16 Best Travel Credit Cards of March 2025

This is a high-end card designed for high-end travelers. The ongoing rewards are decent: 5 points per dollar on airfare and hotels when booked the right way (terms apply) and 1 point per dollar elsewhere. But the real value lies in the perks. There’s an annual credit of $200 for airline fees and up to $200 a year in Uber credit, for example. You’ll be reimbursed for the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (every 4 years for Global Entry or 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck). Plus, you'll receive a credit to cover the cost of a Clear membership. You have access to more than 1,400 airport lounges worldwide and exclusive perks at hotels. And don’t forget the big welcome offer for new cardholders.

The $695 annual fee is about as high as it gets for a mainstream card. If you don’t spend a lot on travel, the rewards are poor. And while this card is geared to world travelers, American Express isn’t as widely accepted globally as Visa and Mastercard.

You earn 5 points per $1 spent on all travel purchased through Chase; 3 points per $1 spent on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout), select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs); 2 points per $1 spent on travel not booked through Chase; and 1 point per $1 spent on other purchases. Points are worth 25% more — 1.25 cents apiece — when you redeem them for travel booked through Chase, or you can transfer them to a dozen airline and hotel programs.

Chase's no-annual-fee cash back cards now offer competitive rewards on dining and some travel when compared to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. However, those cards don't offer the enhanced redemption value and point-transfer options of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, and they also charge foreign transaction fees.

Earn 4X points at restaurants; 4X points on up to $25,000 a year in spending at U.S. supermarkets; 3X on airfare booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com; 2X on select travel; and 1X on all other spending. There are dining credits and a nice welcome offer, and your points are transferable to airlines and hotels. Terms apply.

The $325 annual fee is steep for cards in its class. The dining credits are somewhat complicated. And this card has eliminated the $100 annual credit for incidental airline fees that once enhanced its value.

The sign-up bonus is especially generous if you redeem points for travel booked through Chase. (You can also transfer points to a dozen or so airline and hotel programs, including United, Southwest, Marriott and Hyatt.) You'll earn 3 points per dollar on up to $150,000 a year in spending on travel, telecommunications (internet, phone and cable), shipping, and advertising on social media and search engines; all other spending earns 1 point per dollar.

This card's bonus categories aren't a good fit for all business owners. There's an annual fee of $95.

The card earns unlimited 3 points per dollar spent on travel, dining, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans. Other spending earns 1 point per dollar. The bonus offer is outstanding for a $0-annual-fee card, and you even get a introductory APR period.

The card doesn't have the perks of a dedicated airline or hotel card. You can transfer points to airline and hotel programs, but the options are limited.

As with the regular Venture-branded card, 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 a $300 annual credit for bookings in the portal, a 10,000-mile annual bonus, airport lounge access and a jumbo sign-up offer.

The value you'll get from this card is highly dependent on whether you use Capital One to book your travel. If you prefer to reserve directly with airlines or hotels, look elsewhere. The bonus offer is big, but so is the spending required to earn it.

You earn 2 miles per dollar on United purchases, at restaurants and on hotel stays; other purchases earn 1 mile per dollar. The first checked bag is free for you and a companion, and you get priority boarding. The card reimburses your application fee for TSA Precheck or Global Entry, and each year, you receive two one-time passes to United Club airport lounges. You even get primary rental car insurance and a great sign-up bonus.

Other cards provide a free checked bag for more people traveling on your reservation. As with any branded airline card, you're limited in how you can redeem your rewards.

You get 10 points per dollar spent on Chase Dining purchases, as well as hotel stays and car rentals purchased through Chase; 5 points per dollar spent on air travel purchased through Chase; 3 points per dollar spent on travel and dining not booked with Chase; and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. Points are worth 1.5 cents apiece when redeemed for travel booked through Chase, or you can transfer them to a dozen hotel and airline partners. You get $300 a year in credit for travel expenses, Priority Pass airport lounge access and reimbursement for the application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. And don't forget the big sign-up bonus.

The fee is a significant out-of-pocket expense, and much of the value of the card is tied up in the $300 travel credit. Get this card only if you are a dedicated traveler.

This card earns 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase; 3% cash back at restaurants and drugstores; and 1.5% on other purchases. New cardholders who apply through NerdWallet get snag this bonus offer: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!. Finally, if you have one of Chase's Sapphire cards, you can transfer your rewards to it for greater value and flexibility.

As a cash-back card, it doesn't offer many travel perks. And it charges a foreign transaction fee, so it's not the best choice for international travel.

This card earns 1 Bilt point per dollar spent on rent (up to 100,000 points annually). That might not seem like a jaw-dropping rate, but consider that in most cases, you either can't use a credit card for rent at all, or you can't do so without paying an extra transaction fee that more than wipes out the value of your rewards. The card also earns 3X points at restaurants, 2X on travel, 5X on Lyft (when you link your accounts) and 1X elsewhere. Those rewards rates, except for rent, are doubled for purchases on the first day of every month ("rent day"). Redemption options include using points to book travel, or transferring them to partner programs including United Airlines, Marriott and Hyatt.

You must use the card at least five times during a statement period to earn most rewards, though you will still earn 250 points on rent. There's no sign-up bonus. If the manager of your property requires that you pay rent by check rather than through an online portal, you can still earn rewards, but Bilt needs to send a check on your behalf.

There's a lot to be said for a travel credit card that pays a high rewards rate on non-travel spending. Supermarkets and restaurants are among the biggest line items in many household budgets, and gas can be a major expense, too. Use the annual hotel benefit — $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (taxes and fees excluded) booked through Citi — and the card pays for itself.

This card no longer allows you to redeem points for airfare at 1.25 cents apiece, as it once did; travel redemptions are now 1 cent per point. Although you can transfer the points to airline partners, those carriers are mostly foreign-based. JetBlue is the only domestic option.