Welcome to Round 2 of Card Madness 2019! You all voted for your favorite cards, and the results are below!
Check out the whole Card Madness Series here:
- Pick the Best Credit Card of the Year with Card Madness 2019!
- Card Madness 2019 Bracket is up! Check the 64 Cards and Vote Now
- Card Madness 2019 – Vote for Your Favorite Round 1 Cards!
- Card Madness 2019 – AmEx and Chase Dominate the Competition!
- Card Madness 2019 – Two Games go into Overtime!
- Card Madness 2019 – Ultimate Rewards are Undefeated in Round 1!
Game 33: American Express Gold (67 votes) vs. US Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature Card (4 votes)
The AmEx Gold retains the Number 1 seed and moves onto Round 3, with a crushing defeat of the FlexPerks Visa Signature! Both cards offer flexible redemptions, but the recent improvements make the AmEx Gold a fantastic competitor in this tournament.
Game 34: Chase Freedom (69) vs. Barclay AAdvantage Aviator Business Card (5)
As I suspected, we’re getting down to the cream of the crop in Round 2. Some great cards are in here, and they’re really beating the competition. The Aviator Business card is great in its own right, but the Freedom gives cardholders access to Ultimate Rewards and rotating 5% cashback.
Now the real question is…when the Freedom and AmEx Gold go head to head in a few days, who will come out on top??
Rooting for the Ultimate Rewards teams? Check out our best offers here.
Game 35: City National Bank Crystal Visa (25) vs. Chase Ink Business Cash (47)
Ultimate Rewards are still undefeated! The Ink beat City National Bank’s only representation in our tournament, BLANK to BLANK. Personally, I was rooting for the Crystal Visa, due to it’s long list of benefits (check them out here). If I’ve learned anything from Card Madness 2019 though, our readers love Chase’s Ultimate Rewards program!
Game 36: Citi ThankYou Premier (52) vs. Bank of America Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card (21)
Readers continue to favor transferrable points in the Card Madness 2019 tournament. Despite Alaska’s great award chart and long list of airlines partners, ThankYou points came out on top.
So long Alaska!
Follow the Challonge bracket here!
Pacific Division – Round 2, Games 37-40
Game 37: American Express Hilton Aspire Card vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited
The Hilton Aspire was a crowd favorite in Round 1, racking up 41 votes against the competition. AmEx’s high-end Hilton offering, you’ll shell out $450 on the annual fee, but most travelers will make it back with the cards great benefits and 7x Hilton points on travel and dining. The Freedom Unlimited has no annual fee, and earns 1.5x Ultimate Rewards on every purchase.
Game 38: Chase Ink Business Unlimited vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred
This is our fast matchup of the tournament that pits two Ultimate Rewards earning cards against each other. Since both cards already have access to a great rewards currency, this match will come down to the earning rates and benefits of each card. For the Ink Unlimited, the value proposition is simple – 1.5x UR on every purchase, a decent welcome offer, and no annual fee. At the Sapphire Preferred’s annual fee of $95, you’ll get double points on travel and dining, as well as access to transfer partners and the Chase Travel Portal.
Game 39: Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa vs. Chase Southwest Premier Business
Two of my favorite airlines battle it out in this match, Alaska and Southwest! Both have cobranded cards, with Chase claiming the Southwest options and Bank of America issuing both a personal and business version of the Alaska Airlines Visa. Both cards are very focused on their own airlines (double miles on purchases with the airline), with only a few other benefits. In the end, I think this will come down to the Companion Pass vs. Alaska’s great partner redemptions with their MileagePlan program.
Game 40: Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select vs. American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
Citi’s AAdvantage Platinum Select is a good mid-tier airline card, even though it’s losing my favorite benefit at the end of April! Double miles on American Airlines flights, in-flight discounts, priority boarding, you know the drill. The Bonvoy Brilliant is Marriott’s answer to the Hilton Aspire. This is a high-end card with a $450 annual fee. Benefits match, with a $300 hotel credit, an annual free night, and Global Entry credit.
Use that $300 hotel credit to pay for those pesky resort fees at some awesome overwater bungalows!
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
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