Travel cards offer consumers an effective and rewarding way to maximize value and build rewards that can be applied toward airfare, hotels, car rentals and vacation expenses. Furthermore, some cards may even provide added perks such as free checked bags or priority boarding status with hotel or airline loyalty programs.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is an ideal choice for travelers in search of an easy points system and many attractive perks.
Airline cards
When selecting the appropriate credit card to use with airline miles, your decision depends on which airline and hotel chain are your top choices and where. Airline-specific cards tend to offer greater value, especially those associated with loyalty programs offered by these airlines or hotels, yet can come with high spending requirements and foreign transaction fees of 2%-3% added onto purchases made abroad.
NerdWallet advises finding a card with no foreign transaction fees or one that waives them for cardholders, such as Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or Amex Gold Card, that offers increased rewards rates on general travel purchases like dining and grocery. You should also consider which category of spending yields the highest rewards rates; general travel cards like these could offer better return than specific grocery rewards cards like Amex Gold Card do.
Airline and hotel credit cards may offer extra perks like airport lounge access, auto rental coverage and Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee credit; but be wary when considering these advantages against their annual fees, rewards rates or any additional costs that might accrue.
Hotel cards
Travel frequently enough and use a hotel credit card, the rewards can quickly add up. These cards offer points in each hotel brand’s loyalty program and may come with benefits such as automatic elite status or free nights on each account anniversary. They can also help speed up earning benefits such as free upgrades and late checkout from staying there directly.
Co-branded hotel cards are ideal for frequent travelers who can pledge allegiance to one brand, fast-tracking membership in loyalty tiers at hotels while offering benefits such as free nights and airport lounge access. Some hotel credit cards may even offer fixed value per point that’s published by their issuers.
General travel cards offer increased rewards when spent on travel expenses compared to everyday purchases and can provide redemption options such as statement credits for travel purchases or gift cards. Some cards even allow users to transfer points directly between airlines, or redeem for cash back rewards.
Cash-back cards
An outstanding travel credit card that offers generous rewards structures and additional perks like airport lounge access, hotel upgrades and travel credits is the ideal solution for frequent flyers, hotel visitors and other travel-related purchases. Though these cards typically charge an annual fee, certain tiers offer rewards that help offset this expense.
To determine which travel card best meets your needs, compare its features and benefits against your specific spending patterns. If, for instance, food costs far outstrip airfare or hotel stays, paying more may not justify earning categories with high earning potentials.
If you have poor or average credit and aren’t quite ready for co-branded travel cards, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card could provide an ideal way to build points which can later be redeemed for statement credits or merchandise purchases without incurring foreign transaction fees.
