Planning to Travel This Summer? 3 Great Credit Cards to Help You Save Money

The average American household spent $2,830 on travel last summer, according to Allianz, and there's no reason to believe this summer's spending will be much lower. If you're planning on taking a family vacation, a road trip to see friends and relatives, or other summer travel, you might be surprised at how much of a difference the right credit cards can make.

With that in mind, here are three credit cards with excellent rewards and benefits for your summer travel that might be worth a closer look.

1. Great for road trips

If you're a Costco member, the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi is a must-have, and not just for shopping at Costco. In addition to solid rewards at Costco and a 3% rewards rate on restaurants and travel, the card offers an industry-leading 4% rewards rate on gas and EV charging purchases (up to $7,000 per year). This applies to gas purchased at Costco gas stations, as well at gas purchased anywhere else.

In addition to the excellent rewards rates, the card offers excellent purchase protections, such as damage and theft coverage for the first 120 days (90 days in New York).

The biggest caveat is that rewards are paid in Costco certificates, not cash back. But if you're a regular Costco shopper, this can be a great way to get maximum value from your travel spending.

2. Great for air travel

If you're planning to fly this summer, an airline co-branded credit card could be a smart idea. And the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is one of the best values out there.

The card has an annual fee of $99, waived for first 12 months, but packs a lot of value for the money. It earns 2 miles per $1 on American Airlines purchases, as well as at restaurants and gas stations, and 1 mile per $1 on other purchases.

You'll also get preferred boarding, and one free checked bag on domestic flights for you and up to four travel companions on the same reservation. With a standard fee of $30 for one checked bag, this benefit alone could save a family of four $240 per trip.

One reason American Airlines cobranded travel credit cards can be an especially good choice is because they don't just earn miles and have perks -- they help you earn elite status better than other airline credit cards. You'll get one Loyalty Point for every base mile you earn with the card, and these can really add up throughout an entire year of spending with the card. In fact, I wouldn't have the perks I do on American Airlines without my card.

3. Great for all travel

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is a relatively new product, but if you're looking for a great overall travel rewards card with no annual fee, it could be worth a closer look. Because it has no annual fee, it doesn't offer quite as many perks as some other travel cards, but its rewards program is fantastic.

First, the card earns 3X points per $1 spent on travel, gas, restaurants, transit, streaming services, and phone plans. So, if you use the card to buy airline tickets, pay for your rental car, fill it with gas, and to buy food and beverages while you're traveling, you'd get bonus points on all of that spending.

Not only is the bonus rewards program excellent, but you can redeem your points in a variety of ways, including by transferring them to several airline and hotel loyalty programs that partner with Wells Fargo.

Use them the right way

To be clear, playing the credit cards rewards game only works in your favor if you aren't carrying a balance (or if you have some sort of 0% intro APR deal). Keep this in mind when planning your summer travel spending strategy.

Having said that, these are three great cards that can help you extract maximum value from your summer travel expenses, and in some cases, provide you with valuable perks and protections.