The miles and points we’ve collected from travel credit cards have easily saved us over $30,000+ 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 welcome 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.
Detailed Reviews
1. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Current offer: 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 within the first three months. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year.
Annual fee: $95
Why it’s great: The Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of my favorite cards! Ultimate Reward points are very valuable, given their flexibility and ability to use to make an award booking. The points are worth more when redeemed through the Chase Travel℠ Portal, at 1.25 cents each. So your 60,000 bonus points are worth $750 in free travel! Plus, you get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year. 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 Sapphire Preferred is currently netting card holders 5x points on travel booked through Chase Travel, 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs), 3x points on streaming services, and 2x points on all other travel spending.
Other benefits worth mentioning:
- No foreign transaction fees
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more
- Discounts on DoorDash with free DashPass subscription (activate by Dec. 31, 2027)
- Car rental insurance
- Travel accident insurance
2. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Current offer: A total of 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.
Annual fee: $395
Why it’s great: At first glance the annual fee may seem expensive, but each year you receive a $300 travel credit that’s super easy to use. Plus, each year on your card anniversary, you’ll receive 10,000 bonus miles which are $100 in free travel. Those two perks alone cover the cost of the annual fee.
Plus, this card gives you free priority pass membership which gives you an unlimited number of visits to 1,300+ Priority Pass lounges worldwide.
I’ve saved the best perk for last, and that’s the 75,000 bonus miles you’ll receive after meeting the minimum spend! Capital One Rewards allow users to book travel or cover travel booked in the previous 90 days for one cent per mile. That means this card is would cover $750 on travel, even retroactively! Capital One miles can also be transferred to a number of airline programs at a ratio of 1:1, allowing for true flexibility in booking the best reward flights.
Other benefits worth mentioning:
- No foreign transaction fees
- Receive $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel
- 10,000 mile anniversary bonus
- 10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5 Miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
3. Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Current offer: 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 within the first three months.
Annual fee: $550
Why it’s great: The incredible travel rewards earned from this card more than make up for the high annual fee. One of the best perks is the $300 travel annual credit. Our favorite reward from this card 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!
*** Chase Bank only allows you to sign up for one Sapphire card, so you have to choose between the Sapphire Preferred (mentioned below) and the Sapphire Reserve (this card).
Other benefits worth mentioning:
- No foreign transaction fees
- 3x points on travel and dining purchases (reward rate kicks in after the $300 travel credit has been exhausted)
- 10x points on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025)
- Discounts on DoorDash with free DashPass subscription (activate by Dec. 31, 2027)
- Up to $100 application credit for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA Pre-check
- Lost luggage reimbursement
- Car rental insurance
- Travel accident insurance
4. Platinum Card® from American Express
Current offer: 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 within the first six months.
Annual fee: $695 (Rates and Fees)
Why it’s great: The American Express Platinum Card offers some of the best perks available. The welcome bonus offer of 80,000 points is an excellent value, and the $695 is completely offset by spending credits. This card also offers 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 per calendar year and 5x points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Of course, our favorite benefit from this card has to be entrance to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes access to the Centurion Lounge. Terms and restrictions apply to these fantastic benefits.
Other benefits worth mentioning:
- No foreign transaction fees
- $200 credit for airline incidental fees, after enrollment
- $200 credit on select hotel spending (which requires a minimum two-night stay)
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card(R) on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber
Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply. - $300 credit for Equinox spending, after enrollment
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit (subject to auto-renewal)
- Global Entry spending credit, after enrollment
5. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Current offer: A total of 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months
Annual fee: $95
Why it’s great: Capital One Rewards allow users to book travel or cover travel booked in the previous 90 days for one cent per mile. That means this card is would cover over $750 on travel, even retroactively! Capital One miles can also be transferred to a number of airline programs at a ratio of 1:1, allowing for true flexibility in booking the best reward flights.
Other benefits worth mentioning:
- Up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- 2x the miles on all spending
- 5 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- No foreign transaction fees
- Two complimentary visits per year to Capitol One Lounges
6. American Express® Gold Card
Current offer: 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 in the first six months on eligible purchases
Annual fee: $250 (Rates and Fees)
Why it’s great: The American Express Gold card has great earning potential, including 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4X Membership Rewards® Points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, 3X Membership Rewards® Points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, and 1x on all other purchases. Term Apply.
Other benefits worth mentioning:
- $120 in dining credits, $10 per month, the Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
- No foreign transaction fees
7. British Airways Visa Signature® Card
Current offer: 85,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
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 85,000 Avios you’d earn from the sign-up bonus, you could fly from Nashville to Dallas 10 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
8. United Club℠ Infinite Card
Current offer: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual fee: $525
Why it’s great: We love the United MileagePlus program because the miles are valuable and the awards are a breeze to redeem. This card is a great opportunity to earn a cache of United points, as well as to earn 4x the miles on United spending (9x points if you’re a MileagePlus member) and 2x on all other travel, restaurant and delivery spending. This card also includes a membership to the United Club, allowing you lounge access any time you fly.
Other benefits worth mentioning:
- Up to $100 Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck credit
- Get 25% back on in-flight purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
9. United℠ Explorer Card
Current offer: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Annual fee: $95 after your first year, $0 intro for first year
Why it’s great: This card is offering 50,000 miles as a welcome bonus after spending $3,000 in the first three 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, including two one-time passes to the United Club, your first checked bag free and priority boarding.
Other benefits worth mentioning:
- Up to $100 Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck credit
- Get 25% back on in-flight purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
10. IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
Current offer: Earn 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account
Annual fee: $99
Why it’s great: This card has a hefty bonus given its low annual fee. This is a great card to focus on for booking award hotel stays. This also 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.
Other benefits worth mentioning:
- Earn up to 26 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel.
- Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, gas stations, and restaurants.
- Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Up to $120 Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck credit starting 10.01.24
- 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!
Cheers,
Nate (and Kara)
Hey Nate, what does the new transfer partners for Capital One do to your rankings and thoughts on the card? I never have been a fan of Capital One but to me, this changes the game. Thanks!
Hey Nate! I was looking at the Southwest Rapid Rewards cards earlier this week and noticed that it mentioned you can only get the sign on bonus if you haven’t received another sign on bonus. Do you know if that means you cannot receive the bonus if you have gotten a bonus from any Chase Card….or just any of the Southwest Rapid Rewards cards? Sincerely- someone who just signed up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
Thanks for this information Nate! The Chase Sapphire Reserve is my go to card. I also have the Capital One Venture and United Explorer Cards. I am thinking about getting another one, but still trying to figure it out.
Happy Birthday to Kara!
Hi, i was wondering what you do with the cards after you spend the required amount and use the points. Do you cancel them? Presumably you would spend on other cards to receive the sign up bonus, and keep using different cards. Or is there a card you continually use? What does that do to your credit, opening up that man y cards and (maybe) cancelling them?
Thanks!!
Brooke