If you find yourself traveling a lot because of work or pleasure, owning a travel rewards credit card is a great way to reduce your costs and at the same time, earn a little something on the side. Depending on your situation, you may be looking for a card that can earn you stays at hotels, free airfare, or just a travel rewards credit card that offers you international transactions without fees.
Finding the best travel rewards credit card can be achieved simply by checking our list below. Some cards provide you purchasing power overseas, while others are designed for your travel in the United States. If you own a card you feel worthy of our list, let us know and we’ll add it!
My Favorite
Capital One® VentureSM Rewards Credit Card
Editor's Pick
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- 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
- As seen in Money® Magazine’s “Best” issue three years in a row. - Money® Magazine May 2010, 2011, 2012
- Earn 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months, equal to $100 in travel
- Redeem your miles for any travel expense
- No limit on the miles you can earn and miles don’t expire
- Fly 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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Other Great Travel Reward Credit Cards
| Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express |
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- Starpoints® bonus: earn up to 25,000 bonus points: 10,000 after your first purchase and another 15,000 after you spend $5,000 within the first 6 months of Cardmembership
- That's enough for a weekend getaway to a Category 4 Hotel like the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa
- Free Hotel Nights: redeem Starpoints at over 1,100 hotels in nearly 100 countries worldwide - with no blackout dates
- Free Flights: redeem Starpoints on over 350 airlines with SPG Flights - with no blackout dates
- Get 5,000 bonus Starpoints after you transfer 20,000 Starpoints to a frequent flyer program with more than 30 airlines
- No limits on the number of Starpoints you can earn
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $65
- Terms and Restrictions Apply.
|
| Intro APR |
Intro APR
Period |
Regular
APR |
Annual
Fee |
Balance
Transfer |
Credit
Needed |
| None |
None |
15.24%-19.24% (Variable) |
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $65 |
Yes |
Excellent Credit |
|
| Blue Sky from American Express® |
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- Welcome Bonus: earn 7,500 points after you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months of Cardmembership - redeemable for a $100 statement credit.
- Flexible Ways to Earn: earn 1 point for virtually every dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
- Unlimited Travel Options: Travel with any airline, hotel, cruise, car rental and travel package - with no blackout dates.
- Flexible Bill Payments: pay your bill all at once or over time.
- No annual membership fee and 0% into APR on purchases for the first 12 months, after that, your APR will be a variable rate, currently 17.24%- 22.24%.
- Terms and Restrictions Apply.
|
| Intro APR |
Intro APR
Period |
Regular
APR |
Annual
Fee |
Balance
Transfer |
Credit
Needed |
| 0% |
12 months |
17.24%-22.24% (Variable) |
$0 |
N/A |
Excellent Credit |
|
| Capital One® VentureOneSM Rewards Credit Card |
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- 1.25 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day and no annual fee
- One-time bonus of 10,000 miles once you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months, 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 don't expire
- Fly on any airline, any time with no blackout dates
- 0% intro APR on purchases until May 2014
- No foreign transaction fees
|
| Intro APR |
Intro APR
Period |
Regular
APR |
Annual
Fee |
Balance
Transfer |
Credit
Needed |
| 0% |
Until May 2014 |
11.90%-19.90% (Variable) |
$0 |
N/A |
Excellent Credit |
|
| American Express® Gold Card |
|
- Access to Exclusive Benefits: Baggage Insurance Plan* when you travel, and shop with confidence with Extended Warranty* and Return Protection
- Use points for gift cards for dining, entertainment, and to shop over 300 of some of your favorite merchants
- Get discounts and low rates at hotels and resorts, plus a $75 hotel credit when you book through Gold Hotel Collection
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $125
- Terms and Restrictions Apply
|
| Intro APR |
Intro APR
Period |
Regular
APR |
Annual
Fee |
Balance
Transfer |
Credit
Needed |
| N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year, then $125 |
N/A |
Excellent Credit |
|
| The Platinum Card® from American Express |
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- Earn 25K Membership Rewards® points after you spend $2,000 during your first three months of Card membership
- Premium travel benefits: access over 600 lounges worldwide when you enroll in Priority PassTM Select, no foreign transaction fees, bypass airport arrival lines with Global Entry
- Receive up to $200 annually in a statement credit with the airline of your choice to use towards baggage fees, flight-change fees, in-flight food and beverage purchases and more
- 24/7 Platinum Card® Concierge service for assistance with reservations, travel, gifts, and more
- Entertainment benefits: get Advance Tickets before the public and access once in a lifetime events with By Invitation Only®
- Terms and restrictions apply
|
| Intro APR |
Intro APR
Period |
Regular
APR |
Annual
Fee |
Balance
Transfer |
Credit
Needed |
| N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
$450 |
N/A |
Excellent Credit |
|
| U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Travel Rewards Visa Signature® card |
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- Get 17,500 bonus FlexPoints after the first $2,500 in net purchases in the first 150 days
- Award travel starts at just 20,000 FlexPoints (up to a $400 ticket value) on over 150 airlines with no blackout dates or redemption fees
- Earn one FlexPoint for every $1 of eligible net purchases charged to your card
- Earn two FlexPoints for every $1 spent on gas, grocery or airline purchases - whichever you spend most on each monthly billing cycle - and on most cell phone expenses
- Earn Triple FlexPoints for your charitable donations
- $0 Annual Fee* the first year, after that $49*
- Earn 3,500 bonus FlexPoints each year when you spend $24,000 in Net Purchases. You can redeem these FlexPoints for your annual fee or combine them with other FlexPoints for travel
|
| Intro APR |
Intro APR
Period |
Regular
APR |
Annual
Fee |
Balance
Transfer |
Credit
Needed |
| 0% |
12 billing cycles |
13.99%-23.99% (Variable) |
$0 1st year, then $49 |
0% |
Excellent Credit |
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Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are authors alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.
Rob founded the Dough Roller in 2007. A litigation attorney in the securities industry, he lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, their two teenagers, and the family mascot, a shih tzu named Sophie.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Just got a letter from Starwood: annual fee is now $65/year. This is the new reality, I guess:
“Many issuers have homed in on fees that typically accompany rewards cards as a potential moneymaker. The Pew study, which was to be released today, found that about 14 percent of bank credit cards have annual fees, about the same as last year. But the median annual fee for the 12 largest banks’ cards rose 18 percent, to $59, over the past year.”
Mike, the top travel cards have always charged fees. I carry the Starwood Amex, and I ‘ve found the rewards to be well worth the cost of the card.
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Hi Rob,
I am a newbie and learn a lot from this site. Hope you don’t mind shedding lights on my stupid Qs (haven’t apply for many years).
When applying for a card, is it generally the case (I read somewhere online) that one can put combined income in the form even the primary applicant is unemployed but spouse is employed? The rationale is to let the highest FICO applicant (primary) take the impact from hard inquiry so to ensure both FICOs are still high afterwards. Both 770+ score but one is ~20 points higher hence the question. Thanks again!
Thanks a lot for tolerating a stupid question
!
Brian, if you are both 770+, I doubt it’s going to matter much. Also, unless you are applying for a ton of credit, a single hard inquiry shouldn’t have a major impact. But to your question, if the primary applicant is unemployed, I suspect this will raise a question with the credit card issuer. But you’ll never really know until you try.