Jul 14, 2016
Top 5 Travel Rewards Credit Cards
For any frequent traveler, spending money on flights can quickly add up. Even with frequent flyer miles from the airlines, purchasing plane tickets can drain your bank account and leave you with little spending money when you reach your destination.
But with credit card rewards that are great for travel, you can quickly rack up points on purchases you’re already going to make. Whether you’re looking for a discount on frequent flights or you’re hoping to allow your points to accumulate until you can take an expense free trip with the family, there is a credit card that can fit your needs. If you’re considering opening a travel credit card but want to get the best deal available, here are five of the best types of rewards cards for 2016.
- Capital One Venture Rewards
Features
The Venture Rewards Card allows you to redeem your points on any airline, hotel, rental car, or other cost associated with travel. Rather than giving you set times, dates, or airlines that you can use to redeem your points, the Venture Reward Card allows you to make your flight selection and then be reimbursed for the value of your points.
Provider
Capital One
How Points Are Accrued
The Venture Rewards Card allows you to receive points on any and all purchases you make with the card. For every dollar that you spend, you earn 2 miles on your Venture Rewards Card. When you sign up for the Venture Rewards Card, you are also given the opportunity to earn 40,000 free miles. By putting $3,000 worth of purchases on your card in the first 3 months, you will receive the free miles at no extra cost to you.
Pros & Cons
With the Venture Rewards Card, you can easily see your points rack up. Because you are not restricted by how you gain your points or how they are spent, the Venture Rewards Card gives you a freedom that is hard to find elsewhere. One drawback of the Venture Rewards Card is that you are getting basic service from the airlines that you select. Unlike airline-specific credit cards, you don’t get priority boarding or special perks when traveling.
Annual Fee
$0 for the first year and $59 each year after.
- BankAmericard Travel Rewards Credit Card
Features
The BankAmericard Travel Rewards Credit Card allows you to use your points on everything from booking flights and hotels to purchasing vacation packages and cruises. Your points can also be applied to rental cars, fees for checking bags, or other small charges that can quickly add up.
Provider
Bank of America
How Points Are Accrued
For every dollar that you spend on the credit card, you receive 1.5 points toward your travel purchases. If you spend at least $1,000 on the card within the first 90 days of opening it, you will receive a sign-up bonus of 20,000 points.
Pros & Cons
With no blackout dates and no restriction on the kinds of purchases that produce points, BankAmericard Travel Rewards Credit Card allows you to easily begin building a pool of rewards for traveling. The card also has no annual fee, so you won’t need to worry about if you’re spending enough to receive enough points to make the annual fee cost worth it. The no annual fee also means that you are getting less points per dollar spent, so you’ll need to spend more for the same money back. Like the Venture Rewards Card, you also won’t receive airline specific perks with this credit card.
Annual Fee
$0
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
Features
Although not a designated travel credit card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card allows you to translate your points directly to a travel partner for full value. You also have the ability to book directly through Chase’s website for a 20% discount on travel.
Provider
Chase
How Points Are Accrued
For every dollar spent on restaurants or travel, you’ll earn double points. Any other purchases will allow you to receive one point.
Pros & Cons
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is great for travel because of how easy it is to translate your points into flights or hotels, but it can be slower to rack up points with this card. If you’re serious about getting points quickly, you’ll want to look at a card with better rewards.
Annual Fee
$95 waived for the first year.
- Gold Delta SkyMiles Card from American Express
Features
As a Delta card, the Gold Delta SkyMiles Card from American Express allows you to reap additional benefits while traveling, including a Priority Boarding, a free checked bag, and occasional lounge access.
Provider
American Express
How Points Are Accrued
For purchases made through Delta, you’ll receive 2 points. All other eligible purchases will get you one point.
Pros & Cons
Although you’ll get special treatment when you fly Delta, you can only use your points on Delta flights. That means if you’re looking to go somewhere that Delta doesn’t fly, you won’t be able to use your miles.
Annual Fee
$0 for the first year, $95 after.
- Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard
Features
With the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard, you’ll not only receive double miles on all your purchases, but you’ll also get 5% of your miles handed right back to you when you redeem.
Provider
MasterCard
How Points Are Accrued
All your purchases on the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard qualify for 2 miles per dollar. You will also receive an additional 40,000 mile bonus for spending at least $3,000 during the first 90 days of opening your credit card account.
Pros & Cons
Like many other credit cards on this list, the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard won’t allow you to receive benefits from the airline like priority boarding or free checked bags. However, you can use your points on all airlines and can quickly earn new points.
Annual Fee
$89 waived the first year.
When considering what credit card is right for you and your situation, you’re going to want to determine what your personal travel preferences are. Do you like a certain airline? Would you rather use your points on hotels or rental cars? How difficult will it be for you to accrue points when there are limitations on what you can purchase? Answering all these questions can help to point you in the right direction of a travel card that works for you.
As some of the best credit card deals of the year, these five credit cards can help you reduce the amount of money you’re spending on travel. When you’re gaining rewards for things you would have purchased anyway, you can simply allow your points to rack up and take a trip completely free of travel charge.
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