The Best Credit Cards for Travelers

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Looking to turn your everyday spending into your next vacation? The right travel credit card can be your ticket to free flights, hotel stays, and exclusive perks that make traveling more comfortable (and affordable). But with countless options available, finding your perfect match requires some strategy.

What Makes a Great Travel Card?

The best travel cards don’t just rack up points—they work with your lifestyle. While premium cards with high annual fees might seem steep, frequent travelers can often recoup these costs through perks like airport lounge access, TSA PreCheck credits, and travel insurance.

Why Choose Flexible Points Over Airline Cards?

Flexible rewards programs (like Chase Ultimate Rewards® or American Express Membership Rewards®) give you the freedom to transfer points to multiple airlines and hotels or book directly through their travel portals. This versatility typically offers better value than being locked into a single airline’s program unless you’re a die-hard loyalist to one carrier.

What to Consider Before Applying

Before jumping on a flashy sign-up bonus, ask yourself:

• Can you comfortably meet the minimum spending requirement?
• Will your regular spending habits earn enough rewards to justify the annual fee?
• Do you travel enough to use the card’s perks?
• How important is it to avoid foreign transaction fees? (Good news: none of our top picks charge them)

Pro Tip

The key to maximizing travel rewards isn’t just picking a card—it’s choosing one that matches your spending patterns and travel goals. A card that offers 4x points on dining won’t help much if you rarely eat out, just like premium lounge access isn’t worth paying for if you only fly once a year.

Remember: The best travel card is the one that fits your budget and travel style, not necessarily the one with the most perks or biggest bonus. Before applying, take time to crunch the numbers and consider how you’ll actually use the card.

All of the products featured in this story were hand-selected by our travel editors. Some of the links featured in this story are affiliate links, and SmarterTravel may collect a commission (at no cost to you) if you shop through them.

Best Overall: Chase Sapphire Preferred

• Annual Fee: $95
• Sign-up Bonus: 60,000 points
• Rewards Rate: 1x-5x

The sign-up bonus for the Chase Sapphire Preferred is decent for a card with such a low annual fee. After you spend $4,000 in the first three months, you’ll earn 60,000 bonus points, which equates to $750 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards. However, we recommend transferring those points to Chase’s network of travel partners, where your points will be more valuable.

It will be easy to earn more points beyond the intro bonus as well thanks to 5x points earned on travel booked through Chase, 3x points on dining, delivery, and streaming services, and 2x earning on other travel. And the fact that you can earn up to $50 in statement credits each year for hotel stays booked through Chase means that the annual fee is effectively reduced to $45 for most travelers.

Pros

• Reasonable annual fee with remarkable travel benefits
• Excellent travel protections for delays and car rental insurance
• Great earning rates for typical purchases

Cons

• Doesn’t include credit for Global Entry/TSA Precheck
• No lounge access included

Best Premium Card: Chase Sapphire Reserve

• Annual Fee: $550
• Sign-up Bonus: 50,000 points
• Rewards Rate: 1x-10x

If you’re looking for a premium card with multiple perks such as reimbursements for expedited screening, access to lounges, and high bonuses both for earning and redeeming points, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is an excellent choice. Its high annual fee is one of the easiest to off-set compared to other premium credit cards thanks to a blanket $300 annual travel credit which will effectively reduce the annual fee to $250 for most travelers.

And you can reduce that even further by taking advantage of its up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck fees along with complimentary lounge access at airports around the world with Priority Pass. If you’re a fairly frequent traveler, you can easily get the remaining value of the annual fee with free drinks and food at the lounge. It also comes with other perks from companies such as DoorDash, Lyft, and the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection.

The 50,000 points earned as a sign-up bonus are worth at least $750 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards—even more when transferred to airline and hotel partners. You’ll earn 10x points on hotels and car rentals purchased through the Chase portal and 3x points on all other travel. You can earn 10x points on limited-option Chase Dining purchases and you’ll still get 3x points at other bars and restaurants, including takeout and delivery.

Pros

• 50% more value when redeeming points for travel through Chase
• Priority Pass membership for lounge access
• Global Entry/TSA Precheck covered
• Points are easy to earn; easy to use

Cons

• High annual fee
• Lower sign-up bonus than Preferred

Best Card for Lounge Access: American Express Platinum

• Annual Fee: $695
• Sign-up Bonus: 100,000 points
• Rewards Rate: 1x-10x

Although the Platinum Card from American Express has a high annual fee, the yearly cost can be recouped if you travel a lot or frequently use services like Uber or UberEats. If lounge access is important to you, this card is a good pick, as it includes a Priority Pass lounge membership. You’ll also have access to special Amex lounges and Delta SkyClub (when flying Delta). Platinum cardholders also receive automatic status with both Marriott and Hilton in addition to many other premium travel perks.

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To help offset the high annual fee, Amex offers a variety of statement credit options. You’ll get $200 in Uber cash ($15/month plus an extra $20 in December) to use for rides or UberEats orders in the U.S. The card also gives you up to $240 ($20/month) in digital entertainment credits and $100 in statement credits for Saks Fifth Avenue purchases (up to $50 semi-annually). And in addition to covering Global Entry/TSA Precheck, you’ll also get up to $179 to cover a Clear membership.

Some of the most useful credits for travelers are its $200 hotel credit and $200 airline fee credit. However, note that these are for select prepaid hotel bookings through the Amex travel portal, and you can only choose one airline for which you’ll receive credits on incidental fees such as baggage and seat selection. Basically, there are many ways to recover the annual fee, but you’ll have to make an effort to do so (enrollment is required for each benefit) and you may find yourself buying things you never would have otherwise.

The current sign-up bonus is enough reason to get this card for the first year. 100,000 points are worth at least $1,000 through Amex travel, but the real value comes with the ability to transfer Membership Rewards points to 20 different travel partners and redeem points or miles at a higher value. You’ll earn 5x points on airfare booked directly with airlines or for flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com. And you’ll earn 10x points at restaurants worldwide and eligible small business purchases within the U.S. during the first six months of membership.

Pros

• Access to more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide
• Points transfer 1:1 to several high-value travel partners
• Premium travel assistance and perks

Cons

• Very high annual fee
• American Express isn’t as widely accepted as Visa or Mastercard
• Credits can be complicated to use

Best Card for Beginners: Capital One Venture Rewards Card

• Annual Fee: $95
• Sign-up Bonus: 60,000 miles
• Rewards Rate: 2x

If you’re just starting out with a travel rewards card and want to keep it simple, the Capital One Venture Rewards card is the best option. This card is perfect for beginners because it offers a flat earning rate of 2x miles per dollar spent on any purchase. Miles can be redeemed for any travel expense, so you can book wherever you like and then erase the purchase from your statement using your miles.

For added flexibility, you can also transfer miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs, which may give you an even better value. The moderate annual fee can be recuperated in the first year by signing up for Global Entry or TSA Precheck and receiving up to a $100 credit. Plus, after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months, you’ll receive 60,000 bonus miles, which will cover $600 in travel expenses.

Pros

• Simple 2x earning rate for all purchases
• Easy to redeem miles
• Global Entry/TSA Precheck credit

Cons

• Annual fee
• Other cards can earn more points on travel/dining purchases

Best No Annual Fee Card: Amex EveryDay Credit Card

• Annual Fee: $0
• Sign-up Bonus: 10,000 points
• Rewards Rate: 1x-2x

Looking for a great travel card without an annual fee? Try the Amex EveryDay Credit Card. It’s one of the few no annual fee credit cards that earns transferrable rewards points on its own. This means the points you earn can be transferred to Amex’s excellent travel partners where they can be redeemed for an incredible value.

The 2x points earned on groceries at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year is a great way to rack up some travel rewards by simply paying for a basic expense with your Amex EveryDay card. You’ll also earn double membership rewards for eligible travel bookings at AmexTravel.com and an extra 20% bonus on purchases if you use your card 20 or more times during a billing cycle. The modest 10,000 bonus points will be earned after spending just $1,000 in your first 3 months.

Pros

• No annual fee
• Excellent redemption opportunities through partners
• 2x points on groceries

Cons

• No credits or premium perks
• Amex is not as widely accepted as Visa or Mastercard

Note: Sign-up bonuses and annual fees listed are current at the time of publication and are always subject to change.

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