Best travel credit cards of December 2023

On top of an outstanding sign-up bonus, you get travel and purchase protections and a rewards program that earns points on both travel and everyday purchases, like online groceries and streaming services.

This is a great travel card for people with 2023 travel plans, as Chase recently updated its sign-up bonus to 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening. If you redeem these points for travel on Chase Ultimate Rewards, they're worth 1.25 cents each, making the whole bonus worth up to $750 in travel.

You’ll get up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays booked through Chase and your points are worth 25 percent more when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through the Chase travel portal. 

The Citi Premier® Card not only has a comparable sign-up bonus and the same annual fee as the Sapphire Preferred, but also covers even more everyday categories, including  supermarkets and gas stations, potentially making it a better fit as a standalone rewards card. 

This entry-level travel rewards card comes with a decent sign-up bonus, the chance to earn flat-rate miles on all purchases and the option to transfer miles to travel partners without owing an annual fee. (See Rates and Fees)

Occasional travelers looking to earn flexible travel rewards without paying an annual fee.

It offers an easy way to earn travel rewards, comes with a generous sign-up bonus and has several travel and purchase protections for a modest annual fee of $95. (See Rates and Fees)

Travelers who want to earn rewards at a flat rate on all purchases and enjoy flexibility in how they redeem their miles.

Get a credit worth up to $100 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® and transfer your miles to 15+ airline and hotel loyalty programs, often for a higher redemption value.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a higher rewards rate in some everyday spending categories and potentially more valuable points. Your points are worth 1.25 cents each if you redeem for travel through Chase, versus the 1 cent per mile value you’d get with the Venture.

If you can take advantage of all the high-value benefits packed in this card, it could be one of the most lucrative on the market. You’ll have a chance at a huge welcome offer, annual statement credits worth over $1,000 and access to Priority Pass Select lounges, Centurion lounges and Delta Sky Clubs (for Delta flights only).

Frequent travelers who enjoy luxury travel benefits and elite status.

Along with comprehensive lounge access, you can take advantage of an up to $200 airline fee credit, up to $200 in Uber Cash (benefit renews annually), an up to $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit and several other benefits.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers a taste of luxury at a much lower cost than the Amex Platinum. For a $395 annual fee, travelers unlock a generous travel rewards rate, a higher rewards rate on general purchases, complimentary Priority Pass and Capital One lounge access and valuable annual travel credits and anniversary miles (See Rates and Fees).

This card offers a great mix of practical, valuable perks, including complimentary lounge access and a high rewards rate for both travel and non-travel purchases. It also comes with a relatively low annual fee compared to other luxury travel cards. (See Rates and Fees)

Travelers looking to sample luxury benefits without paying over $400 in annual fees.

You’ll get $300 in annual credits for travel bookings made through Capital One Travel, 10,000 bonus miles each year on your account anniversary and access to over 1,300 Priority Pass lounges worldwide.

If a higher annual fee is no issue, consider the Platinum Card from American Express. It’s a top choice for frequent travelers thanks to its impressive welcome offer and luxury perks like annual travel credits, lounge access and hotel elite status.

This card does not charge foreign transaction fees and comes with valuable perks like rental car collision damage waiver coverage, roadside assistance and Visa Signature® Concierge benefits, which opens the door to additional features like access to Visa’s Luxury Hotel Collection.

This mid-level travel card earns rewards at a high rate on both travel and everyday spending, making it a great standalone rewards option. It also comes with an annual hotel credit that can offset the card’s annual fee on its own.

Occasional travelers who want to earn travel rewards on everyday purchases like groceries, gas and dining.

 You’ll earn a $100 statement credit when you book a single hotel stay of $500 or more through Citi. The card also carries no foreign transaction fees.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred boasts fewer everyday bonus categories, but it may offer more valuable rewards. Chase points are worth 25 percent more than Citi points when you redeem for travel through the Ultimate Rewards portal.

This card earns rewards not only on Hilton bookings, but also in several popular everyday spending categories. This makes it a solid standalone option for earning Hilton points even if you don’t spend a ton on travel.

As you might expect since it carries no annual fee, this card's perks are underwhelming, but it does come with automatic Hilton Honors Silver elite status, which unlocks benefits like a fifth night free on award stays and two free bottles of water per stay.

The Amex Green Card could be more flexible since it earns rewards on a much wider variety of travel purchases, including airfare and bookings with any hotel, not just Hilton. You can also redeem points to cover bookings with multiple airlines and hotels or even transfer points to outside loyalty programs, including Hilton Honors.

It offers high rewards rates and a ton of valuable perks for foodies and frequent travelers alike, including hundreds in annual dining, hotel and rideshare credits. These benefits make the card’s annual fee more than worth it.

Foodies and frequent travelers looking to earn rewards on everyday spending.

If the Amex Gold Card’s annual fee sounds high, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It carries key travel perks, high travel and dining rewards rates, and a much lower annual fee.

Unlike some travel rewards cards, this card lets you redeem rewards for more than just typical travel costs like airfare and hotels. You can also redeem points for statement credits to cover purchases at zoos, art galleries, aquariums, travel agencies and more.

Points don’t expire as long as your account remains open and you can redeem for bookings with any airline or hotel anytime without blackout dates. You can also redeem points for statement credits to pay for travel or dining purchases.

The Bilt Mastercard is another solid no-annual-fee travel card, but it stands out by earning points on rent payments and helping you avoid processing fees typically associated with paying rent with a credit card. You’ll also earn bonus points for dining and travel and, unlike many no-annual-fee cards, you can transfer your points to high-value airline and hotel partners.

You can easily justify this card’s annual fee given the value of the annual companion certificate perk. The card also earns rewards on restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases — two practical, popular categories — not just airfare.

Frequent travelers looking for a way to earn Delta SkyMiles and unlock a solid roster of Delta perks.

Along with the companion ticket, you can get up to $100 in statement credits to cover the cost of a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee, Delta Sky Club lounge access for $50 per person when flying Delta (effective 1/1/24, this benefit will no longer be available), trip delay insurance and more.

The Amex Green card could be a great alternative since it charges a lower annual fee ($150), lets you earn and redeem rewards on travel with any eligible airline (not just Delta) and offers credits for Loungebuddy lounge access and Clear Plus. You can even transfer points to Delta at a 1:1 ratio.

This card is a terrific choice for renters since it earns rewards and waives transaction fees when you use it to pay rent. It’s also a solid pick for beginner travelers since it offers high-value travel and dining points. Plus, it’s one of the few no-annual-fee cards to provide airline and hotel transfer partners — including American Airlines.

Long-term renters who want to earn travel rewards and minimize fees. It’s also a good fit for travelers who don’t like paying annual fees and can plan ahead. Since you earn double points on the first of every month for travel, dining and general purchases, you can earn outsized rewards not often found with other general-purpose travel cards. 

Along with stellar airline transfer partners, the Bilt card offers a solid collection of travel perks for a no-annual-fee card, including trip cancellation and interruption protection, trip delay reimbursement and other high-level travel protections.

Discover will match every mile you earn at the end of your first year. Depending on how much you spend, this could give you a chance at a higher bonus value than you’d get with any other no-annual-fee rewards card.

Travelers who value simplicity will appreciate this card’s straightforward rewards rate and flexible redemption.

While this card is light on perks, it’s one of the few no-annual-fee travel cards that lets you redeem miles for cash back, travel and more without worrying about redemption values. Many cards require you to sacrifice rewards value if you opt for cash back instead of travel.

The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card carries a more straightforward and still easy-to-reach welcome bonus. The VentureOne card also gives you the option of transferring miles to more than a dozen airline and hotel partners, which could increase the redemption value of your rewards.

It comes with a slew of valuable perks that can help offset the annual fee and make travel more enjoyable, including complimentary Priority Pass lounge access and annual credits for eligible restaurant purchases.

The one-time sign-up bonus and an annual chance to earn up to $100 in travel statement credits enhance the value of this simple travel rewards credit card.

Frequent travelers who are Bank of America Preferred Rewards members can make the most of this card since you can boost your rewards rate by 25 to 75 percent depending on your savings.

Receive up to $100 in annual statement credits on airline incidentals like seat upgrades and baggage fees, plus up to $100 in statement credits to cover the cost of a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee every four years.

The card comes loaded with short- and long-term value, including one of the most valuable sign-up bonuses on the market and a slew of perks, including annual travel credits and complimentary airport lounge access.

Frequent travelers who can take advantage of its top-of-the-line perks.

Points are worth 50 percent more when you redeem for travel with Chase and you can transfer 1:1 to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs. You’ll also unlock up to $300 in annual travel statement credits, access to over 1,300 Priority Pass airport lounges worldwide and up to $100 in statement credits every four years to cover the cost of Global Entry, NEXUS or TSA PreCheck.

The Capital One Venture X card offers some of the same key perks as the Sapphire Reserve at a much lower cost. Along with a generous rewards rate on both Capital One Travel and general purchases, the card boasts valuable, practical benefits like Priority Pass lounge access, up to $300 in annual Capital One Travel credits and 10,000 bonus miles every year on your account anniversary. 

You’ll earn rewards at an impressive rate in practical everyday categories like travel, dining and gas, which is rare for a card available with only fair credit.

The card comes with a sign-up bonus you can redeem for a $100 statement credit, gift cards or for travel.

If you don’t mind putting down a refundable security deposit, consider a no-annual-fee secured card like the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card*. It’s a unique secured card that lets you work on your credit score while earning rewards in a category of your choice (with travel just one of many popular options) as well as grocery stores and wholesale clubs.

The card’s biggest perk — 3,000 bonus points each year after your cardmember account anniversary — could hold enough value to offset most of the card’s annual fee.

Southwest frequent flyers looking for a low-maintenance airline rewards card. 

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card could offer better value overall, despite its $149 annual fee. It carries an annual $75 Southwest travel credit and 7,500 bonus points each year on your account anniversary — more than enough value to justify the higher fee.