So I recently stumbled upon this huge community of genius, and was wondering if some of the pro's can help me out with the situation I find myself in. I am looking into getting a solid day to day card that can give me rewards on travel. My family travels about twice a year, and would love to apply some rewards to things like that. I was even thinking about putting my bills on the credit card as well if it gives good rewards, any suggestions would be great. I see Chase Sapphire and Amex SPG seem to be popular. I see a lot of lingo in here I don't know and I read some posts and blogs like nerdwallet.com

Welcome to FT!

In order to give you better information, we'd need a little more information on what you're looking for. Primarily:

How many cards would you be willing to work with?
Who is your primary airline carrier (or carrier of preference)?
Do you prefer airline miles, hotel points, or cash back?
Do you travel internationally?

It sounds like you're on the right track with the cards you're looking at. The AMEX SPG is very popular, but there is some hesitancy in 2013 with the restructuring (devaluing) of Cash&Points redemptions, which was one of the most lucrative uses of reward points in the industry. It is still a good card, however, and the transfer bonus to airline partners is attractive.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the other favorite. With 2x earning on travel/dining, and a 7% annual point bonus, as well as the ability to transfer to United, Southwest, BA, Hyatt, Amtrak, and others, it is easily the most versitable card out there.

I answered the questions the best I could, thanks for the help.

How many cards would you be willing to work with?
Two cards would be max I would really just one solid one to take care of everyday bills and expenses and get rewards in the process.
Who is your primary airline carrier (or carrier of preference)?
I really don't have a preference, the cheapest airline is the one I typically go with.
Do you prefer airline miles, hotel points, or cash back? hotel points airline or cruising is our top priority. We tend to travel a lot to Orlando via car so hotels would be best.
Do you travel internationally? not really.

Others may have other advice, but I would recommend either a Citi or Chase tandem.

Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95 Annual Fee) + Chase Freedom card (no annual fee):
The points from the two cards combine together, making it more practical than earning a lesser number of points across multiple loyalty programs. Use the CSP for Travel and Dining (which earns 2 points / $1), and use the Chase Freedom for the rotating categories (which earn 5 points / $1). Any spend that doesn't fall into a bonus, just put on the CSP to count towards the 7% annual bonus. Points can be transferred to airlines or some hotels, if that turns out to be the more valuable redemption method for your individual needs.

Citi ThankYou Premier ($125 Annual Fee) + Citi Forward (no Annual fee):

Again, the points combine. Use the Citi Forward on Dining/Amazon.com/iTunes/Movies (which earns 5 points / $1), and put the rest of the spend on the ThankYou Premier. Use the Premier for any airline tickets not purchased with points, in order to earn "flight points" which are automatically earned with matched spending in addition to the 1 point already earned (essentially making it 2 points / $1). Also, the companion ticket should save you more than the annual fee of the card, if you're traveling with family. Also, it knocks 15% off base airfare for up to 4 people an unlimited number of times, so that would also save you a great deal if the availability matches what you need. Otherwise, use the ThankYou points to book flights at 1.33 cents/point, or gift cards at 1 cent / point. Points are also transferable to Hilton.

For free hotel nights at Orlando, I would look closely at the club carlson card. $3,000 in spending would give you 15,000 points which are enough for 2 free nights at several category 2 hotels located in Orlando. That's quite the value.

This advice is awesome..

Just note that for the non-wealthy and non-road warrior, the real leverage is in churning cards - getting new cards, meeting the requirements for the spend bonus, then moving on.

Assume for simplicity that every card had a 40,000 point sign-up bonus. This means that if you spend $1000 a month, it would take you over 3 years to get the rewards that one additional card signup would get.

If you choose not to play the churning game, that's fine. But the rewards you ultimately earn will be modest by comparison.

redtop, its all clicking now as I pay more attention to offers some cards give.. anything from 5 nights for free in points to a slew of other features.. its awesome to see such a great community dedicated to this, I still haven't made the plunge into what my first card will be however, I am a lot more informed. Even some 0% intro apr reward cards are looking good for big purchases you can pay over time.