You may have talked to your good friend and sister’s roommate that they used the credit card to travel around the world “absolutely free” while getting all kinds of benefits! This seems incredible, and perhaps good to be true. Is this even possible?
The solution, of course, is! A travel bank card can be a great alternative for ordinary tourists. You will certainly get factors and premiums on purchases you would have made anyway. It is a fantastic method to use the system and potentially earn many more travel opportunities and benefits.
However, the payment card is an important economic choice and if you make it prematurely or with the wrong card, you could end up with more fees and migraines than anything else. Save yourself the frustration and read on to discover exactly how the best travel credit cards work, whether a travel payment card is right for you and which alternative best suits your needs!
1. Bank of America Travel Rewards
The Bank of America Travel Rewards card is a winner because there is no annual fee. You don’t have to pay more just to have a bank card! The lack of an annual fee comes at a price: the incentive price and sign-up benefits are slightly lower than some of the other top travel rewards cards on our list.
But even if the sign-up incentive isn’t important to you, this card is a great option! The simplicity of the 1.5x benefit rate on all purchases suggests that you don’t need to bother with ratings and points. This card is an easy and affordable entry into the world of travel credit cards!
Quick and dirty info:
Annual fee: $0
Sign-up bonus: 25,000 points
Reward rates: 1.5x
2. American Express Gold Card.
For purchases (in the US), meals (abroad) and flights, you can earn not two, not three, but four times more factors with the American Express Gold Card. That’s a lot of factors! This card does not offer many travel benefits.
No TSA pre-screening is offered, which is an uncommon benefit missing from the best travel payment cards. However, if this is not a problem for you, this is one of the best bank cards for travel because you will definitely earn a lot of points! You will definitely be able to get your points back to move to your desired location in no time.
Quick and dirty information:
Annual fee: $250
Sign-up bonus: 60,000 points
Reward rates: 1x – 4x
3. Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is another great choice for vacationers. With this card, you can earn up to three times the benefit factors in groups like dining and travel. You’ll earn triple points whether you eat Escargot in Paris or tacos in Puerto Vallarta. The drawbacks of this card are certainly the annual fee, which is over five hundred dollars!
Nevertheless, the card additionally offers a $300 travel debt that can be used for flights, hotels, rental cars, and so on. Other travel benefits include credits for meal deliveries through DoorDash, access to premium lounges in airport terminals, insurance for car and truck rentals, clinical emergency insurance, and trip cancellation insurance. These crazy travel benefits easily make up for the annual price! If you’re looking for a more luxurious card for serious travelers, check out this fee card.
Quick and dirty information:
Annual fee: $550
Sign-up bonus: 60,000 points
Reward rates: 1x – 3x
4. Capital One: Venture Rewards
The Capital One Venture Rewards card is one of the most effective bank cards for travel incentives. The promotional interest rate is particularly good on this card: 2x on all purchases, regardless of category! That makes it perfect for any investment need. It means you can also earn factors when you shop (and not just when you book hotels and travel).
The sign-up incentive isn’t too expensive, with a minimum of just 3,000 points to get 60,000 points. This card is the perfect card: simple, straightforward and with impressive rewards!
Quick and dirty information:
Annual fee: $95
Sign-up bonus: 60,000 points
Reward rates: 2x
5. Discover It Miles
The Discover It Miles card is unique in one key respect: there are no bonus offers on it! Instead, Discover It will match all miles, as well as factors earned, at the end of the first year. There is no minimum spend that you must reach to receive bonus factors. You can invest as little (or as much!) as you want and still get the factors at the end of the first year.
The 1.5x benefit price applies to all purchases, with no restrictions, so you’re likely to earn a lot of points. And then Discover will match all those factors and, most importantly, double your earnings! This great offer makes Discover It Miles one of the best credit cards for travel.
Quick and dirty information:
Annual fee: $0
Sign-up bonus: matches your first year’s miles
Reward rates: 1.5x
