to Caesar's Diamond status. Tons of free rooms without having to use any points, no resort fees, no parking fees, $100 yearly celebration dinner, free 4 night stay at Atlantis in the Bahamas. And status match all over the place.

[@headlibrarian1996]

And if you don't like gambling? Caesar's Diamond seems low value then.

[@JakeVanderPloeg]

Wyndham earner seems incredible. Did you have to jump through a bunch of hoops to get it?

[@sarrcc]

free 4 night stay in the Bahamas? that seems to good to be true? what’s the catch? 🤔

[@td4812]

@@sarrccit’s a casino

[@iDinzy]

@@sarrccthere’s not a catch it’s just that Atlantis is not all inclusive and is not cheap outside of the room cost

[@RichColemanTx]

Damn - that's a HUGE step up on the info graphics in this video. Makes a big difference.

[@sjg6158]

Phenomenal plan and summary for those just starting the journey. Even more experienced credit card holders should watch this. Excellent work Dan!

[@EthanPatrick_CreditCards]

It took me a very long time to collect the info you packaged nicely into this one video. Super valuable Daniel. I completely agree with going for Chase cards, especially the ink cards. One thing I’ve learned is that Chase doesn’t really care if you hold multiple no annual fee ink Business cards. So you can continue to pick up more no annual fee ink cards for quite a while and Chase will allow you to earn those bonuses.

[@alexlycan4624]

Started out with the CFU and CFF for those easy sign up bonuses/low spending requirements and moving onto the CFP here if it has a higher bonus later this year. Great video!

[@MontyTheCardNerd]

Awesome stuff Daniel, I wish this video was around when I started my CC journey in 2016.

[@FernsFrugalPointsFinances]

Such a strong starter guide.

[@CH-rn6nc]

Something else to keep in mind is what you use to apply for these cards. For example, the American Express platinum sign on bonus is 80,000 points on the computer 120,000 points on the iPhone and 150,000 points if you sign up using an iPad

[@tgeorge95]

Great video man! Appreciate your advice/recommendations . It's helped me a ton as I started the journey pretty late !

[@clausellray3949]

Great video great thought process nice journey great choices for beginners no annual fee cards Keep that content coming sir

[@msnrsn]

Thanks Daniel! Been watching for a while and I recently subscribed! I find your videos very helpful.

[@emelynsanz9530]

This is exactly the video I needed. I got the sapphire at the end of last year, got my 80k bonus points and got in on the freedom flex when they were doing 5% on gas and groceries 🙌🏼 I was looking for the next card to open so definitely going to open a Chase Business card. I appreciate your videos. So thorough and detailed 🙏🏼 Altho sometimes you speak so fast I have to go back and listen to it again lol

[@coolhandcoolidge9439]

Nice, I unintentionally have been following your path here

[@Daniel_Braun]

Great to hear that! It a very Chase-focused strategy because of the 5/24 rule, but I think it makes sense to prioritize that while you can

[@bean2636]

Nice animations and content

[@LeviThomass]

I love the editing style. It’s so unique but not overdone

[@NigeloWalker]

Wish I could have watched a video like this early on. I wasted my first few cards on irrelevant cards! But now I’m getting back on track with my overall setup 🙏🏾

[@De_Guatemala]

Last night the Wyndham business card got me an upgrade to a suite with a jacuzzi...extra nice here in freezing Anchorage. Next I will get the 8% gas bonus when I fill up on the way back to the airport.

[@JakeVanderPloeg]

Got a secured card while I was in college because I didn’t realize student cards existed lol. We’ve come a long way since then. Great video Daniel

[@Sakurasan2023]

Great video ❤

[@lrnasigo1]

As a Chase banking customer I made the mistake of starting with Citi DC, Capital QS, AMEX Gold and BILT. I’m going to wait awhile to apply with Chase

[@ianbelanger6656]

Would love to hear about your perspective on CANCELLING cards in order to seek a new Sign up in the future? I have an older chase freedom unlimited and sapphire preferred. Just got a flex for the new bonus. Once done, which makes sense to cancel/downgrade/etc to then seek bonuses again in the future? Any videos on perhaps a cancellation and sign up cycle between Chase, Citi, Capital One, Amex, and others? This is great for people starting out, would love more content around "experienced" credit users, who may have 4-6 cards, expired bonuses, 750+ credit score, and want guidance around continuing to receive sign up bonuses without eventually creating sprawl of managing 10-20 credit cards.

[@pashahillyard8763]

I like the idea of a cycle video. I know Daniel really doesn't like to cancel cards, but he did recently downgrade his Sapphire Preferred and got another bonus (I think he ended up going with the Reserve, but that's irrelevant in terms of welcome bonus). I believe Chase's required period is 48 months between similar welcome bonuses. Amex only allows one lifetime welcome bonus per card. Not sure about citi and capital one, will have to look into that.

[@cuongie]

Thanks for this brother

[@JLGMoney]

I was gonna go straight chase this year but Amex was a little too tempting, so I got the gold and BBP but I'll still be able to get all the Chase cards I want without 5/24 being an issue thankfully. Next up the flex

[@Yddor1]

Something to note about the Chase Marriot Bonvoy Boundless bonus is that it's more of a Certificate per $1k spent than straight up 5 Certificates after spending 5k

[@tadeomiamor]

For anyone starting I would HIGHLY suggest taking the freedom rise route and for your second card getting the freedom flex instead of the unlimited being your second.

[@fredarroyo7429]

What about after that

[@cyndeeferlin2697]

I like at least one cash back card from Capital One so when I do road trips I can use it for gas and meals and anything else that travel rewards don’t cover.

[@gabrielsaez6221]

Hey man, I’m a beginner when it comes to credit and I’m debating in between the chase Saphhire or the chase Prime card, they both would benefit me since they have good benefits, just kinda wanted some extra input. Thanks, great vid!

[@wallybio1]

Thoughts on doing a product change on the Chase Freedom Rise after a year to the OG Chase Freedom?

[@SOXGATORS]

First Super Thanks😉!! Great video as always.

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thank you so much for the Super Thanks!! Didn’t realize that your comment was a donation as well - much appreciated! 🔥

[@JudeBrianBurgos]

I currently have CFU, should I prioritize completing the chase trifecta before applying for Bilt mastercard?

[@tarcisiorodriguez5602]

I would get the chase freedom flex if you start with the freedom rise

[@melissamckendrick3600]

how do you keep track of where to spend or are you always working on a SUB?

[@alexmorales8313]

WE ARE!

[@Daniel_Braun]

PENN STATE!!

[@jonnysnow6451]

Hey Daniel, been watching a lot of your vids and they have been extremely helpful with my financial journey. Wish this kind of stuff got taught more in school. Had 2 questions. Does a credit limit increase count part of the 5/24 chase rule? And can you get all those bonus for the cards within that timespan you mention? I know with citi, you have to wait 24 months for a new sign up bonus

[@Aguynearu]

Credit limit doesn’t count toward Chase 5/24 and if you haven’t used a sign up bonus within 24 months than yes you can

[@uuvlv9605]

So annoying that I got approved for a chase sapphire preffered like 10 months ago, I applied for a freedom like 4 months ago and got denied. And recently applied for the chase ink buisness preferred with a Buisness that does 240k a year revenue and got denied lol. I recently paid off a collections I didn’t know I had and I’m like “whattttt” lol

[@jrome1135]

The freedom cards are something i have only pcd into. Since citi and c1 are inquiry sensitive, i would argue that as long as your income and score support it, you should get venture or vx and citi premier early on. The bilt card, while the points are valuable, is not worth it for most people. It should take time to build out those trifectas imo

[@OrascendBiz]

Do you have any videos like this for someone who already has an excellent credit score and a couple credit cards, who is very Team Travel, and looking to start playing the credit card game to maximize travel opportunities and benefits?

[@missionaviat]

How would you prioritize spend in a travel set up like this? To me it seems like the CFU and CSP become sock drawered once you have the Venture X/Savor one earning 2x on everything and 3x on dining and groceries. Then all the UR earn would come from the CFFs rotating categories. Is there something I'm missing?

[@miguelnava626]

Very helpful information, as always. Do you know if I can be approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred even if I have the Ink Business Preferred? Or would they count as the same product?

[@93aMike]

You should be fine as they are two different products.

[@micahgreene4573]

Because I didn't see your video, my oldest cards are junk cards (Credit One, First Premier, Continental Finance). I don't want to cancel them because they are my oldest and don't want to erase the credit utilization. I hate the fees, but still hang on to them. Now I have 3 Amex, 4 Capital Ones, 1 Discover, and a BOA Rewards.

[@zemtex2323]

Have u talked to bank to see if they can lower the card to a non fee would that erase ur history ur just changing lower cards ?

[@josuelopez9991]

I got the secured discover it first. Could I have gone with the student cash back discover instead?

[@prabhnoorsingh7350]

Hi, ur video are awesome! I have a quick question, if u start day trading, can I use a business card? Or can I still get it years later if I already start it? Please let me know and thank you!

[@vivianphillips9390]

Is there a way to pay a mortgage with a credit card? Anyway around that?

[@bdpilot]

Do you close CC’s eventually to not pay the annual fees? It seems like adding cards with higher annual fees would eventually negate the bonus points over just a couple years of holding the card since you are always moving to new cards and new spend requirements for bonuses.

[@chasem4659]

usually you want to downgrade your cards to ones with no annual fees rather than cancelling them to avoid hurting your credit score

[@allenm5443]

Does the Chase Freedom Flex and the Chase Freedom follow the same schedule for which categories they give the 5% cashback on each quarter? (For example, they both discount groceries in the same quarter)? Great video by the way!

[@93aMike]

Yes they do!

[@juanvidal8187]

Can you apply for two chase business cards at the same time if you’re below the 5/24 rule?

[@maitremridul]

Is CSP or Amex Gold worth it if I don’t travel much? I already have CFU, Amex Blue Cash Everyday and Chase Prime Visa… I was thinking to get Apple Card next, and get High Yield Savings account that comes with it!

[@mikearlotta8635]

You think i have a good chance for the chase FU, i just hit 711 Credit score.. i have three cards at the moment, one of them upgraded from a secured card to a regular cash back, does the original secured count as one towards the 5/24 rule..

[@Stonerman135]

Does being added as an authorized user count towards the Chase 5/24 rule? Like if my mom added me on her Chase Sapphire Preferred as an authorized user.

[@zemtex2323]

No

[@bean2636]

Hello Daniel, my name is also Daniel

[@aazzrwadrf]

Does the Bilt card help for building credit? It has surprisingly low credit score requirements, but IDK if the rent payments apply.

[@93aMike]

Yes it does! Just be sure you make at least 4 other transactions in your billing cycle to get the full points on rent otherwise youll get the default 250 points!

[@Residentalien2637]

I thought getting Amex is earlier in thr journey then capital one

[@juanmaldonado4308]

What are some good ways to reach these welcome bonuses?

[@pishposh4506]

Applying for the freedom cards just 3 months apart isn’t taking into account the 1 year 5% back on gas and/ or groceries that they usually have, so really you want to spread your applications for the unlimited and flex out 1 year to take advantage of the full bonus

[@Daniel_Braun]

Yeah I agree - unfortunately those deals only come around about 1-2 times per year though (depending on the year) So for the most part it should be pretty easy to avoid the overlap. I’d chase makes those offers permanent or more frequent, then I’d adjust the strategy a bit

[@dream_chaser5879]

I just got the Citi Double Cash and I’m very excited to use it, but do you have to have the premier to transfer points to partners??

[@UnionAdvocate]

Yes

[@rambosidi7634]

Yep

[@yuhou9819]

Beside Amex once per life rule, are all other cards talked about here can be applied got sign up bonus, cancelled and applied again to get sign up bonus?

[@Aguynearu]

Chase cards you can. 24 Months for regular and 48 months for sapphire

[@DavioNation]

What’s a reasonable time frame , to get this cards because i noticed everytime i apply for a credit card, It hits my credit score 😢

[@Daniel_Braun]

Typically getting a new card every 3 to 6 months is best. The small drop in your score is only in the short term and fades away pretty quickly

[@DavidThomas005]

I love this video the only issue is how the hell am I supposed to spend 4000 or 6000 dollars in 3 months when I’m a college student at 19 😭😭

[@Daniel_Braun]

I'd say to just focus on the foundation right now while in college and save the money for when you might have more expenses after graduation. Some people choose to spend on tuition an books to get new credit card sign up bonuses - but paying for tuition likely will come with processing fees. Those fees can be worth it if the bonus is good enough, but personally I don't like paying any extra fees at all of credit card transactions

[@ComradeRem]

Shouldn’t I stick with one ecosystem? Once you transition from chase to the capital one ecosystem, how do you balance spending to make it worth it to have both?

[@LK_EBM]

It's never about spending on the card. It's about collecting sign up bonuses

[@pachabee]

@@LK_EBM Is this true for most people? I was wondering the same, because I have no clue how people can be spending on multiple cards to get the most out of them. Makes sense just to spend responsibly on one or two cards. I can kind of understand the portals though, and transferring points from each card.

[@justinjohnston6266]

​@pachabee4949 typically your spending on each card is based in their bonus categories. Such as only spending on the chase flex in whatever the quarterly 5% category is, and using the chase unlimited for your noncategory spending since it gets 1.5% instead of just 1%.

[@ComradeRem]

@@justinjohnston6266 yeah but say you have the capital one two card set up and the chase trifecta. You go out to eat or get groceries, are you using the capital one savor or the chase freedom unlimited??

[@34skyline]

I did a video on my credit card setup but I wish I saw this video years ago , I want one more Chase card but I’m at 6/24, I have to wait until Jan.2025 to apply for the ink unlimited, I have 15 cards but I want more, 2024 I’m going to chill out on applying for card, Currently working on a 12 months SUB With a spend of $15,000, Hopefully after I finished that I will be under 5/24 with Chase and be able to get approve for the ink unlimited

[@bigboyfishing5060]

Is savor one student a good starter card?

[@93aMike]

Definitely!

[@bigboyfishing5060]

@@93aMike decided on the discover it student card then going to get the savor one rewards card

[@SelfMaximize]

So go all in on Chase and juggle 6 credit cards for the next 3-5 years and then add 5 more credit cards. Lol

[@yaboi9419]

Bro can’t remember to pay his cards 💀💀💀 shit really isn’t hard

[@ericdunbar8372]

I manage 20 credit cards currently and it really isn’t that hard and that’s why they created auto pay for beginners

[@stephenborkowski8458]

Does authorized user count towards chase 5/24 rule

[@collingraver430]

My am

[@genxer74]

I started with AMEX since I'm a Hilton guy. Waited for 17 minutes of a 19 minute video for the first mention, lol

[@jetski335]

😊

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks for watching! 👍

[@SOXGATORS]

👍🏻

[@Daniel_Braun]

Thanks as always for stopping by!

[@schneemann-fy6gi]

Wow i wonder what credit card company this guy prefers😂

[@PKDN215]

Sounds a bit bitter about the capital one denial 😂😂😂

[@Daniel_Braun]

I wasn’t thrilled about it 😂 All good though because my fiancée got approved right after that 👍

[@PKDN215]

@@Daniel_Braun she’s the true pro!!

[@kirby4168]

Good video but maybe try looking at the camera more and not reading off a script. Not being mean but it would look better is all!

[@Daniel_Braun]

I’m actually not reading off a script to the side like it looks I am. But now that you mention it I guess I am looking down a lot that it almost looks like it haha No worries, thanks for pointing that out and I’ll try to be a little kore conscious of that going forward! 👍

[@josequesada1234]

Your cash back strategy is weak. I prefer travel but if I were to go cash back, there is a clear path to 5% back on everything

[@Daniel_Braun]

What cards would you recommend for 5%? The ones I named are a good place to start but there’s always certain categories where getting to 5% is possible

[@josequesada1234]

U.S. Bank Cash +, U.S. Bank Altitude Go, Amex Blue Cash Preferred, Chase Ink Business Cash, a couple of Citi Custom Cash, AAA Daily Advantage, and the Chase Freedom Flex or Discover IT for rotating categories. You should be covered for 4-5% on all categories with that setup with only a $95 annual fee

[@AhmadKhwajazada]

First

[@Daniel_Braun]

You've got it! 🥇

[@sunshinecycling]

That is a fuck-ton of cards. Do people really spend this much time collecting and organizing their credit card stash? Seems like a full-time job making sure you are always getting the most points at any given time.

[@Hemingway90]

You should change your name from sunshine to raincloud

[@sunshinecycling]

@@Hemingway90 You should yours from Hemingway to Dr. Seuss.

[@lova4886]

​@@sunshinecycling😂 amazing