Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards

The Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card (Review) is an excellent no-fee choice for general travel expenses, although hotels are its strong suit.

Check out the runners up below for some options that provide equal rewards for hotels, airlines, and other types of travel.

• 10X miles per dollar on purchases from Hotels.com/venture (until 01/31/20)
• 1.25X miles per dollar on all other purchases
• 20,000 bonus miles for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $200–$400 (assuming 1–2 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 20%–40%

The Venture miles you earn with this card are typically worth 1 cent each, but Capital One recently introduced the ability to transfer your miles to a variety of airline partners.

Transfers could provide 2 cents per mile or more, which would give you a cash back equivalent of 20% at Hotels.com (a very high rate!), and 2.5% everywhere else.

So, although this card’s base rewards are fairly small, it has valuable airline and hotel-related features that some travelers could find very useful.

• Point transfer: Transfer points to a dozen airline partners at a rate of either 2:1.5 or 2:1, depending on the airline.
• Luxury Hotel Collection: Get perks for eligible hotel stays, including a $25 food and beverage credit, room upgrades when available, complimentary in-room WiFi, and more.
• Visa Signature Concierge: Call any time for non-emergency assistance, like help making reservations or finding gifts.
• Purchase APR: 0% intro on purchases for 12 months, then 13.49% - 23.49% Variable
• No foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee: $0

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Review) makes a great first travel card.

It’s popular as an inexpensive and flexible way to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which can be transferred to a variety of travel loyalty programs. It has an excellent signup bonus which could be worth over $1,000, and it’s also known for being made out of metal.

• 5X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Lyft rides (through March 2020)
• 2X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on:
  • Travel
  • Dining at restaurants
• 1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar spent everywhere else
• 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points for spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $600–$1,200 (assuming 1–2 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 15%–30%

Use this card when you pay for travel or restaurants, whether you’re in the U.S. or traveling abroad.

You can get a 25% point bonus by redeeming for travel expenses through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards portal, which would give you a value of 1.25 cents per point. At that rate you’d be earning a cash back equivalent of 2.5% on travel purchases and dining.

But to maximize your point value you’ll need to transfer them to a partner airline or hotel. That could give you upwards of 2 cents per point, which comes to a cash back equivalent of 4% on travel and dining.

At 2 cents per point, the signup bonus of 60,000 points would be worth $1,200, quite a nice return on your spending. With travel cards like these it generally pays to hold your points until you can redeem them at a good rate; otherwise you should just pay with your card as normal to earn more points.

• Point transfer: Transfer points at a 1:1 rate to leading airline and hotel frequent travel programs, like Marriott Bonvoy or United MileagePlus.
• 15,000-point referral bonus: Get 15,000 points for every friend you refer who applies for the card and is approved, up to 75,000 bonus points per year.
• DoorDash membership: A free membership (DashPass) for at least a year, which provides free delivery for orders of $15 or more
• Luxury Hotel Collection: Book eligible rooms to get perks like daily breakfast for two, complimentary WiFi, room upgrades, early check-in, late check-out, and unique gifts.
• Shop through Chase/Chase Offers: Earn more points by shopping at participating retailers with the Shop through Chase and Chase Offers marketplaces.
• Visa Signature Concierge: Call to speak with your Visa Signature Concierge, any time, day or night.
• Premium Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: Get primary coverage on eligible rental vehicles so your premiums won’t go up after an accident.
• Annual fee: $95

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Review) is the better (and more expensive) cousin of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

It earns points at higher multiples for dining and travel, has a better redemption bonus, and comes with a variety of perks and services that can help you save money and access interesting experiences.

• 10X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Lyft rides (through March 2020)
• 3X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on:
  • Travel (after using the full $300 travel credit)
  • Dining
• 1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar spent on all other purchases
• 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points for spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $500–$1,000 (assuming 1–2 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 12.5%–25%

The Sapphire Reserve provides a 50% point bonus when redeeming for travel expenses through the Ultimate Rewards portal, which would make your points worth 1.5 cents each. That’d give you a cash back equivalent of 4.5% on travel and dining purchases, which isn’t too bad.

But the best way to use Ultimate Rewards points is to transfer them to a partner airline or hotel loyalty program. That could give you 2 cents per point or potentially quite a bit more, depending on how you use them.

At 2 cents per point you’d be earning a cash back equivalent of 6% on travel and dining, which is pretty competitive with the best credit cards.

• Point transfer: Transfer your points at a 1:1 rate to a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs, like United, JetBlue, and Marriott.
• $300 annual travel credit: A $300 travel credit every year that will be automatically applied toward a broad range of travel-related expenses charged to the card.
• Priority Pass Select membership: Provides access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide plus a selection of restaurants. The cardholder and two guests can enter for free; additional guests cost $32 each.
• Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection: Provides complimentary services and benefits at participating hotels and resorts, including room upgrades, daily breakfast for two, and special gifts.
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Application Fee Credit: Get a statement credit to offset the cost of applying for Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85), once every four years.
• Elite Hotel Benefits at Relais & Châteaux: Accelerated progress toward Club 5C member status with Relais & Châteaux luxury hotel and resort properties.
• Visa Infinite Concierge: Call for non-emergency help of all kinds, like making dinner reservations or finding good tickets to a show.
• Special Car Rental Privileges: Rental upgrades, discounts, and promotional offers at Avis, Silvercar, and National Car Rental.
• Lyft Pink membership: One free year of Lyft Pink, which includes 15% off rides, relaxed cancellations, surprise offers, and priority airport pickup.
• DoorDash membership: A free membership (DashPass) for a year, which provides free delivery for orders of $15 or more.
• $60 annual DoorDash credit: Get $60 in DoorDash credits in 2020, and $60 in credits in 2021.
• Shopping and Travel protections: You’ll get Purchase Protection, a Primary Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Trip Delay Reimbursement, and more.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee: $550

When it comes to lounge access, there’s really no beating The Platinum Card® from American Express (Review) and its Global Lounge Collection.

There are quite a few cards offering the popular Priority Pass Select membership, but the Platinum card grants access to that along with a host of other lounge brands, including Delta Sky Clubs and Amex’s own exclusive Centurion lounges.

See everything you get with the Global Lounge Collection here.

It’s worth noting that the Platinum card’s Priority Pass Select membership excludes non-lounge experiences, though they’re still offered through competing premium cards, like the Sapphire Reserve.

The business version of this card provides the same excellent lounge access, though some other card features are different: The Business Platinum® Card from American Express (Review).

Premium credit cards aren’t your only options for lounge access; check out the full marketplace of Credit Cards that Provide Airport Lounge Access.

• 5X Membership Rewards points per dollar on:
  • Flights booked directly through airlines or through American Express Travel
  • Prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel
• 2X Membership Rewards points per dollar on other eligible travel expenses booked through American Express Travel
• 1X Membership Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
• 60,000 Membership Rewards points for spending $5,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $600–$1,200 (assuming 1–2 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 12%–24%

Normal redemptions for flights will yield 1 cent per point, which is a poor way to use your rewards. It would be better to save up for point transfers, which could provide upwards of 2 cents per point.

At 2 cents per point you’d earn a cash back equivalent of 10% in the 5X categories. But take note that those bonus categories are a bit limited compared to what you’ll get from some other premium travel cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Review) or Citi Prestige® Card (Review).

• $200 annual airline fee credit: Good for incidental costs like checked bags and inflight food (not flight tickets) at your selected airline.
• $200 annual Uber credits: $15 in statement credits for Uber rides each month, except for December which gets $35.
• $100 annual Saks credits: Up to $100 in statement credits each year for Saks Fifth Avenue: $50 from January through June, and $50 from July through December.
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: A statement credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100 every four years) or TSA PreCheck ($85 once every four and a half years).
• The Hotel Collection: A $100 hotel credit and room upgrades when available for every eligible two-night stay.
• Fine Hotels & Resorts: Daily breakfast for two, room upgrades when available, amenities valued at $100, and more at eligible properties.
• Complimentary elite hotel statuses: Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold status.
• No foreign transaction fees
  
• Annual fee: $550
• Charge card: You must pay your balance in full each month.

Frequent travelers have had a long-lasting love affair with the Citi Prestige® Card (Review).

This card offer is unique for its fourth night free on hotel stays of four nights or more, a valuable perk that could help you save hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year, if you stay at high-end properties.

The Prestige used to be a powerhouse because you could use that benefit as often as you wanted, but now it’s capped at two uses per year.

This new limitation is a bit of a downer, but most people shouldn’t mind too much because Citi stated that the average cardholder didn’t use that perk more than twice per year anyway.

• 5X ThankYou points per dollar spent on:
  • Air travel
  • Restaurants
• 3X ThankYou points per dollar spent on:
  • Hotels
  • Cruise lines
• 1X ThankYou point per dollar spent on everything else
• 50,000 ThankYou points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $500–$1,000 (assuming 1–2 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 12.5%–25%

ThankYou points are only worth 1 cent each when redeeming for past travel expenses, and so, like with many travel cards, the best way to use your rewards is a point transfer.

Citi has a variety of airline travel partners, but unfortunately there are no hotel partners. You’ll find some popular and some less-popular airlines, and point values could reach 2 cents per point or higher.

At 2 cents per point, you’d be earning a cash back equivalent of 10% in the 5X categories, and 6% in the 3X categories. That’s as good or better than what you’ll get from other top travel cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express (Review) and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Review).

• Point transfer: To a variety of frequent flyer programs, including Etihad Guest, JetBlue TrueBlue, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
• Annual $250 travel credit: Good for airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, and other travel expenses.
• Complimentary 4^th Night Stay: Get your fourth night free when booking four nights in a row through ThankYou.com and paying with your card, ThankYou points, or a combination of both. Capped at twice per year.
• Priority Pass Select membership: Access to over 900 Priority Pass airport lounges and restaurants around the world.
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: A credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85), once every five years.
• Citi Prestige Concierge: Call for non-emergency help any time you need it.
• World Elite Car Rental Program: Elite memberships at Avis, Silvercar, and National.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee: $495

You can get a lot out of the Hilton Honors Aspire Card if you’ll stay at Hilton properties several times per year. You’ll be able to earn lots of points, and there are a variety of hotel credits and perks to make your stays less expensive and more enjoyable.

See The Best Hotel Credit Cards for more hotel cards for different travel brands.

• 14X Hilton Honors Bonus points per dollar for eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio
• 7X Hilton Honors Bonus points per dollar for:
  • Flights booked on Amex Travel or directly with airlines
  • Car rentals from select companies
  • U.S. restaurants
• 3X Hilton Honors Bonus points per dollar for all other purchases
• 150,000 Bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $600–$1,500 (assuming 0.4–1 cent per point)
  • Return on spend: 15%–37.5%

You can earn tons of Hilton points per dollar with this card, but Hilton points aren’t usually valued as highly as points with other hotel reward programs.

At a value of 0.4–1 cent per point, you’ll be earning a cash back equivalent of 13.6–34% at Hilton properties, and 2.8–7% in the three 7X categories.

• Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status: With a 100% bonus on Base points, digital check-in, gym access, and more.
• $250 annual Hilton resort statement credit: Good for charges from Hilton resorts.
• $100 Hilton on-property credit: Good for incidental charges at participating Hilton properties, for every eligible stay of two-nights or more.
• $250 annual airline cee credit: Good for incidental airline fees, not ticket prices.
• Two annual Weekend Night Rewards: One free weekend night per year, and you can earn an additional night by spending $60,000 in a given year.
• Priority Pass Select membership: Complimentary airport lounge access for you and up to two guests. Additional guests cost $32 per person. Excludes non-lounge experiences.
• Personal Concierge: Call for assistance with a variety of tasks, like making reservations at restaurants or for travel.
• Purchase and Travel protections: Like Premium Roadside Assistance, Travel Accident Insurance, and Return Protection.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee: $450

The United MileagePlus® Club Card (Review) is the premier card for flying United, with perks like access to the United Club lounge, free first and second checked bags, and priority treatment at the airport.

See The Best Airline Credit Cards for more airline cards for different travel brands, or learn more about the other co-branded cards available from United.

• 7X miles per dollar for United Airlines purchases
  • 5X miles per dollar or more as a United member
  • 2X miles per dollar from the card
• 1.5X miles per dollar spent everywhere else
• 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $500–$750 (assuming 1–1.5 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 16.67%–25%

This card isn’t too valuable when it comes to spending rewards — only providing a cash back equivalent of about 7%–10.5%. The real value of this card comes mainly from the airline perks.

• United Club membership: Complimentary membership to the United Club airport lounge, with free access for you and two guests.
• Premier Access airport travel services: Includes priority check-in and security screening, and boarding/baggage handling privileges.
• Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection: Hotel perks like daily breakfast for two, complimentary WiFi, and room upgrades when available.
• World of Hyatt Discoverist status: A 10% point bonus, room upgrades, and other benefits at Hyatt properties.
• Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle Elite Status: Get a 25% point bonus, upgrades, and exclusive offers at Hertz.
• Complimentary Premier Upgrades on United award flights: MileagePlus Premier members can get award ticket upgrades when available.
• Free first and second checked bags: For you and one traveling companion on United flights.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee: $450

If you’ll be traveling outside the U.S., you’ll probably want a credit card or two with Chip-and-PIN capability.

Most cards in the U.S. are only Chip-and-Signature, and, although many checkout terminals in foreign countries accept both Signature and PIN cards, some terminals only accept PIN cards (like some automated kiosks in Europe and other regions). So if you’re looking for the best credit cards for international travel it’s useful to have some Chip-and-PIN cards in the mix.

A few U.S. credit card issuers offer Chip-and-PIN cards (see a full list here), and out of those options it’d be tough to beat the Citi Prestige® Card (Review). Although this premium credit card is known for its fourth night free perk on hotel stays, its PIN capability will come in handy while traveling abroad.

If these bonus categories and benefits aren’t very appealing, check out the runners up below for some other PIN card options with different features, including some cards without annual fees.

• 5X ThankYou points per dollar spent on:
  • Air travel
  • Restaurants
• 3X ThankYou points per dollar spent on:
  • Hotels
  • Cruise lines
• 1X ThankYou point per dollar spent on everything else
• 50,000 ThankYou points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $500–$1,000 (assuming 1–2 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 12.5%–25%

Your ThankYou points will be worth from 1 cent to potentially over 2 cents each, depending on how you redeem them. Point transfers will be your best option.

At a rate of 1–2 cents per point, you’d be earning a cash back equivalent of 5%–10% in the 5X categories, and 3%–6% in the 3X categories.

• Point transfer: To a variety of airline loyalty programs, including Etihad Guest, JetBlue TrueBlue, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• Annual $250 travel credit: Good for airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, and other travel expenses
• Complimentary 4^th Night Stay: Get your fourth night free when booking four nights in a row through ThankYou.com and paying with your card, ThankYou points, or a combination of both. Capped at twice per year.
• Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership: Access to over 900 Priority Pass airport lounges and restaurants around the world
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: A credit for the application fee of either Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85), once every five years
• Citi Prestige Concierge: Call for non-emergency help any time you need it.
• World Elite Car Rental Program: Elite memberships at Avis, Silvercar, and National
• No foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee: $495

Student travelers actually have several good options here, of travel cards designed for people with limited credit histories.

The Bank of America Cash Rewards™ Credit Card for Students (Review) is the best all-around student card for travel, but you’ll need to plan your travel spending a bit in advance to get the most out of it. That’s because this card allows you to choose your 3% bonus category each month, and you’ll need to set it to Travel for the appropriate time frame before making purchases.

• 3% cash back in your choice of one category every month:
  • Gas
  • Online shopping
  • Dining
  • Travel
  • Drugstores
  • Home improvement/furnishings stores
• 2% cash back at:
  • Grocery stores
  • Wholesale clubs
• 1% cash back for everything else
• $200 cash bonus for spending $1,000 in the first 90 days
  • Return on spend: 20%

Take note that your 3% and 2% cash back categories are limited to the first $2,500 in combined spending per quarter; after that you’ll earn 1% back.

With this flexible card you can adjust your bonus category each month to fit your expected spending. So if you’re going on a trip beginning at the end of a month, for example, you could use the Travel category to get 3% back on your airfare and hotels, and even a car rental. Then, when the new month begins, you can switch your category to Gas to help fuel your adventure.

• Bank of America Preferred Rewards: Eligible bank account holders get a 25–75% bonus on rewards earned, depending on how much money is held in BofA bank accounts.
• Free credit score: Check your FICO Score 8 for free, based on your TransUnion credit report.
• Visa Platinum or Signature benefits: Depending on creditworthiness
• Purchase and Balance Transfer APR: 0% for 12 months, then 16.24%–26.24%Variable
• Foreign transaction fee: 3%
  
• Annual fee: $0