Travel credit cards often offer bonus rewards on certain spending, including airfare, hotel stays and car rentals. Card issuers generally define what constitutes travel purchases within their cardholder agreements.
Airlines, hotels and general travel cards typically allow cardholders to redeem points or miles for various expenses related to travel via an online portal provided by the issuer of their card. Some cards may offer flexible redemption options like statement credits, cash back or gift cards.
Airline Tickets
Most credit card reward programs allow you to quickly earn points when purchasing specific goods and services, including travel purchases. Each card issuer defines travel purchases differently; below you’ll find a table showing which card issuers define them.
Knowing how different cards categorize spending can make it easier to track charges as travel-related. Take note of any past charges to your card that have coded as travel. Be sure to regularly review your statement online to stay on top of how your spending has been classified.
Car Rentals
Credit card companies each have different rules regarding what counts as travel expenses when it comes to renting a car, so understanding these distinctions will help you make smarter choices about which card(s) to use for this transaction.
Credit card issuers use merchant codes as a guideline when defining what constitutes travel purchases, with each merchant code assigning some insight as to the nature of business being transacted with. The chart below details these criteria by credit card issuer.
Uber/Lyft
Uber and Lyft are two ridesharing companies that allow customers to book drivers to transport them from point A to B. Each offers distinct advantages, such as larger driver networks and loyalty rewards; in addition, each offers differentiated high-demand pricing strategies and customer support channels.
Many credit cards provide Uber and Lyft-specific perks, like those available to Chase Sapphire Reserve Card customers. These perks help offset the costs associated with these services that some issuers consider travel expenses; in particular, Chase considers Uber/Lyft fare and tip expenses towards its $300 annual travel credit limit.
Airbnb
Credit card issuers have differing rules regarding what constitutes travel and non-travel purchases, making it important to know how your specific card issuer categorizes expenditures. For example, some cards classify Airbnb charges as homeshare while others code them as travel; this could have an enormous effect on your rewards earnings, especially with co-branded hotel cards that require booking stays directly with hotels in order to get bonus points and night credits toward elite status. Similarly, VRBO charges could fall either under travel or real estate category depending on which card issuer rules your card issuer uses when classifying expenditures as travel or real estate purchases.
VRBO
Vrbo is an online home rental marketplace connecting homeowners and travelers. Using its search filters, travelers can locate properties that suit their preferences while its guest reviews help guarantee an enjoyable stay.
Travelers can reach hosts directly through the site’s messaging system for inquiries regarding availability and pricing. Homeowners are strongly advised to include their sanitation practices within their property description as well as be ready to respond quickly when inquiries from guests arrive.
Credit card issuers assign merchant codes to various businesses, and sometimes combine these into reward categories like dining and travel.
Online Travel Agency Charges
Many credit cards provide points or miles that can be redeemed towards travel-related purchases, though which purchases count can differ between cards depending on merchant codes that determine what categories are considered by each credit card issuer.
Bank of America includes an array of purchases in their travel category, such as airfare, hotels, rental cars and even ferries. Other card issuers, however, only allow certain forms of airfare and hotel charges in this category.
