The miles and points we’ve collected from travel credit cards have easily saved us over $20,000+ in travel expenses, and they have enabled us to enjoy luxurious experiences like business class flights and luxury hotel stays that we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford.

We believe a good travel credit card (or a few) is a tool that all financially responsible travelers should be using. However, knowing which travel credit card(s) to apply for can be confusing.

Between restrictions like Chase’s 5/24 rule and some bonus offers only being available for a limited-time, it’s important to strategize the time and order in which you sign up for new credit cards. To help you prioritize your credit card sign-ups, we update this post every month to include what we believe are the top credit card offers on the market. Since we’re covering what we consider to be the best offers — not just limited time offers — some of the cards on this list may remain consistent from month to month.

If you still need help choosing a card after reading this post, we’d be more than happy to recommend a card (or two) for you! All you need to do is fill out this form.

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At a Glance

Detailed Reviews

1. Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Current offer: 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 within the first three months.

Annual fee: $550

Why it’s great: The incredible travel rewards you’ll earn from this card more than make up for the high annual fee. To start, you’ll get a $300 travel credit every year that’s super easy to use. This basically brings the annual fee down to $250. You’ll also get up to $120 in food delivery credits with DoorDash over the course of 2020 and 2021. Our favorite perk is the free Priority Pass membership that gets the card holder and up to 2 guests free access to over 1,000+ airline lounges around the world! If you’ve ever watched our Youtube videos, you know we put this benefit to use almost every time we fly. This is a service we would gladly pay $250 for every year! Additionally, your Chase Ultimate Reward points are worth more when redeemed through the Chase Travel Portal, at 1.5 cents each. So your 50,000 bonus points are worth $750 in free travel! You can also transfer your points at a 1:1 ratio to the following airlines: United, Singapore, British Airways, Korean, Southwest, and Virgin Atlantic.

*** Chase Bank only allows you to sign up for one Sapphire card, so you have to choose between the Sapphire Preferred (mentioned above) and the Sapphire Reserve (this card). Given the higher bonus currently offered by the Preferred card, I would recommend starting there. 

Other benefits worth mentioning:

• No foreign transaction fees
• 3x points on travel and dining purchases
• 10x points on Lyft rides (through March 2022)
• Complimentary year of Lyft Pink (must register by March 31, 2022)
• Discounts on DoorDash with free DashPass subscription
• $100 application credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre-check
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Car rental insurance
• Travel accident insurance

2. United Explorer Card

Current offer: $0 intro annual fee

Annual fee: $95 after your first year

Why it’s great: This card is offering 70,000 miles as a welcome bonus. You’ll receive 60,000 miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months, and an additional 10,000 after spending a total of $6,000 within six months. This card will earn double the miles on spending on United, restaurants and hotels. It also comes with many valuable perks for those that fly United often. The card provides two one-time passes to the United Club, your first checked bag free and  priority boarding.

Other benefits worth mentioning:

• $100 rebate on Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fees
• Get 25% back on in-flight purchases
• No foreign transaction fees

3. British Airways Visa Signature Card

Current offer: Up to 100,000 bonus miles — 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening and additional 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $20,000 total on purchases within your first year from account opening. That totals to 100,000 Avios if you spend $20,000 on the card within the first year.

Annual fee: $95

Why it’s great: You can get so much value from of British Airways Avios if you learn how to strategically redeem them using British Airways’ distance based award chart. For example, if you wanted to fly from Nashville to Dallas on American Airlines (a Oneworld partner), you would only need to pay 9,000 Avios each way. So with the 100,000 Avios you’d earn from the sign-up bonus, you could fly from Nashville to Dallas 11 times!

Other benefits worth mentioning:

• No foreign transaction fees
• Earn a companion ticket after spending $30,000 in a calendar year
• 10% off British Airways flights starting in the US
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Car rental insurance
• Travel accident insurance
• Trip cancelation insurance

4. American Express® Gold Card

Current offer: 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $4,000 in the first six months

Annual fee: $250

Why it’s great: The American Express Gold card has great earning potential, including 4x miles on all restaurant and supermarket spending, 3x on booking flights. 

Other benefits worth mentioning:

• Receive up to $120 in dining credits, $10 per month
• A $100 credit on airlines spending
• No foreign transaction fees

That wraps up our review of the top personal travel credit card offers for this month. If you found this post useful, we’d be super grateful if you used our links to start your next credit card application!

5. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card

Current offer: Get 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first three months.

Annual fee: $95

Why it’s great: The current sign-up bonus is quite generous for a mid-tier hotel credit card. You get automatic Hilton Gold status just for having this card so you’ll get to enjoy perks like free breakfast on all stays. You’ll also get a free weekend night that can be redeemed at any Hilton property around the world each calendar year you spend $15,000.

This card made several updates in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Free weekend night certificates issued from May 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 can now be used on any night of the week and will be valid for 24 months from the date of issuance (instead of 12 months).

Other benefits worth mentioning:

• Limited time perk: Bonus points earned through eligible purchases that post to between May 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 will now be considered base points and count toward elite tier qualification, including lifetime Diamond status.
• Earns 6x points for every $1 spent at U.S. supermarkets
• Priority Pass membership that is good for 10 free airport lounge visits
• No foreign transaction fees
• Earn 12x points for every $1 spent at Hilton properties
• Travel accident insurance
• Zero fraud liability

6. IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card

Current offer: Get 140,000 IHG points after spending $3,000 in the first three months.

Annual fee: $89

Why it’s great: This card has a hefty bonus given its low annual fee. It comes with automatic Platinum elite status, plus an annual award night worth up to 40,000 points. You’ll also always get your fourth night free when you redeem points for stays of four or more nights.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, existing certificates set to expire March 1, 2020 or later will be extended through Dec. 31, 2020. All new certificates issued in 2020 will be valid for 18 months (instead of 12 months).

Other benefits worth mentioning:

• Earn 25x points total for every $1 spent at IHG properties
• Earn 2x points total for every $1 spent at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants
• $100 rebate on Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fees
• No foreign transaction fees

7. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

Current offer: 40,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first three months. These points count towards qualifying for the Southwest Companion Pass.

Annual fee: $149

Why they’re great: You can usually redeem Rapid Reward points for ~1.5 cents each, so the sign-up bonus is worth approximately $600 in free Southwest flights. Now that Southwest is flying to international destinations, 40,000 points could be enough for a free round-trip flight to another country!

With the card, you’ll receive 7,500 bonus points each year on your cardmember anniversary. The card also offers a $75 annual Southwest travel credit, four upgraded boardings per year (when available), and 20% savings on inflight purchases. So, as long as you fly Southwest a few times a year, you should have no trouble getting outsized value from this card.

Other benefits worth mentioning:

• No foreign transaction fees
• Your points never expire as long as you keep the card
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Earn 2x points for every $1 spent with Southwest

8. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Current offer: 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months, or a total of 100,000 bonus miles after spending $20,000 in the first 12 months.

Annual fee: $95

Why it’s great: The Capital One Venture Rewards card is great for those who are able to hit the relatively high minimum spend, earning you 100,000 bonus miles in total. This card will earn you double the miles on all spending, and will allow you to transfer the points to over ten different mileage programs. 

Other benefits worth mentioning:

• Receive up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® fee
• Miles never expire, as long as your account is open
• No foreign transaction fees

9. Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®

Visit our airline credit cards page to learn how to apply
Current offer: This card is offering 50,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $2,500 in the first three months.
Annual fee: $99 (waived the first year)
Why it’s great: 50,000 American Airlines miles is enough for two round trip tickets inside of the US. Once you meet the minimum spending requirement, you’ll almost have enough frequent flyer miles for a round-trip ticket to Europe (60,000)! Plus, the annual fee is waived for the first year which makes this an awesome opportunity to earn 50,000 AA miles for $0 in fees!

Other benefits worth mentioning:

• No foreign transaction fees
• Your first checked bag is free on domestic AA flights
• You get preferred boarding on AA flights

10. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card

Current offer: Get 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points after spending $5,000 in the first three months.

Annual fee: $450

Why it’s great: The current sign-up bonus is quite generous for a mid-tier hotel credit card. This card includes one year of Platinum Elite status, enabling you to enjoy bonuses including room upgrades and complimentary breakfast. so you’ll get to enjoy perks like free breakfast on all stays. You earn 6x the points on Marriott spending, as well as 3x the points on airline and dining spending. In addition, you will receive one free night on each anniversary of your account.

Other benefits worth mentioning:

• $300 statement credit each year on Marriott spending
• $100 statement credit on Bonvoy Properties
• Global Entry / TSA statement credit
• Priority Pass membership that is good for unlimited free airport lounge visits
• No foreign transaction fees
• Rental car insurance
• Zero fraud liability

 

Cheers,

Nate (and Kara)