A Guide to the Best Credit Cards for Travel

February 8, 2024

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Traveling affordably doesn’t have to be a distant dream; it can be your reality with the right credit card in hand. In this guide, we’ll embark on a journey through some of the best credit cards for accruing points, exploring the benefits of each, and unraveling the secrets to maximizing your travel adventures! First, let’s break down some of our favorite personal credit cards –

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (our overall favorite beginner travel card)

Annual Fee: $95

Current Promotion: Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Top Benefits:

3x Ultimate Rewards points on restaurants, select streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs). *Note this also excludes in-store grocery purchases.
2x Ultimate Rewards points on all travel purchases outside of the Chase Travel℠
$50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit
Free DashPass (when card used through DoorDash)
Primary rental car insurance when you pay with the card
Trip cancellation/interruption insurance (terms apply)

American Express® Gold Card (our favorite “everyday spending” card)

Annual Fee: $325 (rates & fees)

Current Promotion: You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. (Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.)

Top Benefits:

4x points at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1x
4x points at U.S. Supermarkets, on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x.
Up to $120 Restaurant Dining Credit – When you dine at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. (Enrollment required)
$120 Uber Cash on Gold: 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. Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit.
$100 Resy Credit: get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. (That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.)
$84 Dunkin’ Credit: With the $84 Dunkin’ Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Annual Fee: $95

Current Promotion: Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Top Benefits:

2x miles on every purchase
Up to $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Value

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Annual Fee: $395

Current Promotion: Limited Time Offer – Earn 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $10,000 in the first 6 months from account opening, equal to $1000 in travel

Benefits:

2x miles on all purchases
Unlimited access to the Capital One Lounge and at 1,300+ Priority Pass lounges worldwide
Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
$300 back annually for bookings through Capital One Travel

The Platinum Card® from American Express (our favorite “travel perks” card)

Annual Fee: $895 (rates & fees)

Current Promotion: You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. (Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.)

Top Benefits:

1x points on all purchases
Priority Pass + Centurion Lounge access. (Enrollment Required)
- - With American Express Global Lounge Collection® you can enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally, including The Centurion® Lounge, Unlimited Delta Sky Club® Access when flying an eligible Delta flight, Escape Lounges, Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass™ Select Lounges, & Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges subject to visit limitations. Lounges may have their own rules, like additional access rules and guest fees, and for Priority Pass Select, you need to enroll and there are unlimited airport lounge visits for Card Members. With Delta Sky Club Access, Card Members will receive 10 Visits to the Delta Sky Club to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card in a calendar year. To find a lounge, visit the membership section in the American Express® App or visit http://www.americanexpress.com/findalounge#/loungefinder.
$199 CLEAR® Plus Credit – Breeze through security with CLEAR® Plus at 100+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per year on your membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®. (Enrollment Required)
Up to $120 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck*
$200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
Up to $200 in airline fee statement credits per year after you select a qualifying airline and incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®. (Enrollment Required)
Up to $200 in hotel credits (enrollment required). Up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection booked with Amex Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®. (Enrollment Required) The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay
Up to $240 in digital entertainment credits issued in up to $20 in statement credits for select streaming services each month when you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card® (Enrollment Required)
Gold status with Marriott and Hilton (Enrollment Required)

*Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

Annual Fee: $229

Current Promotion: Earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Benefits:

3x points on all Southwest purchases
2x points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2x points on internet, cable, and phone services ; select streaming services
4 upgraded boardings per year
7,500 bonus points on your cardmember anniversary
25% back on in-flight drinks & wifi

Now that we’ve broken down our favorite personal credit cards, let’s dive into business credit cards –

Running a successful business demands not only strategic acumen but also the right financial tools to fuel growth. In this guide, we’ll navigate through some of the best business credit cards, dissecting their benefits and promotions. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or a budding business owner, these credit cards can be your trusted companions in unlocking a world of rewards.

Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

Annual Fee: $0

Current Promotion: Earn $750 bonus cash back when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening.

Benefits:

5% cash back on office supplies, internet, cable, and phone services (on first $25,000)
2% cash back on gas and dining (on first $25,000)
Free employee cards

Chase Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card

Annual Fee: $95

Current Promotion: Earn 90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Benefits:

3x points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping, internet, cable, and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites, and search engines each account anniversary year
Cell phone protection against theft or damage, up to $600 per claim, when you pay your cell phone bill with the card (terms apply)

Blue Business Cash® Card from American Express

Annual Fee: $0 (rates & fees)

Current Promotion: Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of card membership.

Benefits:

2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year (1% after)

American Express® Business Gold Card

Annual Fee: $375 (rates & fees)

Current Promotion: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Business Gold Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership. (Terms Apply)

Benefits:

4x Membership Rewards points on the two select categories where your business spent the most each billing cycle (up to first $150,000 spent in those categories, then 1x)
Up to $20 in monthly statement credits for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Annual Fee: $695 (rates & fees)

Current Promotion: Elevated Welcome Offer: Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Business Platinum Card^® within the first 3 months of Card Membership.

Benefits:

1.5x points on eligible purchases in key business categories, or on purchases of $5K or more. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus. (Terms and points cap apply)
The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market as of 10/2024. Access is limited to eligible Card Members.
Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points® on Flights, and Prepaid Hotels Booked through AmexTravel.com
1X points on other eligible purchases
$199 CLEAR® Plus Credit – Breeze through security with CLEAR® Plus at 100+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per year on your membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®. (Enrollment Required)
Up to $120 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck*
Up to $200 airline fee credit (Enrollment required) — Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees charged by your one selected, qualifying airline to your Card.
Unlock over $1,000 in annual statement credits on a curation of business purchases, including select purchases made with Dell Technologies, Indeed, Adobe, and U.S. wireless service providers.
Get 35% of your points back when you book a first or business class flight, or any flight with your selected airline, up to 500k points annually (Enrollment required)

Capital One Venture X Business

Annual Fee: $395

Current Promotion: Limited Time Offer – Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months

Benefits:

Receive complimentary Priority Pass membership with your Venture X Business card for you and 2 guests
10,000 bonus miles each year, starting on your first anniversary
10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and $300 in statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel

Accrue Wisely, Travel Lavishly

Accruing credit card points is a game-changer in the world of travel. It’s not just about the destinations you can reach but the experiences you can unlock. The ease of accruing points is remarkable – every purchase, from your morning coffee to your monthly bills, can contribute to your next adventure.

However, a crucial aspect of this game is responsibility. To truly make the most of credit card points, paying off your balance each month is non-negotiable. Accruing interest can quickly offset the benefits of your hard-earned points.

Unlocking the Value: Best Ways to Use Credit Card Points

Once you’ve accumulated a treasure trove of points, it’s time to set sail on the best redemption strategies. Check out our next blog, breaking down transfer partners, redemption techniques, and discussing how to best use your hard-earned points –> here!

Advertiser Disclosure

The Maxwells Travel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as MileValue.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Editorial Note

Content is not provided or commissioned by credit card issuers. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuers, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuers.