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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
| Card Name |
Best for |
Rewards rate |
Bankrate review score |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card |
Overall travel |
2x miles per every dollar spent |
4.7 / 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) |
| Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card |
Qualifying travel purchases |
1.5x points on qualifying purchases |
4.3 / 5
(Read full card review) |
| Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card |
Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit |
2x points for every $1 spent on travel and dining purchases; 1.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases |
4.6 / 5
(Read full card review) |
| Discover it® Miles |
Best first-year miles bonus |
1.5x miles for every dollar on all purchases |
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) |
| 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) |
What is the best credit card for travel?
The best credit card for travel will depend on what your spending habits and goals are. Travel credit cards allow cardholders to earn points or miles on a variety of purchases (typically travel-related but not always directly related) that you can redeem for travel bookings, statement credits, gift cards, and more.
The best travel credit cards do more than help you foot the bill for your next flight or hotel stay — they’ll also offer perks to upgrade your entire travel experience. Trip insurance, annual travel credits, concierge services and lounge access are all common benefits. Airline and hotel co-branded credit cards sometimes offer specific discounts and perks for loyalty customers.
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
Should you get a travel credit card during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Economic uncertainty stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant changes to the credit card landscape, especially travel cards. The travel industry was upended by restrictions that affected both international and domestic travel, as well as waves of canceled events.
Given the volatility of the last year, here are some things you should consider before getting a travel credit card right now:
Your travel habits
If you’re planning to travel frequently in the coming months, you could earn considerable rewards with a standard miles or points card. For those who don’t have immediate plans to get on the road or in the air, the value isn’t as apparent. People in the second group should consider a card that earns rewards not only on travel purchases but also on purchases not directly related to travel, such as groceries.
Your credit score
If your credit score is less than stellar, right now may not be the best time to apply for a travel credit card. A FICO Score below 670 could make it difficult to qualify. Most travel cards require a good to excellent score, and many issuers have responded to the economic downturn by tightening their approval standards. Before applying for a travel credit card, consider improving your credit score to increase your odds of approval.
Your current debt
If you have accumulated high-interest debt — on a credit card or any other type of credit account — consider paying it off before applying for a new card. Having less of your available credit tied up in debt can improve your creditworthiness, not to mention your overall financial health.
How do points and miles work on travel credit cards?
How miles work
Miles, sometimes called air 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.
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). If you want to stay updated on the value of your points and miles, The Points Guy tracks valuations on a monthly basis.
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.
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.
CardSmart: How to earn travel rewards for non-hotel stays
Airbnb and VRBO offer travelers the feeling of a home away from home, but that’s not all. You can also earn miles or points with these popular vacation rental options when you book your stay with a travel rewards card.
Bankrate has the resources to help you maximize your travel rewards:
Had to cancel your trip? Find out how to get a refund for an Airbnb cancellation.
Survey finds a lot of travel rewards are left on the table
If you’re not utilizing your travel rewards credit card to the fullest, you’re probably forfeiting travel rewards that could be worth hundreds of dollars every year.
That’s one of the conclusions from a Bankrate.com survey on American consumers’ preferred payment methods. Overall, the survey found that 55% of rewards credit cardholders who pay their bills in full each month fail to use their cards to pay for purchases that could be earning travel rewards. Their mistake is in using cash or a debit card instead of their rewards card.
Here are the percentages of people who paid with debit or cash instead of a rewards card, by category:
| Rewards category |
Paid with debit/cash |
| Groceries |
44% |
| Restaurants |
43% |
| Gas stations |
37% |
| Airfare |
15% |
| Hotel |
16% |
Neglecting to use a rewards card for airfare and hotel stays isn’t the only way of missing out. Some travel cards also earn miles or points for purchases that might not be directly related to travel, including groceries, restaurant meals and gas fill-ups that you buy without even leaving your hometown.
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.
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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