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Travel credit cards

Q: What kinds of travel credit cards can I get?

Travel credit cards generally fall into two categories — flexible-use cards and co-branded cards . Flexible-use cards allow you to redeem your earned rewards for a number of different travel expenses, giving you the ability to hop between participating travel brands for the best or most convenient deal. Some of these cards may require you to redeem your points through an issuer-branded travel rewards program, but others allow you to make any eligible travel purchase you like and then redeem your points via statement credit. Co-branded cards are issued by specific companies, like an airline or hotel, in partnership with one of the credit card issuers. These cards feature the names of those brands and reward members loyal to them. Rewards can often be redeemed only for travel expenses with the advertised airline or hotel (and sometimes its participating partners). This system is usually less flexible, but it might come with potentially valuable perks, such as preferred treatment at the airport or automatic hotel status. Neither type of card is inherently better than the other — it all depends on what you value most in your rewards and perks.

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CK Editors’ Tips††: A great travel credit card comes with great rewards, valuable perks and the opportunity to maximize your value overall.

What to consider when choosing a travel credit card
Travel credit cards can come with high annual fees, but that upfront cost shouldn’t always scare you off. Consider how your spending matches up with a card’s bonus categories, how often you’ll use the card’s perks and how often you’re likely to redeem your points for travel. In many cases, getting a card with a higher annual fee can be the smarter financial decision.

How we picked the best travel credit cards
The best travel credit cards offer clear value for your spending, whether via rewards or perks. We looked at bonus rates, perks and the overall value of each rewards program to determine which cards offer the most features for the annual fee. Read more about our methodology for picking the best credit cards.

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Great for maximizing travel rewards††

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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Great for maximizing travel rewards††

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

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Rewards rate
1x - 5x
Points per dollar
Annual fee
$95
Welcome bonus
60,000
Points
Editors' bonus estimate
$834

Rewards rate

1x - 5x Points per dollar

Annual fee

$95

Welcome bonus

60,000 Points

Editors' bonus estimate

$834

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Enjoy beneﬁts such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.

Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
Member FDIC

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Hear from our editors: The best travel rewards credit cards of March 2025

Updated March 3, 2025

This date may not reflect recent changes in individual terms.

Editorial Note: Intuit Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our third-party advertisers don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. Information about financial products not offered on Credit Karma is collected independently. Our content is accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted.

Written by: Tim Devaney

The best travel credit cards can make your trip more enjoyable.

Whether you’re looking for lots of points, lounge access or a way to save money when you travel, we think one of these cards is a good bet to meet your needs.

Best for premium rewards: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Best for luxury perks: Platinum Card® from American Express
Best for entry-level travel: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Best for simple rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Best for budget travel: Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card
Best for no annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Best for airlines: United℠ Explorer Card
Best for hotels: Hilton Honors American Express Card

Best for premium rewards: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Here’s why: The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of the most valuable travel rewards card on the planet — as long as the $550 annual fee doesn’t scare you away.

First, you’ll earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases during the first 3 months after you open the account. When you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠, that bonus is worth $900. But you could get an even better value by transferring them to one of Chase’s hotel or airline partners.

Plus, the flexible $300 annual travel credit helps offset the high annual fee. You’ll also get access to airport lounges with a Priority Pass Select membership and a $120 statement credit when you apply for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS.

The ongoing rewards offer value, as well. You’ll earn five points per $1 on flights and 10 points per $1 on hotels and rental cars purchased through Chase Travel℠, plus three points per $1 on all other travel (all bonuses earned after you use the $300 travel credit). The card also offers 10 points per $1 on Chase Dining purchases and three points per $1 on other restaurant purchases, including eligible delivery and takeout. You’ll also earn one point per $1 you spend on all other purchases.

If you want more info on getting the most bang for your buck, check out our review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Best for luxury perks: Platinum Card® from American Express

Here’s why: If you’re looking for extra comfort when you travel, take a look at the Platinum Card® from American Express.

The $695 annual fee might be mind-boggling for some folks, but it will get you access to some of the best airport lounges around the world, including The Centurion® Lounge network.

You’ll also be pampered at certain hotels with room upgrades, early check-in, late check-out, and credits for spa treatments, resort activities and dining (when available).

To learn more, check out our review of the Platinum Card® from American Express.

Best for entry-level travel: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Here’s why: If you want to start traveling more often, but you’re not ready to commit to paying an expensive annual fee, you’ll appreciate that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which is a great travel card, charges a very affordable $95 annual fee.

For the $95 annual fee, you’ll earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases during the first 3 months after you open your account.

When you redeem through Chase Travel℠, that welcome bonus is worth $750. But what really sets the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card apart is the ability to transfer your points to a handful of Chase’s hotel and airline partners, where that bonus could be worth more. For the typical cardholder, we estimate the sign-up bonus to be worth $834, according to our standard point valuations.

While it doesn’t offer some of the fancy perks you might find on higher-end cards, the sign-up bonus alone should be enough to pay for the flight on your next adventure.

Check out our review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to see if its other features fit your needs.

Best for simple rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Here’s why: If you want to earn rewards but prefer a straightforward rewards system over a more complicated program, then the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card makes things simple.

You’ll earn two miles for every $1 you spend, plus five miles per $1 spent on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

And redeeming your miles is just as easy as earning them. While Capital One does have its own travel portal, there’s no need to use it to book your trip. Instead, within 90 days of making a travel purchase with your card, you can go back and redeem your miles for a statement credit.

You’ll also get $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first year as a card holder, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases during the first 3 months after your account opens.

The card has a $95 annual fee.

Check out our review of Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card to learn more.

Best for budget travel: Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card

Here’s why: There are numerous ways to get your money’s worth out of the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card.

You’ll earn 60,000 bonus points (worth $600) after spending $4,000 on purchases during the first 90 days after your account opens. You’ll also score two points for every $1 you spend on travel and dining purchases, and 1.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.

If you’re on a budget, you should know there’s a $95 annual fee — but it’s offset each year by the $100 airline incidental statement credit that you can use to pay for things like seat upgrades, lounge access, baggage fees and in-flight purchases.

Once every four years, you’ll also receive a statement credit of up to $100 toward a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.

Take a look at our review of the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card to learn more.

Best for no annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Here’s why: The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card charges no annual fee.

You’ll earn 25,000 online bonus points (worth $250 in statement credit toward travel or dining purchases) after spending $1,000 on purchases during the first 90 days after account opening. You’ll also earn 1.5 points for every $1 you spend on all purchases.

That might not seem like a lot compared to some of the other travel cards on this list, but few flexible travel cards offer this much value for no annual fee.

Best for airlines: United℠ Explorer Card

Here’s why: The United℠ Explorer Card can help you earn award flights — and possibly make your trip more comfortable.

You can earn 50,000 bonus miles with the card after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

The card could also make for a more convenient airport experience. You’ll receive a free checked bag, priority boarding, two one-time passes to the United Club℠ each year, and 25% back on United in-flight purchases for food and drinks.

For its $95 annual fee (which is waived the first year), the United℠ Explorer Card also reimburses you up to $120 for the cost of applying for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus, which can help you breeze through airport security.

You can learn more in our review of the United℠ Explorer Card.

Best for hotels: Hilton Honors American Express Card

Here’s why: The Hilton Honors American Express Card is a very rewarding hotel credit card, and it comes with a $0 annual fee.

You’ll start off with a huge welcome bonus: 70,000 Hilton Honors bonus points, plus a Free Night Reward, after spending $2,000 on purchases during the first 6 months from account opening.

You’ll also earn …

7 points for every $1 you spend at Hilton
5 points per $1 at U.S. gas stations, U.S. restaurants and U.S. supermarkets — excluding superstores and warehouse clubs
3 points per $1 on all other purchases

The card comes with complimentary Silver status, which features several useful benefits.

For more details, read our review of the Hilton Honors American Express Card.

How to make the most of the best travel rewards cards

To get the most value out of a travel rewards card, start by looking at your travel and spending habits. Try to answer each of these four questions.

How often do you travel? Even the best travel rewards cards won’t do you any good if you never leave home. So it stands to reason that you’ll need to travel every now and then to get your money’s worth out of a travel card.
Do you spend enough to earn the sign-up bonus? Figure out how much money you spend on a regular basis. You’ll be better off with a travel card that offers an attainable sign-up bonus than a travel card that carries a spending requirement that breaks your budget. We never recommend spending more money just to earn a sign-up bonus.
Will you actually use the travel credits? Some travel credits are easier to use than others. Take a close look at the requirements to make sure you qualify. For example, does the airline credit cover the price of your airfare or only incidental fees like checked bags? If you already get free checked bags through another card, an airline incidental fee credit might not make much of a difference when you fly.
Does the card charge any foreign transaction fees? A travel card that charges foreign transactions fees won’t do you much good on international trips.

How we picked the best travel rewards cards

To find the best travel rewards cards, we thought about different types of travelers.

For luxury travelers, we focused on finding a combination of experience and value. But other travelers might be more sensitive to upfront costs and overall prices, so we tried to choose several cards that balance a reasonable fee with quality rewards.

Instead of picking a one-size-fits-all travel card, we picked a handful of travel cards that meet the needs of different types of travelers, all while keeping categories broad enough to apply to a wide range of readers.

About the author: Tim Devaney is a personal finance writer and credit card expert at Credit Karma. He’s a longtime journalist who prides himself on being a good storyteller who can explain complex information in an easily digestible wa… Read more.

FAQ: Editors’ answers

Editorial Note: Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors' opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted. Read our Editorial Guidelines to learn more about our team.

A travel rewards card typically offers points or miles for your qualifying purchases. Generally, you earn more rewards as you spend more. Some of these cards offer a base rewards rate for all your purchases, or they may offer a higher rewards rate for the purchases you make in bonus categories.

You can then redeem your rewards points or miles toward travel expenses like flights and hotel stays, or perhaps for other items like cash back or gift cards. These cards may offer other benefits and perks, too, but the ability to redeem your rewards toward travel is the most consistent trait across all travel rewards cards.

Travel credit cards generally fall into two categories — flexible-use cards and co-branded cards.

Flexible-use cards allow you to redeem your earned rewards for a number of different travel expenses, giving you the ability to hop between participating travel brands for the best or most convenient deal. Some of these cards may require you to redeem your points through an issuer-branded travel rewards program, but others allow you to make any eligible travel purchase you like and then redeem your points via statement credit.

Co-branded cards are issued by specific companies, like an airline or hotel, in partnership with one of the credit card issuers. These cards feature the names of those brands and reward members loyal to them. Rewards can often be redeemed only for travel expenses with the advertised airline or hotel (and sometimes its participating partners). This system is usually less flexible, but it might come with potentially valuable perks, such as preferred treatment at the airport or automatic hotel status.

Neither type of card is inherently better than the other — it all depends on what you value most in your rewards and perks.

The credit scores and histories needed to qualify for a travel credit card differs between issuers (and sometimes between applications), but you may need good or excellent credit to be approved for a rewards credit card.

But good credit scores don’t guarantee approval. Premium cards with high annual fees may be more selective, and less exclusive cards also use their own systems to determine who’s worth approving.

If you’re a Credit Karma member, consider consulting your Approval Odds when shopping on Credit Karma to gauge your likelihood of getting a particular card. While your Approval Odds aren’t a guarantee that you’ll be approved for a card, they might give you a better sense of how likely you are to end up with your preferred choice.

A travel credit card with an annual fee is often worth it, even if that fee runs several hundreds of dollars. It just depends on how you plan to use the card, and how much value you can get out of it.

To figure out whether it’s worth it to pay an annual fee for a travel card, consider how you plan to use the card and what it offers to help offset that cost. For instance, if a card offers travel credits or specific perks, think about how often you’ll actually use those features. Similarly, if the card features bonus points for purchases in particular categories, take a look at your spending habits to see if you’ll be able to earn a lot of points. And if there’s a sign-up bonus, consider if it offers much value and whether you can earn it without stretching beyond your budget.

Plus, remember that value is not the same for everyone. Even if a card feature holds lots of potential value, it might not be worth much to you if you don’t want to navigate a complicated rewards program or if you don’t want to be required to hit numerous spending thresholds.

Not everyone maximizes the value of a travel credit card in the same way, and so we recommend picking a card that best suits your spending habits and lifestyle. Ultimately, you’re likely to get the most value by picking the card that fits your budget and spending habits the best.

For example, you might not like navigating complicated rewards-earning and redemption systems. In that case, we’d recommend you look for a card with several easy-to-use perks and a straightforward rewards program that might include bonus categories that clearly match your spending.

Or maybe you don’t mind spending time to get the best possible value for your rewards, regardless of whether that means digging through travel listings for a great deal or even scheduling a trip around the best available price. You’re likely to get the most value from a flexible-use travel card with several bonus categories and a host of redemption options, although individual users’ mileage may vary.

No matter which path you take, it’s important to be honest with yourself and consider how much effort you’re really willing to put in to get value out of a card. Even the most feature-rich credit card isn’t worth much if you’re not willing or able to fully take advantage of its benefits.

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†† The opinions you read here come from our editorial team. Intuit Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors' opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when it’s posted.