The Best Travel Credit Cards for 2024

With so many choices out there, it can be difficult to choose the best travel credit card. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of options out there — and so many of them seem to be the same! How do you know which one is right for you? Or which one gives you the best rewards? Are the fees worth it? Which gives you the best perks?

For someone who isn’t deep into the credit card industry, it can be very confusing — and a bit nerve-wracking — to figure out which card to get.

But let me say this: there is no “best card.” The best travel credit card is the one that aligns with your travel goals.

Are you interested in loyalty to a brand, free rewards, or avoiding fees?

Do you want to milk the rewards and bonus system to get free flights, or do you just want a card that won’t charge you a fee for using it at that restaurant in Brazil?

Is elite status the most important perk for you? Do you want points you can use like cash for anything?

You get the cards that match your goal.

I have an entire post on picking the best travel credit card.

Obviously, the airline and hotel cards you’ll pick are going to be based on those you use a lot. For example, I have a Marriott card and a Delta card because those are my brands of choice.

But, for those general points credit cards, some are way better than others. If you don’t have any specific goals in mind and are just looking for some you can use in your day-to-day life, here’s a list of what I think the best travel credit cards are, their features, and why and when you should have them.
 

MY TOP PICK: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the best all-around travel cards out there. It’s the “starter” version of the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (one of my favorite premium travel credit cards). This award-winning card is great for the more infrequent traveler (it’s the card I got my mother) or anyone who is dead-set on not paying a high yearly fee (this card is only $95 a year).

This card offers:

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel^SM purchases within your first year.
• 2x points on travel purchases
• 3x points on dining (including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out), online grocery purchases, and select streaming services
• 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel^SM
• Earn up to 5x on Lyft rides through March 31st, 2025
• 10% anniversary points boost (earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year)
• Complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription when you activate by December 31, 2027
• $50 Annual Chase Travel^SM Hotel Credit
• No foreign transaction fees

It’s a simple, easy-to-use credit card. I wrote a comprehensive review of the card here if you want to read more about it.

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Bilt Mastercard®

The Bilt Mastercard is the only credit card that allows you to earn points by paying your rent (up to 100,000 Bilt Points each year). It’s what I use to pay my rent each month as you can earn Bilt Points without any transaction fees just by making your regular rental payments. It’s also the only card that transfers to Alaska Airlines. And there are no annual fees either!

This card offers:

• 1x points on rental payments (up to 100,000 points per year)
• 2x points on travel
• 3x points on dining
• 5x points on Lyft rideshare when you link your Bilt account and pay with your Bilt card
• Alaska Airlines as a transfer partner (the only card that does)
• Rent Day benefits: monthly giveaways and challenges as well as 6x points on dining, 4x points on travel, and 2x on other spending on the 1st of the month (excluding rent, up to 1,000 bonus points on Rent Day)
• Access to the Bilt Milestone Rewards program (where you get more perks and earning power the more points you accumulate)
• No foreign transaction fees

It’s a simple card with no annual fee that’s a must-have for anyone paying rent. It’s important to note that you must use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points. Click here for a full breakdown of Rewards and Benefits and Rates and Fees.

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American Express® Gold Card

This card is a great choice for travelers who enjoy dining out, as you’ll earn more points dining at restaurants (up to $50,000 on these purchases per calendar year) and US supermarkets (up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year). You’ll also get related statement credits (see specifics below). With this card, you’ll earn Membership Rewards® points, which you can transfer to any of their 16 travel partners. Some overlap with Chase’s transfer partners and some Chase does not have (like Delta).

This card offers:

• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.
• Earn 4x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
• Earn 3x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com
• Earn 2x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com
• Earn 1x Membership Rewards point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
• Up to $120 in Uber Cash ($10 in Uber Cash distributed each month when you add your Gold Card to the Uber app). You must have downloaded the latest version of the Uber App and your eligible American Express Gold Card must be a method of payment in your Uber account. The Amex benefit may only be used in United States.
• Up to $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
• Up to $84 Dunkin’ Credit: With the $84 Dunkin’ Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at Dunkin’ locations
• Up to $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• Up to $100 credit towards eligible charges with every booking of two nights or more at The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com. Eligible charges vary by property.
• No foreign transaction fees

If you are a foodie, this is a great card to have in your wallet. It does come with a $325 annual fee, but if you make use of the credits and other perks, it’s more than worth it. See Rates and Fees.

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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of my favorite credit cards. I absolutely think you should get this card, especially if you’re looking for an easy-to-use card with a high earning rate on everyday purchases.

This card offers:

• Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
• 2x miles on every dollar spent
• 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• Transfer miles to any of their 15+ travel partners
• Up to $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
• $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
• No foreign transaction fees
• $95 annual fee

With 2x miles on all purchases (a rarity in a travel card) this is a card that should be in your wallet. When they relaunched it, I liked it so much I got one myself!

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Chase Freedom Unlimited®

If you’re looking for something more in the ways of cashback and/or want to stick with Chase points over Amex points, this is the best card for you. It’s simple and easy to use. And for more avid collectors of points and miles, the cashback is accrued as Chase points, which can be used for travel rewards (and if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can transfer these points to one of Chase’s many travel partners for an even better value).

This card offers:

• No annual fee
• Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back.
• 1.5% cash back on all purchases
• 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel^SM
• 3% cash back on restaurants and drugstores

If you’re like my dad (who doesn’t fly a lot and just wants a no-fee cashback card), then this card is for you!

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One thing to remember is that there’s not one card to use for all occasions. Each card has its perks, so you want to maximize your point earning by sticking and matching your spending. I use three or four cards for all my spending. Chase for travel and restaurants, American Express for groceries, Delta for travel perks on the airline, and Marriott for my hotel stays. That way I always get the most points possible for every dollar I spend without spreading my points around too much.

So, if you’re looking for a travel credit card, pick one of the above. They are the best in my opinion.