If you travel frequently, a credit card that offers points or miles towards flights, hotels and car rentals may be a smart way to accumulate rewards. With so many cards on offer though, it can be difficult to know which will best meet your needs.
Certain credit cards stand out with their generous benefits, including airport lounge access or hundreds of dollars in annual travel credits and primary car rental insurance coverage.
1. Capital One Venture Rewards
Capital One Venture Rewards provides excellent rewards coverage and an attractive welcome bonus, and its affordable annual fee makes it a perfect first travel credit card option.
After spending $4,000 in the first three months, this card offers an attractive 75,000 bonus miles that could be worth up to $750 in travel expenses. Redeeming miles as statement credits is easy and flexible with no minimum redemption amount; any expense coded as “travel” — such as airfare, hotels, cruises, rental cars, bus lines, trains and taxi cabs — covered.
Though this card doesn’t offer many specific category bonuses, it does provide a $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years and two airport lounge visits annually. Furthermore, Capital One miles can be transferred directly into 12 airline and hotel loyalty programs for outsized value.
2. Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns high praise for its generous rewards rates and valuable travel protections, such as 5X total points on Lyft rides and 3X points for dining, select streaming services, online grocery purchases (excluding wholesale clubs and Target/Walmart purchases) as well as rewards worth 1.25 cents each when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal or transferred to partners to increase value further.
Travel card’s modest annual fees can easily be offset with travel perks like two free airport lounge visits yearly and up to $100 of Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees reimbursed every four years. But those looking for luxury may wish to consider one with lounge access or trusted traveler credits instead – NerdWallet’s scoring model takes into account coverage options, customer experience, customizability and cost when rating cards.
3. Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students
Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students card is an ideal choice for building credit while reaping travel rewards, featuring an attractive sign-up bonus and long 0% introductory APR period. However, its credit requirements may be higher than other student cards, making qualification challenging for those without extensive credit histories.
This credit card earns 1.5 points for every dollar spent, with no foreign transaction or annual fees and cash back as options for redemption. Points earned can be redeemed for statement credits, merchandise or gift cards or cash back; plus there’s even an attractive 25,000 point sign-up bonus after making $1,000 within 90 days – enough for $250 toward travel expenses! It is one of the best student credit card sign-up bonuses. Moreover, unlike some other cards it allows redeeming rewards against parking lot fees, tolls or campground rentals!
4. American Express Platinum
American Express Platinum is an ideal travel card for jet-setting travelers, offering a generous welcome bonus, luxury amenities, and value-added benefits such as airline credits and Saks credit. Current welcome offer of 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 within six months can be worth up to $1.800 in travel; also enjoy complimentary elite status with various hotel/car rental programs as well as airline fee credits!
At an annual fee of $695, this premium card’s premium perks and five times earnings on airfare, hotels and prepaid cards make it a worthy elite option. Furthermore, its protections such as trip delay/cancellation insurance and baggage loss coverage make it highly useful.
