Travel Credit Cards
A travel rewards credit card can be a great way to start saving for a vacation. The trick is to start using the card to make your everyday purchases even if you are just buying fast food. As you do this, the points will start to build on your travel credit card. Essentially it becomes a savings plan for vacations without actually having to save money. Not all travel credit cards are the same. We have researched the travel cards available online and put together the Top 5 in which we feel offers the best value to consumers. The reward points can be used for airline tickets, hotel stays, car rentals, and even cruises in some cases.
The credit card issuers that offer these travel reward cards are getting very competitive trying to gain new cardholders. That is great news for consumers because the travel rewards keep getting better and better. Please review our Top 5 Travel Credit Cards list and select the card that is right for you.
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Capital One® Venture(SM) Rewards Credit Card |
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- Money® Magazine’s “Most Rewarding Card if you crave free airline flights”
- 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
- Earn 10,000 bonus miles, equal to $100 in travel
- Redeem your miles for any travel expense
- No limit on the miles you can earn and miles won’t expire
- Fly free on any airline, any time with no blackout dates
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $59 after that
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Intro Purchase APR
See Terms* |
Intro Balance Trans. APR
See Terms* |
APR
See Terms* |
Annual Fee
See Terms* |
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Capital One® VentureOne(SM) Rewards Credit Card
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- 1.25 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
- Earn 10,000 bonus miles, equal to $100 in travel
- Redeem miles for airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals and more
- No limit on the miles you can earn and miles won’t expire
- Fly free on any airline, any time with no blackout dates
- 0% intro APR on purchases until May 2013
- No foreign transaction fees
- No annual fee
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Intro Purchase APR
See Terms* |
Intro Balance Trans. APR
See Terms* |
APR
See Terms* |
Annual Fee
See Terms* |
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Chase Sapphire Preferred(SM) Card |
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- Earn 40,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months – that’s $500 toward travel rewards!
- 2 points per dollar spent on travel and at restaurants & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 20% off airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises when you book through Ultimate Rewards(SM)
- No foreign transaction fees
- Receive a 7% annual dividend on all new points earned – even on points already redeemed
- 1:1 point transfer to participating frequent travel programs
- Direct access to expert service advisors anytime
- No Annual Fee for your first year – A $95 value
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Intro Purchase APR
N/A* |
Intro Balance Trans. APR
N/A* |
APR
15.24% *(Variable) |
Annual Fee
$95 Annual Fee
Waived First Year |
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Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Visa Signature® Card |
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- Earn 40,000 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points after spending $1,000 within 4 months of account opening*
- Earn 6 HHonors Bonus Points for each $1 spend at participating hotels within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio*
- Earn 3 HHonors Bonus Points for each $1 spent on purchases at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations.*
- Earn 2 HHonors Bonus Points for each $1 spent on all other purchases.*
- No Annual Fee.*
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Intro Purchase APR
N/A* |
Intro Balance Trans. APR
N/A* |
APR
14.24% or 16.24%* (Variable)* |
Annual Fee
$0* |
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Delta Airlines – Gold Delta Skymiles® Credit Card |
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- Earn 30,000 bonus miles toward Award Travel when you spend $500 on the Card in the first three months from account opening
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95
- Check your first bag free- for up to 9 people on your reservation- on every Delta flight
- Receive double miles on Delta purchases and 1 mile for all other eligible dollars spent
- Priority Boarding and 20% In-Flight Savings
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Intro Purchase APR
N/A* |
Intro Balance Trans. APR
N/A* |
APR
15.24% – 19.24% Variable* |
Annual Fee
$0 intro annual fee
for the first year, then $95 |
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United MileagePlus® Explorer Card |
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- Earn up to 40,000 bonus miles & first year free, a $95 value*
- First checked bag is free for you and a companion when you fly United flights, up to a $50 value
- Board your flight before general boarding with priority boarding privileges
- Visit the United Club with two complimentary day passes every year, up to a $100 value
- Earn 2 miles for each $1 spent on airline tickets purchased from United and 1 mile per $1 for everything else
- Your miles don`t expire and there is no limit to the number of miles you can earn
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Intro Purchase APR
N/A* |
Intro Balance Trans. APR
N/A* |
APR
15.24% Variable* |
Annual Fee
$95, waived the first year* |
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Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® Visa Signature® Card |
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- Earn 30,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of cardmembership*
- Your first eligible checked bag is free*
- Priority Boarding* and 25% savings on eligible in-flight purchases*
- Earn a $100 American Airlines Flight Discount every cardmembership year with qualifying purchases and cardmembership renewal*
- Double AAdvantage® miles on eligible American Airlines purchases*
- Earn 10% of your redeemed AAdvantage® miles back – up to 10,000 AAdvantage® miles each calendar year*
- No mileage cap* and your miles may never expire*
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Intro Purchase APR
N/A* |
Intro Balance Trans. APR
N/A* |
APR
15.24%* (Variable) |
Annual Fee
$95, waived for the first 12 months* |
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Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card |
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- Now! Earn a Free Flight after your first purchase
- Get 3,000 Points every year on your Card member Anniversary – that can be redeemed for a $50 Wanna Get Away® Fare
- Now you can redeem for International Travel, Hotels, Gift Cards and more.
- Earn unlimited Free Flights – 2 Points per $1 Spent on Southwest Purchases and 1 Point per $1 Spent on Everything else
- Your Bags Fly Free! No Blackout Dates, Points Don’t Expire, and Unlimited Reward Seats!
- No Change fees – if you need to change your flight, you won’t be charged a fee
- September 11th Security Fee Applies
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Intro Purchase APR
N/A* |
Intro Balance Trans. APR
N/A* |
APR
15.24%* (Variable) |
Annual Fee
$69.00* |
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Blue Sky from American Express® |
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- 7,500 bonus points when you spend $1,000 within 3 months – redeemable for a $100 statement credit.
- No annual fee
- Travel rewards with no blackout dates or travel restrictions. Redeem with any airline, any car rental, any hotel – anytime
- Pay your bill all at once, or over time. It’s up to you.
- Blue Savings Program® big deals on big brands, all the time
- Get a decision in as little as 60 seconds.
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Intro Purchase APR
0% for 12 months* |
Intro Balance Trans. APR
N/A* |
APR
17.24%-22.24% Variable |
Annual Fee
$0* |
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Capital One® Orbitz® Visa® Platinum – Excellent |
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- 3 points per dollar spent on eligible Orbitz.com bookings
- Get 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
- Bonus points on eligible Orbitz.com bookings
- No limit on the points you can earn and points don`t expire
- Redeem for travel, merchandise, gift cards, and more
- Earn travel quickly with low redemption minimums
- 250 point refueling bonus when you redeem points for awards
- No annual fee
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Intro Purchase APR
0% until May 2013* |
Intro Balance Trans. APR
N/A* |
APR
13.9% – 19.9% (V)* |
Annual Fee
None* |
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Why are Travel Reward Cards Popular?
Travel rewards are one of the most popular rewards that consumers that like to earn when using their credit card. These cards can essentially act as a vacation savings account. With every purchase that you make you can earn points or miles that can be used towards the purchase of airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, and more. It can be hard to save throughout the year to take the vacation that you want. Everyone loves to get away and trips can be expensive. Even if you haven’t earned enough to pay for your trip in full, the rewards can certainly help offset your costs a bit. The best part is that your everyday purchases help you get to your goal faster. Every lunch, every fill up at the gas station, they all contribute. The simplicity of earning rewards and consumers desire to take vacations make these cards very popular.
Selecting the Best Travel Credit Card
When deciding which is the best travel credit card offer for you, there are a few things you need to consider first. Are you looking to earn airline miles, hotel points, or miles and points that can be used for both? If you are loyal to a certain airline or hotel, a card that earns you rewards towards that specific company may be right for you. If you are looking to earn miles and points you want the flexibility of where you can use them, a general travel rewards card like the Capital One Venture Card or Chase Sapphire Card will be best for you. When we developed our rankings of the top travel credit cards, we took into card features such as annual fees, introductory APRs, on-going interest rates, earnings rates of the travel rewards, and bonus rewards. Based on that information we present the cards that we feel offer the best overall value to consumers.
Maximizing Your Travel Rewards
With a travel credit card you can earn points and miles without changing your normal purchasing habits. The only difference is that you should try to use the credit card to make all your purchases. In the instances where you would have used cash, save that cash to pay your bill when the statement comes in. When you think about it, buying lunch, gasoline, even paying for your car insurance with a credit card will build your rewards overtime. Each transaction adds up and can mean significant savings on your next vacation. To earn at the highest rate possible, choose your travel credit card wisely. The rate at which you earn rewards can differ from card to card. Most cards reward you with 1 point or mile for every dollar spent, but there are cards that will allow you to earn up to 2 points or miles for every dollar.
