With the right credit card, you can cut the cost of any vacation. Travel rewards credit cards save you money on everything from flights to hotels to car rental. Here are the best travel rewards credit cards you need in your wallet.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card
Important Features
- $95 annual fee, waived the first year
- 50,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 during the first three months
- 2x points on dining and travel, and 1x points on other purchases
- Points worth 25 percent more when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Transfer points to popular hotel and airline programs
Want a lucrative sign-up bonus and flexible travel rewards?
The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a lot to offer with a good rewards rate and a very flexible redemption program. Your points will be worth 25 percent more if you redeem them for car rentals, cruises, airfare, and hotels when you book through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. You can also transfer points to popular loyalty programs like United, Hyatt, and Marriott.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred also has one of the best sign-up bonuses in the industry. 50,000 bonus miles can be redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards for $625 in travel. Otherwise, the offer is worth $500 in statement credits or gift cards.
The biggest drawback is this is a general travel rewards card. That means you will be giving up airline perks like priority boarding and free checked bags that you could get with a branded card.
Capital One Venture Rewards Card
Important Features
- $95 annual fee, waived the first year
- 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 during the first 3 months
- 2x miles per $1 on all purchases
- 10x miles on hotel stays when you book at hotels.com/venture with your Venture card
- Use miles to stay at any hotel or fly any airline without blackout dates
The Venture rewards card from Capital One is an excellent choice if you like flexible redemption options and a flat rewards rate.
The Venture Rewards card has a no-nonsense rewards card without rotating bonus categories that you need to sign up for. The rewards rate is generous, especially when you book hotel stays, and you can redeem your miles for any hotel or airline without restrictions. The sign-up bonus is also quite lucrative — 50,000 bonus miles can be redeemed for $500 in travel.
The annual fee after the first year is fairly high, but it’s still in line with travel rewards cards in this tier. One drawback is Capital One doesn’t offer travel partners, so you don’t have the opportunity to transfer your miles for a better redemption rate.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card
Important Features
- $69 annual fee
- 50,000 bonus points when you spend $2,000 during the first three months
- 2x points on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental purchases, 1x points on other purchases
- Unlimited Companion Pass when you reach the spending threshold
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card stands out from other airline rewards cards because it uses a revenue-based redemption system. The number of points you need for a ticket will be tied to the cost of the ticket. This means you can always find award space on a flight and predict the value of your points.
All points you earn count toward earning the unlimited Companion Pass. Once you earn 110,000 points in a year, your significant other will fly for free with you for up to 24 months.
This card also has one of the best sign-up bonuses among all branded airline cards. You can get at least one roundtrip flight from the bonus.
Starwood Preferred Guest Card from American Express
Important Features
- $95 annual fee, waived the first year
- 25,000 Starpoints after spending $3,000 during the first three months
- Earn two Starpoints per $1 spent at SPG and Marriott hotels and one Starpoint per $1 on other purchases
If you are most interested in hotel rewards, it’s hard to beat the Starwood Preferred Guest card.
If you don’t stay often at Starwood and Marriott hotels, the Starwood credit card won’t offer much value. Otherwise, this card offers an excellent value as you can transfer Starpoints to several frequent flier programs. Your points can be redeemed at more than 1,300 hotels or transferred to more than 150 airlines with no blackout dates.
The card also offers some other perks to frequent travelers. You will get unlimited Boingo Wi-Fi and free premium Internet access during Starwood stays. You also get two stays and five nights of credit toward SPG status to achieve gold and platinum status easier.
Discover it Miles Card
Important Features
- No annual fee
- All miles earned during the first year are matched
- 5x miles on all purchases
- Redeem miles as statement credits against travel expenses
The Discover it Miles card is a great choice for occasional travelers because it has no annual fee, a decent rewards rate, and the ultimate flexibility. Your miles are redeemed as credits against a huge variety of eligible travel expenses like hotel stays, airfare, online discount travel sites, commuter expenses, and car rentals.
This card doesn’t have a traditional sign-up bonus. Instead, all miles you earn during your first year are matched on your anniversary date. This means your sign-up bonus is only limited by how much you spend during the year.