THE BEST TRAVEL CREDIT CARDS

Chase Sapphire

 

I am a loyal holder of the Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card. It has been my favorite card for earning points and other perks for years and has never disappointed me. The initial version of the Reserve Card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. I started out with this one, then upgraded as I built up my credit and decided I was ready to shoulder the annual fee for the extra perks. You can read more about the Preferred card today here. 

The Reserve Card is great because it offers 3x the points on travel and dining. While the annual fee is quite steep at $550, you do get $300 in credit back toward travel which can be used for Uber rides or bus tickets to flights and is automatically credited to your account with the purchase so it’s no hassle. 

Another low-barrier feature is the ease of banking. Since I bank with Chase, I can easily check my balances and pay my card off from my phone which I find important while traveling since access to a laptop may be limited while you’re moving around. 

 

     REWARDS RATES:
  • 5x on travel purchased
    through Chase Ultimate
    Rewards
  • 3x on dining
  • 2x on all other travel purchases, plus more
 
     Intro offer: 60,000 points
     Annual Fee: $95
     Recommended credit: 670-850
     Excellent/Good
    REWARDS RATES:
  • 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards
  •  5x total points on flights
    through Chase Ultimate
    Rewards
  • 3x Earn 3x points on other travel and dining
  • 1x Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
 
     Intro offer: 80,000 points
     Annual Fee: $550 
     Recommended credit: 740-850 
     Excellent
 
 

Capital One Venture X

 

A card that is similar to the Chase cards is the Capital One Venture X card which you can read more about here. You get similar perks and sign up bonuses. I was between these two when I was signing up back in 2017, but I had just opened a banking account with Chase so I opted for their credit card to make life more simple.

Again, it’s all preferential to what bank you use but it’s important to check & do your research to see which cards would benefit you most when it comes to finding the best ones to accumulate points and free travel rewards. 

    REWARDS RATES:
  •  5x Earn 5x miles on hostels and
    rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you will get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options
  • 2x Earn unlimited 2x miles on every
    purchase everyday
 
    Intro offer: 75,000 points
    Annual Fee: $95
    Recommended credit: 670-850

    Excellent/Good.

 

American Express Platinum Card:

 

Another card I would recommend and will probably sign up for soon is the American Express Platinum Card. They offer a variety of travel credit cards that suit different budgets and travel styles, all with great benefits and generous sign up bonuses. You can read more about this card here.  

If you are a business owner I suggest applying for the Business American Express Platinum Card for extra perks like 120,000 bonus miles instead of 100,000. I encourage you to be strategic with the timing when you sign up and refer back to this E-book to take advantage of the links here. 

As I mentioned before, many opportunities appear sporadically throughout the year and there are many perks you can take advantage of when you sign up at the right time. 

 

 

    REWARDS RATES:
  • 5x Faster route to reward travel
  • 1.5x points on key business categories or on eligible purchases of $5K or more.
    Cap applies.
  • Up to $400 back per year toward U.S. purchases with Dell Technologies. Terms apply.
    REWARDS RATES:
  • EARN 125,000 MEMBERSHIP REWARDS® POINTS after you spend
    $6,000 on purchases on your new card in your first 6 months of card membership.
  • INTRO APR
    0% Intro APR on eligible charges for 6
    months from the date of account
    opening on purchases eligible for Pay
    Over Time, then a 18.99% to 25.99%
    variable APR.
 
     Annual Fee: $695
 
 
 

The BILT Credit Card

 

The BILT credit card is the ultimate hack for earning points on paying rent. 

 

    REWARDS RATES:
  • 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee
  • 1x up to 100,000 points each calendar year
  • 2x points on travel
  • 3x points on dining
  • 1x points on other purchases
  • $0 annual fee
  • Use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points

One important detail I don’t want to leave out is that good to excellent credit is required to get accepted into most of these cards. If you have a bad past with credit, work on improving your score, and educate yourself on budgeting, finance, and how to use credit cards responsibly. Once you improve your relationship with credit, then set out to take advantage of these incredible offers as it will be much easier for you to get approved. 

A Few More Credit Cards

    REWARDS RATES:
  • 3x Restaurants 
  • 3x Gas Stations 
  • 1x All other purchases 
  • 3x Supermarkets 
  • 3x Air Travel and Hotels 

     Annual Hotel Savings Benefit

    REWARDS RATES:
  • 6x points on hotels for eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriot Bonvoy
  • 3x points on dining at restaurants
    worldwide.
  • 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines.
  • 2x points for each dollar spent on other
    eligible purchases.
    REWARDS RATES:
  • 2x miles on dining at restaurants, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
  • 2x miles on groceries at U.S. supermarkets.
  • 2x miles On Delta Purchases made directly with Delta. 
  • 1x miles on other purchases.