Welcome to my list of my favorite travel credit cards! If you’ve been following me on social media for a while, you’ll know that I rarely buy anything unless I’m getting something back. I’m all about credit card points, perks, cashback, and any deal stack I can get. If you haven’t seen my socials, go check out my Instagram and YouTube! I’m always giving money-saving tips on both, and something I mention often are my credit card perks.
If you’re responsible, credit card points can be a fantastic way to help you pay for travel without you having to think much about it at all (unless you really get into it, and then there’s some thinking involved). You simply shop how you normally do, come up with a system for how you’re going to pay off your credit cards every month (going into debt defeats the purpose of the credit card points), and rack up the points.
There are tons of different cards out there, and each one will offer different types of rewards. You’ll have to do a little research based on your spending and travel habits to find the card that’s right for you!
This list is a jumping off point for beginners, these cards don’t have high annual fees, it’s easy to earn points, and I personally use them so you know it’s a good card if I recommend it!
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Chase Sapphire Preferred
Annual Fee – $95
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of Chase’s best cards, IMO. While the Sapphire Reserve is their heavy-hitter, the Preferred is great for beginners or people who just aren’t crazy travelers like me. Perks include Chase Ultimate Rewards points being worth 1.25 cents/point when redeemed for travel, you get 3x points for dining, 2x points for travel purchases, and 5x points when you purchase travel through the Chase portal. And honestly, their prices aren’t terrible when compared to other booking sites, so you’re not being taken advantage of!
It’s well worth the $95 annual fee to get this all-around great card!
As of 10/2022, the sign up bonus is 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4000 in the first 3 months (worth $750 when you book travel through Chase!)
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
Annual Fee – $95
If you watch my YouTube videos, you know I stay at a lot of Hilton properties! This is for a couple of reasons, one is that one of my friends works for Hilton and she graciously extended her friends and family benefits to me. The other is that I have the Surpass credit card, which gives me automatic Honors Gold status.
As far as hotel-branded credit cards go, I have 3 of them and the Gold status is the best perk by far. Two words: FREE BREAKFAST! Sometimes this saves us a few bucks, sometimes it literally saves us hundreds! For example, in 2020 we did a bucket list trip to Bora Bora and stayed at Conrad Bora Bora Nui Resort (check out my review here), and breakfast would have cost us $50 per person, per day! That would have added up to $400, and we got it for FREE!
Plus, this card gives you 10 yearly visits to Priority Pass airport lounges around the world, which makes travel even more comfortable!
Chase Freedom Unlimited Card
Annual Fee – $0
If you’re a credit card points beginner, this card is fantastic because it’s got no annual fee and great ways to earn points. At 1.5x points for literally EVERYTHING you buy on this card, it’s got other cards Beat. I often use this for everyday spending just for that reason!
The other great way to earn points is this cards 3x points on dining, which adds up super quick if you’re traveling or just like eating out at home, like me (if you know me, you know the local poke bowl place knows me by name). Plus, until the end of 2022 you’ll earn 5x points on grocery store purchases! Those are some great rewards for shopping for that big Thanksgiving dinner!
If you pair this card with either Chase Sapphire card (I have the Preferred mentioned above, but there’s also the more advanced Chase Sapphire Reserve), you can transfer the points earned on this card to the Sapphire card and get an extra 25% bump in value when you book award travel through the Chase portal.
