Many of us are ready to go somewhere new after staying inside for a year because of the pandemic. People who want to go on a big trip are making plans now that travel is safer in some parts of the world. When making plans for a great trip, it’s great to have a travel credit card.
This kind of reward card gives you a lot of great benefits. These cards have some of the best reward rates. Every time you use one, even at a gas station or grocery store, you get points that you can later use for travel. If you travel a lot, a credit card with travel rewards can help you get upgrades to first class, access to airport lounges, credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, and discounts on rental cars and hotel stays.
So, if you want to start collecting points that you can use later, you should look into the travel perks of the best travel credit cards. If you already have a travel rewards card, you might want to see what it has to offer. There might be something better. Here are the best credit cards for travel that we think you should get.
The Best Travel Credit Card Overall For Most Travelers
Reward rates: 3x points on travel and dining (begins after earning $300 credit), 1x point on all other purchases
Annual fee: $550
Welcome bonus: 60,000 points
Bonus redemption threshold: Spend $4,000 in the first three months
APR: 16.99% to 23.99% variable
Foreign transaction fees: None
Credit requirement: Excellent
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is for people who travel a lot and spend at least $12,000 a year on trips. You can get points on your rewards card if you use your credit card to pay for travel or food. You can earn points when you fly, stay in a hotel, rent a car, take a train or bus, etc. If you fly a lot, think about the Platinum Card or the Gold Card (for high food budgets). That doesn’t mean I don’t like the Chase Sapphire Reserve card’s bonus point categories. They talk about a wide range of topics. Priority Pass Select also lets you get travel insurance, discounts at hotels, and access to lounges if you want.
Rewards Details
For the next three years, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card lets you earn 3x points on all travel and dining purchases, 1x points on all other purchases, and 10x points on Lyft rides. You can also use the card to buy other things and get points for them.
The Chase Sapphire credit card costs $550 a year to keep, but you get a $300 travel credit every year, so the total cost is only $250. There is also a sign-up bonus of up to $900 for spending $4,000 in the first three months. (below). Lastly, cardholders get a statement credit worth $100 for Global Entry or $85 for TSA Precheck, which is good for five years. They also get travel perks like a VIP would.
Redemption details
Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed in three main ways.
- Using your card to get cashback at a one-cent rate effectively turns it into a 3% cash-back card for things like travel and dining.
- When you book travel through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards portal, you get 1.5 cents per point or $1.50 for 100 points. This means that you get a 4.5 percent return on travel and dining purchases (well above most cash-back cards).
- According to The Points Guy, if you transfer Ultimate Rewards points to one of 13 travel partners, you can get back up to 2 cents per point. That’s a 6 percent total return.
The Best For Foodies and Big Grocery Shoppers
To use American Express benefits and offers, there are some rules. You might have to sign up to get some American Express benefits and offers. To find out more, go to americanexpress.com and click on the link.
- For example, 4x points for restaurants and Uber Eats, 4x points at US supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, then 1x), 3x points for flights booked directly with the airline or amextravel.com, and 1x points for other purchases. These are the reward rates.
Every year, you pay $250. - Welcome gift: 60,000 points.
The bonus redemption threshold is: You can spend $4,000 on eligible goods during the first six months. - Pay Over Time APR: It doesn’t cost anything to do business with other countries.
Credit must be good to excellent.
The Gold Card from American Express is a good choice for people who don’t spend a lot of money on travel each year but want to save money on travel by getting points for spending money on food. It’s the only card on this list that has a high reward rate for both restaurant and US supermarket purchases.
To make the $250 fee worth it, you need to spend more than $7,000 a year on restaurants and US supermarkets (smaller grocery stores, not big-box stores like Walmart or Target), but not more than that. Many households could benefit from the Gold card because the average American family spent $7,923 on food in 2018. This figure comes from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. You should get the Chase Sapphire Reserve instead if you spend a lot of money on food and travel each year.
Rewards details
You can earn 4x points at restaurants and US supermarkets (up to $25,000 in purchases at US supermarkets each calendar year, after which you only earn 1x points), and you can earn 3x points on flights booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com. On this website, you can get back your issues. For a travel card, the Gold Card has a wide range of reward categories. Depending on how often you eat out, you could get up to $120 off your dining bill (through services like Grubhub and Seamless). You get 60,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months. This is worth as much as $1,000. What The Points Guy and NerdWallet say about rewards, bonuses, and points is true. We take the average of those values and apply it to the reward rate to determine their worth.
Redemption details
There are two main ways to use points on the Gold Card. In the first case, you get one point for every dollar you spend on travel purchases through the American Express Travel site. The Points Guy’s latest estimates say that you can also transfer your MR points to one of 18 airline partners or three hotel partners and get up to $2 for each end. The best way to get the most out of your earned points is to share them with a travel partner and look for good deals on how to use them.
The best travel card for first-class fliers
To use American Express benefits and offers, there are some rules. You might have to sign up to get some American Express benefits and offers. To find out more, go to americanexpress.com and click on the link.
Reward rates: First, you get 10 points for every dollar you spend at US gas stations and US supermarkets, up to $15,000 in total. You get five points for every dollar you spend on flights booked directly with the airline or American Express Travel and five points for every dollar you spend on pre-booked hotel rooms booked on American Express Travel. You only get one point for every dollar spent on other things.
Annual fee: $550
Welcome bonus: 75,000 points
Bonus redemption threshold: Spend $5,000 in the first six months of card membership
APR: See Pay Over Time APR
Foreign transaction fees: None
Credit requirement: Good to Excellent
The Platinum Card from American Express is the company’s top-tier travel card. It has the highest possible reward rate of any card we’ve looked at, topping out at 10%, depending on how points are redeemed (details below). You should get this card if you spend more than $10,000 on flights and hotels each year and want access to lounges and upgraded rooms while on the road. To make sure this is a good fit for your spending habits, figure out how much you spend each month and how much this card costs each year before you apply.
Rewards details
As long as you use the Platinum Card, you’ll get 5x Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or through the American Express Travel portal. You’ll also get 5x Membership Rewards points on hotels that require a down payment when booked through the Amex Travel portal. It doesn’t matter if you use a third-party service or company like Orbitz to book your flight or hotel.
It costs $550 a year, but you can get up to $200 in airline fee credits for things like checked bags and food and drinks on the plane, as well as $100 in statement credits for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck, which are good for five years. You can also get $200 in Uber Cash for rides and food in the United States. The highest new-member bonus is 75,000 points for spending $5,000 in the first six months. When transferred to a travel partner and used at full value, it can be worth up to $1,500. (to determine the value of rewards, bonuses, and points, we use the most recent Points Guy valuations). The Platinum Card also has a lot of travel perks, such as room upgrades, free breakfast, early check-in and late check-out, and access to the Global Lounge Collection.
Redemption details
The Platinum card offers three main methods of redemption:
- Travel purchases are made through the AmEx Travel portal, where one point is equal to 1 cent, including flights and prepaid hotel reservations.
- Transfer your MR points to one of 18 airline partners or three hotel partners for a value of up to 2 cents per point, according to the most recent The Points Guy valuations. Given that there’s a 100% value swing, we highly recommend transferring to a travel partner and looking for good redemption deals to maximize your points.
- statement credit, but the rate is variable, and you’ll typically get less value out of your points with this method.
The best travel credit card for earning miles on everyday spending
Reward rates: Earn 2x miles on everyday purchases
Annual fee: $95
Welcome bonus: 100,000 miles
Bonus redemption threshold: Spend $20,000 in the first 12 months (or still earn 50,000 miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months)
APR: 17.24% to 24.49% variable
Foreign transaction fees: None
Credit requirement: Excellent
The Capital One Venture travel rewards credit card is a simple, easy-to-use option for people who want to book travel with travel reward miles earned from everyday spending and don’t want to worry about eligible purchase spending categories.
Rewards details
The Venture card is the best credit card for travel because it lets you earn two miles for every dollar you spend. You can get Capital One Rewards points if you spend $20,000 in the first year after opening your account. You can still get 50,000 points if you spend $3,000 in the first three months. Most other cards want you to spend $4,000 in that time on their cards. Even though the fee is only $95 for the first year, that’s a big deal. Cardholders of the Capital One Venture also get credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, which is worth about $15 to $20 a year. Also, they get insurance for travel accidents and damage to rental cars (more on that later).
Redemption details
To get the most out of your Capital One Rewards miles, you should move them to a travel partner and earn up to 1.4 cents per mile. This could give you a 2.8% net reward. How much you get back depends on which flight you take. It can be hard to figure out how much a flight costs in terms of cents per mile. Some flights can get you closer to 1 cent per mile, while others can get you the highest rate of 1.4 cents per mile. Does it make sense how much each mile will cost? Remember that sometimes you can only get the best price if you book a flight in business or first class.
Also, you can use your Capital One Venture rewards miles to get statement credits for past travel purchases at a rate of 1 cent per mile, shop on Amazon at a rate of 0.8 cents per mile, or book travel through Capital One’s travel portal.
We’ve listed the most important parts of each credit card below so you can decide which one is best for you. This table will help you choose the best one for you.
best travel credit cards compared
best travel card for most | Best for foodies | best premium card for frequent flyers | Best for no-hassle redemptions and travel rewards | |
Chase Sapphire Reserve | American Express Gold | American Express Platinum | Capital One Venture | |
Reward rates | 3x points on travel and dining (begins after earning $300 credit); 1x point on all other purchases | 4x points on restaurants and on Uber Eats purchases; 4x points at US supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1x), 3x points on flights (booked directly with airline or amextravel.com); 1x point on other purchases | 10x points on eligible purchases at US gas stations and US supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases) during first 6 months; 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year); 5x points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel; 1x point on other purchases | 2x miles on all purchases; transfer miles to any of 10+ travel loyalty programs |
Reward credits | $300 annual travel credit; statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck; $120 DoorDash credit | Up to $120 annual limited dining credit (up to $10 monthly) | Up to $200 annual airline incidentals credit; statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck; up to $200 in Uber Cash annually | Statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck |
Reward perks | Priority Pass: select airport lounge access; Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection benefits; travel insurance and coverage; Lyft Pink membership (12 months) | Hotel Collection benefits | Fine hotel and resort benefits; Global Lounge Collection benefits | Travel accident insurance; extended warranty; auto rental collision damage waiver |
Annual fee | $550; $75 for each authorized user | $250 | $550 | $95 |
Foreign transaction fees | None | None | None | None |
APR | 16.99% to 23.99% | 15.99% to 22.99% variable pay-over-time APR | 15.99% to 22.99% variable pay-over-time APR | 17.24% to 24.49% |
A note on Airline Credit Cards
We decided not to add the best airline credit card to this list in the end. You’ll get points from a lot of different airlines if you use one of the cards on this list as your main travel card. People who fly a lot with the same airline and usually check their bags might find airline credit cards helpful. Some people may find that the low annual fees (usually less than $100) are worth it because they can save money on certain things.
Whether you choose a co-branded or non-co-branded airline credit card depends on how much you like a certain airline. It depends on how often you fly and which airline you are loyal to. Depending on these things, perks like priority boarding, seat upgrades, lounge access, airline status, and more can be worth more or less. People often choose an airline credit card based on which airlines have hubs close to where they live or work.
Even if you only fly with one airline, it can be hard to figure out how to get the most out of co-branded cards. For example, the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard from Bank of America lets you earn 3x Flying Club miles on Virgin purchases and 1.5x Flying Club miles on all other purchases, like at the grocery store or gas station. When you use your points to their fullest value, you can get up to 4.5 percent back on purchases from Virgin and 2.5 percent back on everything else. We don’t think that many people will always be able to get the most out of their points when they cash them in.
Keep in mind that you can only use your miles with a certain number of airlines, and you won’t always get the best deal. There are also a lot of good redemptions for long-distance flights in business or first class, like booking a $4,000 round-trip ticket for $2,000, which is a good deal but doesn’t apply to most people in the US. Lastly, because you only get the best reward rate (3x) when you fly with that airline, you could end up paying more for some flights than you would if you looked for deals. For example, if you want to go from LAX to NYC and pay $100 more to fly on your favorite airline, you are giving up a lot of the reward money you earn.
All of that said, it might be a good choice if you fly a lot with the same airline, value status upgrades with that airline, and could get the most out of your airline credit card. People who only fly a few times a year can also use them, but only if they don’t travel enough to justify the high price of a premium travel card. A common benefit of airline cards is free checked bags. There are also times when it makes sense to have both a co-branded airline card and a non-co-branded card. You’ll be fine as long as you pay attention to the annual fees and don’t let your points or miles expire.
We’ve listed the main features of each credit card below to help you decide which one is best for you. This table will help you figure out which one is the best for you.
How do travel credit cards work?
When you spend money on a travel credit card, you get points or miles that you can use to buy things like plane tickets and hotel stays. With those points, you can sometimes get cash or a gift card. When you book a trip through them, you get the best deal. Sometimes, your points are worth more when you use them to book travel through your credit card company. The best credit cards have websites where you can book flights, hotels, and rental cars.
The way airline and hotel credit cards work is the same way that loyalty programs keep you in a reward system that only works for you. You get points when you book flights or stay with the airline or hotel chain you choose. Using these points, you can get extras or make new reservations with the same company.
How do you choose the best travel credit card?
You can usually use the points and travel benefits you earn through a credit card company’s travel rewards program on the company’s website or app. You can also get a credit on your statement that pays you back for purchases you made with your travel credit card, both for travel and for everyday things. There are also different rates for transferring points or miles to travel partners like hotels and airlines. With these partners, you can then use your points or miles to book a flight or a hotel room.
To choose the best travel credit card, there are a few key factors to consider:
- Annual fees: Every travel rewards program we’ve looked at has an annual fee; some of them can reach $550. Most of these fees are offset by monthly or annual credits that cover the costs.
- Exclusive perks: Some of these travel reward cards also give you access to special travel perks, like airline lounges, priority boarding, or VIP welcomes at hotels, as well as cashback and points. You have to think about your own needs and wants when you think about the value of these extras.
- Foreign transaction fees: A foreign transaction fee isn’t something you have to worry about when you use one of the credit cards we’ve chosen to show you here.
Other travel credit card benefits
Most travel credit cards, which cost a lot of money each year, come with extra benefits that make them even more valuable. When you rent a car, many extras come with it, like collision insurance and even insurance for lost luggage. The chosen cards are as follows:
- Travel accident insurance: Reserve, CapOne Venture
- Trip cancellation insurance: Reserve, Platinum
- Trip delay reimbursement or protection: Reserve, Platinum
- Lost luggage reimbursement: Reserve, Platinum, Gold
- Rental car collision insurance: Reserve, Platinum, Gold, Venture
How we picked the best travel credit cards
To come up with our list of the best travel credit cards, we looked at 19 of the most popular travel reward credit cards (listed below). We decided which ones were the best for customers, like frequent travelers, people who spend a lot on food, or people who want an easy way to travel at a discount with miles earned on everyday spending. Getting the right rewards credit card is about saving money and being responsible. Don’t let deals or perks that aren’t important sway your decision.
Disclaimer: The information in this article, including rewards program features, program fees, and credit card credits that can be used to apply to these programs, may change from time to time and is not guaranteed to be correct or up-to-date at all times. The credit card company’s website and terms and conditions should be checked when comparing offers. This way, you can be sure to see what’s new. The opinions expressed here are not those of any bank, credit card company, hotel, airline, or other business. This post has not been approved, reviewed, or otherwise endorsed by any of the organizations that appear in it.
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