Best Travel Credit Cards of April 2024

Our globetrotting experts researched stacks of travel cards. From Casablanca to Kyoto (literally), we've tested where the best travel credit cards can take you. If you're a frequent traveler with good credit, there are a lot of great options right now.

Note that we don't simply list credit cards that we're paid to list. The cards you find here are travel cards that we use ourselves and recommend to our family and friends.

Best travel credit cards at a glance:

• Best Travel Card Overall: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees)
• Best for Cash Back: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Best for No Annual Fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card (see rates and fees)
• Best for Hotels: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
• Best for International Travel: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees)
• Best for Business Travel: Capital One Spark 2X Miles (see rates and fees)
• Best for Airlines: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees)
• Best for Students: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students
• Best for Lounge Access: The Platinum Card® from American Express (see rates and fees)

Why we picked it: It has a fantastic base rewards rate of 2 miles per $1 on purchases, double what most travel cards earn. (See rates and fees.) There are plenty of ways to use miles, including transferring them to travel partners for maximum value or covering travel purchases for quick and easy redemptions.

What to watch out for: This card is light on bonus categories, so while it can work for a one-card wallet, you may want to also carry another card that earns more bonus rewards.

Why we picked it: This card has a solid base rate of 1.5% and bonus categories that work well for travelers, including 3% on dining and 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel. There's also a $0 annual fee, and you can pool the rewards you earn if you also have one of Chase's travel credit cards.

What to watch out for: You won't want to use this credit card abroad because it charges a foreign transaction fee of 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars.

Why we picked it: With bonus rewards on airfare, hotels, cruises, gas, and much more, it's well-suited for all kinds of travel. Gas and EV-charging bonuses, in particular, aren't common among travel cards, making this one a good fit if you like to go on road trips.

What to watch out for: The welcome offer is on the low side for a travel card, although the travel cards that offer more have annual fees. While Wells Fargo has been improving its redemption options, there still aren't as many ways to use points as there are with other travel rewards programs.

Why we picked it: A free night at a hotel every account anniversary year, spectacular bonus rewards on IHG spending, and automatic Platinum Elite status make this card super valuable for IHG fans.

What to watch out for: Hotel credit cards are normally only worthwhile if you stay at the hotel chain often, and this one is no exception.

Why we picked it: This is the rare premium travel card that doesn't cost a fortune and makes it easy to get your money's worth (see rates and fees). The high rewards rate, welcome offer, and bonus miles each account anniversary help you earn rewards quickly, and you can transfer miles to a large roster of airline partners.

What to watch for: It doesn't have any everyday spending categories where it earns bonus miles. Instead, you earn 2 miles per $1 across the board and bonus miles solely on certain types of Capital One Travel bookings.

Why we picked it: You'll earn miles quickly with this card's base rate -- an unlimited 2x miles per $1 (see rates and fees). Miles are easy to redeem for travel spending, making it ideal for business owners who want a high-value card with straightforward benefits.

What to watch for: While it has a few extra travel perks, it's not exactly feature-packed. The main draw is right there in the name -- double miles on purchases.

Why we picked it: This Chase card is loaded with benefits, but the highlight is its Chase Ultimate Rewards program, The Ascent's pick for the best credit card rewards program. You can get incredible value with it -- as a personal example, I've been able to pay with Chase points for what would've been a $5,634 hotel stay, and I've also used them to save over $4,000 on business-class airfare.

What to watch for: It's not the best for everyday spending, as non-bonus purchases earn just 1 point per $1.

Why we picked it: It's a beginner-friendly travel rewards card, so it's ideal for students. There's a $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fee, you'll earn a competitive 1.5 points per $1, and points are a breeze to use for travel spending.

What to watch for: There aren't any high-value travel perks, and you can't transfer rewards -- you'll only be able to get a flat rate of $0.01 per point. It's more of a starter travel card than one to use forever.

Why we picked it: It's arguably the most feature-rich travel card, offering over $1,500 in annual spending credits and the best airport lounge access we've seen (terms apply). Luxury travelers who take advantage of the benefits could get quite a bit of value from this card.

What to watch for: Many of the benefits could be hard to use, which is frustrating when you're trying to get your money's worth on the $695 annual fee (see rates and fees). With its assortment of monthly, yearly, and semi-annual spending credits, this card can feel like a coupon book.

1. Determine if you want a co-branded card

A co-branded card (a card tied to an airline or hotel) or a general travel card with more flexible rewards. For most people, it's better to open a general travel card. You'll have more ways to use your points for travel and won't be limited to booking with a specific travel provider. But if you use the same airline or hotel several times a year, then it could be a good idea to get a co-branded credit card with it.

2. Decide which features are important to you

Figure out which features are your must-haves so you can narrow down your options. Here are some examples of popular travel card perks:

• Transferable travel rewards you can use with multiple airlines and hotels
• A large welcome offer
• Airport lounge access
• High rewards rates in bonus categories (look for categories that are a good fit for your spending habits)
• Complimentary elite status with airlines or hotels
• Complimentary travel insurance

3. Compare cards that have the features you want

You can line them up side by side with The Ascent's tool to compare credit card offers. From here, you can choose the best credit card for your needs.

The more that you travel, the better a travel points credit card will work for you. If you go on two or three trips per year, you should be able to make the most of the benefits that the best travel card offers. If you're traveling even more frequently than that, then the best travel rewards card will likely be extremely valuable to you. If you don't travel that much, other rewards credit cards would be a better option.

Points vs. miles: what's the difference?

Points and miles are two ways of referring to travel rewards. The term that's used depends on the credit card issuer, and neither has a set definition.

In general, credit card points is the more common term. Credit card miles is a term used primarily by airlines. However, neither is set in stone. There are other types of travel cards that refer to their rewards as miles, and there are credit cards with airline miles that refer to their rewards as points.

There are a lot of different loyalty programs, and they all have their own travel rewards. The tricky part is figuring out how these travel rewards compare to each other. For example, are miles with Delta and Southwest worth the same amount, or is one more valuable?

Although airline and hotel rewards don't have a fixed value, we've calculated approximate values based on what they're usually worth. You may get more or less depending on how you redeem them, but these are the usual values with the major airline and hotel loyalty programs.

Airline rewards values

Hotel rewards values

There are four types of travel rewards credit cards. You'll find a description of each type below.

Airline credit cards

An airline credit card is tied to an airline loyalty program, also known as a frequent flyer program. When you use the best credit card for frequent flyers, it earns miles in that program. You can redeem your miles for award airfare. Instead of paying $250 for a ticket, you may be able to buy it for 25,000 miles. The best credit card for airline miles often include additional perks with the airline, such as free checked luggage or airport lounge access.

Hotel credit cards

A hotel credit card is tied to a hotel loyalty program. When you use a hotel credit card, it earns rewards points in that program. You can redeem your points for award hotel stays, such as paying 30,000 points per night instead of $150 per night. Hotel credit cards also frequently offer extra perks with the hotel chain. These could include a complimentary late checkout, elite status in the hotel's loyalty program, or a free night award every year.

Travel credit cards with fixed-rate rewards

A travel credit card with fixed-rate rewards lets you redeem your rewards for cash travel purchases. Rewards are always worth the same amount toward travel this way. For example, if your card offers $0.01 per point, then 10,000 points will always be worth $100 in travel. Depending on the card, you can either use your rewards as a statement credit toward previous travel purchases, use them in the card issuer's travel portal to book travel, or both.

Travel credit cards with transferable rewards

A travel credit card with transferable rewards lets you send your rewards to other loyalty programs. For example, if your travel card has rewards you can transfer to Hyatt Hotels, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines, then you could send your points to any of those programs. You would then be able to book travel through that loyalty program using your points.

They're great if you don't have any specific airlines or hotels you like more than the rest. Specifically, look for travel cards in a major credit card rewards program:

• Chase Ultimate Rewards
• American Express Membership Rewards
• Capital One Venture Rewards
• Citi ThankYou Rewards

Since these card issuers have large rosters of airline and hotel partners, they offer the best international travel credit cards.

Not sure if a credit card with travel points is what you need? Here are the most popular alternatives.

Cash back credit cards

A cash back credit card earns rewards on purchases. The difference is that instead of rewards you can use for travel, it earns cash rewards. You can typically redeem your cash back as a statement credit on your credit card bill, a deposit to your bank account, or a check. Cash back cards are great for consumers who want to earn credit card rewards but aren't big travelers. The reward can also be much easier to use, and many cash back credit cards don't have annual fees.

Credit cards for bad credit

A credit card for bad credit is one that you can get even if you have a low credit score or no credit history. In that situation, it's unlikely you'll qualify for a travel card. The better route is to get one of these credit cards for bad credit, use it to build your credit, and apply for a travel card once you have a higher credit score.

Our travel credit cards methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate travel credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria Includes rewards systems and bonus categories, rewards redemption flexibility, and sign-up bonuses.

Our highest-rated travel credit cards have:

• Rewards system and bonus categories (the earn rate of flat-rate rewards, or tiered spending categories)
• Rewards redemption flexibility and points programs (booking travel, transfer partners, statement credit, etc.)
• Sign-up bonuses that can drastically boost card value in the first year
• Perks that can offset annual fees like airport lounge access, travel credits, and TSA PreCheck reimbursement

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best travel card recommendations. Our aim is to maintain a balanced best-of list featuring top-scoring travel credit cards from reputable brands.

Ordering within lists is influenced by advertiser compensation, including featured placements at the top of a given list, but our product recommendations are NEVER influenced by advertisers. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.