3 Credit Card Benefits I Can't Travel Without

I love to travel. One of the ways I've been able to travel more, and have a much better time in the process, is with travel credit cards.

If you've ever looked for a travel card, you probably saw that there are a ton of options. Airline credit cards. Hotel credit cards. And those are just a couple of examples. These cards offer all kinds of features, and you might be wondering just how useful these features are.

I've had more than a dozen travel credit cards, and there are a lot of perks that I'm ambivalent about. But there are also a few benefits I use all the time and that I'd highly recommend if you're trying to figure out which popular credit cards to get.

1. Flexible travel rewards

Not all credit card points and miles are created equal. The way you can use them varies heavily depending on the card you have.

The travel cards I use and recommend the most are part of credit card rewards programs, instead of airline or hotel programs. They earn rewards you can redeem in multiple ways. You can transfer your points to any of your card issuer's airline and hotel partners. You can also redeem points at a fixed value for travel bookings. For example, if your card issuer lets you use points for travel at a rate of $0.01 per point, then 50,000 points could save you $500.

Here are the most flexible types of travel rewards:

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

What I like about these rewards is all the options they give you. If you get a card that earns airline miles, you can only use your miles with that airline. But if you get a card with rewards you can transfer to 10 or more airlines, it's much easier to book the travel you want.

2. Airport lounge access

Many travel cards include a membership to an airport lounge program. This usually doesn't come cheap. Most credit cards with airport lounge access have annual fees of about $400 or more. Still, with lounge access and the other perks these premium travel cards offer, the value you get can easily outweigh the annual fee.

If you're a frequent flyer, airport lounge access is nice to have. Lounges are certainly more comfortable places to wait for a flight than the general boarding area. The seating is better, there's free food and drinks, and some lounges have quiet relaxation rooms.

To keep expectations in check, most lounges aren't super luxurious, and they can get crowded. The quality varies from lounge to lounge, too. I've been in some that I loved, some lousy ones, and a whole lot that landed somewhere in between. But it's great to have lounge access when you need it, like if your flight gets delayed and you're stuck at the airport longer than expected.

RELATED: Best Credit Cards With Airport Lounge Access

3. Elite hotel status

Hotels provide a lot of complimentary extras as you move up their loyalty programs. Here are a few examples:

• Free upgrades
• Early check-in and late checkout
• Free breakfast
• Access to the hotel's executive lounges
• A dedicated check-in line

I've saved money on most of my recent hotel stays thanks to benefits like these. For example, breakfast for two often costs $20 to $50 per day, depending on the hotel. Getting that for free could save you $100 to $250 on a five-night stay.

Earning elite status the old-fashioned way requires staying quite a few nights. That's hard to do, even if you travel often. It's much easier to get there with a hotel credit card from a brand you like. Many hotel cards include elite status as a complimentary perk and help you move up to higher tiers more quickly.

READ MORE: Best Hotel Credit Cards

Like a lot of travelers, my main goals with travel credit cards are to save money and have the best possible time on my trips. Flexible travel rewards, airport lounge access, and elite hotel status have all helped with that.