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In the News Today: Should I get a travel credit card that earns points, miles, or both?
Travel rewards can come in the form of airline miles or points. Whether you should choose a card that offers points or miles is a decision that depends greatly on your spending and travel habits and consumer preferences. Check out our recommendations in the full article by industry expert, Hanneh Gundersen.
A guide to choosing the best travel credit card
Anyone who travels can benefit from the rewards and perks that come with a travel credit card. With a little planning and careful budgeting, you can easily use your points or miles to help cover some of the costs of your next trip.
A travel rewards credit card can also provide:
- Benefits that make the journey more convenient, such as priority boarding
- Insurance against the unexpected, including trip cancellations and lost luggage
- A touch of luxury, with airport lounge access and room upgrades
Bankrate experts offer an in-depth look at the best travel credit cards available from our partners, as well as general advice on getting the very most out of your travel experience.
In this guide:
Compare the best travel credit cards of 2021
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card |
Overall travel |
2x miles per every dollar spent |
4.7 / 5
(Read full card review) |
| Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card |
Flexible travel miles with no annual fee |
1.25x miles per dollar on every purchase |
4.4 / 5
(Read full card review) |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred Card |
Your first travel card |
2x points per $1 spent on dining and travel;
1x points on everything else |
4.8 / 5
(Read full card review) |
| American Express® Gold Card |
Travel rewards on dining |
4X Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide (Annual Fee: $250) |
4.4 / 5
(Read full card review) |
| Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card |
Qualifying travel purchases |
1.5x points on qualifying purchases |
4.3 / 5
(Read full card review) |
| Discover it® Miles |
Best first-year miles bonus |
1.5x miles for every dollar on every purchase |
4.8 / 5
(Read full card review) |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express |
International travel |
5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (Annual Fee: $550) |
4.8 / 5
(Read full card review) |
| Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card |
Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit |
2x points on travel and dining purchases; 1.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases |
4.6 / 5
(Read full card review) |
| Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card |
Loyal Hilton customers |
6X points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations |
4.5 / 5
(Read full card review) |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® |
Best for extra points value |
3X points on dining and travel worldwide immediately after earning your $300 travel credit and 1X points on everything else |
5 / 5
(Read full card review) |
| Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card |
Multiple rewards categories |
3X points on: travel; gas stations, rideshares and transit; eating out and ordering in |
4.5 / 5
(Read full card review) |
| Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card |
Airline card with no annual fee |
2X miles at restaurants worldwide
2X miles on purchases made directly with Delta
1X miles per dollar on other eligible purchases (Annual Fee: $0) |
4.1 / 5
(Read full card review) |
| Capital One Spark Miles for Business |
Business travel |
2X miles back on every purchase |
4.2 / 5
(Read full card review) |
A closer look at Bankrate’s top travel credit cards
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Why it’s the best overall travel card
The Capital One Venture offers unlimited 2X miles per dollar on all purchases. On top of the steady rewards rate, the Venture offers a generous sign-up bonus and flexible redemption options. In a category with some formidable competitors, this card manages to stand out for value and the versatility of its transfer partner program.
Read our Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review.
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
Why it’s best for flexible travel miles with no annual fee
The VentureOne earns unlimited 1.25X miles per dollar on all purchases and offers the same flexible redemption options as its big sibling, the Capital One Venture, minus the $95 annual fee. Although the sign-up bonus and rewards rate are smaller, the lack of an annual fee makes this card a useful low-cost travel option.
Read our Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card review.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Why it’s best for your first travel card
If it’s your first time diving into travel rewards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred can help you make a big splash. You’ll earn 2X points per dollar on travel and dining (including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out) while enjoying flexible redemption options. Plus, redeeming for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® gives your points 25% more value.
Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review.
American Express® Gold Card
Why it’s best for travel rewards on dining
The rewards rate of 4X Membership Rewards points per $1 on dining at restaurants worldwide and Uber Eats purchases is exceptionally generous. High-earning categories also include 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com and 2X points on rental cars booked through amextravel.com. The annual fee is $250, but the rewards-earning potential and premium benefits provide ample opportunity to cover the cost.
Read our American Express® Gold Card review.
Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Why it’s best for qualifying travel purchases
Many cards have a narrow definition of travel expenses, but the Bank of America Travel Rewards card is an exception. Purchases redeemable for statement credits include zoos, art galleries, aquariums, travel agencies and more. Factor in the 1.5 points per $1 on all purchases and you should have plenty of opportunities to maximize this card’s value.
Read our Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card review.
Discover it® Miles
Why it’s best for earning unlimited miles
The card earns unlimited 1.5 Miles per $1 on all eligible purchases. With the Discover Match® bonus, Discover will match all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. That unlimited Mile-for-Mile bonus could set you up with an impressive amount of rewards to redeem toward travel after your one-year anniversary as a cardholder.
Read our Discover it® Miles review.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Why it’s best for international travel
International travel can mean spending a lot of time cooling your heels in the terminal. The Amex Platinum Card can help take the edge off waiting with access to the Global Lounge Collection. Lounge access, generous rewards rates, no foreign transaction fees and other features create lots of potential value to balance out the $550 annual fee.
Read our The Platinum Card® from American Express review.
Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card
Why it’s best for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
Time is money, as the saying goes. For travelers who prefer to save time with expedited security screenings, this card provides up to $100 in statement credits every four years for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. You’ll also earn 2x points on dining and travel along with 1.5x points on all other purchases and get up to $100 in Airline Incidental Statement Credits every year.
Read our Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card review.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Why it’s best for loyal Hilton customers
Travelers who make Hilton their first choice for lodging should consider making this card their first choice for hotel rewards. Eligible purchases on Hilton hotels and resorts earn 12X points per dollar (and that’s only one category of the card’s generous rewards program). Between rewards and perks, frequent Hilton guests have plenty of opportunity to offset the $95 annual fee.
Read our Read our Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card review.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Why it’s best for extra points value
High rewards rates in multiple categories make it easy to earn points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and things get really interesting when it’s time to redeem. You can boost the value of your points by 50 percent when you redeem for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal. Extra points value is just one quality that helps make the Chase Sapphire Reserve a travel cards all-star.
Read our Chase Sapphire Reserve® review.
How to choose a travel credit card
As with other types of cards, travel credit cards offer you a lot of variety to choose from. To zero in on which card might best fit your needs, consider the different categories of travel cards.
General travel cards
Issued by a credit card company, bank or other financial business, a general-purpose travel card typically offers the most flexibility for how you choose to travel and redeem your rewards. The easiest option is to redeem rewards directly through the issuer’s travel program, which ensures they’ll always have the same value. However, some cards also let you transfer rewards to the issuer’s travel partners (usually airlines and hotel chains but sometimes cruise lines as well).
Examples: Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card
Best for: Travelers who want flexibility in earning and redeeming their rewards and aren’t necessarily loyal to particular airlines or hotels
Co-branded airline cards
A travel card co-branded by an airline and a credit card issuer is known as airline rewards card. You can earn miles or points by using the card to book flights with the airline, make in-flight purchases and so on. You redeem the rewards through the airline’s loyalty program.
Examples: Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, United MileagePlus® Club Card
Best for: Travelers exclusively loyal to a certain airline
Co-branded hotel cards
A co-branded hotel credit card is similar to an airline card, except with a hotel chain instead of an airline. Likewise, using the card to book stays at the hotel’s properties earns points that you redeem through the hotel loyalty program.
Examples: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, Radisson Rewards™ Premier Visa
Best for: Travelers exclusively loyal to a certain hotel chain
Consumer travel cards and business travel cards
A number of general-purpose and co-branded cards offer two versions: one for personal travel and another for business travel. Like business credit cards in general, business travel cards tend to offer higher credit limits and rewards categories geared toward business expenses.
Examples: Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Best for: Business travelers who frequently travel outside of the country
How do points and miles work on travel credit cards?
How miles work
Miles work the same way as credit card points but differently from cash back. When you use miles to book travel directly through an airline or travel portal, the airline or issuer will assign a set number of award miles to each ticket. Some airlines have established award charts that give you insight into what each flight would cost in miles, but many have switched to a dynamic pricing model that bases award pricing on multiple factors, including seasonality and route popularity.
Learn more: How to earn frequent flyer miles
When you’re redeeming miles as a statement credit, they’re assigned a monetary value (typically 1 cent per point, though that isn’t the case with all issuers). Here are the monthly airline mile valuations for March from The Points Guy:
(Note – These valuations are not provided by card issuers.)
How points work
Credit card points are typically awarded on a 1:1 value basis, 1 point for every $1 spent. Some points cards can be tiered — meaning you’ll earn more for certain purchases than others — and some cards are flat-rate — meaning you’ll earn the same amount of points for every purchase you make with the card.
When it comes to redeeming your points, you can trade in your points for travel-related purchases, such as airline tickets, hotel stays, upgraded seats and airport lounge access, as well as merchandise, gift cards, and even, in some cases, you donate your points to make a charitable donation. Each issuer will offer a different redemption structure, so keep track of how many points you’ve earned and what that translates to when redeeming your points.
Speaking of keeping track, be aware that miles and points can expire. A Bankrate survey found that almost half of travel loyalty program members have let airline or hotel rewards expire at some point.
Make a point of knowing your card issuer’s policy on expirations and checking your online dashboard or printed monthly statement on a regular basis. If you don’t use your rewards before they expire, you’re essentially forfeiting money.
Here are the monthly hotel point valuations for March from The Points Guy:
(Note – These valuations are not provided by card issuers.)
Survey finds many cardholders missing out on rewards offers
With the coronavirus pandemic forcing travelers and restaurant-goers to become homebodies last year, credit card issuers responded by adjusting their rewards programs. However, many cardholders might be missing their chance at upgraded rewards on everyday purchases as opposed to traveling and dining out.
A recent Bankrate.com survey on American consumers’ preferred payment methods found that 31% of rewards credit cardholders who pay their bills in full each month didn’t redeem any rewards in 2020.
By not redeeming, cardholders failed to capitalize on changes to rewards programs adopted by many credit card issuers. For example, travel cards that normally earn their highest rates on purchases such as airfare and hotels expanded their rewards categories to include groceries, gas, take-out delivery or streaming services.
“Many credit card issuers leaned hard into groceries, food delivery, streaming services and other everyday categories in 2020, so it’s easier than ever to earn and burn rewards for routine expenses,” said Bankrate.com credit card analyst Ted Rossman.
Also, a number of issuers changed their redemption policies so that cardholders could receive better value for redeeming travel rewards as cash back.
So if you’ve let your travel rewards credit card gather dust or neglected to redeem any rewards, you might have left money on the table.
Should I get a travel credit card?
In most cases, it helps to be someone who regularly spends some money on travel, since travel purchases usually have the highest rewards rate. But you don’t have to be a frequent traveler to reap the benefits of a travel rewards card. A number of travel cards that offer good rewards rates on general purchases, too. So if you’re a very casual traveler, you may do best with a card like the Capital One Venture Rewards Card, which offers 2X miles per every dollar spent.
There is a travel card out there for every type of traveler. Once you have a better understanding of the type of traveler you are, you can seek cards with perks that will best benefit your situation.
In short, travel credit cards are worth it for:
Travel beginners
If you’re new to traveling, it might be best to start out with a card that offers simple yet flexible rewards. If you’re learning the ins and outs of points and miles, the last thing you need is a complicated rewards structure and redemption process. A luxury card with a steep annual fee might not be the best for your current situation.
Brand loyalists
Some people like to fly with the same airline whenever possible or stay at the same hotel brand wherever they go. If you are the same way, a brand-specific card will probably provide you with the best value. Most of the time, brand-specific cards have brand-related purchases as a bonus category and other perks for loyal customers.
Business travelers
Some of the most valuable travel credit cards are business cards. Whether you are a freelancer who travels a lot to meet new clients or the CEO of a Fortune 500, the right travel credit card can help you reap the rewards of everyday business purchases while helping you keep your personal and business expenses organized.
International travelers
If you travel out of the country for business or leisure frequently, consider opting for a card that doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee. And if you hate waiting in line at airport security or customs, there are a lot of travel cards that will provide reimbursement for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees, including the Capital One Venture and others.
Luxury travelers
If you’re really looking for a luxury travel experience, you need a top-tier travel card. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a well-rounded selection of perks and The Platinum Card® from American Express includes access to Centurion Lounges. While top-tier cards also tend to charge annual fees, you can compensate for the cost if you take full advantage of the trip insurance, travel credits and other perks.
CardSmart: Travel pro-tips for maximum value
Some travel cards provide all the value you’re looking for, but in some cases you might want to try a new wrinkle to make your travel dollar go even further. Here are some travel pro-tips on maximizing the value of your travel card and travel rewards:
Some cards go better together
Pairing a travel card with a cash back card or rewards card can create a lucrative combination. For instance, you can pair the Chase Sapphire Preferred with the Chase Freedom Unlimited and transfer points to the Sapphire Preferred for maximum value when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Look for second-stage benefits
A lot of travel card benefits are automatic, meaning that you become eligible when you sign up for the card. In some cases, though, you might be able to expand on an automatic benefit when you reach another eligibility threshold.
Here’s an example using the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. Cardholders get one free weekend night reward automatically. However, you can also earn a second free weekend night reward if you spend $15,000 with the card in a calendar year. And any free night awards you earn through the end of the year can be used on any night — not just weekend nights.
Remember to enroll and activate
Check your card’s terms and conditions to see which benefits require activation or enrollment. You might have to enroll online or call a toll-free number to enroll by phone.
For example, with The Platinum Card® from American Express, make sure to activate the Airline Fee Credit on the American Express website. You’ll also need to enroll on the Amex website for Hilton Honors Gold status and call 800-525-3355 for Marriott Bonvoy Gold status.
Is credit card travel insurance enough coverage?
There’s one school of thought that says you can never have enough insurance. When it comes to travel insurance, however, does the coverage included with certain credit cards provide adequate protection?
On the plus side, a number of credit cards offer travel insurance coverage to cardholders at no extra cost. Some of the best credit cards for travel insurance cover a number of potential mishaps, including
- Trip cancellation, delay or interruption
- Lost, damaged or delayed baggage
- Theft or collision damage involving rental cars
- Emergency medical or dental treatment
Depending on the card, your insurance coverage could range from the commonplace (roadside assistance for car trouble) to the catastrophic (emergency evacuations). If you feel that level of protection isn’t enough, though, you do have the option of buying additional travel coverage for a specific trip.
Supplement policies are available from large insurance carriers, smaller companies that specialize in travel insurance and travel agents. Just keep in mind that the additional coverage means additional cost. And like any type of insurance, including the coverage already offered by your credit card, supplemental travel insurance explicitly defines what’s covered and what isn’t. Review the coverage documents thoroughly before buying — and don’t make assumptions.
For those concerned about the coronavirus affecting their travel plans, you could be reimbursed for a trip cancellation if you receive a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. Again, everything depends on what your policy covers.
How we chose our list of top travel rewards cards
Bankrate evaluates credit cards on a 5-star system that factors in attributes such as annual fees, APR, rewards value and welcome bonuses. To make our list of best travel rewards cards, our writers and editors pay particular attention to:
Rewards structure
The best travel card for you will allow you to earn the most rewards for your specific spending habits. The cards in our lineup cover a variety of programs geared toward hotel lodging, dining, air travel costs and other factors. In general, the best travel cards reward you with two to three points per dollar on bonus categories.
Travel perks
The top travel rewards cards offer travel-specific benefits that take the hassle out of travel. Some perks we looked for are designed to save you money, including trip cancellation insurance, delayed baggage insurance, rental car insurance, checked bag discounts and travel credits. Other perks are all about making your experience more comfortable, such as airport lounge access, flight and hotel upgrades and concierge service.
Annual fees
Annual fees are common among travel credit cards, but our top picks that charge these fees make it easy to get your money’s worth. Some luxury cards with very high annual fees might be worth the expense for frequent travelers who put a premium on comfort.
Sign-up bonus
Though long-term value should always be weighed the most heavily, travel credit cards often come with sign-up bonuses that can be worth a flight or two. We highlight the most competitive offers so that, all other factors equal, the better sign-up bonus can help you make a decision.
Foreign transaction fees
Foreign transaction fees can make or break the value of a travel credit card, especially if you travel outside the country often. This fee typically tacks on an extra 3% to purchases made overseas, so our top-rated travel cards tend to be of the no-foreign-transaction-fee variety.
Travel insurance options
When it comes to travel, there’s nothing more important than peace of mind. By highlighting all of the added perks that a card offers — including the option for travel insurance — you’ll know about the protection you’re being offered before you apply.
Find out more about rewards cards for travelers
Senior Editor Barry Bridges has been writing about credit cards, loans, mortgages and other personal finance products for Bankrate since 2018. His work has also appeared on websites including Nasdaq.com, Zillow.com and The Simple Dollar. He was previously an award-winning newspaper journalist in his native North Carolina. Send your questions about credit cards (and fantasy baseball) to bbridges@bankrate.com.
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