Travel Rewards Credit Cards

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We dive into fine print of 110 travel credit cards to help you estimate how much value in rewards you can get for the 1st year with a card. We consider annual fees, sign-up bonus offer, rewards for spending, spending categories and rotating categories for some banks.

I want miles/points for
American Express
Any loyalty program
Flexible points
American Express
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Citi ThankYou
Starwood Preferred Guest
Airline miles/points
Aegean Airlines
Aeroflot
Aeroméxico
Air Canada
Air China
Air India
Air New Zealand
airberlin
Alaska Airlines
Alitalia
American Airlines
ANA - All Nippon Airways
Asiana Airlines
Avianca
British Airways
Cathay Pacific
China Eastern
China Southern
Copa Airlines
Delta
El Al
Emirates
Ethiopian Airlines
Etihad Airways
EVA Air
Finnair
Garuda Indonesia
Hainan Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines
Iberia
Japan Airlines
JetBlue
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Korean Air
LATAM
Lufthansa
Malaysia Airlines
Qantas
Qatar Airways
Royal Jordanian
S7 Airlines
SAS
Singapore Airlines
South African Airways
Southwest Airlines
SriLankan Airlines
TAP Portugal
Thai Airways
Turkish Airlines
United
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Australia

My credit is
Good (680-719)
Excellent (720+)
Good (680-719)
Fair (620-679)
Poor/No Credit (up to 619)
and I spend
monthly

Tell us about your spending habits, and we’ll find the most rewarding credit cards for you.

Some cards give you more rewards for spending in a particular category, such as gas or dining. By learning what you spend the most on, we can estimate the rewards value for each credit card more accurately.

4 cards found
The Platinum Card® from American Express photo
The Platinum Card® from American Express photo
Apply
The Platinum Card® from American Express
This card earns Memership Rewards Points (American Express program) See transfer options
Rewards for spending
Annual Fee
Bonus Offer
Rewards in 1st year
1-5 points per $1
$550
60k points
 90,000 points
  • Card Details
  • Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases in your first 3 months.
  • 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel.
  • 5X Membership Rewards® points on eligible hotels booked on amextravel.com.
  • Up to $200 Uber Savings Annually.
  • $200 Airline Fee Credit. Receive up to $200 a year in baggage fees and and other incidental fees at one airline. Terms Apply.
  • $100 Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PRE✓®.
  • Receive complimentary benefits of up to $550 at over 975 extraordinary properties worldwide when you book Fine Hotels & Resort. Learn More. Terms Apply.
  • As a Platinum Card Member, you can enjoy access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, the only credit card airport lounge access program that includes proprietary lounge locations across 120 countries.
  • No interest charges because you pay your balance in full each month.
  • Pros
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • High rewards rate
  • Sign-up bonus
  • Cons
  • Has annual fee

Our Take

For anyone travelling full time, part time, or at least somewhat frequently, the card’s annual fee should be no issue at all. The travel credit alone covers the most of it, and whatever is left you can easily make up with rewards points and additional travel perks.

Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express photo
Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express photo
Apply
Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express
This card earns Memership Rewards Points (American Express program) See transfer options
Rewards for spending
Annual Fee
Bonus Offer
Rewards in 1st year
2-3 points per $1
$195
waived first year
50k points
 50,000 points
  • Card Details
  • Earn 50,000 Points after you spend $2,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Card Membership.
  • Earn 3X points for flights booked directly with airlines. Terms and Limitations Apply.
  • Earn 2X points at US restaurants, US gas stations, and at US supermarkets. 1X points on other purchases. Terms and Limitations Apply.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • $100 Airline Fee Credit. Receive up to $100 a year in baggage fees and other incidentals at one airline.
  • Get 2X Membership Rewards® points per eligible $1 spent, in addition to a $75 hotel credit to spend on qualifying dining, spa, and resort activities at participating properties, at americanexpress.com/hc. Terms apply.
  • No interest charges because you pay your balance in full each month.
  • $00 intro annual fee for the first 12 months of Card Membership, then $195.
  • Pros
  • Hight rewards rate
  • Sign-up bonus
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees
  • No interest charges
  • Cons
  • Has annual fee

Our Take

The card is as close as you can get to a top-tier travel card without having to pay a $400+ annual fee. It has a generous bonus offer, solid earning and redemption rates, and a few somewhat useful travel perks. Its ideal user is someone who is already flying with American Express airline partners and staying at the Hotel Collection properties.

Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card photo
Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card photo
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Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card
This card earns Memership Rewards Points (American Express program) See transfer options
Rewards for spending
Annual Fee
Bonus Offer
Rewards in 1st year
1-3 points per $1
$95
15k points
 45,000 points
  • Card Details
  • Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you use your new Card to make $1,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. Terms apply.
  • 3X points at US supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per calendar year in purchases.
  • 2X points at US gas stations and 1 point on all other purchases. Terms and limitations apply.
  • Use your Card 30 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 50% more points on those purchases less returns and credits. Terms and limitations apply.
  • Payment Flexibility: your Card gives you the option to carry a balance with interest or pay in full each month.
  • Use Membership Rewards® points for rewards from over 500 leading brands in travel, gift cards, merchandise, or entertainment.
  • 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months, then a variable APR, 14.74% - 24.74%.
  • Pros
  • High rewards rate
  • Generous signup bonus
  • 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months
  • Cons
  • Has annual fee
Amex EveryDay® Credit Card photo
Amex EveryDay® Credit Card photo
Apply
Amex EveryDay® Credit Card
This card earns Memership Rewards Points (American Express program) See transfer options
Rewards for spending
Annual Fee
Bonus Offer
Rewards in 1st year
1-2 points per $1
$0
10k points
 40,000 points
  • Card Details
  • Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you use your new Card to make $1,000 in purchases in your first 3 months.
  • Plus, earn 5,000 Points after you add your first Additional Card and an Additional Card Member makes a purchase on their Card in your first 3 months.
  • No annual fee. 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. After that, your APR will be a variable rate, currently 14.74% - 25.74%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors.
  • Use your Card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 20% more points on those purchases less returns and credits. Terms and limitations apply.
  • 2x points at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases. Then 1X points on other purchases. Terms and limitations apply.
  • Membership Rewards® program allows to Use points for rewards from over 500 leading brands in travel, gift cards, merchandise, or entertainment. You can transfer points to bank selection of frequent traveler programs.
  • Pros
  • Generous signup bonus
  • No annual fee
  • High rate for rewards
  • 0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months
  • Cons
  • Good to excellent credit score required
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