Finding the best travel credit card depends on your desired objectives. Rewards credit cards offer opportunities to accumulate and redeem miles or points that can then be redeemed either through their issuer’s booking portal, or as statement credits against qualifying expenses.
However, annual fees can be high. Some travel cards also come with added perks and benefits like complimentary checked bags, priority boarding and airline lounge access; these benefits come at the cost of annual fees which may become costly over time.
1. Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase Sapphire Preferred stands out among travel credit cards due to its excellent redemption options and transfer partners, and offers some of the most impressive travel and purchase protections available. When spending $4,000 within three months of opening an account with Chase, you’ll earn 60,000 points worth $1,000 of travel booked through its Ultimate Rewards portal – one of the biggest welcome bonuses in credit card industry history. Furthermore, its earning rates of 5 points per dollar for travel (including Lyft rides), 3 points on dining expenses such as dining out or streaming video services like Pandora plus 2 points on other eligible spending make it hard to beat.
Your card’s points can be redeemed for travel, cash back, merchandise and gift cards through the Ultimate Rewards portal, but for maximum value your points should be transferred into Chase’s airline and hotel partner loyalty programs such as United MileagePlus, Southwest Rapid Rewards or Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programs.
As this card is intended as a premium travel credit card, a good to excellent credit score may be necessary for approval. With just three steps you can check if you prequalify.
2. Discover it(r) Miles
Discover it(r) Miles may offer an appealing sign up bonus and ongoing rewards, making this card worthy of consideration if you plan to make large purchases during your first year. With no annual fee and its mile-for-mile match at year end, this credit card makes for an effective travel reward credit card option – particularly beneficial to heavy spenders in that period.
Discover doesn’t earn airline miles like other travel cards, which often offer specific perks and benefits like free checked bags or priority seating, instead it earns points that can be redeemed for travel purchases at one cent each. Cardholders may also redeem them for cash back at slightly reduced value; Discover also provides flexible redemption options and no blackout dates, making it an excellent option for occasional travelers.
However, activating the 5% rotating categories may be challenging and there’s no way to preview next year’s categories in advance, unlike Chase Freedom Flex or other cards which announce them in advance. If simplicity is key for you, look for cards offering higher 2% cash back rates at gas stations and restaurants instead.
3. Capital One Venture X
Capital One Venture X is a premium travel card making waves since its release in 2021, boasting exciting perks that have propelled it to be among the premier travel cards available today.
Start saving today with the Ink Business Cash Back Card – offering two easy-to-maximize recurring benefits, an annual statement credit and TSA PreCheck/Global Entry reimbursement! Both are welcome additions to an already impressive card which provides lounge access, cell phone insurance and travel and purchase protection benefits.
Earning and redeeming miles on the card is straightforward: most purchases earn 1 cent per mile while hotel and car rental bookings made through Capital One Travel portal earn 5x miles; additionally, rewards can be transferred between 18 different hotel and airline partners.
This card offers several other perks as well, including $300 in annual travel credits and complimentary access to an airport lounge network for you and two guests. Furthermore, its annual fee of $395 is significantly less than some competitors; also notable is its very reasonable annual fee which comes in at hundreds of dollars less than some. Unfortunately there’s no 0% APR promotion but you could always pair this card with one that provides this feature – like one offering balance transfers with no APR charges.
