Travel Credit Cards
Information - Credit Cards - Rewards - Airlines - Hotels
Maximizing rewards, discounts, and offers are a great way to stretch the value of each dollar you spend. One notable method of doing so is travel credit cards that let you earn rewards points on your everyday spending, which can been redeemed for traveling essentials such as flights, hotels, car rentals, and more!
Credit cards have a wide range of variety, ranging from all-around travel, hotel or airline-specific, everyday spend, and cash-back rewards. Here, I will distill that information down to be more easily comprehensible and unveil my card setup that I use to travel around the world while living abroad.
Disclaimers:
* Some of these card links are referral and affiliate links which help support our blog and allow us to continue bringing you content on travel, life abroad, and much more! Please make sure that the card is the right match for you and your specific needs before applying, but otherwise thanks for the support.
** You will not be seeing American Express cards on here for the time being as I have no experience using them. While they are very popular among the travel credit card community due to the flexibility of their Membership Rewards points, their U.S.A. specific spending categories and benefits make it difficult to live abroad as I am currently doing. But rest assured, with time the AmEx experience era will come!
Pick a topic below to learn more:
- Recommended Credit Cards
- Everyday Spending
- Budget Adventurer
- Occasional Splurger
- Aspirational Traveler
- The Next Level: Credit Card Setups
- Living in Singapore as an American: Kevin’s CC Setup
- Transfer Partners: How to Redeem CC Rewards for Max Value
Recommended Credit Cards (United States)
Everyday Spending
No matter the level of traveler that you are, there are still things that we as humans most likely have to pay for everyday. From food to bills to transport, nearly all purchasing categories have a card or two that can help offset some of the cost.
Citi Double Cash ® Credit Card
Annual Fee: $0
APR: 18.99 – 28.99%
Bonus Offer: 0% Intro APR for 18 months on Balance Transfers
Why it’s good: Get 2% unlimited cash back on all your purchases using this card, making it the most simple and beneficial 1 card setup for the average consumer. It is a great “catch-all” card which won’t have you scratching your head about which card to use and where.
Chase Freedom Unlimited ® Credit Card
Annual Fee: $0
APR: 20.24 – 28.99%
Bonus Offer: $200 cash bonus after $500 spend within the first 3 months of account opening + 5% back on gas stations up to $6000 spent in the first year.
Why it’s good: This simple-to-use card offers 1.5% unlimited cash back on all purchases, in addition to 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases. What puts it ahead over some other cash back credit cards is the ability to transfer those rewards into Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, which can be redeemed for travel purchases such as flights and hotels within their travel portal. Purchasing travel normally through the portal will net you 5% cash back as well.
Capital One SavorOne Rewards ® Credit Card
Annual Fee: $0
APR: 19.99 – 29.99%
Bonus Offer: $200 cash bonus after $500 spend within the first 3 months of account opening (Excellent Credit Only).
Why it’s good: Everyone goes grocery shopping, everyone eats out from time to time, and everyone likely has some sort of streaming service among their day-to-day. For living everyday life, the Capital One SavorOne covers all essential categories with 3% unlimited cash back on grocery, dining, popular streaming services, and even entertainment such as concerts, movie theaters, and sports events. The card also gets 5% back on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel Portal and 8% back on Capital One Entertainment purchases. Plus get 0% Intro APR for 15 months!
Budget Traveler
The budget traveler will likely be taking a one or two trips a year. They do not necessarily care for the higher end hotels and flights, prioritizing their money towards the experience at the destination. While this could simply mean taking a short flight to go see family a few states-distance away, I am including short family outings, backpackers, roadtrippers, campers, and those looking for a thrill. People in this category appreciate the simplicity of having 1 or sometimes 2 cards, find some perks of the higher tier credit cards unnecessary, and prefer to have zero annual fees. As with all travel credit cards going forward, having no foreign transaction fee is a must.
Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card
Annual Fee: $0
APR: 17.99 – 27.99%
Bonus Offer: 25,000 bonus points after $1000 spend within the first 90 days of account opening, redeemable for $250 statement credit towards dining and travel purchases.
Why it’s good: For those who do not want the extra mind clutter of the points and miles game, the BoA Travel Rewards Card provides a flat 1.5X bonus points back on any and all purchases made using the card, which can be used as statement credit to pay for dining and travel such as flights, hotels, cruises, rental cars, baggage fees, and more. And if you happen to be a Preferred Rewards member, you can earn 25-75% more in additional points.
BILT Mastercard ®
Annual Fee: $0
APR: 21.24, 24.24, or 29.24%
Bonus Offer: None
Why it’s good: Growing ever so popular is the BILT Mastercard by Wells Fargo, the only card on the market to offer points on paying rent, waiving the credit card transaction fee on a regular expense that much of the population has to cough up each month. In additional to the 1X points on rent, you can earn 2X on general travel categories and 3X on dining. Points can be transferred to one of their 14 airline and hotel travel partners for high value redemptions. Also included is cell phone and travel protections, primary car rental insurance CDW coverage, Lyft and Doordash benefits, and it all comes packed in a beautiful brushed metal card.
Occasional Splurger
The occasional splurger will likely be looking at more mid-tier travel-centric credit cards. While their trip frequency may also be once or twice a year, sometimes overseas, these travelers will likely be looking for greater benefits at the expense of paying an annual fee. Higher bonus multipliers and travel credits may be found here, allowing for quick accumulation of points and miles that can be used to subsidize that big annual trip. The more patient one is with accumulating these points, the greater the redemptions can possibly be.
Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Credit Card
Annual Fee: $95
APR: 21.24 – 28.24%
Bonus Offer: 60,000 bonus points after $4000 spend within the first 3 months of account opening, worth $750 when redeemed towards travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal.
Why it’s good: Stepping into the more mid-range of credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers an annual $50 hotel credit, a competitive 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points in travel through their travel portal (with 2X on all other travel purchases), 3X for dining, food delivery, and streaming services. It also comes with primary car rental insurance CDW coverage, access to 11 airline and three hotel transfer partners, Lyft and Doordash benefits, and a 25% value boost on points used through their travel portal, along with many essential travel protection benefits.
Capital One Venture Rewards ® Credit Card
Annual Fee: $95
APR: 20.99 – 28.99%
Bonus Offer: 75,000 miles after $4000 spend within the first 3 months of account opening, an offer worth $750.
Why it’s good: The Venture Rewards can serve as a “catch-all” card in that it gets unlimited 2X Capital One miles for every purchase, plus get 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel Portal. This card also provides a sneak peek at some of the premium travel benefits from the next tier up. For starters, users will be allowed two free visits per year to Capital One and Plaza Premium lounges, an excellent way to relax and recharge before a flight. Users will also receive $100 credit for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry and complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status for wider car selection.
Chase Ink Business Preferred ® Credit Card
Annual Fee: $95
APR: 20.99 – 28.99%
Bonus Offer: 100,000 bonus points after $8000 spend within the first 3 months of account opening, an offer worth $1250 when redeemed towards travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal.
Why it’s good: As far as business cards go, the Ink cards are some of the best. The Ink Premier in particular with provide 3X UR points on general travel, which is the same multiplier as on the more expensive Chase Sapphire Reserve. The 3X also applies to shipping costs, internet bills, phone bills, and advertising purchases, which are all perfect for trying to build a business. It also comes with cell phone protection and purchases protection.
Aspirational Traveler
These cards are the cream of the crop, providing the best general travel benefits available (non-airline/hotel specific). If you are taking multiple flights per year, or if you are flying often for work, these cards would make an excellent addition to your collection. The large sign-up bonuses and multipliers give you that choice of taking that aspirational business/first-class airplane seat, gaining a lovely stay at high-end establishments, or stretching the points to subsidize multiple trips. Travel partners are the norm here to maximize point value. Plus the extra perks don’t hurt at all.
Capital One Venture X ® Credit Card
Annual Fee: $395
APR: 21.99 – 28.99%
Bonus Offer: 75,000 miles after $4000 spend within the first 3 months of account opening, an offer worth $750.
Why it’s good: Similar to the Venture Rewards, the Venture X can serve as a “catch-all” card in that it gets unlimited 2X Capital One miles for every purchase. For travel, users get 10X miles on hotels and rental cars, and 5X on flights, all when booked through the Capital One Travel Portal. Benefits include Priority Pass™ Select membership for access to their partner lounge network, a $300 travel credit, a 10,000 anniversary points bonus, a $100 credit for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry, and complimentary Hertz President’s Circle® Status for guaranteed vehicle upgrades. All of this with the exceptional travel and shopping protections that come with a Visa Infinite credit card, and up to four free authorized user accounts.
Chase Sapphire Reserve ® Credit Card
Annual Fee: $550
APR: 22.24 – 29.24%
Bonus Offer: 60,000 bonus points after $4000 spend within the first 3 months of account opening, worth $900 when redeemed towards travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal.
Why it’s good: The original king of travel, the Chase Sapphire Reserves offers a plethora of benefits. Starting with point multipliers, user will receive 10X Chase Ultimate Rewards points in hotels and car rentals, and 5X in flights, through their travel portal (with 3X on all other travel purchases), 3X for dining or food delivery. Using the travel portal for bookings will give UR Points a whopping 50% boost in value. There is also a $300 travel credit which can be used anywhere, Priority Pass™ Select membership which includes their restaurant collection, and a $100 credit for TSA PreCheck®, Global Entry, or NEXUS. All of this with the exceptional travel and shopping protections that come with a Visa Infinite credit card.
Credit Card Setups
Maximizing the amount of reward points and miles earned through spend can usually be done by stacking certain cards together within the same (and sometimes different) points ecosystems. These “setups” will typically cover a majority of everyday spend categories, and selecting which one works for you is a case-by-case situation.
The Chase Trifecta: Arguably the most popular setup for earning travel rewards is the Chase Trifecta, consisting of the Freedom Unlimited, Freedom Flex, and either the Sapphire Preferred or Reserve by J.P. Morgan Chase. The Freedom Flex offers the rotating quarterly categories for 5% back on things like gas, grocery, Amazon, and the like, while the Freedom Unlimited serves as a catch-all with a base 1.5% back on everything else. The Sapphire card then gives users access to the Chase’s transfer partners, and it is possible to pool any and all points earned from the Freedom cards onto the Sapphire card to use for travel purchases.
The Sapphire Preferred is more common due to the much lower $95 annual fee, but if you can swing the massive $550 annual fee of the Sapphire Reserve, you can enjoy the 50% points boost for travel portal bookings, the travel credit, and lounge access that comes along with it.
Capital One Duo: Another setup that comes to mind is the Capital One Duo, consisting of the Venture X (or Venture) and the Savor One from Capital One. The advantages of this duo are no foreign transaction fees on either card, a base category for grocery, dining, and entertainment, and a catch-all of 2X Capital One miles with the Venture cards.
Either card will provide lounge access, with the Venture being limited to two visits a year to Capital One or Plaza Premium lounges while the Venture X has the added benefits of unlimited visits and a Priority Pass™ Select membership.
In general, it is recommended to stay within the points ecosystem (Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Points, etc.) to boost points and miles earnings with them, but it is not at all a requirement. Setups can also contain a mix-and-match of any cards that fit individual needs, and there is no one-size-fits-all for everyone. In addition, there are many hotel and airline credit cards that have yet to be discussed, and I will be sure to include them into my reviews later on!
My Card Setup
Because of my unique situation living abroad, my go-to credit cards are the Capital One Venture X and Capital One Savor One, commonly referred to as the “Capital One Duo”. Aside from the obvious benefit of Capital One cards not having foreign transaction fees, this duo covers my everyday spending very well. My largest everyday expense is usually food, and the Savor One offers 3% back on both grocery stores AND dining. Since we enjoy going to the movie theater often, the 3% on entertainment has provided great coverage. Finally, the 3% back on popular streaming services is a great multiplier as well because many people these days have at least one streaming service in their monthly expenses. Anything outside those categories can be covered by the 2X miles per dollar spent from the Venture X, which serves as an essential catch-all card. The high multipliers for the travel portal bookings are also worth considering depending on listed price, and the Venture X does provide a guaranteed price match. It is also the card I use to access airport lounges during trips using the included Priority Pass membership.
I also carry the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which was actually my first stepping stone into the world of travel points and miles. This card covers 3X points on popular streaming services like Spotify, 3X on dining, and 2X on other travel-related purchases. I also keep a Chase Freedom Unlimited by my bedside for any domestic purchases that are charged in USD. This gives me the benefit of 1.5X points back while not incurring the foreign transaction fees that come with the Freedom cards. Although all these categories are covered by the Capital One Duo and the baseline 2X Capital One miles is higher than the Freedom Unlimited’s 1.5X, the value proposition of Hyatt as a hotel transfer partner of Chase makes those points very valuable to collect.
Both Capital One and Chase offer Singapore Airlines (SQ) as a travel partner, which is absolutely essential when living in Singapore. When not booking flights with SQ, my points and miles usually go towards hotel stays. These cards have saved me hundreds of dollars in hotel bookings several times, especially factoring in the Venture X’s $300 travel credit and the Sapphire Preferred’s annual $50 hotel credit.