In today’s extremely busy life, it seems difficult to manage travel financed perfectly but due to the blessings of Credit Cards, it is possible now. Travel credit cards bid a variety of rewards either traveling for business or enjoyment or both. You can get Free checked bags, complimentary lounge access, and extra baggage packages.
Most credit cards now offer more than just cash-back incentives they offer perks that can take your next trip from basic to boogie without spending extra money.
To help you choose the best travel rewards credit card for your needs, we analyzed 10 popular Credit cards.
In the last few years, travel credit cards have become the most competitive category to choose from. Some features are now standard in all credit cards across the world as foreign transaction fee exemption, special travel credits, and upgrade programs.
The most important thing that you need to consider while you sign up for a new credit card, must carefully analyze how you will use it and what benefits you are looking for in a credit card. How can you get the most out of a credit card as you are going to pay a steep annual fee? It is also important that you pay your balance on time and monthly basis as these cards not only have high exciting offers but high interest rates too.
1. Discover it® Miles
One of the most suitable and basic travel credit cards is Discover It Miles with no annual fee. It matches every mile you earn during your first year instead of providing a signup bonus.
You will also get 0% introduction APR for more than a year and can redeem miles. To maximize its introductory award value, you need to use it excusably throughout the year. It offers a flat reward rate that may be an appealing option for many individual consumers but not a good option for businesses. This card also does not have any foreign transaction fees.
Below are the most desirable features of the Discover it Miles credit card.
Pros
- A reward is redeemed on an equal basis for travel or cashback.
- No foreign transaction fee
- Exciting bonuses on sign-up
- Redemption options are flexible
- At the end of your first year, it automatically matches the miles that you earn.
- It delivers 1.5 miles per dollar for each purchase
- 0% introductory APR on purchase
- No annual fee
Cons
- It does not offer luxury perks
- Discover it Miles is not widely accepted outside the USA.
- Requires excellent credit record
- No traditional sign-up bonus
- Have no option for bonus rewards
- Provide no airline or hotel transfer partners
- Charges a potentially high APR in the long run
- Discover isn’t accepted worldwide
Discover It Miles is a perfect choice for those, who can maximum exploit the first-year bonus and individual travelers who prefer supple redemption for rewards. It is also a great help to fee-averse consumers.
2. Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is considered the best travel credit card on the market, due to its 2 miles per dollar rewards rate, low annual fee, and flat redemption options. You can also redeem your miles with any kind of travel points you purchase with the card, or you can also have the option to transfer it to one of Capital One’s travel partners.
Some of the basic pros and cons are discussed below to help you make your decision in choosing a perfect traveling credit card.
Pros
- Fit for people with extensive traveling opportunities
- Good for people desiring a big sign-up bonus
- Perfect for people desiring flexible redemption options
Cons
- Not fit for In-frequent travelers
- Not good for modest spenders
- Yes, is a balance carrier
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a perfect choice for usual travelers especially when you don’t want to fear expenditure caps as it earns two miles on every dollar purchase made, with no caps on the amount you can earn.
It also has an annual fee is $95 right after the first year. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is mainly for those, who can spend more than $ 5,000 each year on their card.
3. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
This card is personally my favorite. This premium travel credit card is for people, who love to travel and dine a few times a year. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is 2x as both for traveling and dining, it also gives a rich bonus on sign-up. It also does not have any foreign transactions, you can take this card as one of the best available travel cards in 2020.
You may earn up to 60,000 after spending $4000 in your first 3 months of sign-up. It gives 2x points on both traveling and dining across the world wide restaurants. It has also a special offer of 25% or more value for airfare, hotel, and cruise redemption. On Lyft rides you can get 5x points through March 2022, as it will give 3x points, also, to already earn 2x points on travel.
Pros
- On spending $4000 in your first sign-up, you can get 60,000 bonus points.
- 2x points on travel and dining across the world
- When selecting an airline or hotel also get 1:1 points
- No fee for foreign transactions
Cons
- High annual fee of $95 and no fee waived in the first year
- No APR offer for the intro
- To get the most out of it, you just need to redeem it for travel expenses
This card is the best choice for, those who are planning to travel once a year and will dine out. It has a smart chip with no transaction fee and 2x points for traveling & dining, this card is a smart choice for international travelers.
4. Bank of America Travel Rewards Visa credit card
For the person, who wants to travel frequently, for him, The Bank of America Travel Rewards Visa credit card is a sound choice. It gives solid, straightforward travel rewards and redemptions to frequent travelers. These cards always find their way into thousands of American wallets but are not a good choice for individuals looking for maximum value. Its most attractive features are its bank size and coverage area, so the lander name is big. This may be not a very good choice for all but very competitive in crowded fields with exciting deals. It also has no annual fee.
Pros
- You can get 1.5 points per $ spent on all transactions
- It has no annual fee
- No foreign transaction fee
- Points never expire
- After a transaction of $1000, you can earn up to 25,000 points online.
- You can also use it to book air tickets worldwide. No limitation to booking from specific websites.
- 0% introductory APR for a year and after the first year of sign up there will be 16.49% to 24.49% Variable APR.
- You can earn 25% to 75% more points on every purchase.
- Rewards hurry when you bank with Bank of America or make an investment in Merrill
Cons
- Traditionally restricted than regular credit cards
- The high reward for high spenders and high annual fee
This traveling credit card is a good choice for frequent travelers or sometimes occasional vocational like me. They offer a high introduction bonus very well suited to existing Bank of America customers. On a simple note, you will never get any traveler credit card that pays a high earning rate for high spenders.
5. Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business
This one is also considered the best travel rewards credit card. This card especially offers redemption options for cash awards. Its points can also be transferred to airline partners. It also offers a bonus of 50,000 points miles on spending $4500 in your first three months of signup.
It offers flexible rewards at good rates as you can earn up to 2 cents per $ spending. Spark miles card also offers some special benefits that you won’t find in any other travel credit card in 2020 mentioned below:
Pros
- 0% foreign transaction fee
- Free credit cards for employees
- Easy accountability
- Emergency travel assistance services
- Offers a special tailored accounts management tool
- Accounts manager for each cardholder
- Never shows blackout dates
- No expiration period
- No miles limit
- Redeem with any airline worldwide
- You can transfer miles up to 15 airline partners
Cons
- Less than 1:1 ratio of mile transfer
- Airline partners are only domestic airlines
This card is a perfect choice for businesses as you can earn up to 2 miles per dollar on each transaction. If you have more than one travel card already then Spark miles will be able to increase your earnings on purchases and will never fall into your current bonus categories.
6. The Platinum Card® from American Express
This Travel Rewards credit card is arguably the most prestigious card on the market. It offers an intro bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards Points and up to 5x Membership Rewards points on purchases.
Pros
- Excellent luxury travel benefits
- Complimentary Gold Status with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors
- Earn 5x points on travel
- 5x points on travel
- Travel benefits
- Protection plans
- Uber rewards
- 24/7 Customer Service
- 60,000 Membership Rewards Points
Cons
- The high minimum payment for the Pay Over Time option
- No default option to carry a balance on purchases
- $550 annual fee with no first-year waiver
7. Chase Sapphire Reserve
Chase Sapphire Reserve is considered one of the most well-received travel rewards credit cards across the world. It offers a 3-point bonus per $ for travel and dining. This card also offers ultimate reward points for up to 13 hotels and airline partners. It offers to add in $300 annual travel credit card points, free concierge services, and airport lounge facilities.
You can guarantee an upgraded travel lifestyle with it. This card has been the first choice of beginners and advanced travelers since its launch. It has a high annual fee of $95 and gives a sign-up bonus of 60,000 points on spending $4000 in your first 3 months of signup. It has a strong value with simple features. Some of the best features are:
Pros
- High bonus
- A high reward rate
- High benefits
- A metal chip card
- No foreign transaction cost
Cons
- High annual cost
- Need high credit points to get the full benefit from all features
This card is a perfect choice for all people if, you get the ultimate reward points currency. These card points are easy to redeem with a variety of hotel and airline partners. It also has a friendly user interface.
This is also good for no-brainers — yes, as for big spenders and people who travel frequently. Its $300 travel card spending also brings the annual cost down from $550 to $250 annually. If you primarily want to earn points then annual fees can easily justify for small spenders also.
8. Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus credit card is a preferred choice for people living in the southwest of America as it offers three personal credit cards under one card. You can get up to $40.000 points after spending $10,000 on the first sign-up. Their rapid reward offer is also the cheapest credit card on the market
Pros
- Points don’t expire
- No blackout dates
- Unlimited rewards seats
Cons
- Not for frequent travelers
- Not for modest spenders
- Gives a balance carrier
This is a perfect choice for regular travelers especially when you don’t want to think about cabs as it earns one mile on every dollar transaction.
9. American Express® Gold Card
This American Express gold card is rated as one of the top-rated credit cards across America for consumers. It is made of metal and top choice for restaurants and travelers. All cardholders can get competitive reward benefits and high-end perks with an annual cost of $250. When you are dining or purchasing groceries in a shopping mall get 4 points per dollar transaction worldwide and in the US supermarket. As gold is always a better choice it gives a variety of benefits to consumers on groceries and dining out. It also has a $250 annual fee that may look steep but if you look at the benefits of the yearly annual statements, you can digest it well.
Pros
- Points never expire
- No blackout date
- Get $25000 points on US supermarket spending
- Get points for gift cards, shopping, travel, entertainment, merchandise or charity
- You can use points for travel purchases
- You can also transfer your travel points up to 17 airline partners
This card is a perfect choice for no-brainers again who want to spend lavishly and get bonus points up to $220 on annual credit streams. If you love to dine out then you can also make good use of this credit card.
If you love food, you can get 4x points for international restaurants and supermarkets in the US. Its $250 annual fee can be offset if you keep its out-of-pocket cost below $30.
10. Mastercard® Black Card™
People with excellent credit spending prefer this metal rewards credit card as it is particularly provided for giving top-notch credit experience to their users. First, it looks amazing, a thick, black metal card gives us impressive looks out of its design. It has an annual fee of $495 but it also comes with high-end benefits such as airport lounge access, live chat via concierge, luxury card mobile app, and unlimited dollar credit at hotels. This premium credit card is made for high-spenders and frequent travelers. It is of stainless steel that feels like no other card and is eye-catching. Here below are some of its basic features discussed:
Pros
- 24/7 luxury card concierge chat
- Heavy luxury metal card
- $100 annual airline fee credit
- 1.5% cashback redemption and 2% on airfare
- Travel perks
- No foreign transaction fee
- Never expiration of reward points
Cons
- It offers no welcome bonus
- No annual bonus category
- No airline transfers
- High $495 annual fee
This card is a perfect choice for people who can afford it as it looks impressive. Its awards are better than average credit cards. It gives some luxury perks and an alternative to the iconic AMEX Centurion Card.
Conclusion
To hit your travel goal, travel rewards credit card plays the main role but only when using them rationally. A good credit card can provide you an opportunity to travel the world while saving a few dollars. If you want to get your travel credit card first time for an international tour or an expert to upgrade your existing card, there is a perfect travel card waiting for you. But at the end of the day, it is you, who will pay for it. It all comes down to your choice, make your decision carefully, choose a card that helps to get maximum spending opportunities, and hit your traveling goals.
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