The idea of this article is to provide more insights into how applying for credit cards (CC) in the United States can be beneficial and extremely helpful when traveling, despite some of the cards having daunting annual fees. When used properly, the fees would justify themselves and earn additional benefits/perks. 本文旨在介绍在美国申请信用卡（credit card, CC）能带来的种种好处——尤其是在旅行方面。虽然有些卡的年费看起来吓人， 但只要使用得当，年费不仅能"回本"，还能赚取额外的福利和权益。
Core rules核心原则
There are some core rules when applying for and using credit cards: 申请和使用信用卡有几条核心原则：
- Always spend within your limits. DO NOT have violations or late payments, where you have to pay a fee plus interest. In practice, a credit card should be spent like a debit card rather than a credit card.量入为出。绝对不要逾期或违约，否则要支付罚金加利息。 实际操作中，信用卡应该当作借记卡来刷，而不是当作"信用"来透支。
- All spending should justify itself — no spending is made just to fulfill the spending requirements. Instead, a new card is opened when there is a need to spend.所有消费都应有实际需求，不要为了完成开卡消费任务而刻意花钱；相反，应该在本来就有消费需求时再去开新卡。
- No emotional attachments. Be mentally and physically prepared to downgrade/close/upgrade any card at any time after one year of opening it.不要对任何一张卡产生感情。开卡满一年后，随时做好降级、关卡或升级的心理和实际准备。
- The sign-up bonus is the main target, though perks are also key considerations.开卡奖励是主要目标，卡片附带的权益也是重要考量。
- It takes effort — there is quite a lot to keep track of when cards start piling up. In other words, a lot of detailed, careful, strategic planning and execution is needed.这件事需要花精力。卡多了以后要跟踪的东西不少，需要细致、周密的规划和执行。
- Everyone has different needs; one card may work for me but not for you at all, and vice versa.每个人的需求不同：适合我的卡可能完全不适合你，反之亦然。
Tools工具
The best places to look up the latest credit-card-related news are Doctor of Credit and US Card Forum. US Credit Card Guide is another website to check for updates. 查询信用卡最新资讯的最佳去处是 Doctor of Credit 和美卡论坛（US Card Forum）。美国信用卡指南（US Credit Card Guide）也值得关注。
Another commonly used way to boost cash back is browser plugins such as Rakuten or TopCashback. 另一类常用的返现加成工具是 Rakuten 或 TopCashback 这样的浏览器插件。
Some other tools that might be useful later on are points.me and MaxFHR. 其他以后可能用得上的工具还有 points.me 和 MaxFHR。
Prerequisites前提条件
What do you need in order to have a credit card? 想要办一张信用卡，需要什么？
- An SSN (Social Security Number)SSN（社会安全号）
- A checking account to pay for the card. The checking account does not have to match the issuer of the card.一个用来还款的支票账户（checking account）。支票账户不需要和发卡行是同一家银行。
If you do not have an SSN but want to start building a credit history, a good way to achieve that is to be a dependent/authorized user on someone else's card — friend or family, but it requires living within the same household, aka the same address. 如果没有 SSN 但想开始积累信用记录，一个好办法是成为别人卡上的附属持卡人（authorized user）。 朋友或家人都可以，但需要住在同一个家庭住址下。
Terminology名词解释
Annual fee: The amount of money paid to the credit card company — essentially the membership fee to use the card. An annual fee of 0 simply means the card is free. Some commonly seen annual fees are $95, $150, $325, or $700+. 年费（Annual fee）：为使用这张卡而向发卡行支付的费用，相当于会员费。年费为 0 就是免年费卡。 常见的年费档位有 $95、$150、$325 或 $700+。
Sign-up bonus: The core of a credit card. A sign-up bonus is the reward the credit card company offers to the applicant when certain spending requirements are met. Banks often offer sign-up bonuses in their own point system (e.g., Chase offers Ultimate Rewards), hotels offer their own points, and airlines offer miles. 开卡奖励（Sign-up bonus）：一张信用卡的核心。当满足一定的消费要求后，发卡行给予申请人的奖励。 银行通常以自家的点数体系发放（比如 Chase 的 Ultimate Rewards），酒店卡发酒店点数，航空卡发里程。
Spending requirement: The minimum amount of money spent to earn the sign-up bonus — for example, $1,000 in 3 months. Note: annual fees DO NOT count towards spending requirements. 消费要求（Spending requirement）：获得开卡奖励所需的最低消费金额，例如"3 个月内消费 $1000"。注意：年费不计入消费要求。
Retention offer: Offers issued by banks to keep you holding the card open for an additional year. Similar to a sign-up bonus, it often comes as points with a spending requirement. The most generous is Amex with their own branch of cards (e.g., Gold, Platinum). 续卡奖励（Retention offer）：银行为了让你把卡再续一年而提供的优惠。和开卡奖励类似， 通常是"点数 + 消费要求"的形式。最慷慨的是 Amex 自家系列的卡（比如 Gold、Platinum）。
Points, miles, and cashback: These are the three main currencies you'll earn. Cashback is the simplest — real dollars back on your purchases. Points are flexible bank currencies (Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou, Capital One Miles, Bilt Rewards). Miles are specific to airlines (Delta SkyMiles, United MileagePlus, etc.), and hotel points belong to specific hotel chains (Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt). 点数、里程与现金返还（Points, miles, cashback）：这是你会赚到的三种主要"货币"。 现金返还最简单——消费直接返现金。点数是银行的灵活货币（Chase Ultimate Rewards、Amex Membership Rewards、Citi ThankYou、Capital One Miles、Bilt Rewards）。里程属于具体的航空公司（达美 SkyMiles、美联航 MileagePlus 等）， 酒店点数则属于具体的酒店集团（万豪 Bonvoy、希尔顿 Honors、凯悦 World of Hyatt）。
Category multipliers: Most cards pay more on certain spend — for example, 3x points on dining, 5x on travel booked through a portal, or 2x on groceries. Knowing your spending habits and matching them to the right card is where the strategy starts. 消费类别加成（Category multipliers）：大多数卡在特定消费类别有更高的返点，比如餐饮 3x、通过官方旅行平台订票 5x、超市 2x。了解自己的消费习惯并匹配合适的卡，是整个策略的起点。
5/24 rule: A Chase-specific rule. If you've opened 5 or more credit cards (from any bank) in the past 24 months, Chase will automatically deny you. Since Chase has some of the best cards, most people start their credit card journey here before moving to other banks. 5/24 规则：Chase 特有的规则。如果过去 24 个月内你开过 5 张或以上的信用卡（任何银行的都算）， Chase 会自动拒绝你的申请。由于 Chase 手握一些最好的卡，大多数人的玩卡之路都从 Chase 开始，再转向其他银行。
Velocity rules / once-per-lifetime: Different banks have different restrictions. Amex famously gives you a sign-up bonus on a specific card only once per lifetime (so think carefully before applying). Chase has a 48-month rule on the Sapphire family. Bank of America has its own 2/3/4 rule. Know the rules before you apply — a misplaced application can cost you a bonus worth hundreds of dollars. 申卡频率限制 / 一生一次（Velocity rules / once-per-lifetime）：不同银行有不同的限制。 Amex 出了名的规矩是同一张卡的开卡奖励一生只能拿一次（所以申请前要想清楚）。Chase 对 Sapphire 系列有 48 个月的限制。 Bank of America 有自己的 2/3/4 规则。申请前一定要先了解规则——一次错误的申请可能让你损失价值数百美元的奖励。
Hard pull (HP): Every new application results in a hard inquiry on your credit report, which temporarily drops your credit score by a few points. This recovers within a few months if you keep paying on time. 硬查询（Hard pull, HP）：每次新申请都会在信用报告上留下一次硬查询，信用分会暂时下降几分。 只要保持按时还款，几个月内就会恢复。
Authorized user (AU): You can add a partner or family member to your card. They get a card, you earn points on their spending, and sometimes this even qualifies for an additional bonus. 附属卡（Authorized user, AU）：你可以为伴侣或家人添加附属卡。他们拿到一张卡， 他们的消费给你赚点数，有时甚至还能触发额外奖励。
Referral bonus: Most cards let existing cardholders refer others. If your spouse/friend/family member gets a card through your referral link, you both earn extra points. 推荐奖励（Referral bonus）：大多数卡允许现有持卡人推荐他人。如果配偶、朋友或家人通过你的 推荐链接开卡，你们双方都能获得额外点数。
An example: how a card justifies its fee举个例子：年费是怎么"回本"的
The American Express Platinum card has a whopping $895 annual fee. Is it worth it? Let's do the math. American Express Platinum（白金卡）的年费高达 $895。值吗？我们来算笔账。
The sign-up bonus is now based on the individual applicant, but let's say you can get the highest at 175,000 points. We'll have a different chapter on how to maximize the use of points, but at a minimum rate of 1 point = 0.6 cents, 175,000 points is equivalent to $1,050. 现在的开卡奖励因人而异，但假设你能拿到最高的 175,000 点。之后会有专门的章节讲如何最大化点数的价值， 但即使按最低的 1 点 = 0.6 美分计算，175,000 点也相当于 $1050。
The perks of the card include: 这张卡的权益包括：
- Resy credit, $100/quarter, totaling $400/yearResy 餐厅报销：每季度 $100，全年共 $400
- Uber credit, $15/month plus $35 in December, totaling $200/yearUber 报销：每月 $15，12 月 $35，全年共 $200
- Lululemon credit, $75/quarter, totaling $300/yearLululemon 报销：每季度 $75，全年共 $300
- Entertainment credit, $25/month, totaling $300/year娱乐订阅报销：每月 $25，全年共 $300
- Fine Hotels & Resorts, $300/half year, totaling $600/yearFine Hotels & Resorts 酒店报销：每半年 $300，全年共 $600
- Airline incidentals, $200/year航空杂费报销：每年 $200
- Oura ring credit, $200/yearOura 戒指报销：每年 $200
There are a few other benefits I did not list simply because I cannot use them or have never used them; thus, those perks are not counted here. 还有一些其他福利没有列出来，纯粹是因为我用不上或者从没用过，所以这里不计入。
On paper, the benefits added together far exceed the annual fee already, but let's do a more detailed calculation based on how easy it is to actually use these credits. 纸面上这些福利加起来早就远超年费了，但我们按"这些额度到底好不好用"再更实际地算一遍。
Resy is relatively easy to use — as long as you use the Platinum card at selected Resy restaurants, the credit will be issued back to the card statement, as shown below. Resy 相对容易用：只要在指定的 Resy 餐厅刷白金卡，报销会直接返还到账单上，如下图所示。
The Uber credit can be used both for Uber rides and Uber Eats. Even valued at a 20% discount, the credit is still worth $160. Uber 额度打车和 Uber Eats 都能用。即使按打八折来估值，这个额度也还值 $160。
Similarly, Lululemon is easy to use. As of April 2026, rumors have been circulating that gift card purchases in local stores only allow increments of $50 — but purchasing clothing online is not affected. Lululemon 同样好用。截至 2026 年 4 月，有传言称线下门店购买礼品卡只能以 $50 为增量，但在线购买服饰不受影响。
Meaning each year, simply using Resy, Uber, and Lululemon is worth $860 — making this card's annual fee effectively $35 even if none of the other perks are used. On the other hand, if all perks can be utilized properly, then all these additional perks are essentially FREE. Sometimes a credit requires cheesy tricks to make it work, and sometimes it is simply not worth using. The Oura ring credit, for example, is only applicable to the ring itself — not really worth it, given that you'd be spending $200 extra just to get the $200 credit. 也就是说，每年光是用掉 Resy、Uber 和 Lululemon 这三项就值 $860——即使其他福利全都不用， 这张卡的年费实际上也只剩 $35。反过来说，如果所有福利都能好好利用，这些额外的权益基本上就是白送的。 有时候某些额度需要一些"骚操作"才能用上，有时候则根本不值得用。比如 Oura 戒指的额度只能用于购买戒指本身—— 等于要额外花 $200 才能拿回 $200 报销，并不划算。
Another trick of the Platinum card is that some credits are offered based on the calendar year rather than the membership year — the airline credit, for example. Suppose you apply for the card in December of year 1: you get the $200 airline credit. Starting in January of year 2, you earn another $200 in airline credit. The annual fee will likely post in January of year 3, where you gain another $200 in airline credit — and if you decide to downgrade or close the card, you can still spend that $200 prior to the downgrade/closure. 白金卡的另一个技巧是：有些额度是按自然年而不是会员年发放的，比如航空杂费报销。假设你在第 1 年的 12 月开卡， 先拿到 $200 航空额度；第 2 年 1 月起，又有新的 $200；年费大概率在第 3 年 1 月入账，此时又能拿到新一轮的 $200—— 即使你决定降级或关卡，也可以在操作之前把这 $200 花掉。
After keeping the card for a year, you may contact the bank to request a retention bonus, allowing you to earn more points with additional spending requirements — maximizing the benefits even further. Sometimes a card may no longer be worth its annual fee. When that happens, we can either downgrade the card to a cheaper/free annual fee version or close it. Some may ask, "Isn't that gonna hurt my credit score?" Yes, to a certain degree. But once you have more cards — particularly those without annual fees — even sitting in a drawer with zero spending, each still counts as paid on time every month. So over a longer time span, the impact of a card closure is masked by the number of on-time payments you have on record. 持卡满一年后，可以联系银行询问续卡奖励（retention offer），通过完成额外的消费要求赚取更多点数， 把收益进一步放大。有时一张卡确实不再值它的年费。这种情况下，可以把卡降级到年费更低或免年费的版本，也可以直接关卡。 有人会问："这不会伤害我的信用分吗？"会，有一点。但当你手上的卡多了——尤其是那些免年费的卡——即使放在抽屉里一分钱不刷， 每个月也照样算一次按时还款。所以拉长时间来看，关卡的影响会被你账上大量的按时还款记录稀释掉。
A new trend is coming to the banks: having a high-tier credit card will no longer allow you to earn the sign-up bonus for lower-tier cards. Meaning that if you are new to credit cards, you should start with the lower tiers and build up. 银行界正在出现一个新趋势：持有高端卡之后，将无法再拿到同系列低端卡的开卡奖励。 也就是说，如果你是刚入门的新手，应该从低端卡开始，一步步往上打。
Putting it all together总结
So, to put everything in short: 简而言之，整个流程是：
- Apply for a card because of its high sign-up bonus因为高开卡奖励而申请一张卡
- Meet the spending requirement to get the sign-up bonus完成消费要求，拿到开卡奖励
- Keep the card for a year and use all the benefits it gives持卡一年，把它给的所有福利用好
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After a year, when the annual fee posts, choose one of:
一年后年费入账时，三选一：
- Keep the card (but ask for a retention offer if available), OR继续持有（但记得先问问有没有续卡奖励）；或者
- Downgrade to a free-tier card, leave it in a drawer and forget about it, OR降级到免年费版本，扔进抽屉里吃灰；或者
- Cancel the card (within 30 days of the annual fee posting, you'll get a full refund of the annual fee)关卡（年费入账后 30 天内关卡，年费可全额退还）
This article is the first in a series — more are coming in the following months, introducing other small tricks for using credit cards in the US. 本文是这个系列的第一篇。接下来的几个月里我会继续更新，介绍在美国用卡的其他小技巧。