Best Travel Credit Cards for January 2019

You travel regularly and use your credit card to pay for a big chunk of it. With all the airline- and travel-related cards out there, how do you know if the one currently in your wallet is giving you the maximum benefit?

In this roundup, we break down the numbers and take a look at what we think are the best credit cards in the categories that are most important to travelers.

Best no annual fee travel card	Discover it® Miles
Best travel card for frequent fliers	Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Best for infrequent/low maintenance travelers	Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card
Best for travel protections	Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Best travel card for lounge access	The Platinum Card® from American Express
Best for free checked bags	United MileagePlus® Club Card
Best for foodies	Uber Visa Card
Best for business fliers	The Business Platinum® Card from American Express
Best for free hotel stays	Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card
Best sign-up bonus value	Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card
Best for luxury perks	Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Best airline specific credit cards	Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®

 

Best no annual fee travel card

Discover it® Miles

This one wins, but only by a nose. What pushed it over the top is the new cardmember offer where you earn an Unlimited 1.5x Miles per dollar on all purchases, every day. If you spend $10,000 on the card in a year, you’d earn 15,000 miles; the Discover match turns that into 30,000 miles. But after the first year, the card reverts to its original points per $1 spent.

Redeem your miles as an electronic deposit to your bank account or for a credit on travel purchases, including airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, travel agents, online travel sites and commuter transportation. The card comes with two perks: a free FICO^® credit score and Freeze It^®, where Discover won’t authorize new purchases, cash advances or balance transfers temporarily.

Runners-up

Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

New cardmembers can earn 25,000 online bonus points if you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. That translates into $250 that you can use to help pay for travel. You earn 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases.

Earn between 25% and 75% bonus points if you belong to Bank of America’s Preferred Banking Rewards program. Redeem them for travel credit, gift cards or cash that’s redeemed as a check or as an electronic deposit into a Bank of America® checking or savings account. The only perk with this card is a free FICO^® credit score.

Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card

If you want a no-fee card that comes with some perks, this card offers 1.25 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, which is lower than the previously mentioned cards. It has a One-time bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $1,000 on purchases within 3 months of account opening, equal to $200 in travel.

In December, Capital One unveiled a new perk for its four travel-branded Capital One credit cards, including this one: the ability to transfer miles earned to 14 travel loyalty programs, with more partners to be announced. The card also comes with benefits like car rental insurance, hotel upgrades, concierge service and extended warranty.

Once you buy travel with the card, redeem your miles as a statement credit. Plus you earn 10 miles per $1 spent when you use the card to book a hotel stay at hotels.com/venture.

Best travel card for frequent fliers

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

This card gives you a lot in return for paying its high $450 annual fee. New cardmembers Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You earn 3X points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit. 3X points on dining at restaurants & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. $0 foreign transaction fees. But you don’t get the higher points per $1 spent for travel until you spend the card’s $300 annual travel credit.

You get your best value with this card by using all of your travel credit and taking advantage of your free Priority Pass™ Select airport lounge membership for access to more than 1,000 facilities worldwide, a benefit that usually costs $399 a year. Plus receive a credit of up to $100 every four years to cover the enrollment fee for Global Entry or TSA Precheck.

Another great benefit is getting 50% more value for your points when you redeem them in the Chase Ultimate Rewards^® portal for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises. Remember that sign-up bonus? Those points are worth $750 for travel in the portal. And you can transfer your points 1:1 to nine airline or four hotel loyalty programs.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

With an annual fee of $550, you’re paying for the elite perks and personal service that American Express is famous for. The welcome offer allows cardholders to earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. Based on 10,000 points being worth $100, that adds up to an instant $600 you can use to book travel. in flights, hotels, car rentals or cruises.

You also get a $200 annual Uber credit; a $200 airline fee credit for one of your choosing; statement credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck enrollment fee every four years; and free access to lounges including Centurion Lounge, International American Express lounges, Delta Sky Club® and Priority Pass™.

Best for infrequent/low maintenance travelers

Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card

This simple card is a great option if you want to earn rewards that go toward travel without worrying about points and categories. You earn a straight 1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day. New cardmembers earn a One-time $150 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

You redeem your cash back as a statement credit, a check or as automatic redemptions at specific thresholds. You can also redeem them as credits for past purchases, gift cards, charitable donations or transfer it to another Capital One account, all at capitalone.com’s My Rewards page. The card also comes with Visa Signature® benefits, including extended warranty, auto rental collision damage waiver, free upgrades and special savings at hotels, resorts and spas and access to the card’s concierge service.

Runner-up

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Here’s another simple card where you just earn cash back without having to worry about categories that change every quarter or how many points you earn for different spending. New cardmembers Earn a $150 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. You earn an Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase.

One great benefit with this card is if you already have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can combine the cash back on the Chase Freedom Unlimited® with the points you earn on the other two cards and use them all in the Chase Ultimate Rewards^® portal. There you can get 25% more value when you redeem points for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises. The card comes with perks including purchase protections and extended warranty.

Best travel card for lounge access

The Platinum Card® from American Express

First, this card does come with a $550 annual fee. But it more than balances out what you’d pay for the airport lounges you can visit by having this card. If you are a frequent flyer, you crave a place to get away from the airport masses. This card gets you free access to airport lounges around the world, including nine Centurion Lounges, nine International American Express lounges, 51 Delta Sky Clubs, three Airspace Lounges, 10 Escape lounges and more than 1,000 Priority Pass™ Select lounges. An individual Sky Club membership costs $495 a year, Priority Pass™ Select costs $399 a year, Airspace starts at $20 per entry and Escapes is $40-$45, which more than covers The Platinum Card® from American Express’s annual fee.

Runner-up

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

This card has a $450 annual fee. It comes with a Priority Pass™ Select membership, valued at $399 a year. That gets you access to more than 1,000 lounges around the world for you and two guests. Additional guests are charged $27 per guest, per visit.

Best for travel protections

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

When travel doesn’t go as smoothly as you want, this is the must-have card in your wallet because of how it helps mitigate disasters. If your flight is delayed six hours or more for travel booked with the card, you can be reimbursed up to $500 for hotels or meals. Was your trip canceled? The card takes care of up to $10,000 in travel that can’t be refunded if you can’t make the trip. And it even covers family members even when they’re not traveling with you. In case of accidental death or dismemberment, you can be covered for up to $1 million in travel accident insurance. Terms apply.

If you or an immediate family member check baggage or carry on luggage that is damaged or lost by the carrier, you’re covered up to $3,000 per passenger with lost luggage reimbursement. If your travel is delayed by more than six hours or requires an overnight stay, you and your family are covered for unreimbursed expenses, like meals and lodging, for up to $500 a ticket. The worst has happened and you need emergency evacuation and transportation? This card covers you or an immediate family member if you’re injured or become sick during a trip for medical services and transportation up to $100,000. Terms apply.

Best for free checked bags

United MileagePlus® Club Card

Most airlines offer cardmembers one free checked bag — but this card offers two bags each for the primary cardholder and one traveling companion when you pay for your flight with it. The $450 annual fee is covered after you and a companion fly two round trips and check two bags each, at $25 for the first bag and $35 for the second.

The card also comes with a free United Club airport lounge membership, valued at between $450 and $550 a year, along with elite status at Hyatt and Hertz and priority check-in, security screening (where available), boarding and baggage handling.

The information related to the United MileagePlus® Club Card has been collected by CompareCards and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.

Runner-up

Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express

This card comes with a free checked bag and priority boarding for the cardholder and up to nine travelers on the same reservation. The card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.

Best for business fliers

The Business Platinum® Card from American Express

Even with its $450 annual fee, this card is chockablock full of benefits that make travel easier for businesses. Cardmembers Earn 50,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 and an extra 25,000 points after you spend an additional $10,000. You earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com and 1.5 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more. When you redeem your points for travel, you get 35% of them back.

You receive up to $200 in credits during a calendar year to cover fees at a single airline. And the card comes with an up to $100 credit to cover enrollment fees for Global Entry and TSA Precheck. The card comes with access to airport lounges including The Centurion^® Lounge, International American Express lounges, Delta SkyClub^®; Priority Pass™ Select, Airspace Lounge and Escape Lounge. It also comes with gold elite status at Starwood and Hilton Honors hotels.

Other perks include free unlimited Wi-Fi on Boingo on up to four devices to more than a million hotspots worldwide with no Wi-Fi roaming fees; access to Business Platinum Card Concierges; car rental loss and damage insurance; premium roadside assistance; baggage insurance plan; and travel accident insurance. And it comes with tools that are useful for businesses like employee cards, a designated account manager, connect to Quickbooks, account alerts and a year-end spending summary.

Runner-up

Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card

This card allows cardmembers to Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases—with no limit to the amount you can earn. The card allows you to transfer your points 1:1 to nine airline and four hotel partners. It also comes with trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance, cell phone protection and extra cards for employees.

Best for foodies

Uber Visa Card

This $0 annual fee card allows new cardmembers to earn $100 after spending $500 on purchases in the first 90 days from account opening. It offers 4% back on dining, 3% back on hotel and airfare, 2% back for online purchases, and 1% on everything else The card’s dining categories covers restaurants, fast food restaurants, bars and UberEats delivery.

The information related to the Uber Visa Card has been collected by CompareCards and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.

Runner-up

Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card

This new card’s welcome offer allows new cardmembers to Earn 30K bonus points when you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. You Earn 3X points for eating out and ordering in, 3X points for gas stations, rideshares and transit, and 3X points for travel including flights, hotels, homestays and car rentals. Earn 1X points on other purchases. The dining category includes eating places and restaurants, drinking places and fast-food restaurants.

Best for free hotel stays

Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card

Redeem your points for standard or premium rooms, or use a mix of points and money to book a stay. Points needed to book rooms starts at 5,000. A stay at Troubadour Hotel near New Orleans’ French Quarter in mid-March will cost around 48,000 points a night. Earn a weekend night reward after spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year.

If you have Hilton Honors silver, gold or diamond elite status, you’ll receive every fifth night free when you use points to book standard reward stays of five consecutive nights or more. The card comes with Hilton Honors Gold status. If you spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year, you can earn Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year.

Runner-up

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

This card gets the nod mainly because you can transfer the points you earn on the card 1:1 to four hotel partners — IHG^® Rewards Club, Marriott Rewards^®, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards^® and World of Hyatt^®. And you can get 25% more value on your points when you book your travel, including hotels, through the Chase Ultimate Rewards^® website.

Best sign-up bonus value

Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card

New cardmembers Earn 75,000 Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the new Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card! When you value Marriott Rewards points at 7 cents each, that makes the cash value of the bonus $525. When you subtract the card’s $95 annual fee, you’re still ahead by $430.

You get even more value when you factor in Marriott Rewards perks including a free hotel night every year after your card anniversary (valued at up to 35,000 points) and automatic silver elite status, which gives you a 20% points bonus, no blackout dates and free in-room Wi-Fi when booked directly at Marriott. Redeem your points for hotel stays, room upgrades, flights, rental cars, vacation packages, cruises, gift cards, shopping and charity donations. You can also transfer your Marriott points to more than 40 airline loyalty programs.

The information related to the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card has been collected by CompareCards and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.

Runner-up

IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card

Looking strictly at the numbers, this card has one of the highest sign-up bonuses on the market, where new cardmembers Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. The card comes with platinum elite status, a free hotel night after each account anniversary year, a free night when redeeming points for stays of four or more nights and a 20% discount when you buy points with the card.

The information related to the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card has been collected by CompareCards and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.

Best for luxury perks

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

This card squeaked into our top spot because of how members can get 50% more value for their points when they book travel via the Chase Ultimate Rewards^® website. It allows new cardmembers to Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That adds up to $750 in travel value. Earn 3X points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit. 3X points on dining at restaurants & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. $0 foreign transaction fees.

This card comes with a $300 credit for travel fees, but there’s a catch: you won’t earn higher points for travel until you spend that $300 credit before the end of your cardmember anniversary. You also get up to a $100 credit for your Global Entry or TSA Precheck enrollment fee and a free Priority Pass® Select airport lounge membership.

Runner-up

The Platinum Card® from American Express

The welcome offer is 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. With every 10,000 points worth $100 in flights, hotels, car rentals or cruises, that bonus comes to an instant $600 that can go toward travel. Other travel perks include: $200 yearly Uber credit; $200 airline fee credit; up to $100 credit for TSA Precheck or Global Entry enrollment; automatic gold status at Starwood and Hilton hotels; and free access to airport lounges, including Centurion Lounge, International American Express lounges, Delta Sky Club and Priority Pass™. You can also transfer Membership Rewards points to 16 airline or two hotel loyalty programs.

Best airline-specific credit cards

Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®

We chose this card for one reason — it offers the best rewards rates among the high-end cards, where cardmembers Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases & 1 AAdvantage® for every $1 spent on other purchases*. New cardmembers Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening*. That will get you a business class round trip within the 48 contiguous states using MileSAAver discount awards.

This card lets you earn 10,000 of those all-important Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) that help you keep elite status after spending $40,000 on it during a calendar year. It also comes with a free Admirals Club^® airport lounge membership, including access for either two guests or your immediate family. Boost the value of this card by adding authorized users who can also use the Admirals Club even when they are not traveling with you.

Other perks include priority check-in, priority airport screening where available, a free checked bag and early boarding for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation. There’s also a $100 statement credit every five years that covers the enrollment fee for Global Entry or TSA Precheck. 

Runner-up

Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express

The welcome offer lets new cardmembers Earn 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card in your first 3 months. Cardmembers also earn 10,000 Medallion^® Qualification Miles (MQMs) — based on the distance you fly and the fare class of your ticket —  and 40,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on the card in your first 3 months. You Earn 1 mile per dollar spent. You also get a free Delta Sky Club membership, an annual companion certificate, a free checked bag and priority boarding.

The information related to the Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express has been collected by CompareCards and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.

The travel card fine print — what to watch out for

While it’s always nice to get perks and benefits with your credit card, you must remember to read the fine print to check what exceptions could affect their value.

Do the math. Look beyond the hard numbers of a card’s sign-up bonus. Find out the actual value of your points and check how much you need to spend in order to get them.

Redemption flexibility. Make sure the card you choose gives you the maximum flexibility on how you spend your points, including travel, shopping and cash/deposit. If connected to a bank, find ones that give you bonus points for being a customer.

Foreign transaction fees. If you travel outside the U.S. regularly, choose cards that don’t charge this fee. If your card has a 3% fee and you spend $1,500 on a trip, it will cost you $45. That adds up after a number of trips.

Go for the bonus. Take advantage of bonus points offered by your card when you book travel via its website. Make sure that travel covers the broadest definition, such as airfare, hotels, trains, home shares, rideshares, parking and tolls.

Lounge around. If your card comes with airport lounge access, check their guest policy. Some allow either immediate family members or up to two guests for free, while others charge between $27 and $29 per guest.

Be protected. Carefully read your card’s policies on filing claims for reimbursement under travel protection. You not only need to know what’s covered, but exactly how you can get reimbursed in case the worst happens.

Pack a bag. If your card comes with a free checked bag, make sure it covers your traveling companions. See how much you’re charged for extra or overweight bags.

Let’s eat. You want a card that covers the broadest definition of dining. That includes restaurants, bars, fast-food eateries and food delivery services.

Check in. Your hotel-branded card should come with no blackout dates and automatic elite status. You also want a range of hotels, from budget to luxury, to choose from for redemption.

The above offers and/or promotions may have since changed, expired, or is no longer available. Check the Issuers’ website for more details.