Which travel reward card earns points and cash and has a welcome bonus? That’s what Sherianne wants to know.
Sherianne sent me a text,
My travel rewards credit card is about to renew. I have one like that I can exchange points for cash. This is your expertise, should I change so I can get a bonus?
It is easy to travel for free with travel rewards cards. And with so many travel rewards cards there’s a perfect card for everyone.
Some cards earn airline miles, other cards earn points that transfer to airlines and hotels, and some cards earn points and cash.
I’ve written about the best card for travel hacking, the best travel rewards cards, and the top 5 travel rewards cards you should have in your wallet.
Sherianne wants a card that earns points and cash and gives her an incentive to signup. There are cards she should get.
Travel Rewards Cards That Earn Points and Cash With Welcome Bonus
There are many travel rewards cards that earn points that you can use for travel. But there are fewer that let you use those points for cash.
Being able to use points how you want, when you want is important.
To get the best value, you want a card that offers a big incentive when you sign up.
These are the best travel rewards cards that earn points and cash. And include a welcome bonus.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The best travel rewards cards that earn points and cash is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for travel hacking for beginners getting starting with miles and points.
It has one of the highest welcome offers, a low annual fee, and you can use points for travel or cash.
Bonus
60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening your account.
Points are worth 1.25 cents when redeemed through the travel portal. This equals $750 towards travel or $600 cashback.
Pro-tip: You can significantly more value transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to 14 participating airline and hotel partners like Southwest and Hyatt.
I’ve used my Chase Sapphire Preferred points to fly First Class on Lufthansa, enjoy free trips to Hawaii, and stay for free at the Park Hyatt Maldives.
Earn Points With Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns 5X points for every $1 spent on travel booked through the Chase travel portal (2X points when you book direct), 3X points for every $1 spent on dining (fast-food restaurants included!), and 1X point on all other purchases. So it’s very easy to earn a lot of points.
When booking hotel rooms through the Chase portal, you earn a $50 yearly hotel credit.
Pro-tip: There are no foreign transaction fees on purchases outside the United States. This makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred a great card to use in Europe and other countries.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Benefits
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card benefits include primary rental car insurance covering damage from collision and theft. You get up to $500 for trip delay reimbursement if you’re delayed overnight or for more than 12 hours. Airlines misplace your bags longer than six hours? You get baggage delay insurance of up to $100 a day for five days.
Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® 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 a simple way to earn travel rewards points.
It offers a big welcome bonus, points for travel or cash, and a low annual fee that’s waived the first year!
Bonus
One time bonus of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.
Points are worth 1 cent or $750 in travel.
Erase your expenses by applying your points to your travel charges. You can also transfer and use points on over 15 travel loyalty programs (airline and hotel partners) like JetBlue, Singapore, and Etihad.
Pro-tip: The card includes up to a $100 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
Earn Points with Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 2X points on all purchases. Simple. Easy. No record-keeping, no having to keep track of what card to use when.
Pro-tip: Leave your Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card at home when you travel internationally because there are foreign transaction fees.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Benefits
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit card benefits include price tracking so you get money back if the price drops. All purchases made with your card include extended warranty coverage. And you get secondary car rental insurance for damages from theft or collision.
Learn more about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is one of the best travel rewards cards that earn points and cash for business owners.
It has one of the largest welcome offers for business cards, a low annual fee, and flexible points.
Bonus
100,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening your account.
Points are worth 1.5 cents when redeemed through the Chase travel portal. This equals $1,250 in travel or $1,000 cash back.
You can get more than $1,250 in travel by transferring points to airline and hotel partners like United and Marriott.
I’ve used my Ink Business Preferred points for free stays at all-inclusive hotels and free nights at luxury hotels in Australia.
Earn Points With Ink Business Preferred Card
This card earns 3X points for every $1 spent on travel, phone, cable, internet, shipping, and ads on search engines and social media. You earn 1X point on all other purchases.
Pro-tip: You may be able to qualify for this card if you have a small business like a blog, sell things on eBay, or take family and wedding photos.
Ink Business Preferred Card Benefits
Ink Business Preferred Card benefits include trip cancellation and interruption insurance for up to $5,000 and primary car rental insurance covering damage from collision and theft. You also get extended warranty protection on purchases.
Pro-tip: Always dropping or losing your smartphone? The Ink Business Preferred includes up to $600 per claim for cell phone protection.
Learn more about the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Conclusion
These are the best travel reward cards that earn points and cash and include a welcome bonus.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offer the highest bonuses and the best value for your points. You can transfer points to airline and hotel partners or convert those points to cash.
Other cards that give you the freedom to use points or get cash back are the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, and Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card.
Which travel rewards cards that earn points and cash and have high welcome bonuses would you recommend?
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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and how to apply
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Marion Halliday
Sunday 19th of January 2020
The bonuses and benefits on these cards are very appealing, but the downside is the quite high spend in order to get them. I'm not sure how easy that would be! But if you were going to spend that much anyway, they're great deals!
Medha Verma
Saturday 18th of January 2020
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is one I've heard about from several other people, I love that they offer car rental insurance because I am one for road trips whenever I travel and end up spending quite a bit of money on buying insurance so this would help! Also, their welcome sign on bonus points are huge and love all the benefits they provide. Thanks for the recommendation, I might just look into it. I wonder if UAE residents can apply for one too?
daniel
Saturday 18th of January 2020
Great post!! I love how easy it was to understand all the benefits that each card provides. I have personally never used a points card before because I thought it must require tons of preparations and research but it actually seems pretty decent. I would love to try some in the future with all the benefits.
Martha
Saturday 18th of January 2020
I love that you included welcome bonuses and offers when deciding which credit card is your best bet! As an avid traveler, I’m always looking for credit cards that have hidden perks like free global entry or access to priority lounges. Chase Sapphire has the perfect mix of cash back and points that can certainly cut down on your travel expenses and even help fund new adventures. Now who doesn’t want that?
Yukti
Saturday 18th of January 2020
I always such travel rewards cards as they prove to be very cost effective with many good deals. Transfer our points to air flights sounds great but it is very sad that they have very less options in Asia. The Chase Sapphire Preferred which really looks the best card for travel hacking as it is for beginners. If I live long time in US then surely go for it.