Whether you’re traveling for a business meeting or your adventurous vacation, travel expenses could be a stressful matter for you. Heavy expenses for premium flights, hotel stays, food, and shopping could hinder you from enjoying a memorable trip to your dream destination. Looking for a solution to make your traveling easier and budget-friendly? Travel credit cards with their amazing features would be the best solution!
Important Features of Travel Credit Card
While you’re planning for a vacation tour or making a scheduled plan for yourself, it’s important to understand what makes a credit card a good selection for you with travel rewards (plus collecting points & miles). You must define what your needs are before picking the best travel credit card for you.
Some key credit card features you should be aware of while moving forward are given below:
- INTRODUCTORY OFFERS: When registering a new credit card, the company usually provides a large number of rewards in the form of points to help travelers apply. To receive the introductory bonus, you must spend a certain amount on the card within the first few months. The larger the initial bonus, the quicker you’ll be able to get a free flight through your credit card.
- ANNUAL FEE: Most travel credit cards charge an annual fee where the fee is usually waived for the first year depending on the card. If you don’t use all the credit card’s benefits and keep it in your wallet unused, the bank still charges the annual fee. But if you take advantage of most of the benefits of your card, it outweighs the annual fees.
- LOUNGE ACCESS: Some passes allow you to enjoy discounts or use premium lounges for free (free food, coffee, beer, showers, comfortable seats, etc.)
- FREE HOTEL STAYS: Some travel or hotel credit cards also give you a free night’s stay at certain hotel chains when you spend a certain amount of money on their credit card.
- FREE FLIGHT CREDIT: Some companies give you free credit when you use the card to purchase flights or sometimes a free companion ticket to let a friend fly for free with you.
- PRIORITY BOARDING: Some of the airline-branded travel credit cards offer you a free priority-boarding facility. You can also get free checked bags on the airline while traveling to your destination.
- POINTS MULTIPLIERS: You can also multiply the number of points you receive on certain cards while using them for specific types of purchases during your travel. For example, 2X points at travel or purchase, or 3X points at restaurants. The points multiplier feature is unique for each card.
- GLOBAL ENTRY CREDIT: Some travel cards offset the $100 Global Entry fee when you pay for it using them.
- NO FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEES: Credit cards are great to use when you are overseas because you will get the best possible exchange rate from them. But if you are paying a fee every time you use the card, it does not prove to be as good as you wish. Today, there are too many credit cards offering no foreign transaction fees that you should never get a credit card with a foreign transaction fee.
Whether you are a beginner planning to buy a travel credit card or already using this facility for travelers, this comprehensive information for the best travel credit cards with all their features will be valuable for you.
There are many travel credit cards with different features. All of them are with different rules and terms. Some cards are better than others for collecting travel rewards and free flights, while others would be better for introductory bonuses or lounge access. Everyone should use at least one good travel credit card (or possibly more) to reduce the cost of travel and increase the fun.
This guide will help you find out which travel credit cards are worth buying.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
This card offers 100,000 Bonus Points and flexibility for use after spending $4,000 within the first three months. You can also transfer your points to the following airlines: United Airlines, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Korean Airlines, or Virgin Atlantic Airlines. In addition, this card is very suitable for travel, rental car insurance to prevent problems during the journey. The annual fee is just $95.
Key Features:
- 5,000 extra points when you add an authorized user
- No foreign transaction fees
- 2x points on travel & dining purchases
- Trip cancellation insurance
- Travel accident insurance
- Car rental insurance
- Capital One Venture Rewards Card
This card offers 100,000 Bonus Points after spending $20,000 within 12 months. This card is good for travel hackers. First, you will earn a massive 100,000 point bonus if you hit the $20,000 spending target. However, you will still earn 50,000 miles if you only spend $3000 in the first three months. The annual fee for this card is just $95.
Key Features:
- $100 rebate on Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fees
- Zero foreign transaction fees when traveling
- Super easy & flexible
- Use your points on ten different airlines
- 2X points on purchases without having to worry about special categories
- Earn 10x points when you book your hotel on Hotels.com/venture
- Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
This card is featured with 60,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 within the first three months. The annual fee for this card is $550.
Although it has a very high annual fee, this card comes with some great travel rewards for people who travel a lot. You can earn $300 in travel points each year, which ultimately reduces the annual fee to $250.The best thing about this card is the Priority Pass membership (worth $100) that gives you and two guests free access to over 1,000+ airline lounges!
When redeemed.on Chase Travel Portal, the 60,000 bonus points are worth $750 in free travel at the rate of 1.5 cents each. You can also transfer your points to the following airlines: United Airlines, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Korean Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic Airlines.
Key Features:
- Free Priority Pass Lounge Membership
- 3x points on travel and dining expenses
- Zero foreign transaction fees
- $100 application credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre-check
- Lost luggage reimbursement
- Travel accident insurance
- Car rental insurance
- Delta Skymiles American Express Card
Spend $2,000 or more in the first three months to get 70,000 points. The annual fee for this card is US$99 (can be waived for the first year).
If you travel a lot, the American Express Platinum Card is the best choice for you with features such as free priority boarding and free upgrades, which are more effective. But for a beginner, the Gold is a good one is a perfect choice to start.
Key Features:
- Zero foreign transaction fees
- First checked bag free (up to $60)
- 70,000 point bonus worth $970 in free travel
- 1X points on any purchases, which you can redeem on Delta flights
- Linked with more than 30 airline partners.
- Earn 2X miles while purchasing with Delta
- Free car rental insurance
- Chase Ink Business Preferred Card
Earn 100,000 points after spending $15,000 in the first three months on this card. The annual fee for the card is $95
This card is valuable if you are a business owner with 100,000 points. When redeeming through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you can get a bonus of more than $1,000 for a free ride.
Key Features:
- 5x points when buying office supplies
- 3X points on any travel and business expenses
- 25% more value when you redeem points on the Chase travel portal
- No foreign transaction fees
- Free protection of up to $600 for mobile phones
- You can transfer the points to more than 5 airlines
One thing you must remember is that there is not a single card to use for all occasions. Each card has its advantages, so you will want to maximize your accumulated points while maintaining and offsetting costs. You can use three to four cards for all your spending. Chase for travel and restaurants, Capital Venture for my hotel stays, Delta for travel perks on the airline, and American Express for groceries. Every dollar spent can earn as many points as possible without spreading too much.
So, if you’re looking for a travel credit card with maximum rewards and key features, pick one of the above. They are the best possible options for you if you’re a regular traveler.
