You can also earn annual credits of up to $100 each year on Saks Fifth Avenue purchases (enrollment required) and earn complimentary benefits with an average total value of $550 with Fine Hotels & Resorts and a rich welcome offer the first year. Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. I got this card early in 2016, a year before I traveled full-time for 10 months, and this benefit was indispensable in traveling abroad through airports and having layovers while having complimentary airline lounge access. Travel benefits: The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card offers a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit (up to $100), an annual companion certificate for a domestic main cabin round-trip ticket each year, elite-like perks such as a free checked bag and priority boarding on Delta flights, and a way to hit Medallion status faster: Earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles after $25,000 in eligible purchases and another 10,000 MQMs after spending $50,000 in a calendar year. Points or miles, which are basically the same on a travel card, are valued differently from card to card and from rewards program to rewards program. However, all credit card information is presented without warranty. Current bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare (from $121 — $99 fare, plus taxes and fees from $22) after you spend $2,000 or more on purchases in the first 90 days your account is open. A prepaid card can be a good alternative to a credit card if you want to avoid the temptation of racking up debt. Plus, earn 3X points on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services, for the first year. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Plus, many of these cards provide temporary perks that extend their value beyond just travel, at least in the short-term. Why it’s worth it: For a low annual fee, American Airlines customers can enjoy elite-like benefits without breaking the bank or needing to hit an elite status tier. In an attempt to make the Sapphire Reserve more appealing during the pandemic, Chase is allowing you to earn 3X points on grocery store purchases from 11/1/20 to 4/30/21 for up to $1,000 a month. We ended up calling American Express Concierge Service the last minute, who had a bus there inside of an hour.”, R.J. WeissThe Ways to WealthEditor’s pick: The Platinum Card® from American Express, “The most surprising benefit I received on a travel credit card was the Priority Pass membership that came with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. You may run into blackout dates, limited seating for award bookings and restrictive routing requirements. And the current welcome bonus is just the icing on the cake. The card’s annual fee is $250 (see rates and fees), so make sure you will get at least that much in value from the card each year. Earn 75,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $5,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. If you have Bonvoy elite status, you’ll also earn a bonus on those base points. Be aware that the AAdvantage® travel program does have some limitations. The same goes for elite status with an airline — you’ll get lounge access, upgrades, increased baggage allowance, etc. $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Boxed, and participating Shake Shack locations. You can use those valuations to determine how much a sign-up bonus or bonus category is worth. Like airline cards, a hotel card best serves the cardholder who favors that brand or travels to a certain area. Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel, Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Other factors, such as our proprietary website's rules and the likelihood of applicants' credit approval also impact how and where products appear on the site. Some tack on fees for purchases that are not made within the U.S. or on a U.S. site. Travel benefits: You’ll get preferred boarding, a free checked bag on domestic itineraries for you and up to four travel companions, a 25% discount on eligible inflight purchases and a $125 American Airlines flight discount when you spend more than $20,000 in a calendar year and renew your card. 7 things to understand about credit before applying for cards, 6 things to do to improve your credit score. View our latest valuations here. Current bonus: 20,000 bonus miles after spending $500 within the first three months from account opening. It’s 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases. A rewards rate of 1.25 miles per dollar on every purchase isn’t the flashiest offer, but if you’re using your card frequently, you’ll earn miles consistently and without much thought. Related: 5 reasons why the Chase Sapphire Preferred should be your first card. Get your free Credit Scorecard with your FICO® Credit Score, number of recent inquiries and more. This card is packed with perks designed to make your travel experience more enjoyable. There are no blackout dates, expiration dates or mile limits. If you wonder which type of card would be best as your first travel credit card, consider what type of rewards you will find more valuable. Delta now makes it even easier to earn elite status — but is it worth it? Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Travel credit cards are great when you want to redeem points and miles for travel purchases, but you aren’t getting a great redemption value when you redeem for almost anything else. Among the Membership Rewards program’s travel partners is Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, which is the only way to book the ultra-premium Singapore Suites using miles. The information for the Hilton Aspire and Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. This rewards boost feature is valuable, but only if you meet the requirements. , with airport lounge access and hotel elite status. Without further ado, here are my top picks: Here are some comparisons of the best travel credit card offers and bonuses available right now. Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites. Further reading: Chase Sapphire Reserve review. Rewards rate: Earn 14x on eligible Hilton purchases; 7x on U.S. restaurants, eligible airfare and eligible car rentals; and 3x on all other eligible purchases. Ease of redemption is one important, yet often overlooked element of travel credit cards. CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners. You’ll get extended warranty, too — double the manufacturer’s warranty or up to one extra year for warranties of three years or less, with a maximum of $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per cardholder. Why it’s the best credit card for travel credits: The Chase Sapphire Reserve comes with an annual $300 travel credit. By providing my email address, I agree to CreditCards.com’s Unlimited Bonus: Only Discover will automatically match all the Miles you've earned at the end of your first year. If you have the right card (or cards) in your wallet, the sky is the limit on where your travels can take you — literally. One of the most popular travel cards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card*, now earns 2X points on grocery store purchases (on up to $1,000 per month through April 30, 2021), including pickup and eligible store delivery services. Typically, you earn boosted miles by spending on specific items, such as plane tickets, in-flight purchases, and sometimes such expenditures as restaurants, gas stations and even grocery stores. Earn 5X Membership Rewards®Â Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. Since there’s no annual fee, you can watch your points pile up as you make purchases without worrying about making up the cost of the annual fee. We’ll do a soft credit pull to find them, which will never impact your credit score. Further reading: Maximizing the Alaska Airlines Visa Companion Fare. Why it’s worth it: The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless is a TPG reader favorite — it won best cobranded hotel credit card at the 2019 TPG Awards. Redeem Miles to pay any part of your monthly bill, including your minimum payment. If you apply for a credit card, the lender may use a different credit score when considering your application for credit. Featured photo by AnnaTamila/Shutterstock. Earn valuable miles, points or cash back with these travel credit cards. Why it’s worth it: Whether you live on the West Coast or not, the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature is a good cobranded airline card to consider adding to your wallet. Enrollment required. For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, please click here. On top of all that, the VentureOne card is one of the only no-annual-fee options that don’t charge foreign transaction fees. It all comes down to choosing a card that will help you maximize your spending. These cards also generally come with perks specific to that airline. Business Travel Credit Cards of April 2021. Restrictions apply. The card’s credit of up to $100 toward the cost of Global Entry or TSA PreCheck stands out. Related: The complete history of credit cards, from antiquity to today. But cardholders who maximize the perks and rewards structures on these cards will almost always come out net-positive by the end of the year. Consider a general-purpose travel card or a card that rewards on popular streaming services, such as the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card. Are you hoping to hit elite status with a specific hotel brand or airline? And if you’re typically a road warrior who flies every week, you’ll want to think about a premium travel credit card that offers lots of travel perks, such as the Amex Platinum, with airport lounge access and hotel elite status. This general-purpose travel card is a solid, straightforward product, offering excellent rewards benefits. 13.99% - 23.99% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers, 15.99% - 22.99% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers. Why it’s worth it: The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Amex offers enhanced bonus categories (including increased 3x earning on Delta) and a host of travel benefits. For example, although the Amex Platinum comes with a $550 annual fee (see rates and fees), you’re getting up to $500 in annual credits, unrivaled lounge access, a TSA PreCheck/Global Entry application fee credit, elite status with Hilton and Marriott and more in return. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and the likelihood of applicants' credit approval also impact how and where products appear on this site. Here’s our take on the best prepaid cards of 2021… All points earned count towards Companion Pass. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. Rewards rate: Earn 3x miles on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases; 1x miles on everything else. © 2021 THE POINTS GUY, LLC. For example, if you use a card like the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card for your dining and entertainment spending, you can use the cash back you’ve saved up previously as a statement credit to cover those purchases even while earning 4% back. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases. If you are managing debt, a balance transfer credit card could help you pay down debt faster by transferring an existing balance to a new card with lower interest. To confirm terms and conditions, click the "Apply Now" button and review info on the secure credit card terms page. Due to the higher rewards rates and numerous benefits that come with a high-level travel card, your best shot at getting approved will come with a good or excellent credit score. The 50% redemption bonus when you use your points to pay for travel through the Chase portal is also a nice perk. In exchange, you can enjoy free nights and other benefits with your award points. If you only travel a few times a year, a high-end card like the Amex Platinum probably isn’t worth it. Are you new to the travel rewards card game? All credit cards allow you to carry a balance to the next month, but that’s inadvisable with a travel card because you may get stuck with interest charges, which can negate your rewards earned. Further reading: American Express Platinum review, Apply here: Platinum Card from American Express. Rewards rate: Earn 3x on eligible Delta purchases and hotel stays; 2x on restaurants and U.S. supermarkets; and 1x on everything else. Plus, some cards offer more benefits that help you on your international adventures. Also, although foreign transaction fees are rare with travel cards, annual fees are common, so make sure that’s something you can live with. During the pandemic, you may shy away from travel, but that’s not all you can get right now from a travel card, which we explore. Using your travel credit card for business travel is an easy way to potentially gain luxurious perks and benefits for the travel you’re already doing. This pass lets you bring a companion with you on any Southwest flight you purchase with cash or points for up to the next 2 years for free (minus taxes and fees). Earn 60,000 points after a $4,000 spend within the first 3 months with this card. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). This Citi card’s travel features are among the best in the airline landscape – they include 2X miles on eligible American Airlines flight purchases, as well as no foreign transaction fees and a $125 AA flight discount after you spend at least $20k on your card for purchases in your card membership year and renew your card. Your points never expire, a benefit of the Rapid Rewards® program. Travel benefits: You get an application-fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck of up to $100 every four years, a nice perk for a mid-tier card that only costs $95 a year. For example, an airline card may offer free checked bags, a certain number of elite-qualifying miles to help you reach status, priority boarding privileges, inflight discounts and more. Remember to look at the categories to which those reward rates apply and find a card that matches your spending patterns. The annual fee is $250, pricier than the annual fees charged by most travel credit cards but not as high as the annual fees of luxury cards. But if you’re already a big traveler, you can find a card that rewards your travel purchases at a higher rate. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Like the CitiBusiness®/AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®, this card offers some boosted categories that are not necessarily specific to airline travel. Plus, you’ll get unparalleled lounge access, automatic Gold status with Hilton and Marriott, and extra perks with Avis Preferred, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards and National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive. Travel benefits: The Amex Platinum is the king of luxury travel benefits. 3X points on dining at restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases, Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. The reason is two-fold: You get better deals on your points and perks specific to the chain and you can then redeem the points you’ve earned at the brand you’ve chosen. A travel rewards credit card offers rewards in the form of miles or points. Plus, earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. Read on to find a card that fits your spending style and travel goals. Are you looking for a card that gives you luxury travel perks? If you have a miles-earning card, this usually means you can only redeem your miles for flights with one particular airline, though there are exceptions. While Membership Rewards aren’t a great value for cash back, I’m saving up my points haul for flights later this year. By clicking "See my odds" you agree to our Terms of Use (including our Prequalification Terms) and Privacy Policy. Rewards rate: Earn 3x points per dollar spent on travel (excluding the $300 travel credit) and dining at restaurants, 10x on Lyft through March 2022 and 3x on groceries through April 30, 2021. The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Amex is a great card for travelers hoping to hit Medallion elite status with the airline while racking up miles across a wide range of purchases. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuers. Plus transfer your miles to over 10+ travel loyalty programs, Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don't expire, 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases, Use your card to book your trip how and where you want - you're not limited to specific websites with blackout dates or restrictions, Redeem points for a statement credit to pay for travel or dining purchases, such as flights, hotel stays, car and vacation rentals, baggage fees, and also at restaurants including takeout, 0% Introductory APR for 12 billing cycles for purchases. See your unique approval odds listed next to cards on our site. Multiple Amex Delta cobranded cards give you perks such as earning Medallion Qualification Miles when you hit certain spending thresholds and offer free checked bags and priority boarding. Related reading: Best airline credit cards. Instead of having to book your travel through the Bank of America portal or directly with airlines, you can redeem your points for any travel and dining purchases made on your credit card within the last 12 months. Summary of the top travel credit card offers. Earn bonus points for a limited time only — 5x on Lyft through March 2022 and 2x on groceries (on up to $1,000 in spending per month) through April 2021. Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card. One of my favorite things about hotel cards is that you can stack your earnings on hotel stays with the hotel’s program. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. General travel cards offer flat-rate rewards while cobranded cards will likely offer a base rate then a higher percentage in certain categories like hotels and airline tickets. If you are loyal to a specific brand or you live near a hub of a specific airline, airline cards can be a good choice. Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Its souped-up sister card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card, now allows cardholders to apply grocery store or gas station purchases (instead of travel purchases) to earn their $300 Annual Travel Credit (now through June 30, 2021). A general travel card is a product that will typically offer more flexibility on travel redemption than the co-branded travel cards, but sometimes that’s at a cost.