If you love to travel like I do, one of the best things you can bring along on your adventures is a nice travel rewards credit card. It’s safer and often more convenient than carrying cash. Plus, you get the added benefit of earning airline miles or other rewards just for spending on everyday items. Some of the best travel rewards credit cards offer more than one point per dollar spent, come with bonuses, and make redeeming your points easy.
Most of the cards below would make an excellent choice because they don’t place restrictions on which airlines you can use. We’ve listed our favorites and should you have a card you think deserves to be on the list, let us know!
PT’s Pick for the Best Travel Rewards Credit Card
Chase Sapphire® Preferred Card – With the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, you have the opportunity to earn more travel rewards. In addition to the rewards you earn below with the regular Chase Sapphire Card, you get an annual 7% bonus on your reward points earned. Also, use 20% less points when you redeem for travel. This card has no annual fee for the first year (after that it’s $95). The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card comes with an initial bonus of 50,000 points (worth $500 or a flight valued at $625) when you spend $3,000 in the first three months.
Perhaps the coolest feature of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is that whenever you call in to the toll-free number, you always receive a live representative. No matter the time of night or day, there is 0% chance you will receive an automated machine on the other end. Two reward points are earned on every travel and dining dollar spent and one reward point is earned on every other dollar spent. For a more in-depth look at the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, check out our full review: Chase Sapphire® Preferred Card review.
Blue Sky℠ from American Express – The Blue Sky from American Express card is a regular credit card. Not a charge card. It has an excellent travel rewards program. Both in how you earn the points and how they are redeemed. You earn 1 point per dollar spent on the Blue Sky from American Express. However, 7,500 points can be redeemed for $100 in travel credit. Therefore, you really earn 1.33% rewards on your spending. In addition to this, when you book your travel, you don’t have to go through a travel agent. You can book the flight yourself through whatever means necessary. You just have to use the Blue Sky from American Express to pay for the flight.
The Blue Sky from American Express has no annual fee, and comes with a nice promotional 0% interest rate on purchases for up to 12 months. Finally they have more travel perks to take advantage of: 20% off travel savings program, American Express traveler checks and their ticket savings center where you can get exclusive deals on shows and sporting events.
And for a limited time, the Blue Sky℠ Preferred is offering a $100 sign-up bonus.
Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express – The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card, a true credit card, is considered a hotel card by some, but I think with the way the points transfer to the airline miles programs, it should be on par with the other travel rewards credit cards. With this card you earn 10,000 bonus points after your first purchase and another 15,000 points when you spend $5,000 in the first 6 months. You also earn 2 Starpoint with regular spending, 2 Starpoints when you spend at the Starwood hotels and resorts and an extra point as a gold or platinum member, that’s up to 5 Starpoints per dollar. Wow! Points are redeemed through the Starwood Preferred Guest program, which has some nice point conversion rates for airfare. The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card has no annual fee the first year. After that it’s $65. Additionally, the card comes with an initial APR of 2.90% for the first 6 months. If you do a lot of spending at hotels, this is your card.
Chase Sapphire® Card- Probably the coolest looking card of the bunch is the Chase Sapphire Card. It offers the opportunity to earn 2 points per dollar spent on dining. Other spending earns 1 point. This card has no annual fee, which is nice. And it comes with an initial bonus of 25,000 points after you’ve spent $3,000 within the first three months of card ownership. As you’ve seen in the commercials, with this card you get 24/7 dedicated service advisers to assist you in your travel needs. Points can be redeemed for more travel or other rewards.
Miles by Discover® Card – Not to be left out of the travel rewards credit card game, Discover has two cards to offer. With the first, Miles by Discover Card, you can earn 2 points per dollar for the first $3,000 in travel and restaurant spending each year. The rest of your spending earns 1 point per dollar. It has no annual fee and it comes with an opportunity to earn 12,000 bonus points in the first year, that’s 1,000 points each month you make a purchase. Points can be redeemed for airfare, hotels, gift cards, cash, and more. The Miles by Discover Card also comes with a balance transfer and purchase promotion: 0% for 6 months.
American Express® Premier Rewards Gold Card – The only true charge card in the bunch, I had to throw in the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card. Being a charge card, you don’t pay any interest because you pay it off each month. And you don’t have a pre-set spending limit to hold you back. It has some sweet travel rewards for the frequent flier. With the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card, you earn 3 points per dollar spent on airfare, 2 points on gas and groceries, and 1 point on everything else. Redeeming the rewards is a bit tricky through the American Express Membership Rewards program. I suggest you visit the MR list of airlines to see how the points will convert. The annual fee is waived in the first year, and after that it’s $175. You have the opportunity to earn 15,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 in the first three months.
PenFed Premium Travel Rewards American Express® Card – PenFed rolls out another excellent reward card here. If you are a member of the Pentagon Federal Credit Union (not that difficult to become a member) then you can take advantage of this card. You will earn 5 points for each dollar you spend on airfare and 1 point on all other purchases. You also get 24/7 concierge service and exclusive travel upgrades and offers. Redeem your points on any airline. No black-out dates or restrictions. Comes with an initial bonus of 20,000 points when you spend $650 in the first three months. The PenFed Premium Travel Rewards American Express Card also has no annual fee. Be sure you factor that in when decided whether to use this card.
Capital One® Venture℠ Rewards Credit Card – Looking for a straight-forward, no-nonsense travel rewards card? This is it. You earn 2 points per dollar spent on anything, unlimited. Point then transfer over to rewards at a 1 to 1 ratio. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has no annual fee for the first year. After that it’s $59. This is also one of the only cards that has no fees for foreign transactions. So when you are using it overseas there won’t be an extra fee for that, which as you know can range from 1% to 5% with other cards.
Escape by Discover® Card – If you want the opportunity to earn more travel rewards and don’t mind an annual fee of of $60, then Escape by Discover Card might be a better option for you. With this card you earn a flat 2 points for every dollar you spend. No categories or limits to worry about. If you’re a bigger spender, definitely go with this card over the other Discover travel rewards card. Points can be redeemed for airfare, hotels, gift cards, cash, and more. The Escape by Discover Card also comes with a balance transfer and purchase promotion: 0% for 6 months.
“Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.”
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Ya, when I reviewed the latest travel rewards cards on my site I didn't like the American Express Blue Sky that much, as overseas it can be rather difficult to find merchants that accept American Express. Though the other cards I tend to like.
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