A good credit card rewards you based on your spending habits. These cards can be cash back, travel or gift card-focused and offer sign-up bonuses and introductory APRs.
The best reward point credit cards are co-branded with an airline or hotel, and they offer perks that help you save money and improve your travel experience.
1. Capital One Savor Cash Rewards
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards card is a great choice for those who love eating out. It offers a solid 4 percent cash back rate on dining and entertainment, plus a large sign-up bonus.
This card is an easy-to-understand credit card that earns rewards for spending in a variety of categories. It doesn’t have rotating categories or sign-up requirements, and rewards never expire.
You can redeem rewards in the form of a statement credit or check, and cardholders can set up automatic redemption preferences. These include an annual automatic redemption date and an automatic redemption threshold that increases by $25 annually.
You can also make the most of the Capital One Savor card’s 8% cash back on purchases made through Capital One Entertainment. This includes tickets to live sports, concerts and theater events.
2. Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Sapphire Preferred is a top-rated travel rewards credit card that offers a lot of valuable benefits and perks without a huge annual fee. It offers a 60,000-point sign-up bonus after spending $4,000 in the first three months and can be worth more than $750 on flights, hotels and Airbnbs when you use the Pay Yourself Back feature.
It’s also a great choice for travelers who want to maximize their points and miles by transferring them to airline partners or hotels. These transfer partners include some major airlines and hotel brands, such as Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Iberia, JetBlue and Southwest Airlines.
Another valuable perk of the Sapphire Preferred is its trip protection perks. This perk reimburses you up to $100 a day when your luggage is delayed or misdirected for more than six hours while traveling with your card. This benefit applies to both you and your spouse or domestic partner, and can be especially useful when traveling with children or elderly relatives.
3. Barclaycard Arrival Plus
The Barclaycard Arrival Plus is one of our favorite reward point credit cards, offering simplicity and ultra-flexible rewards. It’s the perfect card for travelers who prefer to keep their card portfolio simple and easy to manage.
The card earns 2 miles per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual cap. This is a fantastic reward rate and can be enhanced by a 5% rebate on redeemed points.
It also has no foreign transaction fees and comes with chip and PIN technology. These features make it a great option for traveling internationally.
The card also has a generous sign-up bonus that is worth more than $700 in travel statement credits. However, it does require excellent credit to qualify for the bonus.
4. American Express Platinum
The American Express Platinum card is one of the best travel credit cards available. It offers a high annual fee, but its perks, including hotel elite status and airline lounge access, are worth it for frequent travelers.
New members receive 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of opening the account. These points are worth 1 cent each when redeemed through the American Express Travel portal, but can be more valuable if you transfer them to airline partners.
You also get complimentary lounge access through the American Express Centurion lounge network, Delta Sky Club and Airspace Lounge. In addition, Amex Platinum cardholders receive benefits from hotels through the American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts program, such as room upgrades and credit for hotel purchases.
The American Express Platinum card has a reputation for excellent customer service. It was the top performer among credit issuers on J.D. Power’s 2021 customer satisfaction survey. Its mobile app is rated 4.1 in the Google Play Store and 4.9 in the Apple App Store.
