17 Best travel credit cards of September 2023

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.