Going has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Going and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses, and recommendations are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of all of the card offers that appear on this page are from advertisers; compensation may affect how and where the cards appear on the site; and Going does not include all card companies are all available card offers.
The best travel credit cards bring you closer to your next trip by making your everyday spending more rewarding.
When making our picks, we gave a lot of weight to cards with standout welcome offers—the treasure trove of points a card issuer rewards you with for signing up for a new card and meeting the minimum spending requirements in time. The card’s bonus rewards categories also mattered a lot to us, since this is a card you’ll have long after the earning the welcome offer. We also factored in the card’s annual fee and if it charges a foreign transaction fee.
I’m sharing with you some insight from my brilliant colleagues here at Going about how they use their own favorite travel rewards cards. Real advice from real people? It’s more helpful than you think!
card_name: Best Overall
- Annual fee: annual_fees
- Welcome offer: bonus_miles_full
- Rewards: Earn 5 points per dollar spent on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® travel portal. Earn 2 points per dollar spent on all other eligible travel purchases (like airline tickets and hotel bills). Earn 3 points per dollar spent on online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), dining at restaurants (including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out); and on select streaming services. Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
Who it’s best for:
Beginners and seasoned points and miles veterans alike may want to have the card_name in their wallet. It has an excellent welcome bonus that you can redeem towards your next trip, and its bonus categories on travel, transit, food, and dining make a long-term keeper. Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be very valuable when you transfer them to 14 partners. Plus it offers car insurance and travel insurance protections, with only a annual_fees annual fee.
Pros:
- Low annual fee
- Great transfer partners -- Virgin Atlantic, FlyBlue and Air Canada are some of my favorite Chase transfer partners
- Offers several types of travel protections, including car rental insurance
Cons:
- Doesn't come with airline perks like lounge access or free checked bag
- Doesn't include credits for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
card_name: Best for beginners
- Annual fee: annual_fees
- Welcome offer: bonus_miles_full
- Rewards: Earn 2X miles per dollar on every eligible purchase, everyday. Earn 5X miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
- Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
Who it’s best for:
If you’re just starting out in learning how to use points and miles to travel for less, the card_name is a great place to start. You’ll earn 2X miles per dollar on every eligible purchase, everyday. Unlike other cards that have bonus categories to track, this card earns the same amount every time you use it. Plus, its welcome offer to bonus_miles_full is very generous. It can help you get a head start on the points you’ll need for your next trip!
(Editor's note: Capital One calls its points currency "miles.")
Pros:
- Statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Low annual fee
- Flat 2x earning structure
Cons:
- Capital One transfer partners do not include a domestic airline
- No bonus categories
Pros:
- Low annual fee
- Earns bonus points in three spending categories
- Big welcome offer
Cons:
- JetBlue is the only domestic airline that is a transfer partner
- The travel bonus category limited to hotels and airlines: Other card
Learn more about the Citi Premier Card.
card_name: Best for lounge access
- Annual fee: annual_fees
- Welcome offer: bonus_miles_full
- Rewards: Earn 5 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per calendar year); and on eligible prepaid hotels booked at AmexTravel.com, including The Hotel Collection. Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
Who it’s best for:
If you want to travel in luxury, card_name (See Rates and Fees) may be the card for you. Along with a stellar welcome offer, this card also grants you entry to the American Express Centurion Lounges and Priority Pass lounges. You’ll also get statement credits towards CLEAR and Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, helping you to speed through security. The card also gives you mid-level elite status at Marriott and Hilton hotels. Just be aware that the cost of this luxury comes at a hefty price tag: The annual fee is annual_fees.
Pros:
- Great welcome bonus
- Tons of travel perks included
- One of the best credit cards for airport lounge access
Cons:
- Very high annual fee
- Some statement credits can be difficult to use
- Low points earning rate
- To bring a guest to the Centurion Lounge, you need to spend $75,000 on the card the year before
card_name: Best premium travel credit card
- Annual fee: annual_fees
- Welcome offer: bonus_miles_full
- Rewards: 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day. 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.
- Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
Who it’s best for:
If you’re looking for a luxury travel credit card the card_name is an excellent option. The card gives you access to the network of Priority Pass airport lounges and Capital One Lounges (currently at Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, and Washington Dulles airports). It also gives you statement credit towards a trusted traveler program ,Global Entry or TSA PreCheck and a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel portal. For a premium travel credit card, its annual fee at $395 is a bargain—comparatively speaking.
Pros:
- Lower annual fee than most luxury travel credit cards
- Includes Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
- Includes access to Priority Pass lounges
Cons:
- Earns the same 2x miles per dollar on everyday spending as does its sibling card, the Capital One Venture
- Capital One Lounges are limited to only three airports currently
- Travel credit can only be used in the Capital One Travel portal
card_name: Best for foodies
- Annual fee: annual_fees
- Welcome offer: bonus_miles_full
- Rewards: Earn four times the Membership Rewards points at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.; four points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases at supermarkets, then one point per $1); three times the Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com; and one point per $1 on your other eligible purchases.
- Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
Who it’s best for:
If you love to eat out, cook at home, or some combination of both, the card_name (See Rates and Fees) is worth considering. The card_name (See Rates and Fees) earns 4X points on restaurants, takeout and deliveries, plus 4X points on supermarkets (up to $25,000 at supermarkets), making it a powerful point-earning card in your wallet. Plus, its welcome bonus is excellent: bonus_miles_full
Pros:
- Great welcome bonus for American Express Membership Rewards points
- Excellent bonus earning rates
- Take advantage of up to $10 total monthly in statement credits when you use your card to pay for purchases at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations (enrollment required). Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
Cons:
- No travel credits like CLEAR or TSA PreCheck
- No lounge access
- High annual fee
card_name: Best no fee card
- Annual fee: annual_fees
- Welcome offer: bonus_miles_full
- Rewards: Unlimited 1.5% cash back is just the beginning of what you can earn. You'll enjoy 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services, 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards; and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
- Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
Who it’s best for:
If you already have either the card_name or card_name, you could pair it with the card_name to earn even more Chase Ultimate Rewards points. The Chase Freedom Unlimited card currently is offering one of the best welcome bonuses available: bonus_miles_full
This card technically earns cash back rewards, but if you have a Sapphire card, you can move the points from the card_name to your Sapphire card and then redeem them for travel. When you think about the card this way, it essentially works as a travel credit card with no annual fee.
Pros:
- annual_fees annual fee
- Excellent welcome bonus: bonus_miles_full
- Points earning structure makes this a great card for everyday spending
Cons:
- The process to transfer Ultimate Rewards points from one card to another is confusing
- The unwritten Chase 5/24 rule (if you open five cards in less than 24 months, Chase will deny you application) may mean you have to wait to apply
- Charges a foreign transaction fee, so you may want to use another card while abroad
AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®: Best co-branded airline card
- Annual fee: $99
- Welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
- Rewards: Earn 2X AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases. Earn 1X AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Foreign transaction fee: None
Who it’s best for:
Among domestic airline co-branded credit cards with an annual fee under $100, the American Airlines AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® stands apart for its easy-to-earn welcome offer. To earn 60,000 bonus miles all you have to do is make one purchase and pay that and the $99 annual fee in full. Like other airline co-branded cards, this card gets you one free checked bag and preferred boarding.
Pros:
- Welcome bonus is easy to earn
- First checked bag free
Cons:
- $99 annual fee
- Must spend $20,000 to earn the companion pass
Learn more about the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®.
Remember: Your credit card should suit your lifestyle, not the other way around
It’s easy to get caught up in the glitz and glamor of a fancy credit card, but you shouldn’t have to drastically alter your own spending habits and lifestyle to take advantage of everything your card offers. If you find yourself working too hard to utilize a benefit or to redeem a credit that a card offers, it may not be a fit for you. You can always “product change” the card, i.e. convert it into another credit card within that same “card family” that better suits your needs. Never forget to take it step-by-step and to learn as you go. Points and miles will meet you where you are.
Read more about our favorite cards
- The best cards for points and miles beginners
- The best premium travel rewards cards
- The best cards with car insurance benefits
- The best cards with airport lounge access benefits
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Going has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Going and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses, and recommendations are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of all of the card offers that appear on this page are from advertisers; compensation may affect how and where the cards appear on the site; and Going does not include all card companies are all available card offers.
