There are different types of travel credit cards, each with its set of perks ideal for different types of travelers. If you're planning to travel frequently this second half of 2022, check out his list of the top-seven travel credit cards that will take your trips to the next level. From free checked bags to airport lounge access, these five top-of-the-line travel credit cards will make your trips a lot more comfortable – and they'll even save you some serious cash on your next luxury trip, wherever it may take you.
If you're looking for a travel card with some serious perks, The Platinum Card from American Express is a classic and one of the top choices you can make. Cardholders enjoy access to more than 1,400 airport lounges located across 650 cities in 140 countries worldwide. This includes access to the world-famous Centurion Lounges and the hundreds of lounges in the Priority Pass Select membership.
This alone saves you hundreds of dollars either in Lounge-club membership fees or one-time entrance fees every time you travel, especially considering that, in the case of Priority Pass lounges, you can enter with two guests at no extra charge, which saves you $105 in entrance fees every single time you walk into a lounge. Of course, this perk is only as valuable as the use you give it. If you only visit an airport once or twice, or if you don't travel at all during the year, it'll be like having a gym membership but not going to the gym.
While the awesome access to lounges is great, this premium credit card offers much more to offset the hefty $695 annual fee several times over in the form of annual statement credits. You'll get a $200 annual airline fee credit, a $300 Equinox credit, $240 in streaming services or digital entertainment credit, $200 in hotel credit and $189 in CLEAR credit. Add in an earn rate of 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and hotels booked through American Express Travel and a whopping 100,000 MR points welcome bonus, and you're laughing.
It's easy to see why this is one of the top premium travel credit cards out there. It's important to note, though, that this particular offer is only available to U.S. residents. However, American Express offers cards equivalent to The Platinum in other countries like Canada, where it's called American Express Platinum Card (instead of The Platinum Card). This is not always the case, though, as Amex also offers country-specific cards, like the Cobalt Card, which is only available to Canadians.
While this card doesn't offer the best of the best in any one department when it comes to travel perks, it does offer the perfect balance between value, earn rate, and perks across the board to make it an excellent choice for any type of traveler. You can consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card as the best general-purpose travel credit card.
The card comes with a very reasonable $95 annual fee, which is waived for the first year and offers decent earn rates like 2X points on travel, 5x on Lyft rides, 3x on dining (including takeout, delivery and restaurant purchases), 3x on select streaming services and even 3x on groceries. You'll also get a $10 monthly statement credit to help pay for select streaming services.
Regarding travel perks, the card gives you complimentary trip cancellation/interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance; trip delay reimbursement; travel and emergency assistance and auto rental collision damage waiver. Also, you won't have to worry about foreign transaction fees when using your card abroad. To sweeten the pot, the card comes with a welcome bonus of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months. And if you redeem those points through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 25% more value, which brings the overall value to an impressive $750 toward travel.
Do you love to eat out? If so, the American Express Gold Card is probably the best travel credit card for you. With this card, you'll start off with a nice earn rate of 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide and on U.S. grocery store purchases (up to $25,000 per year, then 1X), as well as 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
This card also comes with a $120 annual dining credit ($10 per month) you can use at select restaurants like The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth's Chris Steak House and participating Shake Shack locations. On top of that, you'll get up to $120 Uber Cash, which you can spend on both Uber rides and Uber Eats, plus $100 in statement credits for experiences in The Hotel Collection properties booked through American Express Travel, some of which can be gastronomic experiences.
Add in travel perks like no foreign transactions fees, baggage loss, theft or damage insurance, a car rental loss and damage waiver and access to American Express's Personalized Travel Services, which acts as a travel agent/concierge, and you'll quickly realize why this card stands out from the crowd, even with its $250 annual fee.
When it comes to mid-tier travel cards, the American Express Gold Card is a strong contender for first place overall, especially considering its great 60,000 MR points welcome bonus. However, considering some of its best perks, which all seem to be targeted toward food, it's easily the best choice for U.S. foodies who travel frequently. If you're based in Canada, there's no need to worry since Amex also offers its Canadian version of the American Express Gold Card called the American Express Gold Rewards Card.
When it comes to travel cards, there's one for every taste. If you want a card that gives you all of the benefits of the previous credit cards we've mentioned, you'll usually have to pay an annual. However, some credit cards don't charge an annual fee, yet they offer some pretty great perks. One example is the Bilt World Elite Mastercard®, which also lacks foreign transaction fees, yet offers an impressive amount of value.
This card gives you up to 3 points per dollar spent on dining, 2x on travel and 1X on everything else, which is not bad for a no-fee card. However, on top of that, you also get cell phone insurance, an annual $120 Doordash Credit and an annual $60 credit on Lyft.
While it does lack a welcome bonus, it makes up for it by giving you the earn rates and credits mentioned above, as well as access to the Mastercard World Elite Concierge.
If you're looking for a premium travel card with an annual fee worth paying, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a great option. It all starts with an annual fee that is much easier to handle than the fee on The Platinum Card from American Express or other premium cards.
A welcome bonus of 75,000 miles plus an annual anniversary bonus of 10,000 miles add close to $850 worth of points during the first year (more than doubling the annual fee) and $100 during the following years. This effectively offsets a good portion of the annual fee.
With this card, you'll earn 10X miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars and; 5X miles on travel booked through Capital One Travel, plus 2X on all other purchases.
Among its travel perks, you'll find airport lounge access through Priority Pass and Plaza Premium Lounges around the world; no foreign transaction fees; Hertz President's Circle Status on their loyalty program, $300 annual travel credit and $100 annual credit to pay for Global Entry or T.S.A. PreCheck.
Whether you're looking for a travel card with no annual fee that will do the job, one that gives great rewards or one that offers top-tier perks, you'll find the one to choose on this list. As long as you're a frequent flyer and perks like lounge access and travel insurance are something you would purchase anyway, paying even a $700 annual fee for a premium credit card like The Platinum Card may save you hundreds of dollars across the board while letting you enjoy a laid-back luxury trip like a true V.I.P.
