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Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards

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Looking for another travel rewards card? With so many miles, points, and cashback cards and constantly changing offers, it can be confusing so I’ve made it easy for you. These are my picks for the best travel rewards credit cards.

My family and I have used miles and points to travel the world since 1994. Thanks to travel hacking we’ve gone on millions of dollars worth of trips without spending anywhere close to that amount. If we had paid cash for our second trip to Australia it would have cost $26,000 but we only paid $208. All our trips to Hawaii were practically free.

Flying First Class and Business Class for free (paying only the taxes) let us arrive refreshed and eager to start our vacation. But it’s not always about First Class, luxury hotel suites, and experiences like showering on a plane.

Miles and points let you vacation how you want, where you want, and provide flexibility in the event of emergencies.

In short, having a stash of miles and points gives you freedom.

That’s why it’s important to know which cards offer the best welcome offers and benefits. Then you can create a plan to decide which cards you should apply for and when.

Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards

These are the best travel rewards credit cards with the best credit cards offers. The list includes a selection of cards to pick from so you can choose travel rewards or cashback.

Credit card welcome offers are the fastest way to reap the benefits of travel hacking. Cards with high bonuses or incentives mean you can travel sooner instead of later. And if you’re creative you can travel often.

All of these cards earn one of three forms of transferrable point currency: Chase Ultimate Rewards points, American Express Membership Rewards, and Capital One Miles.

Whether you want to earn thousands of points and/or hundreds of dollars in cash back, these best travel rewards cards can help you travel more and spend less.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best card for travel hacking if you’re a beginner and learning about miles and points.

A high bonus combined with the low annual fee and flexible points make it the perfect starter card.

You earn 5X points per dollar on travel booked through the Chase travel portal (2X if booked direct), 3X points per dollar on dining (including fast food restaurants), and 1X point on all other purchases.

Plus every year you earn a $50 credit on hotels booked through the Chase travel portal.

Points earned instantly transfer to 14 airline and hotel partners like Southwest, United Airlines, and Hyatt. You can use Chase Ultimate Rewards points to go to Hawaii, fly First Class on Lufthansa, and stay in hotels like Hyatt Regency London – the Churchill.

Bonus

60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening your account.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.25 cents when redeemed through the Chase travel portal. With the current bonus, you can get $750 towards travel or $600 cashback.

With 60,000 points you can:

  • Fly roundtrip coach to Hawaii on Alaska Airlines 4x (points transfer to Singapore Airline which you can use to book flights on Alaska Airlines)
  • Stay 7 nights at the Hyatt Place Las Vegas
  • Experience United Polaris Business Class one-way to Europe.
  • Relax for four nights at the Hyatt Residence Club Sedona, Pinon Pointe, the Andaz San Diego, Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa, or one of the many other Hyatt hotels.
  • Savor JetBlue Mint First Class one-way from the West Coast to the East Coast and vice versa

Pro-tip: Chase allows you to transfer points to members of your household and authorized users. There’s no fee to add an authorized user to your account.

Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

No foreign transaction fees so you can use it outside the US without paying fees. When you pay for your rental car you get primary car rental insurance which covers damage from collision and theft.

The card also gives you trip delay reimbursement for up to $500 if you’re delayed more than 12 hours or overnight If the airlines misplace your bags more than six hours you get baggage delay insurance of up to $100 a day for five days.

There are a few things you should know before you apply. You won’t earn the bonus if you’re previously earned it on this card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card within the past 48 months. Chase may deny you if you’re 5/24. Meaning you’ve opened five (or more) personal credit cards in the past 24 months. Small business cards like the Chase Ink Preferred are exempt from the 5/24 rule. There can be only one. You can’t have both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card makes our list of the best travel rewards cards.

Unlimited 1.5% cashback on all purchaseseasy to use rewards, and no annual fee make it one of the cards you’ll want in your wallet.

This is a straightforward no-frills travel rewards card. 

You can use rewards points for statement credit or cash out for a check. There’s no minimum redemption amount and you can cash out any time. So you redeem for any amount including using your points for a $0.99 candy bar.

Bonus

One time $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months.

Rewards points don’t expire as long as you have a Capital One account.

Pro-tip: You can transfer your points to another Capital One account including family and friends’ accounts.

Benefits of the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

No foreign transaction fees so it’s a great card to use traveling abroad. The card provides secondary car rental insurance for damages from theft or collision. Purchases are covered by an extended warranty.

Capital One offers a free price tracking program if the price drops you get money back. Plus they offer a virtual card number for online purchases.

Pro-tip: This card also scored high in our 10 best balance transfer cards.

Learn more about the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of the best travel rewards cards for people who want an easy way to earn travel rewards points. It’s one of our picks for the top travel rewards cards that earn points and cash with welcome bonus.

Big bonus, easy to use points, and low annual fee that’s waived the first year make this a simple card to travel for free.

You earn unlimited 2X points on all purchases so you don’t have to keep travel of what categories earn points.

Use rewards points for all travel expenses like hotels, cruises, tours, etc. by logging into your account and applying your points to your charges. Or transfer to more than 15 travel loyalty programs (airline and hotel partners) like JetBlue, Singapore, and Etihad.

Bonus

One time bonus of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account. This is equal to $750 in travel.

Pro-tip: The card comes with up to a $100 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

Benefits of the Capital One Venture Rewards Card

There are foreign transaction fees so don’t use this card outside the US because you’ll pay fees. If the airline, cruise line, or tour company misplaces or loses your bags you’re covered for up to $3,000 each trip by the card’s lost luggage insurance.

The card provides secondary car rental insurance for damages from theft or collision.

Learn more about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is among the best cards for earning cashback and travel rewards.

A great card with no annual fee, an additional 1.5% cash back welcome offer on all your purchases in the first year up to $20,000, 5% cash back on travel booked through the Chase travel portal, 3% cash back at drugstores and restaurants (including takeout and delivery), and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

It’s easy to earn lots of travel rewards points with this card. Because you earn cashback on all purchases it’s like getting a 1.5% discount.

Pairing the Chase Freedom Unlimited with a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card lets you use points for free travel. Points transfer to more than a dozen hotel and airline partners like Southwest, JetBlue, and Hyatt including all-inclusive hotels! Prefer road trips? Redeem points for rental cars.

Bonus

Unlimited matched cash back welcome offer on all your purchases in the first year, 5% cash back on travel booked through the Chase travel portal, 3% cash back at drugstores and restaurants (including takeout and delivery), and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Pro-tip: Once you get this card you can earn $100 cash back up to $500 when you refer friends.

Benefits of the Chase Freedom Unlimited Card

Secondary rental car insurance against damage from theft and collision.

You can’t get this card if you currently have the Chase Freedom or received a bonus on this card or the Chase Freedom card in the past 24 months.

Chase may deny you if you’ve got five or more personal credit cards in the past 24 months aka 5/24.

Learn more about the Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is one of the best business travel rewards cards for business owners.

Flexible points, a huge bonus, and a low annual fee make it a great business card. You earn 3X points for every dollar spent on the first $150,000 in combined spending each year on travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone, and ads on social media and search engines and 1X point on all other purchases.

Earned points transfer to 14 airline and hotel partners like British Airways, Southwest, and Marriott. Redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for trips to Hong Kong and Australia, Florence, and hotels like Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa.

Bonus

100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership.

When using points for travel booked through the Chase portal they’re worth 1.25 cents each or $1,000. or use those 100,000 points to:

Pro-tip: Earn points faster by issuing cards to your employees. Chase doesn’t charge a fee for employee cards

Benefits of the Ink Business Preferred Card

No foreign transaction fees and primary car rental insurance which covers damage from collision and theft when renting while on a business trip or for business purposes.

The card also provides trip cancellation and interruption insurance for up to $5000, extended warranty protection, and up to $600 in cell phone protection.

What you should know before you apply. Chase may deny your application if you’re 5/24 (have opened five or more personal credit cards in the past 24 months).

Learn more about the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is one of the best cash back travel rewards credit cards for small business owners.

High cash back rate, no annual fee, and points that can be used for cash back or travel make it an easy choice for businesses. You earn 5% cash back at office supply stores like Staples and on phone, internet, cable services, and 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations on up to $25,000 each year. You earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Transfer points earned from the Ink Business Cash card to a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card and redeem for free travel. Chase points instantly transfer to 14 airline and hotel partners like JetBlue, Southwest, and Marriott.

Bonus

$750 cash back after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening your account. This is worth 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

Pro-tip: This card charges a foreign transaction fee so use a different card when traveling internationally.

Benefits of the Ink Business Cash Card

Primary car rental insurance which covers damage from collision and theft and extended warranty protection.

Learn more about the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

The Platinum Card® from American Express

The Platinum Card® from American Express is the best card for airport lounge access.

With this card, you get free access to thousands of airport lounges all over the world including the American Express Centurion Lounges where you can get free massages, manicures, and facials. Massage, facial? Yes, please! Enrollment is required for select benefits.

A reasonable high bonus, flexible points, and a variety of perks make the Platinum Card a keeper. You earn 5X points on flights booked directly with the airlines or booked through American Express travel. And you earn 5X points on hotels booked on Amex travel. You earn 1X point on all other eligible purchases.

The Platinum card has one of the highest fees of the travel rewards cards but offers $779 in yearly travel credits: $200 airline credit for one airline that you choose each year, $200 Uber Cash for $15 in rides each month, and $35 in December plus Uber VIP status, $200 hotel credit for Fine Hotels and Resorts and The Hotel Collection bookings, and $189 CLEAR Plus credit. You also get $240 yearly credit on digital subscriptions like The New York Times, Audible, and SiriusXM, $300 Equinox credit ($25 a month), and a $100 yearly credit at Saks Fifth Avenue. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

The card also offers up to a $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit. So after offsetting from the $1,319 in yearly credits, the annual fee is quite low. 

Plus the card gives you Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite statusHilton Honors Gold status, preferred seating at sporting and cultural events, and invitation-only events. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Membership Rewards points transfer to 22 airline and hotel partners like Hawaiian Airlines, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Hilton. Most transfers post immediately but some can take up to two weeks so plan accordingly.

Bonus

80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. Terms Apply.

Membership Rewards points are valued at 1 cent per point through Amex travel so the bonus equals $800 in free travel.

Pro-tip: Sometimes Amex offers 100,000 points for this card. If you weren’t targeted for a 100,000 point offer here’s how to use someone’s Amex RSVP code.

Benefits of the Platinum Card from American Express

Fine Hotels & Resorts Program which includes perks like free breakfast, upgrade, and $100 resort credit. There are no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees) so you avoid extra charges when using your card internationally. Rental cars are covered under the car rental loss and damage insurance. Feel confident when you buy things thanks to the card’s purchase protection.

Learn more about The Platinum Card® from American Express

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card is a great cash back and travel rewards card for business owners who want an easy way to earn cash back free from restrictive categories.

Unlimited 1.5% cashback on all purchases made for your business, no annual fee, and easy to use points make it a solid choice for businesses, nontraditional businesses, businesses without a storefront, and internet based businesses.

Redeem points for free travel by combining points from cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Ink Business Preferred, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Points transfer to 14 airline and hotel partners like United, Southwest, Hyatt, and IHG (International Hotel Group).

Cash back points don’t expire as long as you have a Chase card.

Bonus

$750 cash back after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening your account. This is worth 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Pro-tip: This card has a foreign transaction fee so don’t use it outside the US.

Benefits of the Ink Business Unlimited Card

Primary car rental insurance covers damage from collision and theft and extended warranty protection.

Learn more about the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card offers some of the best benefits from a best travel rewards credit card.

Lots of perks including a $300 yearly travel credit, a large bonus, and flexible points make the Chase Sapphire Reserve is invaluable for frequent travelers. You earn 10X points on every dollar spent on hotels and car rentals and 5X points on airfare booked through the Chase travel portal (3X points when booked directly with the airlines, hotels, and car rental companies).

Dining purchases earn 3X points on every dollar spent including Airbnb and Lyft (double points for drinking smart after visiting the best bars in the San Diego Gaslamp).

Plus you get a free DashPass subscription which means no fees on DoorDash orders. All other purchases earn 1X point.

As a Chase card, these points transfer to 10 airline partners like Southwest and 4 hotel partners like IHG (Intercontinental Hotel Group). Save thousands by using points for hotels in expensive cities like New York.

Bonus

60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Sixty thousand points go a long way for free travel.

When booked through the Chase travel portal, points are worth 1.5 cents so the bonus equals $900 towards travel. Or use the points outside of the portal and transfer directly to participating hotel and airline partners. This is my favorite way to use Chase points.

Pro-tip: You should add an authorized user because they get their own Priority Pass Select membership = free airport lounge access.

Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

$300 yearly travel credit that’s automatically applied against travel charges, up to a $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck reimbursement, and no foreign transaction fees so there aren’t any extra costs when using your card outside the US.

Pro-tip: The travel credit also applies to grocery stores and gas station purchases through 12/31/21.

Primary car rental insurance covering damage from collision and theft is included along with trip delay reimbursement for up to $500 and baggage delay insurance of up to $100 a day for five days.

What should know before you apply. New cardholders can’t have both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred card.  If you’ve had this card in the past, you have to wait 48 months since you got your bonus before you can apply again.

Chase could deny your application if you’ve opened five personal credit cards in the past 24 months (aka 5/24).

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card

Conclusion

Looking for the best travel rewards credit cards? These are the top 10 cards with the best bonuses for free travel, free flights, and free hotels.

By using miles and points along with cashback you can travel the world for free. Big bonuses let you travel sooner instead of later.

These are the best travel rewards credit cards for free or cheap travel with points and miles. These cards offer the highest bonuses like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card bonus of 100,000 points and unlimited 1.5% cashback on cards like the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card and Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, some like the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card have no annual fee!

Cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card include perks like free airport lounge access, up to a $100 Global Entry and TSA PreCheck credit, and more! The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a low annual fee and is easy to use.

Maximize your miles and points pairing cards like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

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Traveling Well For Less has partnered with Your Best Credit Cards for our coverage of credit card products. Traveling Well For Less and YBCC may receive a commission from card issuers.


Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best card to get started in the world of miles and points. It is the first card you should get to start traveling for free because the welcome offer is 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.
 
My favorite perks about this card are earning 5X points on travel when booked through the Chase portal (2X if direct purchase), 3X points on dining, $50 yearly credit on hotels booked through the Chase portal, no foreign transaction fees, and transferring points to 13 airline and hotel partners like Hyatt, United, and Southwest.
 

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is one of my favorite cards for earning cash back card and travel rewards. It offers a welcome offer of an additional 1.5% cash back on all your purchases up to $20,000 your first year.
 
My favorite perks about this card are earning 5% cash back on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal, 3% cash back at drugstores and restaurants (including delivery and takeout), 1.5% cash back on all other purchases and no annual fee. When paired with cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card or Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, you can use your points to travel for free.
 

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Adonis Villanueva

Wednesday 7th of August 2019

Great suggestion here! I think I've swiped through 80% of all the credit cards you mentioned here. I'm all about travel hacking and propelled myself to over 53 countries utilizing all the points! You haven't mentioned it here but the Spark Business Visa gives you $1,000 after 10k spend in 3 months - hard to get but if you have a huge expense you can get 1k for free :)

Milijana

Tuesday 6th of August 2019

I wish we had an offer of travel rewards credit cards like this in Croatia! Anyway, I am bookmarking this post as I am eager to find the best card for travel hacking for myself. I've heard nothing but great things about the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. I appreciate your effort to show the pros and cons of each card!

Renata

Tuesday 6th of August 2019

It's amazing how many perks there are in the US - makes me wonder why US-citizens do not travel the world like crazy since it seems to be practically free if you play your....cards...right.

Anda

Tuesday 6th of August 2019

Good to know what each of these cards offers as incentives. I also like to travel on miles, points and timeshares. It's only that lately we gave up our timeshare and we not count only on accumulated miles. I agree, it's a lot of savings to use one of this credit cards. We use Citibank and are very pleased with our deal.

Rosemary

Monday 5th of August 2019

This is a great comparison of the best credit card offers especially for travel. I currently Chase Sapphire and thinking about getting the Sapphire Reserve. What are your thoughts about canceling a card to get a new one and the impact on one's credit score? Whenever I see so many amazing credit card deals with travel points, I always hesitate when it comes to canceling a card for a new one. Any guidance on future articles would be appreciated :)

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