5 Things to Know About the Priceline Credit Card

The Priceline VIP Rewards™ Visa® Card, issued by Barclays, is aimed at those who regularly use the online discount travel agency and want to earn rewards quickly toward future travel.

Someone looking to squeeze maximum value out of their Priceline bookings will find that this $0-annual-fee card can pile on the points faster than you can say "Kaley Cuoco."

Here are five things to know if you're considering the card:

» MORE: NerdWallet’s best travel cards

1. It earns solid rewards for Priceline loyalists

The Priceline VIP Rewards™ Visa® Card could help stretch your dollar further with its generous rewards for devotees. It earns:

• 5 points per dollar spent on eligible Priceline.com purchases.

• 2 points per dollar spent on gas and restaurant purchases.

• 1 point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.

The card's PricePoints feature allows cardholders to redeem their points directly on Priceline.

Those are fine reward rates for Priceline loyalists who only book their hotels, flights and car rentals through Priceline.com. But you can get more value and flexibility with a general-purpose travel credit card. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, for instance, can get you 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase's travel portal; 3 points per dollar on dining; 3 points per dollar on select streaming services; 3 points on online groceries; 2 points on all other travel purchases; and 1 point on all other purchases. It also offers a sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. The card has a $95 annual fee, but its perks and rewards can more than make up for it. In fact, the card’s $50 annual Chase Travel℠ hotel credit alone gets you more than halfway. Points are also worth 25% more when you redeem them for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase's travel portal

If an annual fee is not for you, another option to consider is the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card. It earns 3 points per dollar spent on travel, restaurants, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans. It also comes with a sign-up bonus: Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value. And, unlike many other travel credit cards, it offers an introductory interest rate that can offer some breathing room on your next vacation. Get a 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months from account opening, and then the ongoing APR of 19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% Variable APR.

» MORE: Best credit cards for online travel booking websites

2. Points are worth 1 cent each in statement credits

You can redeem your points as a statement credit against all purchases made on the card, not just Priceline spending. Points are worth a flat 1 cent a piece.

The only difference is that if you're redeeming points to "erase" a Priceline purchase, the minimum redemption threshold is lower. Redemptions for statement credits start at 2,500 points, worth $25, for Priceline.com purchases. If you want to redeem your points for statement credit against a non-Priceline purchase, the minimum is 5,000 points, worth $50.

» MORE: How to choose a travel credit card

3. You'll get automatic VIP Gold status

The Priceline VIP Rewards™ Visa® Card comes with VIP Gold elite status, otherwise reserved for those with at least 5 completed Priceline trips. VIP Gold status gives you perks like:

• Hotel savings up to 50% on over 30,000 hotels.

• Up to 20% discounts on car rentals.

• 8% Express Deal coupon after every completed Priceline trip.

• Priority customer service.

4. It's got the good kind of zeros

The Priceline VIP Rewards™ Visa® Card won't cost you anything to carry or use abroad since it has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. It also has a 0% intro APR offer for 15 months on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening.

There is, however, a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

5. You won't want to carry a balance on new purchases

The Priceline VIP Rewards™ Visa® Card's balance transfer offer is top-notch for a rewards card. But you won't get the same break from interest on new purchases. The APR will vary, but it could be as high as 29.99% (as of November 2024).

See NerdWallet's roundup of other rewards cards to determine whether this is the best credit card to apply for.