But which credit card should be right for you? With such a variety of rewards and benefits available to choose from, how can one help?
Decide which card best meets your needs by evaluating its annual fees against its rewards potential and other perks, considering whether you already own other credit cards and taking into account approval odds based on credit scores.
1. Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase Sapphire Preferred boasts some of the highest rewards and benefits on the market, including primary rental car coverage, trip cancellation/interruption coverage and purchase protection. Furthermore, this card comes equipped with an excellent sign-up bonus, generous rewards program, no foreign transaction fees and no foreign transaction fees – offering some of the greatest value available anywhere!
Welcome bonuses can be worth up to $750 when booked via Chase Travel Portal or as statement credits; alternatively, points may be redeemed for cash back or gift cards for added value.
Frequent travelers may find the annual fee of $95, while not ideal, to be worthwhile – particularly if taking advantage of Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners to save on travel purchases. As an alternative option for frequent travelers looking for value on travel purchases is Capital One Venture Card which offers premium perks like two complimentary airport lounge visits every year and up to $100 worth of Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credits every four years.
2. Wells Fargo Autograph Card
Wells Fargo Autograph Card is an outstanding travel card without an annual fee, offering excellent rewards in key spending categories and valuable benefits like cellphone protection as well as the option to transfer points to loyalty programs.
This card earns five-fold points on hotels and four times on airlines compared to transfer rates offered by competing cards with no annual fee, such as no annual fee cards.
Wells Fargo Travel Credit Card stands out as an attractive option for travelers by lacking foreign transaction fees and offering a generous 0% APR introductory offer on purchases for 12 months – both benefits making the card ideal for making large purchases abroad. Unfortunately, however, some travel cards provide benefits like hotel benefits or brand-specific perks; and Wells Fargo doesn’t yet provide convenient features like global acceptance networks and digital wallet support to match its competitors; though Wells Fargo will add loyalty programs later this year which could enhance its value further.
3. Bank of America Travel Rewards
Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card is ideal for budget travelers who desire a straightforward earning and redemption strategy. Earn 1.5 points for every dollar spent, plus get an impressive welcome offer of 25,000 points when spending $1,000 within 90 days!
Points earned with your account won’t expire and can be redeemed towards travel or restaurant purchases with eligible merchants. Plus, there’s no foreign transaction fees and an annual fee of $0!
BofA or Merrill travel rewards cards may not offer as many earning potential-enhancing features and perks such as airline or hotel elite status, but they can still provide useful travel rewards for beginners who would rather avoid an annual fee. Their relationship bonuses make banking with BofA or Merrill even more convenient and their definition of travel can increase earning potential.
4. Chase Freedom Unlimited
The Chase Freedom Unlimited card is an excellent choice for beginning award travelers as well as advanced ones, offering higher rewards rates in useful purchase categories and travel perks such as 5% back on Chase Travel bookings and Lyft rides through March 2025 as well as 1.5% back for all other purchases. Plus, good to excellent credit is required!
Chase Ultimate Rewards points earned with this card can be worth one cent each when redeemed through Chase Travel Portal or as statement credits, making them even more valuable when combined with another premium Chase card like Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve that lets you transfer them directly to airline and hotel partners and potentially higher redemption values. In fact, many Chase cardholders combine Freedom Unlimited with one or both of those premium cards in what’s known as the Chase Trifecta strategy for maximum rewards earning potential.
