I currently have a Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard that works very well for me. In my new job I travel once a month and have to pay for airfare, hotel, etc., out of my personal funds before getting reimbursed later. Racking up points on the Barclaycard is great but ties up a decent chunk of my credit limit while I wait for reimbursement.
I’ve been looking at getting a second card exclusively for work travel. The travel is always on the same route and United offers direct flights (I’d prefer American since I have Gold status there, but that requires a layover). I’ve been comparing the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the United MileagePlus Explorer card. The Chase Sapphire is the better overall card, but I feel like it duplicates what I have with my Barclaycard. The United card gives me nice perks like a free checked bag and priority boarding, but earns less points for non-airfare purchases and locks me in to United.
Most likely I’ll get the Chase Sapphire card. I would like to hear other people’s experiences with both and maybe a suggestion for another card besides those two that would be good to pair with the Barclaycard. Keep in mind this second card would exclusively be used for work travel – my usual household expenses, bills, etc., would still go to the Barclaycard.