Best travel credit cards for 2025: Get free trips, earn flexible rewards, and enjoy generous travel benefits

Travel credit cards aren’t only for jet-setting world travelers. You can score deep discounts and valuable perks whether you only fly once per year or you’re determined to check off multiple bucket list destinations.

The key is choosing the right travel credit card for you. That means an annual fee that fits your budget and rewards that align with your regular expenses and travel preferences — as well as great benefits to keep maximizing value each time you travel.

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Why we like it: The Capital One Venture card is a winning travel card for earning and redeeming miles, no matter how you like to travel. The simple 2x miles on every purchase can help you earn toward future trips with everything you buy. And redemptions are just as far-reaching: You can use miles to book future trips through Capital One Travel, reimburse yourself for travel purchases you make with your card, or transfer miles to Capital One’s 15+ travel partners.

It has only a few added benefits, including a credit toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fees, Five Star Status with Hertz rental cars, and a $50 experience credit when you book a stay with the Lifestyle Collection hotels. But the Venture card’s value really comes from how simple it is to maximize the miles you earn and redeem. If you’re looking for a flexible way to get the best value on travel without committing to a booking site, travel brand, or type of trip, this card is tough to beat.

Read our full review of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

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Why we like it: The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has a solid welcome offer and rewards on a mix of travel and everyday categories, so you can rack up points no matter how often you vacation. On top of that, you’ll get an anniversary points bonus worth 10% of your overall spending from the past year. But you’ll get the most value from this card when it’s time to redeem. Points redeemed for travel through Chase Travel℠ get a 25% boost — so 10,000 points would be worth $125, for example.

Perks such as up to $50 in statement credits each anniversary year for hotels booked through Chase Travel and partner benefits with Lyft, DoorDash, and Peloton can also save you money at home or while traveling. And if you have a Chase cash-back card like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® or Chase Freedom Flex®, you can pool the rewards you earn with those cards with your Chase Sapphire Preferred and take advantage of the redemption boost across your accounts.

Read our full Chase Sapphire Preferred Card review and learn more about pairing today’s top Chase credit cards

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Why we like it: Premium travel cards are often reserved for only very frequent travelers who can afford to pay high annual fees while still getting enough value from airport and travel benefits to make the cost worth it. We like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card because it has no shortage of great perks and rewards, but offers a relatively lower annual fee. Plus, it has the same straightforward rewards and flexible redemption options as the regular Venture card.

As for those great perks, you’ll get a $300 annual travel credit for bookings with Capital One Travel; 10,000 bonus miles each year after your first anniversary; a credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fees; access to Capital One Lounges and partner lounge networks; a $100 experience credit when you book stays with the Premier Collection; Hertz President’s Circle status; and more. Combined, these perks more than outpace the card’s annual fee — but consider your travel plans to ensure you’ll be able to take full advantage and get the maximum possible value from your Venture X card.

Read our full Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card review

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Why we like it: You might not expect a travel credit card to offer some of the best rewards on your most frequent budget items, but the American Express Gold Card does just that. With 4x points at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 in purchases annually) and 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 in purchases annually), it’s easy to earn rewards on your year-round food spending to put toward an upcoming trip — in addition to travel rewards categories.

The Amex Gold Card’s added benefits can also help you save at home and while traveling. These include up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually (up to $100 per year, with enrollment) when you use your card at a restaurant on Resy in the U.S.; up to $7 in monthly statement credits (up to $84 per year, with enrollment) for U.S. Dunkin purchases; up to $10 in monthly statement credits (up to $120 per year, with enrollment) when you use your card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys; and more.

Combined with travel savings, travel rewards, and flexible redemption options (including transferring to Amex’s partner travel programs), Amex Gold offers great value even if you travel only a few times per year.

Read our full American Express Gold Card review

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Why we like it: The U.S. Bank Altitude Connect may be a no annual fee card, but the rewards and perks it offers can bring just as much value as more costly options. Like the other cards on our list, you can earn rewards across a range of travel and everyday categories: 5x points on prepaid hotels and rental cars booked through U.S. Bank’s Altitude Rewards Center; 4x points on other travel and at gas stations or EV charging stations (up to $1,000 spent per quarter); 2x on dining purchases, streaming services, and grocery stores; and 1x on everything else. Redemption options may be slightly more limited than other cards on our list, but you can redeem rewards for a deposit to your U.S. Bank account, travel, gift cards, and more.

Beyond rewards, added benefits also offer major value, especially for a no annual fee card. These include a statement credit toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fees and complimentary Priority Pass Select membership for airport lounge access (four free visits per year). Finally, a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles after account opening (17.25%-28.24% variable APR after that) could be useful if you’re looking to pay down some existing debt over a few months but want a card that you can continue to use for travel longer-term.

Read more: The best no annual fee credit cards for 2025

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Why we like it: The Citi Strata Premier card is another travel card with a straightforward rewards structure but plenty of potential value. Earning rewards is simple — get 10x points when you book hotels, rental cars, and attractions through CitiTravel.com and 3x points across other hotel purchases, air travel, restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and EV charging stations (everything else earns 1x points). In addition to redemptions through CitiTravel.com and for gift cards, you can transfer points to Citi’s partner airline programs.

You might get the most value from this card if you stay at hotels often, but you aren’t loyal to any single hotel chain and don’t mind booking through Citi’s travel portal. You can combine the 10x points on hotels booked through CitiTravel.com with the card’s $100 annual hotel benefit, which gives you $100 off a single booking of $500 or more through CitiTravel.com each calendar year. Then, get the full redemption value for your points by using them to book future award stays through the portal.

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Why we like it: The Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card works a bit like a flat rewards card — with a boost. You’ll earn 2x points on travel and dining with an unlimited 1.5x on everything else, which means you’re still getting the 1.5x multiplier no matter what you use your card to buy at home or away. Even better, you may be eligible to increase your rewards earnings even more. If you’re a Preferred Rewards member with Bank of America, you can earn 25% to 75% extra on every purchase, depending on your combined balances across eligible deposit and investment accounts. That could increase your travel and dining rewards to 2.5x to 3.5x and everything else to 1.87x to 2.62x per dollar.

The Premium Rewards card’s welcome bonus and annual fee align with the others on our list, but you’ll also get some statement credits that can help increase your value beyond points. There’s a credit toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fees every four years and an annual credit up to $100 for airline incidental charges like seat upgrades, in-flight purchases, and more. Bank of America has no travel transfer partners, but you can redeem your points for statement credits, gift cards, and travel purchases through the Bank of America Travel Center.

General travel cards like the ones above can be great for scoring points and miles toward any type of travel. But if you always prefer flying with a certain airline or booking with a specific hotel chain, a co-branded travel card might be more rewarding.

We included airline and hotel cards in our overall travel card ratings, and the cards below are the top-scoring options.

Just remember: a co-branded travel card only makes sense if you fly often enough with that airline or stay frequently enough at the hotel to justify its value over a more general card. Make sure you look at your recent travel and any upcoming plans before deciding.

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card has a solid welcome offer and rewards on a combination of everyday spending and Alaska purchases — plus it offers an affordable way to score Alaska’s Companion Fare every year. You’ll earn a $99 Companion Fare (plus taxes and fees) each account anniversary when you spend at least $6,000 in the year prior, or about $500 per month. With 3x rewards on Alaska Airlines spending and 2x on gas, EV charging, cable, streaming services, and local transit (plus 1x on everything else), you can meet that threshold with a combination of travel and everyday purchases while boosting your rewards.

If you’re already a Bank of America customer with an eligible Bank of America checking or savings account or an eligible investment account with Merrill, you can get even more annual value from a 10% annual rewards bonus on the miles you earn. Say you spent the $6,000 you need to earn Companion Fare on purchases in the 2x rewards category — you’d earn 12,000 points on your spending and an additional 1,200 with the relationship bonus to put toward a future Alaska flight.

Read our full review of the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature credit card

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If you’re planning a trip to Hawaii, the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard can offer amazing savings on your trip. In addition to the bonus miles you’ll get from the welcome offer, you’ll also get a one-time companion discount for 50% off a roundtrip coach ticket between Hawaii and North America. Even after the one-time discount, you’ll still save when you fly to Hawaii with a $100 companion discount every account anniversary which also applies to roundtrip travel between Hawaii and North America on Hawaiian Airlines.

The purchases you make with the airline earn 3x miles per dollar. Even when you’re not flying to Hawaii, you can earn miles toward a future trip with 2x miles on gas, dining, and eligible grocery store purchases (plus 1x on everything else).

Read our full Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard review

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United and Chase offer multiple co-branded card options for frequent United Airlines flyers, but we like the United Quest Card for a few reasons. The annual fee is higher than some other options, but you’ll get plenty of benefits that can help make up the cost if you fly United at least a few times per year. Perks you can use when you travel include up to $125 in statement credits for United purchases each anniversary year; up to 10,000 miles back (5,000 miles up to two times) on award flight bookings each anniversary year; a $100 property credit when you book Renowned Hotels and Resorts for United Cardmembers; 25 Premier-qualifying points for every $500 you spend (up to 6,000 PQPs per calendar year) toward Premier status with United; and more.

In addition, get a solid welcome bonus and a wide range of ongoing rewards, from 8x miles on United flights (more if you’re a Premier member), 4x miles on hotel stays booked through United Hotels, and 3x miles on other United purchases (after earning the $125 annual credit) to 2x miles on other travel, 2x miles on dining, 2x miles on select streaming services, and 1x on everything else.

Related: Best airline credit cards for 2025

For travelers who prefer to stay in IHG Hotels (which includes brands like InterContinental, Kimpton, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, and more), the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card offers a solid balance of rewards potential and annual benefits.

You can earn up to 26x points on IHG hotel stays; 5x points on travel, dining, and at gas stations; and 3x points on everything else. For the added benefits, you’ll get more value the more you spend with your card and stay at IHG properties. Annual perks include automatic Platinum Elite status (qualify for Diamond when you spend at least $40,000 in a calendar year); an anniversary free night worth up to 40,000 points; a $100 statement credit and 10,000 points when you spend $20,000 in a calendar year; your fourth night free on eligible reward stays; and up to $50 United TravelBank Cash each calendar year when you connect your card to your United MileagePlus account.

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As one of the most extensive hotel programs in the world, a co-branded Marriott credit card can be a great tool for traveling the world no matter what type of property you prefer. With the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card, you’ll get benefits when you stay, like an annual free night award (worth up to 35,000 points) and a path to elite status with 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year plus one additional Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 you spend. On top of that, get automatic Silver Elite status and Gold Status if you spend $35,000 in a calendar year.

You’ll earn the most points toward future Marriott stays when you make purchases with Marriott, at up to 17x points per dollar, but you can also get rewarded for everyday spending at home, with 3x points on the first combined $6,000 at gas stations, grocery stores, and on dining. Everything else earns 2x points per dollar.

All information about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card has been collected independently by and is no longer available through Yahoo Finance.

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If you’re a Hyatt traveler, the World of Hyatt Credit Card has plenty to offer for savings on your hotel and resort stays. For ongoing rewards, you’ll earn up to 9x points on purchases at Hyatt hotels; 2x points at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly with airlines, local transit and commuting, and fitness club and gym memberships; and 1x points on everything else. Compared to other co-branded travel cards, this lineup of rewards categories is pretty unique, which could make it a good pick if those categories line up with your budget while at home or when you travel.

Like the hotel cards above, the World of Hyatt card also has plenty of potential annual savings on your Hyatt spending. You’ll get a free night each year after your account anniversary for any Category 1-4 hotel or resort, another free night at a Category 1-4 property when you spend at least $15,000 in a calendar year, automatic Discoverist status, five qualifying nights per year toward your next-highest status, and 2 more qualifying night credits for every $5,000 in purchases with your card.

Related: Best hotel credit cards for 2025

Travel credit cards offer points and miles rewards on your spending, which you can use toward travel-related redemptions, such as flights, hotel stays, and car rentals. You’ll often earn the highest rewards rate on travel purchases with a travel credit card, though many also offer boosted rewards on everyday purchases like groceries, gas, and more.

Many travel cards also provide travel benefits and perks, which could include airport lounge access, annual travel or airline credits, companion airfare, or elite status with an airline or hotel loyalty program.

Learn more about how travel credit cards work

Travel credit cards are worth it if you get enough value from the card’s benefits and rewards to outweigh any potential costs, such as an annual fee. Unlike some other rewards cards, like cash-back credit cards, travel cards are more likely to carry annual fees in exchange for their high rewards rates and annual benefits. They might not be worth it if you don’t travel enough to take advantage of these card benefits and rewards.

However, a travel card can still be worth it if you’re not a frequent traveler. Even if you travel only once or twice per year, you can accumulate points throughout the year to offset your airfare and hotel costs when you do go on a trip.

See if travel credit cards are worth it for you

When you’re comparing travel credit cards, it can be useful to separate them into two distinct types: general travel rewards cards and co-branded airline and hotel credit cards.

With a general travel credit card, you’ll have a number of flexible redemption options when you’re ready to redeem your points and miles. You may also have a broader range of benefits. Some general travel credit cards include:

Travel card issuers generally have their own travel portals, like Chase Travel or American Express Membership Rewards. You can use these to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and more. They may also have a number of travel partners, to which you can directly transfer points or miles. For example, American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to Delta SkyMiles at a rate of 1:1.

Related: Amex points vs. Chase points — Who has the better rewards program?

The flexibility of general travel cards means you can travel with any number of different airlines or hotel brands and get the best bang for your buck. Each time you’re ready to book, simply shop around between the portal or partners and compare the best options for your specific travel plans.

These credit cards also allow other redemption options, such as statement credits, gift cards, and cash back. But you’ll generally get the best value by redeeming points or miles for travel.

Airline and hotel credit cards

Airline and hotel credit cards are typically co-branded between the card issuer and the airline or hotel chain. Here are a few examples:

• Alaska Airlines Visa Signature credit card

• United Quest Card

• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card

These cards are best suited for travelers who prefer to fly with a specific airline or stay at a certain hotel chain. Maybe you live near a hub airport, frequent a destination where a specific airline offers the most direct flight options, or you enjoy the perks of a specific hotel’s loyalty program.

Instead of flexible rewards points or miles, you’ll earn points or miles within the airline or hotel rewards program, like Marriott Bonvoy points or American Airlines AAdvantage miles — and get a boosted rewards rate when you spend directly with the airline or hotel. These cards often offer a faster path to elite status tiers within these programs as well.

You’ll typically get the best redemption rate when you use rewards for flights with the airline or stays at a hotel, but many programs offer other redemptions, too. Some airline and hotel rewards programs may even allow you to transfer your points and miles to other travel partners like you can with general travel rewards programs.

The added benefits of co-branded cards are designed to appeal to loyal airline or hotel customers. For example, your airline card may get you priority boarding, upgrades, free checked bags, and in-flight discounts. And your hotel card may offer early check-in or late checkout, annual free night awards, and on-site credits.

Co-branded travel cards aren’t for everyone, but they can add a lot to your travel experience if you have a strong airline or hotel preference.

Check out our complete list of the best hotel credit cards

Here are a few key details to look for in any new travel credit card:

No matter your budget, there’s a travel credit card with an annual fee that fits. You can find solid no annual fee options, like the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature card. But there are also plenty of premium travel cards with steep fees — The Platinum Card® from American Express, for example, may set you back $695 per year (see rates and fees) but comes with an abundance of valuable benefits and perks that can potentially give you even more value back each year.

The most important thing to keep in mind when deciding whether an annual fee is worth it for you is whether you can get enough out of the rewards and benefits to outweigh the cost — without spending more than you otherwise would or can afford.

For new cardholders, a sign-up bonus can offer major first-year value. These bonuses may be worth anything from 10,000 to over 100,000 bonus points or miles — which can translate to hundreds of dollars in rewards value.

However, you should compare the terms of the bonus to your own budget before you apply. For example, you may need to spend $4,000 within the first three months of opening your card before you can earn the 60,000 bonus points. If that’s not within your typical spending, be careful not to take on debt to meet the spending threshold. Accruing high interest on balances can quickly outpace even the best bonus.

One smart strategy is opening a new travel credit card when you’re booking a trip you’ve been saving for. You may already be prepared to spend more than usual, which can help you reach the bonus requirement faster. Plus, you can earn rewards on those travel purchases to put toward future trips.

Also look out for limited-time offers from top travel credit cards. Occasionally, issuers will increase the welcome bonus for a period of time — if you see a promotional offer that fits within your budget, that could be a great time to apply for a new card.

Read more: See our picks for the best credit card sign-up bonuses

Rewards are one of the biggest reasons for many people to open a travel credit card.

Earning rewards with travel cards often works in one of two ways. You’ll either earn rewards on your everyday spending (groceries, gas stations, restaurants) to redeem toward future travel, or earn rewards on your travel spending to put toward future travel.

Some cards offer a combination of these rewards, but knowing which type of spender you are can be useful. If your monthly budget is largely dedicated to everyday spending, you may get more value from the former. But if you travel frequently and spend a lot of money on flights, hotels, and rental cars, you can quickly rack up more points with travel-based rewards categories.

Read more: The best rewards credit cards

4. Travel perks and benefits

Many travel rewards credit cards — especially the most premium cards with high annual fees — really shine when it comes to added perks and benefits. These benefits can help you offset the annual fee and save money each time you travel.

Take the $395 annual fee Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, for example. Each year, you’ll get a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel and 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) on your account anniversary. Already, that’s enough to wipe out the annual cost — before accounting for any rewards and other benefits (like up to $120 in fee credits toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry and Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership).

Just remember: Choose a card with benefits that help you save on purchases you would still have made otherwise. If you tend to arrive shortly before takeoff and don’t care about airport lounge access, you won’t actually get the $200 potential value from that benefit.

5. Travel insurance and protections

One unique aspect of travel credit cards is the protections you can get as a cardholder when you travel. Common protections offered by travel credit cards include trip cancellation and interruption insurance, car rental insurance, trip delay reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, access to emergency assistance services, and more.

As long as you pay for your travel expenses with the card (booking flights, hotels, tours, etc.) you can qualify for these travel protection benefits. Like any coverage, though, you should make sure to read the fine print of what your individual card offers. These benefits can vary greatly between different travel cards, so make sure to look for details in your card agreement.

More travel credit card tips

Travel rewards credit cards can make a great addition to your wallet, even if you only travel a few times per year. Be sure to compare different travel card options to find the combination of annual fee, rewards, benefits, and sign-up bonus that works best for your travel plans and spending.

There may be a few reasons why a travel credit card isn’t right for you, though:

• You’re already in credit card debt. Avoid adding another card — especially one with a potentially high annual fee — to your wallet if you already have high-interest debt. Eliminating those balances will help you save a lot more in interest than any value travel rewards could offer.

• You don’t want to keep up with a rewards strategy. Travel credit cards can be most lucrative if you maximize how you earn and redeem rewards. If you don’t want to spend the time strategizing bonus categories and the best redemption options, a credit card with a simpler rewards structure may be better for you.

• You don’t have great credit. Travel credit cards generally require a good-to-excellent credit score to qualify for approval. If your credit isn’t in a great place right now, focus on improving your score before you apply for a new card.

If you are ready to open a travel credit card, time your application wisely. The spending thresholds to earn your welcome bonus can be high, so you may want to plan your application around your next trip. The money you’ve already saved can help you score the bonus when you book your travel, and you’ll also earn bonus points or miles for your next trip.

If you’re new to travel credit cards, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a great place to start — you can earn 2x miles on everything, and it’s easy to redeem your miles through Capital One’s travel portal.

Before you apply for any new travel card though, look at your frequent spending and travel to find the best one for your individual goals.

When traveling abroad, look for credit cards that don’t charge foreign transaction fees. All of the cards on the list above waive foreign transaction fees, so you won’t have to worry about extra charges when you use them to travel internationally.

One thing to keep in mind while traveling abroad is worldwide acceptance of your card. It can be useful to travel with more than one credit card on different card networks (these include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover).

Related: Best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees

For a premium travel experience, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is our top pick. However, there are other premium travel cards with valuable benefits for travelers — including annual credits, elite status, bonus rewards, and more — for higher annual fees.

Read our full review of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Compare two more premium travel credit cards: The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Reserve®

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We began our search for the best travel cards with a list of 70 credit cards that offer travel rewards and benefits. This list includes general travel cards with flexible rewards programs, as well as co-branded hotel and airline cards that earn points and miles within a specific program. Our methodology focuses on cards that offer the greatest value to the broadest range of cardholders — without a significant annual cost.

We start with each card’s welcome offer, which we rate based on the value of the bonus, the spending required to qualify, and a ratio comparing the bonus points or miles earned to the card’s annual fee. The more you’re spending to own the card, the more value we believe you should get in return.

Another large portion of the overall ratings is rewards and ongoing benefits. We give preference to cards with rewards categories that span both travel and everyday spending (gas stations, supermarkets, dining, streaming services, etc.) to help ensure you can maximize points even when you’re not on-the-go. We also consider redemption options for each card, with the most flexible rewards programs earning higher scores. Finally, we compare travel benefits like annual statement credits, airline status and award nights, companion offers, and other ongoing perks that might make opening a travel card worth it over the long-term.

We also look at each card’s annual fee, ongoing APR, credit score access, and foreign transaction fees — as well as issuer-specific information like customer service contact information, mobile app user ratings, and fraud protections. These are details we evaluate for every type of credit card.

The final picks on our list are the travel credit cards with the highest overall ratings given each of the criteria above. We sort out general travel cards first — these are the options that make up the primary list, because they are more flexible for a larger number of travelers. But we also include top-scoring hotel and airline co-branded cards. These are great options for some travelers, though you should consider how often you travel with the hotel or airline before you consider one of these cards.