It’s been a while since we looked at travel credit cards, and a lot has changed. We’ll explore the best travel credit cards available, and we’ll suggest some strategies to maximize your rewards. The bottom line: we think the Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best travel card for most people. We’ll also take a look at premium card offerings from American Express, Chase, and Capital One. If you know you want a premium card and want advice on which one to pick, you can skip straight to that section.
A few quick notes. First, we’re focusing on general-purpose travel cards, which typically earn reward points from the issuer that can be redeemed for travel or transferred to rewards programs. Most airlines and hotel chains offer their own credit cards, which can provide points or miles and loyalty benefits instead of or in addition to, these general-purpose cards. Second, the information here is current as of this writing, but card issuers change their terms pretty frequently. Be sure to review the most current terms directly from the card issuers before you make a decision or apply for any of these cards.
The Best Travel Card for Most People: Chase Sapphire Preferred
The best travel card for most people is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It provides reliably good ways to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards, which can be transferred to a number of useful airlines and hotels, or redeemed for travel or cash back through Chase. It lacks some of the perks of premium travel cards, but it comes with a reasonable $95 annual fee. And when combined with other Chase cards, it provides a great way to earn points on most purchases.
Quick Summary
| Earning Points | Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards: – 5 points per dollar spent on Chase Travel – 2 points on other travel – 3 points on dining – 3 points on online groceries – 3 points on select streaming services – 1 point on all other purchases – 10% annual anniversary bonus (point for each $10 spent) |
| Using Points | – Transfer points to travel partners (like United Airlines and Hyatt) – Redeem through Chase Travel at a variable rate up to 1.75 cents per point |
| Additional Perks | – Trip protection (like cancellation and delay insurance) – Rental car insurance – Can be combined with other Chase cards to improve earning rates – $50 annual hotel credit via Chase Travel |
| Annual Fee | $95 |
Ultimate Rewards are Chase’s reward currency. Cardholders earn them at various rates: 2 points on travel and 3 points on dining are the main bonus categories, but you also earn 5 points on travel booked through Chase’s travel portal and 3 points on certain streaming services. Additionally, cardholders get a 10% annual anniversary points bonus on all spending from the previous year (so if you spent $25,000 on the card last year, you’ll get 2,500 points).
We value Ultimate Rewards because of their redemption flexibility. They can be transferred to a number of loyalty programs, like United Airlines, British Airways, JetBlue, Southwest, Hyatt, and Marriott. The full list of transfer partners is available on Chase’s website. Transferring points is often the best way to get value from them, but it can take time and effort to find a high-value redemption this way. A more straightforward alternative is to redeem through Chase’s travel portal. This will only net you 1 cent per point (not very good value) unless Chase’s Points Boost applies, in which case you’ll get up to 1.5 cents per point for certain hotels and up to 1.75 cents for certain flights. Our advice is to use Chase’s travel portal only if you’re getting value at the upper end of that range. It’s possible to limit your search results in Chase Travel to bookings that offer Points Boost.
The Sapphire Preferred also offers a suite of protections that are valuable to travelers, including trip cancellation insurance, trip and baggage delay reimbursements, and auto rental coverage. Chase’s auto rental coverage is generally regarded as the best in the credit card business because it’s primary insurance, so you don’t have to file a claim with your own auto insurance company before you use it.
Combining with Other Chase Cards
If you add a few other Chase cards to your wallet, you can improve your Ultimate Rewards earning rates. The Chase Freedom Unlimited (no fee) offers 1.5 points per dollar on all purchases, as well as 3 points on drugstores, so it’s a great option for spending that doesn’t fit into other bonus categories. The Chase Freedom card (no fee), which is different from the Freedom Unlimited, offers 5 points per dollar spent on rotating quarterly bonus categories (examples include gas, groceries, and department stores). You can also explore Chase’s portfolio of business credit cards (like the Ink cards), which offer bonuses on additional categories. On their own, these cards don’t unlock the valuable partner transfers offered by the Sapphire Preferred. But Chase makes it easy to combine points earned from each card, so you can transfer your points to your Sapphire Preferred account and earn the transfer flexibility. The only downside of combining all these cards is that you have put in some effort to ensure that you’re maximizing your bonus potential by using the right card with each purchase.
Alternatives
The most direct alternative in this space is the Capital One Venture Rewards card. The Venture has an identical $95 annual fee and a simpler points earning structure: 2 points per dollar spent on all purchases (you get 5 points per dollar for spending through Capital One’s travel portal). This simple earning structure will appeal to travelers who don’t want to think about which card is best to use for each purchase. However, we find the Venture’s redemption options significantly less valuable than Chase’s. Capital One offers several transfer partners, but it doesn’t include any major U.S. airlines (JetBlue is the only U.S. airline on the list, and you only get 3 JetBlue miles per 5 Venture Rewards points), and the hotel partners aren’t as enticing, either. Capital One also has its own travel portal, but you only get 1 cent per point when redeeming that way (there’s nothing like Chase’s Points Boost feature).
Another option in this space is the American Express Green card. At $150 per year, it’s a bit more expensive than the other two cards we’ve discussed. You’ll earn 3 AmEx Membership Rewards per dollar spent on travel, transit, and dining, and 1 point on other purchases. The Green Card also offers up to a $209 annual reimbursement for Clear Plus membership and trip delay, cancellation, and secondary rental auto insurance. Membership Rewards can be transferred to AmEx’s partners (which include Delta, JetBlue, British Airways, Marriott, and Hilton). The Green Card is a good option if you’re sure you’ll use the Clear Plus reimbursement, and if you think you’ll be transferring points to Amex partners like Delta or Hilton rather than Chase partners like United or Hyatt.
Premium Travel Cards
American Express and Chase have dominated the premium travel card space for some time. This year they both revamped their premium card offerings and significantly increased their annual fees. Chase’s Sapphire Preferred jumped from $550 to $795, and AmEx’s Platinum card went from $695 to $895. Both issuers advertised new benefits structures that they claimed justified the fee increases, and it’s true that savvy travelers can find significant value the cards’ benefits. But we think these eye-watering annual fees aren’t worth it for most people, and your best option is to go with the lower-fee cards we’ve already discussed. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, though, these premium options may be worth the money.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
| Earning Points | Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards: – 8 points per dollar spent on Chase Travel – 4 points on flights and hotels booked directly – 3 points on dining – 5 points on Lyft rides – 10 points on Peloton – 1 point on all other purchases |
| Using Points | – Transfer points to travel partners (like United Airlines and Hyatt) – Redeem through Chase Travel at a variable rate up to 2 cents per point |
| Additional Perks | – $300 annual travel credit – Trip protection (like cancellation and delay insurance) – Primary rental car insurance – Can be combined with other Chase cards to improve earning rates – Monthly DoorDash credits (one $5 credit for restaurants, two $10 credits for non-restaurant promos) and DashPass membership – $150 biannual credits with StubHub or Viagogo – $250 biannual credits at Chase’s The Edit hotel collection – $150 biannual credits at certain restaurants via Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables |
| Annual Fee | $795 |
Chase’s premium travel card offers better earning rates and more valuable redemptions than the Sapphire Preferred, but it comes with a much higher annual fee. It also comes with a suite of additional perks, and whether the higher fee is worth it to you will depend on whether you can you use those benefits. Let’s start with the earning and redemption differences.
The Sapphire Reserve also earns Ultimate Rewards, and the biggest difference in earning from the Preferred is that you get 4 points per dollar spent on flights and hotels booked directly with the airline or hotel, but only one point on other travel spending. Compare this with the Preferred, which nets 2 points per dollar on most travel. We anticipate that the majority of most people’s travel spending is on airfare and hotels, so if you fly a lot and stay at hotels, the 4 points dollar from the Reserve can provide substantial value. But Chase’s definition of travel has always been pretty generous (it includes things like public transportation, parking, and bridge tolls). So if you tend to spend a lot money on travel expenses that aren’t airfare and hotels, consider the value you’ll get from the Preferred card.
The Reserve card offers the same transfer partners as the Preferred. However, redemption through Chase’s travel portal can be more valuable: you can get up to 2 cents per dollar on hotels and airfare, which can actually end up being a decent way to redeem your points. We recently found a redemption on business class airfare that slightly exceeded 2 cents per point thanks to Points Boost.
One major difference from the Sapphire Preferred is that the Reserve offers lounge access. The card comes with a Priority Pass membership, which gets you into certain airport lounges around the world. You can search on the Priority Pass website to see which airports have eligible lounges. This benefit lost substantial value last summer when Chase stopped offering Priority Pass’s restaurant credits (though very few card issuers still offer this benefit), which was a great way to use your benefits even in airports that didn’t have any Priority Pass lounges. You also gain entry to Chase’s own Sapphire lounges, which are fantastic but are only at a few airports (Boston Logan, Washington Dulles, Hong Kong, New York JFK, New York LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix Sky Harbor, and San Diego). If you regularly fly through those cities, you’ll get substantial unique value from this card.
The Sapphire Reserve also comes with a suite of credits. The most important is the annual $300 travel credit. Every year after your card member anniversary, you’ll get reimbursed for your first $300 in spending on travel (this happens automatically, though you won’t earn points on that $300, either). Travel spending includes things like plane tickets and hotels, but also cruises, car rentals, public transit, parking, and more. Redeeming this credit should be easy for anyone thinking about this card. If you don’t spend (significantly) more than $300 annually on travel expenses, this is not the right card for you.
The other benefits are harder to use and not necessarily valuable for everyone. For example, you get a complimentary DashPass membership (DoorDash’s premium membership) and monthly DoorDash credits. That’s great if you use DoorDash at least once a month, but otherwise won’t provide much value. The same can be said for the two $150 biannual credits for StubHub and Viagogo—if you buy tickets from them, you’ll find value here, otherwise it won’t help offset that high annual fee. You also have to remember to activate some of these perks online.
The bottom line here: take a careful look at the benefits provided by the Sapphire Reserve and consider whether you’ll get enough value from the card to justify the $795 fee. Here’s how we think about it: the $300 travel credit should automatically offset $300 of that fee, effectively reducing the fee to $495. So you need to get at least $400 of additional value from the perks offered only by the Sapphire Reserve. If you spend a lot on airfare and hotels, you might it find it there: the Sapphire Reserve offers 2 cents per point more in rewards on that spending, so if you spend more than $20,000 annually on plane tickets and hotels, you’ll get about $400 more in points from the Reserve than you would from the Preferred (thought this will be somewhat offset by the lower earning rate for other travel expenses).
American Express Platinum Card
| Earning Points | Earn American Express Membership Rewards: – 5 points per dollar spent on airfare booked directly or through Amex – 5 points on hotels booked through Amex – 1 point on all other purchases |
| Using Points | – Transfer points to travel partners (like Delta, Air Canada, and Hilton) – Redeem through Amex Travel for 1 cent per point (more if you also have an Amex business card) |
| Additional Perks | – $300 biannual hotel credit for select prepaid hotels booked through Amex – $100 quarterly credit for dining at eligible Resy restaurants – $209 annually for Clear Plus – $200 annual airline incidental fees credit for one airline – $15 monthly Uber credits – Up to $300 per year ($25 monthly) for select digital entertainment, including Paramount+ and YouTube TV – Shopping credits at Oura, Equinox, Soulcycle, Lululemon, Walmart+, and Saks Fifth Avenue – Gold Elite status with Marriott and Hilton – Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle, Avis Preferred Plus and National Emerald Club Executive status – Best-in-class airport lounge access, including Amex Centurion lounges, Aspire, Escape, Plaza Premium, Delta Sky Club, and Priority Pass – Trip protection (like cancellation and delay insurance) – Secondary rental car insurance |
| Annual Fee | $895 |
Like the Sapphire Reserve, the Platinum Card is an expensive premium travel card that’s only worth the hefty annual fee if you’re willing to maximize its benefits and plan to use your points wisely. Earning points is harder with the Platinum Card: you get a 5x bonus on flights booked directly or through Amex’s travel portal, and 5x on certain prepaid hotels booked through Amex, but those are your only bonus categories. And, unlike Chase, Amex doesn’t offer a portfolio of no-fee cards to round out your earning bonuses. You could pair the Platinum card with the Amex Gold Card, which earns 4 points per dollar on dining and groceries. That gives you pretty formidable point-earning powers, but the Gold card carries a $325 annual fee, so holding both cards means paying Amex a whopping $1,220 every year.
Redemption options are different, too. Amex offers a long list of partner loyalty programs that can provide plenty of value for your Membership Rewards if you’re willing to invest the time to find valuable rewards redemptions. You can also use the points in Amex’s travel portal, but that’s usually not a good idea, as you’ll only get one cent per point there. Though if you also have an Amex business card, you’ll get a bonus on some or all flights (depending on which card you have) booked through the Amex portal.
The Platinum Card really shines with its lounge access. You’ll get access to Priority Pass, but you’ll also be allowed into Amex’s excellent collection of Centurion Lounges, which is much larger than Chase’s (Amex has lounges in Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, New York LGA, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington National; there’s also one coming in Newark next year). Additionally, the card grants access to Aspire lounges, Escape lounges, Plaza Premium lounges, and Delta Sky Clubs (only when flying Delta, with limits). If you highly value airport lounges, the Platinum Card probably offers the best lounge access of any travel card.
Finally, the Platinum Card offers a collection of credits which, if redeemed meticulously, can help offset the annual fee. You’ll get $300 twice a year towards certain prepaid hotels booked through Amex; up to $100 every quarter at eligible Resy restaurants; up to $209 annually for Clear Plus; up to $200 in Uber credits, as well as reimbursement for an Uber One membership; $200 in credits for incidental fees (like bag fees, not airfare) from one airline you choose; and several digital entertainment, shopping, and lifestyle credits.
These credits tend to be limited in important ways. The airline incidentals credit, for example, can only be used with one airline, and only for certain fees like checked bags, seat assignments, lounge passes, and inflight amenities (not airfare). The hotel credit can only be used on prepaid reservations at certain hotels booked through Amex’s travel portal. Most of the other benefits are disbursed on differing schedules (monthly, quarterly, semiannually, annually). So tracking all of this and making sure you’re using all your benefits can be a major headache.
Capital One Venture X Card
| Earning Points | Earn Capital One Miles: – 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One – 5 miles on airfare and vacation rentals booked through Capital one – 2 miles on all other purchases – 10,000 bonus miles on each card anniversary |
| Using Points | – Transfer points to travel partners (like JetBlue, Air Canada, and Wyndham) – Redeem through Amex Travel for 1 cent per point |
| Additional Perks | – Access to Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass – $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One’s travel portal – $120 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry – Trip cancellation and delay insurance – Rental car protections |
| Annual Fee | $395 |
Capital One’s premium offering is significantly less expensive than its competitors and offers a simple earning structure: 2 miles per dollar on everything, with bonuses for travel booked through Capital One’s travel portal. You’ll also get an anniversary bonus of 10,000 miles every year.
When it’s time to redeem your miles, your best option is Capital One’s list of transfer partners, which we think is the weakest of these three cards (no major U.S. airlines, and the hotel options aren’t great). You can also redeem miles for one cent per point through Capital One’s travel portal.
You get a couple of benefits with the Venture X card to offset the $395 annual fee. First, there’s a $300 annual credit for travel booked through the Capital One portal. This credit is applied automatically, and it can be spread across multiple purchases, so it’s pretty easy to use. If you can use it, it’ll make up for most of the annual fee. Second, there’s a $120 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
Like Chase and Amex, Capital One offers lounge access. You’ll get a Priority Pass membership, as well as access to Capital One’s lounges, which is the smallest collection of the three (New York JFK, Las Vegas, Washington National, Washington Dulles, Denver, Dallas Fort Worth).
Picking a Premium Travel Card
There’s a lot to consider when picking between these three cards, so here’s our summary.
Pick the Chase Sapphire Reserve if:
- You spend a lot on airfare and hotels (booked directly) and dining
- You’re willing to combine the card with some of Chase’s no-fee cards and optimize your spending
- You can get value by transferring points to Chase’s partners (like United, Southwest, and Hyatt)
- You value best-in-class travel and rental car insurance and protections
- You frequently fly through airports with Chase Sapphire lounges
- You can use the credits at DashPass, StubHub/Viagogo, The Edit, and Sapphire Exclusive Tables
- You can get value by booking flights or hotels through Chase’s travel portal with Points Boost
Pick the Amex Platinum Card if:
- You spend a lot on airfare and are willing to book hotels through Amex’s travel portal
- You can get value by transferring points to Amex’s transfer partners (like Delta, JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, and Hilton)
- You highly value best-in-class lounge access and/or frequently fly through airports with Centurion lounges
- You’re willing to spend time tracking all of the various benefits to make sure you maximize them
- You hold an Amex business card (Centurion, Platinum, or Gold) and can take advantage of the travel portal redemption bonus
Pick the Capital One Venture X Card if:
- You just want one credit card and/or value a simple earning structure (2 miles on everything)
- You can get value by transferring points to Capital One’s transfer partners (like JetBlue, Air Canada, and Wyndham)
- You’re willing to spend at least $300 each year through Capital One’s travel portal
- You frequently fly through airports with Capital One lounges