Originally Posted by pinniped

The two good general-spend CC choices are SPG and HH.

If you don't plan enough business travel to hit a meaningful elite status the "hard" way, I'd recommend HH since HH Gold has more value than SPG Gold.

Marriott's Visa card is very rewarding when used at the hotels (5 pts/$), but comparatively weak as a general-spend card. It can still be worthwhile if you ever need a standalone free night: each time you pay the $65(?) annual fee, you receive one free night certificate valid up to Category 5. That category covers most mainline Renaissance/Marriotts outside of high-cost cities like NYC, London, etc. I recently used mine for a Washington D.C. night that would have otherwise cost about $120 via Priceline or $250 via Marriott.com.