Best travel credit cards

American Express Green Card

Best for frequent travelers who frequently dine out

The American Express Green Card is designed for frequent travelers who want to get the most out of their travel and restaurant purchases. With 3x points per dollar on travel, transit and dining, you’ll be able to earn rewards every time you go out — and every time you decide to stay home and order in.

Plus, you can use the American Express Green Card’s travel credits to make your next airport trip more enjoyable. With a $100 annual credit toward your CLEAR membership and up to $100 in annual statement credits toward LoungeBuddy purchases, you’ll be able to use CLEAR’s touchless identity verification service to breeze through security and spend more time relaxing in some of today’s best airport lounges.

If you’re a frequent flyer who wants annual travel credits and flexible payment options, the American Express Green Card is a solid choice. If you don’t fly frequently or don’t spend enough time in airports to enjoy the LoungeBuddy perk, you might want to consider another travel card.

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Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

Best for funding new travel while paying off old debt

What if you have places you want to go and debt you want to pay off? The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card lets you balance both.

With 15 months of 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers, the VentureOne Rewards card gives you the opportunity to fund your next big trip while paying off your outstanding debt. After that, a variable APR between 16.49% - 26.49% applies.

Plus, you’ll get an unlimited 1.25 miles per dollar on every purchase — whether you’re buying groceries or shopping for souvenirs. Make sure you book your hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel to take advantage of the 5x mile bonus, and don’t forget to spend $500 in the first three months to claim your 20,000 mile reward.

The Capital One VentureOne card isn’t the only travel credit card to offer 15 months of 0% intro APR on balance transfers — so if you’re thinking about using a travel credit card to pay off old debt, make sure you consider the Discover it Miles Card and the Barclays AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard as well. After the intro APR offer ends, a variable APR between 16.49% - 26.49% will apply.

Navy Federal Visa Signature Flagship Rewards

Best for military families who want all-purpose rewards and travel benefits

If you or a family member are associated with the armed forces or the Department of Defense, you probably already know about many of the benefits offered by the Navy Federal Credit Union. But if you haven’t yet applied for the Navy Federal Visa Signature Flagship Rewards card, you might want to add it to your to-do list.

With the Flagship Rewards card, you’ll earn high-level points on both travel and everyday purchases, giving you the opportunity to maximize your rewards no matter how you spend. Plus, you’ll get a $100 statement credit to put toward your TSA PreCheck/Global Entry application — giving you the opportunity to save money now and save time in the airport later.

If you’re not currently associated with the military, this credit card isn’t for you — but that’s OK, because you still have plenty of good options.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

Best for maximizing Chase Ultimate Rewards points

When you sign up for a credit card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you have the opportunity to redeem those points for everything from travel purchases to Apple products. Adding the Chase Sapphire Preferred card to your wallet could help you maximize your reward-earning opportunities — whether you’re booking a flight or buying a new phone.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers industry-leading rewards on travel, whether you’re booking through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal or making your own travel purchases. You’ll also get high point values on restaurants, online grocery purchases and select streaming services — plus, you’ll be able to take advantage of a welcome bonus worth 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points. Since your Ultimate Rewards points increase by 25% when you redeem them for travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards, that 60,000-point welcome bonus could be worth as much as $750 toward your next trip.

You can also increase the value of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points through Chase’s Pay Yourself Back, which gives you the opportunity to boost the value of your points by 25% when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories.

Which Chase Sapphire card is best for you? It depends.

If you are an occasional traveler who wants to maximize your Ultimate Rewards opportunities, pick the Chase Sapphire Preferred. If you are a frequent traveler who wants to maximize your travel perks, you might be better off with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Keep in mind that you can always start with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and request to upgrade to the Reserve — especially if you’re not yet sure whether you want to commit to the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s $550 annual fee.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card

Best for premium travel benefits

If you are a frequent traveler who can afford a high annual fee credit card that offers excellent travel perks, it’s time to consider the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

You can earn up to 10 points per dollar on select purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards, and your points increase in value by 50% when you redeem them for travel through the program’s online portal. Your point value also increases by 50% when you use Chase’s Pay Yourself Back to redeem points for statement credits toward purchases in select, rotating categories.

Plus, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers premium travel benefits, such as a $300 annual travel credit, a $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®, and complimentary airport lounge access through Priority Pass Select.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card has a $550 annual fee, so think carefully before you apply. If you travel often enough to use all of the perks the Reserve card offers, the value you receive from the card is likely to cancel out the cost of the annual fee. On the other hand, people who don’t travel on a regular basis could end up spending money to access benefits they don’t get a chance to use.

While you have the potential to get a lot of value out of your Chase Sapphire Reserve card, be aware that its welcome bonus is currently lower than the bonus offered by the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Ask yourself which is more valuable — the extra points you can earn with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, or the extra perks you can earn with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

>MORE: Read our full Chase Sapphire Reserve review.

Citi Premier Card

Best for earning rewards on everyday purchases

The Citi Premier card is a good choice for occasional travelers who want to earn the majority of their rewards through everyday purchases.

With 3x ThankYou points per dollar on restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, air travel and hotels, you have plenty of opportunities to earn. Citi also gives you plenty of options to redeem your rewards, including a wide selection of gift cards. The 80,000-point bonus available to new cardholders who spend $4,000 in the first three months is worth $800 in gift card redemptions, for example.

If you’re looking for a credit card that offers a lot of travel perks, you may want to look elsewhere. While the Citi Premier Card gives you an annual $100 savings benefit toward a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) booked through ThankYou.com, you’re not going to find the discounts and credits that many competitor travel cards offer.

On the other hand, you can use the Citi Premier card to earn industry-leading points on many everyday purchases — which, depending on your spending habits, could be exactly what you need.

Want one more reason to consider the Citi Premier credit card? Unlike some of the credit card issuers on our list, Citi considers multiple factors when determining your creditworthiness. Plus, you can always check to see if you prequalify for the card before you apply.

Bank of America Travel Rewards

Best for maximizing Bank of America Preferred Rewards

If you are a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member who wants to earn rewards that can be redeemed for travel and dining purchases, you might want to consider the Bank of America Travel Rewards card.

While all cardholders have the opportunity to earn an unlimited 1.5 points per dollar on all purchases, Preferred Rewards members can earn points bonuses depending on their level of membership. Gold Preferred Reward members earn a 25% bonus, Platinum members earn a 50% bonus, and Platinum Honors members earn a 75% bonus.

Points can be redeemed for statement credits toward travel and dining purchases, and cardholders who earn the 25,000 welcome bonus will be able to put their bonus points toward $250 in travel and dining statement credits.

Unfortunately, the Bank of America Travel Rewards card doesn’t offer much else in the way of travel benefits or perks — but if you’re a Preferred Rewards member who is interested in using your rewards to save on travel and dining, it could be a good option.

The Bank of America Travel Rewards card offers 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles on purchases, but does not offer a similar intro rate for balance transfers. After the intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that's currently 15.49% to 25.49% will apply. If you’re hoping to use your travel credit card to pay off old debt, consider the Capital One VentureOne Rewards card or the Discover it Miles card instead.

Discover it Miles

Best for earning unlimited bonus rewards with no spending requirement

Many credit cards require new cardholders to spend a certain amount of money before earning their welcome bonus. In fact, some cards require cardholders to spend several thousands of dollars in just three months — and if you don’t pay off those purchases, they could turn into credit card debt.

The Discover it Miles card, on the other hand, has no welcome bonus spending requirement — and no limit on the amount of bonus miles you can earn. At the end of your first year as a cardholder, Discover will reward you by matching all of the miles you’ve earned thus far. This means that if you earned 10,000 miles, you’ll receive a bonus 10,000 miles — and if you earned 100,000 miles, you’ll receive a bonus 100,000 miles. There’s no limit, and no minimum.

Discover it Miles can be redeemed as statement credits for a wide variety of travel and dining purchases, including airfare, hotel rooms, rental cars, rideshares, gas stations, restaurants, takeout and more. If you aren’t interested in redeeming your rewards as credits toward travel and dining, you can convert your miles to cash — giving you even more flexibility as you earn, spend and save.

Like the Capital One VentureOne card, the Discover it Miles card offers 15 months of 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers. After that, a variable APR between 13.49% and 24.49% applies. — making it another good option for people who want to use their travel credit card to pay off old debt. The Capital One VentureOne card is slightly better for hotel and rental car purchases, which earn a points bonus when booked through the Capital One Travel portal, but both cards are excellent choices overall.

US Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card

Best for people who prefer to travel by car

If your ideal vacation includes the open road, you’re going to want to take a serious look at the US Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature card.

Not only do you get 5x points per dollar for car rentals booked in the Altitude Rewards Center, but you also have the opportunity to earn 4x points per dollar at gas stations and EV charging stations — a huge benefit for people who drive electric cars.

If you’re traveling by plane, you also have the opportunity to benefit. All travel purchases, including airfare, earn 4x points per dollar — and cardholders automatically receive a $100 statement credit to put toward their TSA PreCheck or Global Entry membership. Make sure your hotel is booked through the Altitude Rewards Center to earn the 5x per dollar point bonus, and enjoy your flight.

Want one more good reason to consider the U.S. Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card? In addition to earning industry-leading points on travel and on everyday purchases like groceries, cardholders receive a $30 annual credit to put toward streaming purchases, including Netflix, Apple TV, Spotify and more.

Barclays AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard

Best for retirees who are ready to see the world

If you’re a retiree who is ready to use your newfound free time to visit grandkids or see the world, you’ll find a lot to like about the Barclays AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard.

With 3% cash back on airfare, hotels and car rentals, 2% cash back on restaurants and 1% cash back on all other purchases, you have the flexibility to plan your own experiences without having to navigate a travel portal or choose between complicated points redemption options.

Plus, the Barclay AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard offers 15 months of 0% intro APR on balance transfers — which means that if you have some old credit card debt that isn’t yet paid off, you can transfer it to your new Barclays card and start paying it down without paying interest.

Do you need to be an AARP member to qualify? Not necessarily — and if you haven’t yet joined the American Association of Retired Persons, you can redeem the rewards you earn on your Barclays card to cover the cost of your membership.

Should I get a travel rewards card?

Ask yourself how you plan to travel over the next few years — and which credit card might offer the best rewards for your travel plans.

Some people may travel frequently enough to take advantage of all the perks offered by a luxury travel credit card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Other frequent travelers may prefer a credit card that pairs its travel benefits with a more affordable annual fee, like the American Express Green Card or the US Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature card.

People who travel less regularly may want a flexible rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Bank of America Travel Rewards or the Citi Premier Card. Cardholders who want their travel credit card to double as a balance transfer credit card should consider the Capital One VentureOne Rewards or the Discover it Miles cards — and if you are associated with the military or the AARP, you’ll want to take a close look at the Navy Federal Visa Signature Flagship Rewards Card and the Barclays AARP Travel Rewards Mastercard.

Want even more cards to consider? Take a look at our airline miles card recommendations — or our list of the best cash-back cards.

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