Travel rewards credit cards are an excellent tool to lower the overall cost of travel. Whether one is flying to the next vacation destination or taking a cross-country trip to visit family, travel credit cards can be useful. Most major cards offer several benefits, such as collecting airline miles, hotel points, and flexible issuer-specific currency. These perks can be redeemed together, making future trips more affordable and saving some extra money.
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card – Miles Boost
This travel credit card is one of the best options, especially for earning rewards. It has an annual fee of $0 and offers a rewards rate of 1.25x miles on every purchase. Additionally, the card offers 5x miles on rental cars and hotels.
As a part of its introductory offer, one can earn approximately 40,000 miles after spending $1,000 within the first three months of opening the account. This is equivalent to spending around $400 on travel expenses.
Remember that all miles earned do not expire as long as the account remains open, and there is no upper limit on how many miles one can earn. These miles can be used to get reimbursements for any travel purchases or redeemed by booking travel through Capital One Travel.
The regular APR of the card is between 19.24% and 29.24% Variable APR, but it does not offer an introductory APR period.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Considered to be one of the top travel credit cards with the best perks, the Chase Sapphire card has an introductory offer of about 60,000 points. These bonus points can be earned by spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening the account.
The card has a reward rate ranging from 1x and 5x miles. This means one point each can be earned on all purchases, 2 points on travel purchases, and 3 points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries. Additionally, 5 points can be earned on travel bookings and purchases made through Chase Travel.
Other benefits of the card include trip cancellation or interruption insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver, lost luggage insurance, and more. However, compared to other credit cards offering travel rewards and points, the Chase Sapphire card has a slightly higher annual fee of around $95.
United Gateway℠ Card
Another good option on this list that one can consider is the United Gateway℠ Card. The card offers a limited-time introductory bonus of about 30,000 bonus miles after spending around $1,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening the account. Along with this, the card provides a 0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 months. After the initial year, the regular APR will be variable, ranging between 20.99% and 27.99%.
The reward rate includes earning between 1x and 2x miles, where one can earn 2 points on local commuting and transit, gas stations, and travel purchases and bookings made through United. For all the other purchases, one can earn 1x points.
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
This is one of the best travel cards for airline rewards and has no annual fee. It offers 10,000 bonus miles for spending around $1000 on purchases within the first six months of obtaining the card. Besides, it provides the user with about 20% savings through statement credits when using the card for eligible Delta in-flight purchases of beverages and food.
Plus, one can also enjoy up to $50 off the overall price of a flight for every 5,000 miles, which is redeemed with the Pay with Miles feature when booking on the Delta website. Also, there are no foreign transaction fees involved. So, whether one is traveling domestic or international, these features make this card one of the top travel credit cards for travelers.
The reward rate of the card is between 1x and 2x miles. One can earn 2x miles per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants anywhere in the world and on delivery and takeouts within the country. Additionally, 2x miles are earned on Delta purchases, while all other eligible purchases earn 1x mile.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
While comparing travel rewards credit cards, consider the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card as one of the top contenders. It allows customers to earn about 20,000 bonus points on spending around $1,000 on eligible purchases within the first 90 days of opening the account. Besides, it has a $0 introductory annual fee. But after one year, the annual fee increases to about $95. Also, there is a 0% intro APR on balance transfers and purchases in the first 12 billing cycles. Post the period, the APR would be between 17.74% and 28.74% accordingly.
Customers can earn up to 5x points per dollar on prepaid car rentals and hotels. Along with this, 4x points per dollar can be earned on travel purchases and at EV charging stations and regular gas stations. About 2x points per dollar can be earned on expenses made for dining, streaming services, and grocery stores. On all other eligible purchases, one can get 1x points each.
