The Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards

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Do you find yourself traveling often, perhaps for work or pleasure?

A travel rewards credit card is a great way to earn extra perks or get a little back for your trips.  Traveling can be expensive and a travel rewards card can go a long way to earning something back for your spending.

Do you like benefits such as:

• Earning free nights at hotels;
• Earning free flights;
• Not paying foreign transaction fees;
• Earning free car rentals;
• and more?

The cards below offer a variety of these benefits as well as others.

These are the best travel rewards credit cards that I’ve found (if you know if others, please let me know so I can add them!).  Look through each of the cards and see which benefits mean the most to you.

Make sure you are actually going to use the benefits!

If you aren’t taking advantage of what a particular card offers then you are wasting the usefulness of a travel rewards credit card.  Some of these have annual fees, so you need to make sure you are making up for that fee in the card’s use (yes, I’d prefer there were no fees, but these cards will quickly pay for themselves if you are using the benefits).

Finding the best credit card to fit your particular traveling needs is a great way to maximize your credit card and your spending.

Take a look at the list below and find the best travel rewards credit card with benefits to match your travel habits.

Best Travel Reward Credit Cards

Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

First off you earn points towards Starwood hotels for free nights (free nights start at 2,000 points) and upgrades in the Starwood Preferred Guest® program.

But the benefits aren’t only for the hotels. 

You can redeem your points for airline travel as well, mostly on a one-to-one point basis (you can redeem at over 350 airlines).  The hotels and airlines offered have no blackout dates.

Currently, you can earn up to 10,000 Starpoints after your first purchase and an additional 15,000 points if you spend $15,000 in six months (that’s enough for up to 6 free nights at a category 1 or 2 hotel!).  Stay 2 nights at participating Sheraton Hotels and Resorts and get the 3rd night free.

You can earn up to 5 points for every dollar spent at Starwood Preferred Guest® hotels and resorts – 2 points for every dollar spent at the hotel or resort and 2 for being a member.  If you reach Gold or Platinum member status you earn an additional point.  For regular spending you get one point per dollar.  The first year the annual fee of $65 is waived. (Starwood Preferred Guest credit card Review)

You can see that if you do a lot of traveling, this can become a card with a lot of great benefits.  It was the 2011 SmarterTravel® Award for “Best Travel Rewards Card” .

Chase Sapphire Preferred(SM) Card

Right off the bat you can earn 50,000 points, enough points for a free flight, when you spend $3,000 in the first three months (that’s like $625 towards airfare or hotels).  When you book airfare through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards(SM) site you use 20% fewer points.  When you use your card outside of the United States there are no foreign transaction fees.  When you use your card to book airfare and hotels through Ultimate Rewards(SM) your get 2X the points (oh, and when you call to book you get an actual person, not a prompt).  You’ll earn 2 points for every dollar spent on travel and dining while all other purchases are one point for every dollar spent.  At the end of the year you get a 7% points bonus/dividend for all points earned the previous year.  You can transfer the points you’ve earned to participating frequent travel programs at a 1:1 value.  The first year’s annual fee is waived ($95).  There are also no blackout dates or restrictions when airfare or hotel is booked through Ultimate Rewards(SM).

Blue Sky from American Express(R)

This Blue Sky card may have one of the easiest-to-understand rewards programs on this list.  There is no annual fee, a 0% APR on purchases for up to 12 months, and your travel rewards have no restrictions or blackout dates.  Your points are redeemable for flights on any airline, stays at any hotel, and car rentals with any company.   With as few as 7,500 points you can earn a $100 statement credit on any travel purchase (up to 33% more point value than most other cards).  You will also get American Express’ protection from fraudulent charges and extensions on manufacturer’s warranties on eligible purchases.  And don’t forget Amex’ 24/7 Global Assist® Hotline, which provides emergency assistance worldwide.

The Blue Sky card was rated “Best Airline Credit Card” by Card Ratings Consumer’s Choice Awards in 2010.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

The prestigious card gives you Priority Pass Airport Club access to airport lounges around the world for you and your guests.

If you travel out of the country, the Platinum Card has no foreign transaction fees.

When you enroll and select an airline you get up to $200 in Airline Fee Credits to cover incidental fees with your airline, annually.

You can earn 25,000 Membership Rewards® points when you spend $2,000 in the first three months of being a member (already good for one domestic round-trip Coach-Class airline ticket).  Membership allows you to receive upgrades and amenities to over 600 hotels around the world.  You also have the privilege of the Platinum Card® Concierge to help you from gift buying to reservations.

There are no blackout dates or restrictions on points redeemed for air and travel and you can earn double points when you book online.

And check this – you can apply for Global Entry with your card and have the fee waived and gain access to expedited entry to save time by bypassing most arrival lines at U.S. airports when arriving from international travel.

The Platinum Card is a charge card so there is no pre-set spending limit and no interest charges when your balance is paid in full.  The annual fee is $450 and can be well worth it if you take advantage of all of the card’s benefits.  There are plenty more benefits that I don’t have room to write about. (Platinum Card Review)

American Express(R) Premier Rewards Gold Card

With the American Express(R) Premier Rewards Gold Card you get 25,000 Membership Rewards® Points if you spend $2,000 in the first three months of having your card (this can earn you $250 in gift cards in the Rewards program).

You can pile on the points with 3X earning using your card for airfare; 2X for gas and groceries; and 1X on everything else.

This first year’s annual fee is waived ($175 after).

By using Pay with Points at American Express Travel you can fly ANY airline, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE without blackout dates or seat restrictions.  You also get the backing of Amex’ Global Assist® Hotline should you have an emergency when you are 100+ miles from home.  There’s also roadside assistance and you get Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance when you use your card to rent a card.  The card also gives you their Baggage Insurance Plan with coverage for lost, stolen, or damaged bags that are checked or carried on with tickets you purchased on your card. (Premier Rewards Gold Card Review)

Remember – In order to truly get the most from a travel rewards card you should not be carrying high-APR debt.

If you are looking for a specific airline miles card check out The Best Airline Miles Credit Cards.

“Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.”

The Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards, 3.4 out of 5 based on 9 ratings

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