For occasional travelers or those looking for brand-agnostic rewards, credit cards without annual fees could be ideal. These cards offer benefits like welcome bonuses, travel and purchase protections as well as introductory 0% APR rates and bonus points.
These cards can make an ideal addition to premium travel rewards cards that charge annual fees, enabling you to maximize earning potential and perks.
Earning Points
If you want to maximize the mileage or points from your credit card spending, look for an all-purpose travel rewards card with multiple redemption options and transfer partners. Most points and miles cards offer one point or mile for every dollar spent on eligible purchases – they may even offer even more!
Credit card issuers offer multiple redemption options and point values on their websites, with travel being one of the more valuable uses for points. Statement credits, cash back or gift cards also can provide value, though usually at lower values than travel purchases.
Many travel cards also provide perks, like airport lounge access and TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credits as well as travel and purchase protections – but these benefits may not cover their annual fee. If your annual travel spend surpasses this benefit’s value, paying an annual fee might be worthwhile in order to take advantage of an incentive card with higher-earning travel rewards could pay dividends over time.
Redeeming Points
Travel rewards cards offer tremendous value if used to make purchases you would have made anyway and the balance paid off each month. Many cards provide higher reward rates on certain categories such as dining and groceries, while some welcome bonuses allow users to amass tens of thousands of bonus points or miles after fulfilling minimum spending requirements in a certain timeframe. Look for cards offering flexible travel rewards which can be redeemed through their travel portal or transferred directly into airline/hotel loyalty programs.
Redeeming points and miles for travel often provides the highest cents-per-point value, although many cards allow users to redeem points for statement credits, cash back or gift cards that can be less lucrative. Some cards even provide additional travel perks like car rental insurance coverage or airport lounge access that boosted our evaluations of certain cards.
Transferring Points
Depending on the card issuer and offer available, points and miles can be redeemed for travel, dining, gift cards or statement credits – or transferred directly into airline loyalty programs if your issuer offers transfer bonuses.
Some travel cards offer points with specific currencies linked to the card issuer – like Citi ThankYou Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards or Capital One Miles – while other cards utilize transfer partners with more flexible currencies and point systems.
Other travel cards earn points or miles that can be redeemed directly with airlines and hotels through an online travel portal run by their issuer. Although these redemption options tend to be more limited in terms of availability and value, they can still provide an option for booking award travel directly with airlines or hotels. These cards often also come equipped with airport lounge access privileges, TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credits as well as travel purchase protection features that make these cards worthwhile investments.
Additional Perks
There are plenty of travel credit cards with no annual fee that offer attractive rewards and benefits, from generous welcome bonuses and bonus points in popular categories to no foreign transaction fees and even airport lounge access. Finding one can make life simpler when searching for free flights or hotel nights! The top cards without annual fees provide these rewards and more – such as airport lounge access.
When looking for a travel card, take into account what benefits will mean to you. For example, if you frequently fly or stay at one of your preferred airlines or hotel chains, seek co-branded travel cards which offer specific perks tailored to that brand; otherwise, consider general rewards programs that allow flexible redemption of points such as gift cards or online purchases. You should also factor in important factors like annual fee costs, interest rates and credit utilization as this could impact whether or not you can qualify for one.
