Now is not the time for nonessential travel, either domestically or internationally. The only way to stop the spread of the coronavirus is stay put for a while, which is why Kara and I have been self-isolating in Hendersonville, Tennessee. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use this time to start laying the ground work for something that will improve your life in the future, such as planning your next trip.

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 Preferred® Card

Current offer: 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 within the first three months, plus an additional 5,000 Ultimate Rewards points when you add an authorized user to the card who makes a purchase within the first three months.

Annual fee: $95

Why it’s great: This card consistently ranks in the top 3 best travel credit cards for it’s generous 60,000 point sign-up bonus and the flexibility with which you can use those points. After meeting the minimum spending requirement, you’ll receive 60,000 Ultimate Reward points which can be redeemed for $750 worth of free flights when booking through the Chase travel portal. Or, if you want to get even more value out of your points, you can transfer them to the following airlines: United, Singapore, British Airways, Korean, Southwest, or Virgin Atlantic. Plus, this card offers terrific travel protections for when things go wrong.

Other benefits worth mentioning:

• Limited time perk: Now through June 30, earn 3x points on up to $1,500 spent at grocery stores
• No foreign transaction fees
• 2x points on travel and dining purchases
• 5x points on Lyft rides (through March 2022)
• Discounts on DoorDash with free DashPass subscription
• Trip cancellation insurance
• Travel accident insurance
• Car rental insurance
• Zero fraud liability

2. 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. Then, you’ll 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 travel. We would gladly pay $250 for this membership every year! Plus, when you have this card, your Chase Ultimate Reward points are worth more when redeemed through the Chase Travel Portal. The points are worth 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). For serious travelers who will benefit from the lounge access, $300 travel credit, and increased value of the Ultimate Reward points, I would highly recommend signing up for the Reserve (this card) over the Preferred.

Other benefits worth mentioning:

• Limited time perk: Now through June 30, earn 5x points on up to $1,500 spent at grocery stores
• 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

3. United Club℠ Infinite Card

 

 

Current offer: $0 intro annual fee

Annual fee: $525 after your first year

Why it’s great: This newly introduced card offers an impressive 4x miles on United purchases, 2x on all other travel and dining and 1x on everything else. It comes with many valuable perks for those that fly United often. The card provides a full United Club membership, your first two checked bags free and Premier Access, which gives you access to priority boarding, exclusive check-in lines at the airport and more.

Other benefits worth mentioning:

• Limited time perk: Now through June 30, earn 5x miles on up to $1,500 spent at grocery stores
• $100 rebate on Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fees
• Hertz rental car elite status
• Get 25% back on in-flight purchases
• No foreign transaction fees

4. 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 a ton of value out 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

5. United℠ Explorer Card

Current offer: 40,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 in the first three months.
Annual fee: $95 (waived the first year)
Why it’s great: United is ideal for booking flights with Star Alliance partner airlines like Lufthansa since it doesn’t pass on any fuel surcharges. The card also has some great benefits for a sub-$100 card.
Other benefits worth mentioning:

• $100 rebate on Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fees
• 2 one-time use United Club passes that entitle you to United Club lounge access
• Priority Boarding on United flights
• Your first checked bag is free on United flights when you use your card to pay for the flight

6. The Platinum Card from American Express

Current offer: 60,000 Membership Rewards after spending $5,000 in the first three months.

Annual fee: $550

Why it’s great: The Platinum Card has the highest annual fee of any of the cards on this list, but it also offers some of the best benefits. Depending on your travel habits, this card could offer more value than other cards on this list. To start, you have the 60,000 point welcome bonus which is worth $600 in free travel when redeemed through the Membership Rewards travel portal. Alternatively, you can get way more value out of your points by transferring them to one of the following airlines: Delta, British Airways, Air Canada, Air France, Singapore, Etihad, and more.

If you use your Platinum Card strategically, you can get up to $400 in travel credits each year! It comes with a $200 airline fee credit (good for one airline that you choose at the beginning of the year), and a $200 Uber credit that gets reimbursed to your card in monthly increments of $15 (plus a $20 bonus in December).

Our favorite benefit of the Platinum Card is the lounge access. In addition to a free Priority Pass membership that will get you into over 1,000 airport lounges around the world, you also get access to American Express’s Centurion Lounges! These lounges are by far our favorite domestic airport lounges! The food is always incredible, and some of them even offer free massages!

Other benefits worth mentioning:

• Limited time perk: Get up to $320 in statement credits on select streaming and wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers (up to $20 per month) from May through December 2020.
• Earn 5x points on flights booked with airlines or American Express Travel
• Earn 5x points on hotels booked on amextravel.com
• Trip delay coverage on flights delayed more than 6 hours

7. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card

Current offer: Get 125,000 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.
• Limited time perk: Now through July 31, 2020, earn 12x points (instead of the usual 6x) 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

8. 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:

• Limited time perk: Now through June 30, earn 3x points on up to $1,500 spent at grocery stores
• 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

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 U.S.A. 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. 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

That wraps up our review of the top 10 best 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!

Cheers,

Nate (and Kara)