Best Travel Credit Card. Do you begin planning your next summer break as soon as you come back from the previous one? Or are you frequently on the road for business? Travel credit cards can be an excellent way to earn rewards while traveling the world.
Do you, however, fit the profile of someone who ought to carry a travel rewards card? These cards frequently have annual fees. And their reward programs are targeted toward a select group of individuals who travel frequently.
We evaluated the travel credit card market to assist you in selecting the Best Travel Credit Card for you, whether you want to receive points for your travel or have spent to earn free travel.
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Travelers Seeking Rewards vs. Spenders Seeking Travel
Before you apply for a new travel rewards credit card, consider why you need this type of financial card in the first place.
Generally, there are two types of customers who would benefit the most from a travel rewards card:
Travelers Seeking Rewards
These people are constantly on the move, whether for pleasure or work. As a result, they’re looking for a way to profit from their travel by using a credit card that rewards them for items like miles flown or hotel nights stayed. In this article, we’ll look at brand-specific cards in addition to cards geared more particularly toward business travel.
Spenders Seeking Travel
These people want to travel more and thus want to receive travel-related rewards with their daily expenses. They are searching for a way to earn a free or reduced vacation by spending money on things such as groceries and gas. In this article, we’ll look at credit cards that offer miles as well as travel rewards points for everyday purchases.
The Top Credit Cards for Travel Rewards
We spent hours researching and evaluating the market for these cards. Furthermore, to travel rewards programs, we considered welcome bonuses, annual fees, introductory annual percentage rates (APRs), and bonus categories when compiling this list.
Most consumers, we believe, should avoid credit cards with relatively high fees. As a result, we paid special attention to annual fees for these rankings.
Best Travel Credit Card – Discover it® Miles
- There is no annual fee.
- Travel Benefits Highlights: You’ll earn 1.5 miles for every dollar spent, with no spending or category restrictions.
- Promotional Offers: During the first 14 months of card membership, there is a 0% APR on new purchases. Following that, the variable APR will range from 12.24% to 23.24%, depending on creditworthiness.
- Top Benefits: At the end of the first year, Explore will offer you a mile-for-mile reward match on all of your spendings.
- Why Do We Like It? The lavish match at the end of the initial year makes this simple and direct miles card the most appealing. For example, if you spend $10,000 on your card in the first year, you’ll get 30,000 miles.
Best Travel Credit Card – Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Annual Cost: $95
- Rewards Program Highlights: Every purchase earns you unlimited 2x miles.
- Promotional Offers: Spend $4,000 in purchases during the first 3 months of account opening to earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 Miles, which is equivalent to $750 in travel.
- Top Benefits: When you use the card, you can get up to a $100 credit for Global Entry as well as TSA PreCheck.
- Why Do We Like It? If you travel frequently, you should consider getting Global Entry and/or TSA PreCheck. The $95 annual fee is offset by receiving one of those for free with this card. Furthermore, the streamlined points structure allows you to earn miles on everyday expenses.
Best Travel Credit Card – Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card
- There is no annual fee.
- Highlights of Travel Rewards: Earn an unlimited 1.5 points for each dollar spent on all purchases.
- Introductory Offers: 0% APR on purchases made for the first 18 months (after that, the variable APR will range from 16.24% to 26.24%, depending on creditworthiness), plus 25,000 extra points for spending $1,000 or more within the first ninety days of account opening.
- Top Benefits: There are no foreign transaction fees, and you can earn more rewards thru the Preferred Rewards program.
- Why We Like It: This is another simple travel card that does not require an annual fee. If you don’t like Discover’s end-of-year miles match, you can find an alternative bonus here to go with your 1.5 points per dollar spent.
Best Travel Credit Card – Citi Premier® Card
- Annual Cost: $95
- Travel Benefits Highlights include a threefold increase in 5 major spending categories: Hotel stays, air travel, gas stations, supermarkets, and restaurants.
- Promotional Offers: Spend at least $4,000 during the first 3 months of card membership to earn 80,000 ThankYou® Points. When 80,000 points are redeemed at thankyou.com, they are worth $800 in gift cards.
- Top Benefits: Every year, you can get $100 off a $500 or more hotel stay if you book through Citi’s thankyou.com.
- Why We Like It: The number of budget items that allow you to earn triple points is noteworthy. And they correspond exactly to the type of spending that a person with a travel card might do. If you plan one major trip per year, you can recoup your $95 annual fee with the annual $100 credit offer.
The bottom line
Best Travel Credit Card offers rewards that can help you travel to the most desirable locations on the planet. It’s easy to understand why they’re so popular.
