Full List of Our Picks for Best Travel Credit Cards

Click on the card name to read our full review.

Capital One Venture X Rewards

What we love about the Capital One Venture X Rewards Card: Outstanding rewards rates

The Capital One Venture X Card is an ideal choice for those with excellent credit who want to rack up miles at an accelerated rate. This card’s generous welcome bonus, rewards and perks make the steep annual fee of $395 worth it for many travelers. When you book through Capital One Travel, you’ll get unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights. You also earn 2X miles on all other purchases. Each year you’ll receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus. Sweetening the deal is a welcome bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months. Finally, you’ll also receive a $300 annual travel credit and a $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Credit. Read our full review

Capital One VentureOne Rewards

What we love about the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card: Solid rewards with no annual fee

The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card offers a flat rate of 1.25X miles on all purchases and an elevated 5X rate on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. You’ll also collect a sign-up bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within three months from account opening, which equals $200 in travel. Those who plan to make a large purchase or who need to carry a balance will appreciate the 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 18 months; APR after that; 3% fee on the amounts transferred within the first 18 months. The card charges no annual fee or foreign transaction fees. Read our full review

Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard

What we love about the Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard Card: Big rewards and bonus points

The Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard is a powerful tool for JetBlue travelers. You can earn rewards at an accelerated pace with 6X points on eligible JetBlue purchases as well as 2X points at restaurants and on eligible grocery store purchases. If you take advantage of their limited time offer, you can get 80,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. Other features include an anniversary bonus of 5,000 points each year and an annual $100 statement credit after purchasing a JetBlue Vacations package of $100 or more with your card. Plus, you’ll save 50% on eligible inflight food and drink purchases. Read our full review

Wells Fargo Autograph

What we love about the Wells Fargo Autograph: Generous rewards in popular categories

The Wells Fargo Autograph Card offers a high rewards rate on some of the most common types of purchases, and it also comes with an impressive welcome bonus for a card without an annual fee. New card members can earn an offer of 20,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first three months, which is a $200 cash redemption value. You can also collect unlimited 3X points on key categories like restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans, making it a great choice if you spend regularly in those categories. Other purchases will get you 1X points. The card also comes with a notable 0% introductory APR offer on purchases for 12 months, then a will apply. Read our full review

Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority

What we love about the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Card: Strong sign-up bonus and competitive rewards

As the top tier offered by Chase/Southwest, the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card gives you a generous rewards rate. You’ll get 3X points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and 2X points on purchases with Rapid Rewards hotel and rental car partners, commuting and transit, internet, cable, phone services and streaming. Upgraded boardings (four per year when available) sweeten the deal for this card. There’s also a $75 annual Southwest travel credit, 7,500 anniversary points and 25% back on inflight purchases, helping to offset the $149 annual fee. The card also charges no foreign transaction fees. Read our full review

U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature®

What we love about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: Excellent rewards and perks for travelers

The U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card comes with a nice sign-up bonus and expansive rewards. While it comes with a $95 annual fee, that fee is waived for the first year. When you spend $2,000 in the first 120 days you’ll receive 50,000 bonus points, worth $500 redeemable toward merchandise, gift cards, cash back, travel and more. You can also rack up rewards quickly when you book through the Altitude Rewards Center, as prepaid hotels and car rentals will earn you 5X points. Additionally, you’ll collect 4X points on travel, at gas stations and EV charging stations and 2X points at grocery stores and on dining and streaming services. The card even gives you a $30 credit for annual streaming service purchases. Read our full review

Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier

What we love about the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Card: Generous rewards and travel benefits

Occupying the middle tier of the Chase/Southwest card hierarchy, the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card offers strong benefits that pay off for the occasional Southwest flyer. With a welcome bonus that hands you 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, it justifies the $99 annual fee for many cardholders. You’ll earn 3X rewards on Southwest purchases. Plus, you’ll also get 2X points on any purchase made on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners, local transit and commuting, internet, cable, phone services and select streaming. You’ll also enjoy 6,000 anniversary points each year, 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points for every $10,000 you spend, two annual EarlyBird Check-Ins and 25% back on inflight purchases. And you won’t pay any foreign transaction fees. Read our full review

Capital One Venture Rewards

What we love about the Capital One Venture Rewards Card: Flexible and generous travel rewards

The Capital One Venture Rewards Card offers a rewards rate of 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, plus 2X miles on all other purchases. The welcome offer is also enticing: 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening. That adds up to $750 in travel, which helps offset the annual fee. When it comes to redeeming points, you’ll enjoy a wider range of options than you would with many similar cards. Members can transfer miles to more than 15 partner rewards programs and redeem them for statement credits or travel purchases. The card also grants you two free airport lounge visits per year, complimentary Hertz Five Star status and up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. Read our full review

TD First Class Visa Signature®

What we love about the TD First Class Visa Signature® Card: Annual fee waived the first year

The TD First Class Visa Signature Card can be a great choice for those who frequently spend on travel and dining, with 3X miles for flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises and restaurants. The card also comes with an array of travel perks and a strong welcome offer. You’ll get 25,000 bonus miles when you spend $3,000 in the first six billing cycles after receiving the card. The card charges a $89 annual fee, but it’s waived the first year. The card also offers a 0% intro APR for the first 12 billing cycles on balance transfers, then a APR will apply. Read our full review

American Express The Platinum Card®

What we love about the: American Express The Platinum Card®: Wide range of valuable perks

The American Express Platinum Card comes with a huge welcome offer, plenty of perks, and opportunities to compile major rewards points. However, there’s also a annual fee to consider. After you sign up, you can earn 80,000 Membership Rewards Points when you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first six months. The features don’t end there. You can get a $240 digital entertainment credit, $155 Walmart+ credit, a $200 hotel credit each year, $200 in Uber Cash, $300 each year toward Equinox charges, and a $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit with an Equinox+ subscription. You’ll also get access to The Global Lounge Collection. For rewards, you’ll earn 5X points on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel on up to $500,000 spent each year. You’ll also enjoy 5X points on prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com. Read our full review

---

What Is a Travel Card?

A travel credit card is a card that offers rewards in the form of miles or points that can be redeemed for travel purchases such as flights, hotels and rental cars. These points may also be redeemable for statement credits, gift cards and more, depending on the card. A travel card usually offers a higher rate of rewards points when you use it to book travel. 

Travel cards also typically come with a host of additional perks that make travel more enjoyable. Your card may score a free checked bag for your flight, a hotel room upgrade, access to airport lounges and more.

How Do Travel Credit Cards Work?

Travel cards reward cardholders with miles or points for every purchase they make. Those miles or points can be redeemed for future travel. You can usually earn more points when you use the card to book flights, hotels, rental cars and other travel-related services.

How Do Travel Miles and Points Work on Credit Cards?

You earn points or miles for purchases you make with your credit card. The value of those points varies from card to card and can depend on what you want to redeem them for. For example, a certain number of miles or points may equate to an airline ticket or hotel stay. Some cards will also allow you to use points for perks such as seat upgrades. You may also be able to redeem those points for cash or gift cards, although with most travel cards you can get more value out of using the points or miles for travel purchases.

Types of Travel Credit Cards

There are several types of travel cards. Let’s look at a few of the most popular:

General travel cards – If you tend to fly with a variety of airlines and you’re not particular about which hotel chain you stay at, a general travel card may be your best option. These cards give you more flexibility when it comes to earning and redeeming your points because you’re not limited to a specific brand. The Capital One Venture X Rewards card — our top choice in the travel category — is an example of a general travel card. 

Co-branded airline cards – These cards, such as the Barclays JetBlue Mastercard and Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards, can be an excellent choice for travelers who regularly fly the same airline. While you typically can only redeem miles for flights on one airline (and sometimes its partner airlines) you may be able to rack up points faster with generous miles rewards. These cards will usually have the bank or credit card issuer and the airline in the card’s name.

Co-branded hotel cards – As with airline cards, these cards are best for travelers who prefer to always stay at the same hotel chain. 

Pros and Cons of Using a Travel Card

Travel cards can deliver some of the most valuable rewards of any type of credit card when used strategically. But they aren’t the best choice for everyone. Here’s a rundown of the pros and cons:

PROS

Rewards optimized for travel – If you travel frequently, or if you’re trying to compile miles for a big upcoming vacation, travel cards can really pay off for you. Whereas a general cash back card might earn you 1% or 2% back on each purchase, a travel card can often reward you with 5X or 6X miles for every dollar you spend on travel. That can add up fast.

Travel-friendly benefits – Most travel cards provide much more than a chance to score free or discounted flights and hotels. They usually give you all types of perks that can make the entire travel experience more enjoyable. Common travel perks include free bag check, credit for TSA PreCheck, access to airport lounges, priority boarding or hotel room upgrades. Many cards also provide various travel protections in case of an unexpected cancellation or another hiccup on your trip.

CONS

Credit score requirements – Most travel cards, including the cards on our Best Travel Cards list, require you to have good to excellent credit. That means your score will likely need to be 670 or higher to be approved for the card.

Must book through the card’s site for maximum points – Many travel cards advertise enticing rewards rates for travel purchases, such as 6X miles for flights and hotels. But to get that rate, you’re often required to book the travel through the card’s travel portal. Capital One, Chase and American Express — three of the top travel card issuers — each have their own travel portal, and to earn maximum points you’ll usually have to book through those sites. The problem? Some airlines can’t be booked through some portals, and some flights or hotels may be more expensive through the card’s website than if you were to book them directly.

Complicated to use rewards – It can be hard to anticipate how many points you’ll need to redeem for future travel purchases, and eligibility restrictions can add another layer of uncertainty.

Annual fees – Top-of-the-line travel cards typically charge an annual fee, and that fee can sometimes be downright eye-popping. We’re talking fees of at least $95 and often much higher, up to $695. So if you’re thinking about shelling out that kind of cash for the right to use a card, you want to make sure you’ll get enough value out of it to offset the cost.

When You Shouldn’t Get a Travel Card

You don’t travel much – Let’s get the obvious out of the way: A travel card probably isn’t the best choice if you travel infrequently. Even if the points earned on a travel card can be redeemed for cash, it’s very likely that the cash redemption will come at a reduced value to what you would get if you used the points for travel. If you want to redeem points for cash, you’re better off getting a cash back card.

You plan to carry a balance – Travel credit cards don’t usually offer a $0 introductory APR for purchases or balance transfers, and their regular APRs also tend to be on the high side. So if you want to pay off a major purchase over time or you need to transfer an existing credit card balance, this may not be the category of cards that suits you.

You want to avoid annual fees – Most of the top travel credit cards charge an annual fee. Sure, you can find some good cards with no annual fee and plenty more with a fee under $100. But if you’re strongly opposed to paying for the privilege of using a credit card, this category may not offer many great options.

How To Compare Travel Credit Cards

Travel cards all have their own unique features, and what works great for one person may not be as beneficial for another. Here’s what you’ll want to look at when assessing which is best for you:

Rewards structure – Which types of purchases will earn you the most points or miles? How easy is it to redeem those points, and are you sure you can redeem them for travel or other purposes that you’ll actually use? This is often the hardest part of credit card comparisons because you’ll need to anticipate how you will use the card and then crunch the numbers to forecast which card will produce the best value for you.

Travel perks – Travel cards are about much more than just points and miles. They usually come with some pretty sweet perks that make your trip a little more relaxing. Features may include free checked baggage, TSA PreCheck credits, airport lounge access and all sorts of upgrades.

Annual fees – Don’t simply look at which card has the highest and lowest annual fee. Try to predict whether you think the points and perks you’ll get in return will make that fee worth it.

Sign-up bonus – Travel cards love to wow you with a welcome offer. In fact, for many travelers the sign-up bonus is the final tiebreaker when choosing a card. Many cards will offer tens of thousands of bonus miles just for signing up, which can give you a big head start as you accumulate points for that first trip.

Foreign transaction fees – Many credit cards come with foreign transaction fees, but travel cards often advertise no fees on purchases abroad. Makes sense, since their target customer is more likely to set foot on foreign soil. If you’re eyeing a travel card to earn points for international travel, this could be an important category to consider.

How To Maximize Rewards

With rewards structures that are complex and fine print that houses all sorts of perks and restrictions, travel cards can test your credit card mastery. Strategize correctly, and you’re living large.

Airline and hotel rewards loyalty – It’s important to take a close look at how the loyalty programs connected to your card of choice work. When you select a co-branded airline or hotel card, you’ll likely automatically get signed up for that brand’s loyalty program. Dive deep into how to fully use those points when on a trip.

Track the points and miles you earn – Some people get quite elaborate when performing this task, creating spreadsheets to calculate when to use which card. While you don’t have to take it to that level, you should develop an understanding of which card you should pull out for most of your purchases, especially the bigger buys that generate the most points.

Think regional with co-branded cards – This doesn’t apply to all types of travelers. It may not be as important if you travel all over the world for business or pleasure. However, if you’re considering a co-branded card but you aren’t sure where future travel may take you, it may be wise to choose an airline with many flights departing from your local airport or a hotel chain with locations all over your area.

Look for companion fares – Some cards, especially those co-branded with an airline, will offer the cardholder a companion fare each year. A companion fare is a heavily discounted ticket that usually requires you to book another ticket on the same flight. Basically, it’s buy one, get one (almost) free. This can mean huge savings on some airlines. For example, if you’re going with a friend to Hawaii and your round-trip ticket costs $800, you could get the second ticket for $100 or less. That’s $700 worth of savings right there!

Best Credit Cards 2023

• 10 Best Rewards Credit Cards for 2023
• 10 Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards for 2023
• 10 Best Cash Back Credit Cards for 2023
• 10 Best Credit Cards for 2023
• Best Airline Credit Cards for 2023

Methodology

CardCritics, our resident credit card experts, identify the best credit cards by compiling and extensively analyzing data on all of the major credit cards available, then rating them on a 5-star rating system. The comparison factors include annual fees, APRs, sign-up bonuses, ongoing rewards, accessibility, redemption options, and more. These factors were then weighted by importance to focus on key features that are most important in each specific category.