Top 10 Travel Credit Cards of 2022
A lot of people want to travel more, but only a few take advantage of the right travel credit card that can make that possible. The best travel credit cards make trips both local and abroad more comfortable, and they can also help you earn free flights, hotels and more.
Below are the top travel credit cards, airline cards and hotel cards that will suit all your travel needs.
1. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
This is one of the most popular travel rewards credit cards on the market. Offering an excellent return on travel and dining purchases, the card packs a ton of value that easily offsets its $95 annual fee. Cardholders can redeem points at 1.25 cents each for travel booked through Chase or transfer points to one of Chase’s 14 valuable airline and hotel partners. It also offers $50 hotel statement credit annually when booked through Ultimate Rewards Premium travel protection benefits including trip cancellation insurance, primary car rental insurance and lost luggage insurance.
Additionally, you earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Summing up to a redeemable of $750.
Apply via https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/22Q2b/sapphirepreferred/compare
2. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
When it comes to simplicity and strong rewards, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a solid choice that offers simplicity and strong rewards for most travelers. You earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase with no bonus categories to memorize, making it an ideal card for those with busy lives.
It goes to show that it is a type of flexible rewards card that delivers a solid sign-up bonus of 75,000 miles, worth $1,388 based on TPG valuations and not provided by the issuer.
Apply now via https://www.capitalone.com/
3. Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card
The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card is an excellent option for frequent travelers who want flexible rewards but just can’t bring themselves to pay an annual fee for a credit card. It offers 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening – that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases..
The associated rates include 0% intro APR on Purchases for 18 billing cycles and 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days, and then the ongoing APR of 16.24%-26.24% Variable APR. (A 0% APR period is relatively rare on a travel card.)
Apply now via https://secure.bankofamerica.com/apply-credit-cards/public/icai-single/#/info/
Additionally, it has a $0 annual fee and offers a reward of 1.5 points per dollar spent as well as 3 points per dollar spent on eligible travel booked through the Bank of America® Travel Center.
4. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has an excellent rewards rate, access to airport lounges and hundreds of dollars worth of travel credits that can make up for the $395 annual fee.
To optimize the card, you’ll need to book on the issuer’s online travel portal. You earn 2 miles per dollar on purchases. But when booking through Capital One Travel, you also get 5X miles on airfare and 10X miles on hotel and rental cars. There’s up to $300 a year in statement credit for bookings through the portal, a 10,000-point annual bonus, airport lounge access and a jumbo sign-up offer.
Generally, you can easily use this Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more as well as transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs.
Apply via https://applynow.capitalone.com/
5. Citi Premier® Card
The big draw of the Citi Premier Card is that you can earn bonus rewards on everyday expenses as opposed to just travel. A generous sign-up bonus also sweetens the deal, making this a solid travel card for everyday shoppers who want to pay a low annual fee. For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening plus 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets, 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels, and 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchase, among others.
The Citi Premier Card has no expiration, as compared to other cards and no limit to the amount of points you can earn. Additionally, it has no Foreign Transaction fees applicable.
Apply via https://citicards.citi.com/usc/lpaca/citi/rewards/premier/external_p6/index.html
6. Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
This card moves to the top of our rankings for no annual fee rewards cards thanks to its excellent sign-up bonus offer, earn unlimited 3x points on a variety of categories, and cell phone protection.
You earn 30,000 bonus points when you spend $1,500 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s a $300 cash redemption value and unlimited 3X points on the things that really add up – like restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. Plus, earn 1X points on other purchases.
Apply via https://creditcards.wellsfargo.com/cards/autograph-visa-credit-card/
7. Chase Freedom Unlimited®
This is one of the top Chase travel credit cards. You earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That’s 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.
It charges $0 annual fee and 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months from account opening on purchases. After the intro period, an APR of 17.24% – 25.99% Variable applies. It has a high earning rate across a variety of spending categories with several protections. Also, this card has $0 annual fee, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. 17.24%, 22.24%, or 27.24% variable APR thereafter and up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft.
Apply via https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/freedom-unlimited/affiliates2022
8. The Platinum Card® from American Express
The Platinum Card is destined for frequent travelers who intend to fully leverage the rich set of luxury travel benefits and Platinum Concierge service. In the right hands, the classic status card’s staggering annual fee is well justified.
It offers up to 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership of either classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. Also, you earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel as well as prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Additionally, you get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings.
Apply via https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/card/platinum/
9. American Express® Gold Card
This ****offers 4 points per dollar on dining at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar). There’s also an up to $120 annual dining credit at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and select Shake Shack locations, plus it added an up to $120 annually ($10 per month) in Uber Cash, which can be used on Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. All this makes it a very strong contender for all food purchases, which has become a popular spending category. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Apply via https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/card/gold-card/
10. Chase Sapphire Reserve®
This card offers superior points earning rates if you spend frequently on travel and dining out. The $300 travel credit justifies much of the annual fee of $550, and redeeming points for travel on Chase Ultimate Rewards or when using the Pay Yourself Back feature nets you a 50% bonus. You can earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Also you enjoy $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year plus 5x total points on air travel and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Apply via https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/22Q2/sapphire/goreserve
In Conclusion:
As you travel more, a travel card will be increasingly useful to you. If you make two or three trips each year, you should be able to fully utilize the benefits of a travel card. If you travel even more frequently than that, then the travel rewards card that has been listed above will be quite helpful to you.