Many credit cards offer points or miles that can be redeemed for free flights, hotel stays and car rentals – plus they often come with added travel benefits like statement credits and airport lounge access!
To find the card with the greatest travel benefits, it’s important to evaluate your spending and understand which features matter most in a rewards card. After this assessment has been made, compare welcome bonuses, earning rates, and annual fees of each card before selecting one that meets all your requirements.
1. Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is widely regarded as one of the premier credit cards for travel, offering premium benefits such as airport lounge access, an annual travel credit and numerous built-in travel insurance coverages. Plus it earns 2 miles per dollar on purchases made and an elevated rewards rate when booking travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards which can provide up to 50% more value when redeeming direct with airlines or hotels – experienced rewards finaglers will get maximum use out of this card by transferring points among several airline and hotel partners.
This card offers additional perks such as trip delay reimbursement, cell phone protection and roadside assistance that includes towing, jumpstarts, tire changes and locksmith services. Furthermore, Global Entry, NEXUS and TSA PreCheck application fees will be reimbursed once every four years – though its annual fee may be slightly higher than other premium travel cards; its benefits offer enough value to offset that expense for many semi-regular travelers.
2. Bank of America Premium Rewards
Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card may not earn as many points as cards with higher annual fees, but its extensive travel benefits more than make up for that shortcoming. For instance, it provides a $100 annual airline credit to cover ancillary fees and provides Global Entry or TSA PreCheck enrollment fee credit every four years. Furthermore, trip delay reimbursement and various travel and purchase protections are all included as benefits of ownership of this card.
Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card points earned can be redeemed for airline miles, hotel stays, statement credits or gift cards; however, unlike some travel cards which allow points transfers directly to airlines or hotels partners.
Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card stands out from other travel-focused credit cards by not charging foreign transaction fees; however, an annual fee of $95.00 does apply and comes with a sign-up bonus of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 within 90 days of signing up for it.
3. American Express Platinum
The Platinum card is the ultimate luxury travel credit card, and when used wisely can easily recoup its costs. It provides up to $200 of airline credits each year and up to $100 in Saks credits annually as well as an Equinox statement credit (enrollment required). In addition, cardholders earn 5X Membership Rewards points when booking airfare or hotels through American Express Travel; additionally they also enjoy benefits such as free Marriott Gold Elite Status accessing Global Lounge Collection access airline fee credits trip cancellation insurance rental car collision damage coverage travel concierge service plus much more!
For frequent travelers, the card’s $695 annual fee could make it well worth their while; alternatively, Capital One Venture X can give similar returns with no annual fee, while those who travel more flexible lifestyles might find comparable benefits on an AmEx Gold card that has only a $250 annual fee.
4. Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is tailored for travelers who value flexible rewards programs and travel benefits, like its more premium sibling, the Chase Sapphire Reserve. However, unlike its more costly sibling, the Preferred requires only an annual fee of $95, which can easily be offset by its welcome bonus (60,000 points after spending $4,000 within three months of opening) and benefits like its annual $50 Ultimate Rewards hotel credit and primary car rental insurance coverage.
Even without some of the premium benefits found on some other cards, this card still provides substantial redemption value by allowing you to transfer points at a 1:1 ratio with more than 12 airline and hotel partners, as well as waiving foreign transaction fees – saving 2.7%-3% when purchasing abroad — and providing essential travel protections such as trip cancellation/interruption coverage, baggage delay reimbursement and extended warranty protection (NerdWallet values this perk at over $200 annually).
