Hi Everyone, I'm new here and I'm looking for advice about which CC to apply for.

I have seen offers for the Cap One Venture (I think there are two versions of this), the Chase Sapphire Preferred, and a few others. I'm not sure which is the best to apply for. Generally, is it worth the upgrade in points rewards to pay the annual fee? Are there other companies I should know about?

A few details:
I live near Boston, so I'm not near any hubs, so I'm assuming that I shouldn't bother with a specific airline card? Although when I fly domestically, it's usually Southwest.

A few more details:
I usually fly 1-2 times per year domestically and 1 time internationally (every 1-2 years). I plan making as many purchases as possible (gas, drugstores, paing bills, restaurants, etc) during the month with my CC and then paying off the balance each month. My credit score is about 750-760 last time I checked. I use hotels probably 3-5 nights per year.

I know it would take a long time to rack up points to pay for, say, a $1500 ticket to Paris, but can you (with any of these cards) use some points to upgrade from economy to first class? I haven't looked at the price differentials lately, so I don't know if you would recommend that?

I won't be getting into playing the 'point games' most of the flyer talk members here do, so I'm not sure where to start.

Thank You for any advice you can offer. .