Credit cards offering travel points can be an invaluable addition to your wallet, giving you access to free flights, hotels and experiences as well as offering cash back options.
Airline cards typically offer rewards in the form of miles, while general travel rewards cards provide points. Both types can be redeemed against airfare, hotels and other travel purchases.
Bonus categories
There are a number of credit cards that offer bonus categories for travel expenses. These are often rotating categories that last several months or quarters and cover purchases like parking garages, toll bridges, gas stations and grocery stores – perfect for frequent travelers looking to maximize rewards from spending in these categories.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is an excellent way to quickly start collecting travel rewards, offering 10x points on hotels booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 5x points on airfare purchases and 3x points for dining and entertainment purchases. Meanwhile, Citi Premier card earns 2x ThankYou Points when used at restaurants, popular streaming services or grocery stores with no caps placed upon their earnings.
Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card may also be worth considering, offering 1.25X miles on every purchase and providing a generous first-year welcome offer. In addition, this card comes equipped with cost-saving benefits like an annual credit as well as travel and consumer protections that could come in handy.
Redeeming points
Credit cards with travel points offer rewards in the form of points or miles that can be earned through purchases, meeting minimum spending requirements or referring friends. Their value varies depending on how you redeem them – flights and hotels typically offer higher redemption values.
Many card issuers offer portals where customers can use their points to book travel with ease. These redemptions tend to offer the greatest return for your points.
Airline and hotel loyalty programs also offer their own redemption options, though these tend to be less lucrative than what’s offered by card issuers. Still, they may provide extra perks like lounge access or fee credits for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck applications. As with cash back offers, however, points and miles earned with credit cards devalue over time, so it is wise to plan ahead for their use as they could become unavailable later.
Additional perks
The best travel credit cards offer additional perks that enhance the vacation experience or reduce costs, like free checked bags and priority boarding on airline cards; discounts on inflight purchases; credits toward TSA Precheck/Global Entry application fees and car rental damage protection as well as many other airline-specific perks.
Before selecting a card, carefully consider what types of travel and frequency are important to you. If you frequently fly one airline and stay at one hotel, co-branded cards that earn rewards in those categories might be the better choice; but if your travel patterns fluctuate and require flexibility in earning and redeeming points across multiple airlines and hotels, transferable cards may provide greater versatility in earning and redeeming points across them all. Also keep in mind any perks and protections important to you like dining credits, purchase protection plans or no foreign transaction fees are key features worth keeping an eye out for when selecting your next card.
Insurance
Credit cards that offer travel points often also offer various travel-related insurance benefits that can be invaluable for frequent travelers, including saving on collision damage waiver or reimbursement of Global Entry or NEXUS fees. Many cards also offer annual travel credits of $300; in addition, many provide primary rental car coverage rather than secondary and 24/7 emergency assistance services.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card stands out among travel-oriented credit cards by providing an impressive array of travel-related insurance benefits, such as trip cancellation/interruption and lost luggage protection, in addition to airline lounge access and two times points on travel and dining purchases. Although its annual fee may seem steep, if you travel frequently it could quickly pay for itself with insurance alone! For further details please check the card’s benefits summary page.
