Are you looking for the best travel credit cards to help you get where you want to go? Look no further! We have compiled a list of the 11 best travel credit cards so you can make the most out of your travels.
With these cards, you can reap the rewards of earning points and miles and access exclusive travel perks like free checked bags, priority boarding, and more. Keep reading to find out which of these cards best fits your needs.
Table of Contents
What are the Best Travel Credit Cards?
| Card | Best for | Welcome Offer/Sign Up Bonus | Earning Rate | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | Best for total value | 60,000 points | 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®3x on dining.2x on all other travel purchases, plus more. | $95 |
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Best for earning miles | 75,000 miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip optionsEarn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. | $95 |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | Best premium travel credit card | 75,000 miles | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel.2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day | $395 |
| Citi Premier® Card | Best for rewards rate | 80,000 points | Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and SupermarketsEarn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and HotelsEarn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases | $95 |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | Welcome bonus | Earn 80,000 points | Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. | $695 |
| Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card | Best for Alaska Airlines miles | Limited Time Online Offer – 50,000 Bonus Miles | Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases.Unlimited 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases. | $75 |
| Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card | Best for first travel card | 25,000 points | 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. | $0 |
| Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card | Best for maximizing business purchases | 100,000 points | Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary yearEarn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases – with no limit to the amount you can earn | $95 |
| Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card | Best for airline rewards | 50,000 miles | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets.Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. | $250 |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | Best for business travel | 150,000 points | Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.comEarn 1.5X points on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases. | $695 |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Best for travel credit | 60,000 points | Earn 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.Earn 5x total points on flights through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.Earn 3x points on other travel and dining.Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | $550 |
1) Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is an excellent choice if you want to keep just one Card in your wallet and want to earn rewards on all your spending. With 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, it’s easy to rack up rewards without worrying about bonus categories or spending caps.
Plus, with a generous signup bonus of 75,000 bonus miles, after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening (worth potentially $1,388 according to our valuation), the Venture Rewards Credit Card can help you get the most out of your travel rewards.
The annual fee of $95 is also easy to manage, and you get an application-fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck of up to $100 every four years. With flexible redemption options, no foreign transaction fees and 24/7 customer service, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is an excellent option for travellers looking for a convenient and rewarding credit card.
The Capital One Venture Card allows you to redeem miles for a fixed value or transfer the miles you earn to 15 total airline and three hotel transfer partners, including Avianca, Etihad, Turkish Airlines and Singapore Airlines.
Capital One has recently added a new 1:1 transfer tier for many partners. However, there’s also a less lucrative 2:1.5 or 2:1 transfer tier for some partners. Finally, it’s the one Card The Points Guy himself, Brian Kelly, can’t live without.
2) Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card
The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card is an excellent choice for travellers who want to get the most out of their airline rewards. It’s a cobranded card which offers exclusive benefits and rewards specifically for those flying with Delta.
The Card’s current welcome offer includes 50,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first six months of account opening. This is an especially great deal for those hoping to hit Medallion elite status with Delta.
In addition to the welcome bonus, cardholders can earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible Delta purchases and hotel stays, 2 miles per dollar on restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, and 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases.
The Card also comes with no foreign transaction fees and up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees. Other perks include upgrading Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights, a 20% discount on inflight purchases, and access to the Sky Club Airport Lounge Network.
The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card also offers generous travel benefits to make your journey more enjoyable. Cardholders can receive an annual companion certificate for a domestic main cabin round-trip ticket each year, plus a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit (up to $100). You’ll also get elite-like perks such as a free checked bag and priority boarding on Delta flights.
Finally, the Card allows you 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. Plus, you’ll get a Medallion Qualification Dollar waiver if you spend $25,000 in a calendar year.
The annual fee is $250 (see rates and fees), and the Card may be worth it if you’re a regular traveller and loyal to Delta. The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Amex offers enhanced bonus categories, travel benefits, and the ability to help you reach Medallion status with Delta. Make sure you get at least that much value from the Card each year.
3) Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is an excellent choice for those looking to get started with travel rewards. With its 80,000-point signup bonus and 5 points per dollar spent on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, this Card offers excellent value for the money.
The 3 miles per dollar spent on dining, streaming services, and online grocery purchases make this an ideal card for those who spend a lot of money in these areas. Additionally, the 2 points per dollar spent on all other travel and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases make this an all-around card that can maximize your rewards across various spending categories.
In addition to the great rewards rate, the Chase Sapphire Preferred also offers several travel benefits such as complimentary primary car rental insurance, trip delay reimbursement, trip cancellation and interruption insurance and more.
For a reasonable $95 annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card provides excellent value for anyone looking to get started with travel rewards. With so much to offer, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is an easy choice for anyone looking for a great travel rewards credit card.
With its generous signup bonus and rewards rate, complimentary primary car rental insurance, trip delay reimbursement and more, this Card is worth the $95 annual fee. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned traveller, this Card will help you get where you want to go.
4) Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the best travel credit cards on the market, with a generous annual $300 travel credit and up to a $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit once every four years.
New cardholders can take advantage of the current signup bonus of 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after they spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening (valued by TPG at $1,200).
On top of these great benefits, the Chase Sapphire Reserve also offers an impressive rewards rate. Cardholders can earn 10 points per dollar on hotels, car rentals and Chase Dining purchases through the Ultimate Rewards portal, 5 points per dollar on flights booked through the Ultimate Rewards portal, 3 points per dollar on all other travel and dining and 1 point per dollar on everything else.
When travelling, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers some of the most extensive protections available on any credit card. This includes trip cancellation/interruption insurance, primary rental car coverage, trip delay insurance, emergency medical and more.
Plus, when you use your points to pay for travel through the Chase portal, you’ll get an extra 50% redemption bonus, a nice perk. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’ll also get access to the Priority Pass lounge network, which has over 1,200 airport lounges across the globe.
With an annual fee of $550, the Chase Sapphire Reserve may only be for some. But if you’re a frequent traveller and are okay with paying a bit more for some of the best travel protections and lounge access in the business, this Card is a great choice.
Plus, if you’re a Chase fan, you can take advantage of other Ultimate Rewards points-earning cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Ink Business Preferred.
5) Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the perfect choice for premium travel. With an annual fee of $395, this Card is cheaper than most competitors but offers a great range of valuable benefits.
Cardholders will get unlimited visits to Capital One’s network of premium lounges and over 1,300 Priority Pass lounges worldwide. They can also bring two guests for free.
Additionally, they will receive up to $300 as statement credits every year toward travel bookings made through the Capital One Travel portal. That credit alone — if maximized — reduces the annual fee to just $95!
As far as rewards are concerned, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar on all other eligible purchases. Plus, you’ll get a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus each year, worth $185, according to our valuations.
You can earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a must-have for frequent flyers. With generous rewards, the ability to transfer miles to partners, and up to four authorized users for no additional cost, this Card provides tremendous value for the $395 annual fee.
The 10,000-mile anniversary bonus is a great way to get the extra weight out of the Card each year. If you’re looking for a card that will help you get where you want to go, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a great choice.
6) Citi Premier Card
Among the reasons why this is the best rewards rate travel card is that you can earn 3 points per dollar on a variety of purchases, including everyday purchases and select travel purchases. By joining Citi Premier, you will quickly accumulate ThankYou points toward future travel redemptions.
Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months. TPG values a $1,440 bonus.
Earns 3 points per dollar spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, and hotels. Every other dollar makes you 1 point.
With thankyou.com, you can save $100 on eligible hotel reservations of $500 or more annually with an annual fee of $95.
TPG recommends that you diversify your points-earning strategy because it’s worth it. A cool thing about the Citi ThankYou points is that you can use them for loyalty programs because you can trade your Citi ThankYou points for fifteen-plus airline rewards. For example, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Singapore KrisFlyer.
7) The Business Platinum Card from American Express
The Business Platinum Card from American Express is one of the best travel cards for business travellers. With this Card, you can earn a solid 10% return on select business travel spending, plus enjoy an array of benefits that will take your business travels to the next level.
For starters, you’ll get a welcome bonus of 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card within the first three months of card membership.
You’ll also get 5 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked with Amex Travel and 1.5 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases in select business categories and eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year. You’ll also receive 1 point per dollar spent everywhere else.
The Business Platinum Card also offers access to over 1,200 airport lounges around the world, a credit of up to $200 per year for incidental fees at one qualifying airline of your choice, a statement credit every four years for TSA Precheck or Global Entry, and exclusive benefits at The Hotel Collection. Plus, you’ll get access to curated events through the Platinum Concierge service and complimentary elite status at Starwood and Hilton hotels.
The Business Platinum Card from American Express is the perfect way to get rewarded for all your business travels. With its generous rewards rate and excellent benefits, it’s one of the best cards available for frequent travellers.
8) Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
The Ink Business Preferred card from Chase is an excellent choice for business owners who want to maximize their purchases.
With the Ink Business Preferred card, you can earn 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent in combined travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone services and advertising purchases made on social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year.
The Ink Business Preferred card offers a welcome bonus of 100,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 in the first three months of account opening. That’s a fantastic amount of rewards you can use to get flights, hotel stays and other tips.
You’ll earn 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. All other purchases will earn you 1 point per dollar.
With the Ink Business Preferred card, you can get great value from your Chase Ultimate Rewards points by transferring them to 11 airlines and three hotel loyalty programs, including United and Hyatt.
Plus, the Card gives you 25% more value for the points you earn when you redeem them for travel at a fixed value in the Ultimate Rewards portal, a great perk also available on other Chase credit cards.
The annual fee for the Ink Business Preferred card is $95. Although this is a significant fee, it can be easily offset by the generous rewards rate and travel benefits of the Card.
When you factor in the generous welcome bonus, the Ink Business Preferred card is among the most rewarding business cards.
With a bounty of 100,000 points after you spend $15,000 within three months of account opening, you’ll get $2,000 worth of Ultimate Rewards points. That’s an effective rewards rate of 13.3% on that spending!
9) The Platinum Card from American Express
The Amex Platinum card is one of the best travel cards on the market. With a special welcome offer currently valued at $1,600 and a rewards rate of 5 points per dollar on airfare and prepaid hotels, you can quickly rack up rewards that can be redeemed for travel-related purchases.
The current welcome offer for the Amex Platinum is 80,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months. That’s a tremendous value – worth $1,600, according to TPG valuations. Plus, you may be able to get an even higher 125k-point welcome offer if you’re targeted by Amex’s CardMatch tool (offer subject to change).
Beyond the welcome offer, The Platinum Card from American Express also offers a great rewards rate. You’ll earn 5 points per dollar on airfare purchased directly with the airlines or through Amex Travel (up to $500,000 each calendar year) and 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked with Amex Travel. You’ll get a wide range of benefits, like complimentary airport lounge access and hotel upgrades.
As you can see, the Amex Platinum card has some impressive travel benefits that will quickly make up for the annual fee. From complimentary airport lounge access and hotel upgrades to statement credits and exclusive perks, it’s no wonder Amex Platinum is considered one of the best travel credit cards available.
These combined benefits can easily offset the $695 annual fee (see rates and costs). With an 80,000-point welcome offer worth $1,600, access to more than 1,300 airport lounges, a variety of travel credits, and marvellous rewards rates for airfare and hotel purchases, the Amex Platinum card is a fantastic choice for travellers looking for a premium travel card.
10) Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card
The Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card is an excellent choice for budget-conscious travellers who want to maximize their rewards. This Card offers a generous bonus of 25,000 points after you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening – which can be redeemed for a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.
The rewards rate of 1.5 points per dollar on all purchases is excellent for any purchase. Whether you’re eating out, shopping for groceries, or booking an airline ticket, you’ll earn 1.5 points per dollar spent.
The best part is that the annual fee is $0. You won’t have to pay anything extra to benefit from this rewards program. It’s perfect for low-budget beginner travellers who want a card with no annual fee and a simple way to earn and redeem points.
Overall, the Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card is an excellent choice for travellers who want to save money and quickly rack up rewards points. With no annual fee, high rewards rates, and a generous signup bonus, this Card is worth considering if you’re looking for a simple and budget-friendly way to earn travel rewards.
11) Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card
The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card is one of the best travel credit cards for earning Alaska Airlines miles. It’s perfect for anyone who flies on Alaska frequently or wants to take advantage of Alaska’s extensive list of partner airlines.
You can earn 50,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Famous Companion FareTM from $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $22) with this offer if you make $2,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account. You’ll also earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases and 1 mile per dollar on everything else.
The Card also comes with several great travel benefits, such as a free checked bag on Alaska flights for you and up to six guests on your reservation, an annual Companion Fare on your account anniversary, and 20% back on all inflight purchases. The annual fee is $75.
The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card is worth it for anyone looking to fly on Alaska Airlines and their partners. With the new Oneworld partnership, you’ll be able to book award flights worldwide, while the renewed collaboration with American Airlines will give you access to more domestic flights. Plus, the Card’s great rewards rate, an anniversary bonus, and free checked bag benefit make it an excellent option for travellers.
Conclusion
Travel credit cards can be invaluable for getting you where you want to go. From earning miles and points to using unique benefits and rewards, these cards can help make your travel dreams come true.
With the 11 best travel credit cards highlighted in this article, you’ll have no trouble finding one that works best for you. Whether you’re a business traveller or a frequent flyer, there’s sure to be a card that meets your needs and helps you get where you want to go.
Make sure to read through the fine print and understand the terms and conditions of the Card before applying to make sure it works best for you. Now get out there and start exploring!
