The Best Travel Credit Cards for 2024

What do savvy travel bloggers, backpackers, business owners, and all other frequent flyers have in common? A high-earning travel rewards credit card. If you want to fly for free like the pros do, you need to understand that every dollar you spend that isn't earning you rewards is a dollar wasted. Plus, there are huge welcome bonuses to be had just for signing up and hitting the minimum spend with your everyday purchases – sometimes as much as $750 worth of points, like with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. That's enough for a free return flight already!

A good travel credit card will also save you money during your trip, charging no foreign transaction fees (often 2.5-3% of every purchase with a regular credit card), and offering perks like car rental insurance, airport lounge access, and premium hotel status.

Without further ado, here are our top choices for the best travel credit cards in 2024.

The Best Travel Credit Cards for 2024

1. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred has been our #1 credit card for awhile now – and with good reason. This card checks a lot of boxes at a low annual fee: a huge welcome bonus of 60,000 points worth up to $750 in travel, no foreign transaction fees (saving 2.5% on every overseas purchase), included insurance on rental cars, baggage delays, and trip delays, 3x points on dining, and 2x points on all other travel purchases worldwide.

Points can be transferred 1:1 with a huge number of airline and hotel points programs. However, redeeming your points in the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal boosts their value by 25% – and you also get a lot more flexibility.

While official airline points programs have blackout dates or limited number of reward seats on each flight, the Chase portal lets you use points on any flight or hotel that would appear on other travel booking sites like Expedia and Kayak. In other words, if a flight or hotel is available, you can book it with points – period. It also means that the cheaper a flight or hotel is, the less points required to redeem it. So if you're thrifty like us and keep your eyes peeled for cheap flights and error fares, you'll usually use less points than if you were using an official airline points program.

2. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards card offers similar perks to the Chase Sapphire Preferred, but with a few differences. The annual fee is only $95, with a welcome bonus of 75,000 bonus miles (worth $750) once you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. Like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you get no foreign transaction fees, car rental and travel accident insurance, and you can redeem your points for flights, hotels, or transfer your points to 15+ travel loyalty program partners.

One unique perk is a $100 credit towards TSA Precheck or Global Entry. These programs allow you to save time at the airport going through security or clearing immigration, and are well worth signing up for if you're a frequent traveler. Don't miss our ultimate guide on using TSA Precheck or Global Entry, saving you hours at the airport.

Overall, we think the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a better choice as you get a larger welcome bonus, 3x points on dining, and 2x points on all other travel, which more than make up for the $95 annual fee. But if you want a second card (and second welcome bonus), the Capital One Venture Rewards card is still one of the best travel cards you can get.

3. The Platinum Card® from American Express

If you're serious about points travel and card perks, you have to bring in the big guns, and you can't get much bigger than The Platinum Card from American Express. It has some of the most impressive benefits of any travel rewards card we've seen – but it also comes with a hefty annual fee of $695. Is it worth it? Absolutely – but it requires you to be strategic in taking advantage of the benefits, and you should probably be traveling more than once a year. For the hardcore traveler, this card is our #1 choice.

The Platinum Card from American Express truly checks all the boxes. A 80,000 points bonus after hitting the minimum spend, 5x the points on flights and hotels booked through American Express Travel, no foreign transaction fees, baggage and car rental insurance, and the flexibility to transfer your points to 18 airline and 3 hotel points programs, or to book any flight or hotel through the American Express Travel portal.

On top of that, there are perks and credits galore. You get access to the Global Lounge Collection, one of the largest airport lounge collections in the world. That's food and drink, shower access, and strong wifi with every visit to the airport. You also get a $200 airline fee credit per year (which works on baggage fees, now an additional charge on most flights), Uber VIP status and up to $200 in rides and eats savings, a $189 CLEAR® Plus statement credit per year (after paying with your Platinum Card) to zoom through airport security, and $100 in credits for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue (*Enrollment Required).

Finally, you get gold status in Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy, membership in Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, Avis Preferred, and National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive, and access to AMEX's own Fine Hotel & Resorts program. What does all that mean? Discounts on hotels and cars, room upgrades, late checkouts, wi-fi, and an amenity specific to the property worth $100. American Express estimates the benefits of the Fine Hotel & Resorts program alone to be worth an average of $550.

As you can see, if you frequently travel or are strategic in using the card, you can more than make up for the $695 annual fee. Not to mention, the luxury of all these perks is pretty nice too! Learn More.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card from American Express, please this page

Other cards to check out

The above 3 cards are our top all-around travel cards for both before and during your trip. But if you're looking for a specific feature, there are a few other cards you can consider checking out.

The Best Business Credit Card for Travel

Own a small business? Get the Ink Business Preferred card from Chase and earn even more points. The perks are even better than our #1 consumer choice, the Chase Sapphire Preferred, for the same annual fee. A whopping 100,000 welcome bonus (worth $1,250 in travel), no foreign transaction fees, flexible rewards with no blackout dates, and 3x the points on even more categories like travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone, and online ad purchases make this card a solid choice both at home and overseas.

The Best Credit Card with No Annual Fee

Although paying an annual fee can seem scary, it's always worth it, because the benefits on a card with an annual fee are far greater than on cards without, and you'll earn points at a much higher rate.

But if you never want an annual fee, your best choice is the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card. It's similar to the Venture Rewards card, but the welcome bonus is 20,000 (worth $200 in travel) instead of 75,000 (worth $750 in travel). You only get 1.25 miles per dollar instead of 2, and no TSA Precheck or Global Entry credit. That's a lot less value compared to what you get with the Capital One Venture Rewards card, which has a low annual fee of $95, so we think it's a better card for most people.

The Best Credit Card for Travel Insurance

Though most travel cards these days offer a limited amount of insurance on car rentals, lost luggage, and trip cancellations, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of just a few cards offering emergency medical and dental insurance as well. Medical insurance is essential when travelling, and can often cost up to a few hundred dollars, so having this included with your credit card is great value. Other perks on this card are similar to the Chase Sapphire Reserve, but your points are worth 50% more in the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, you get access to airport lounges worldwide, and you get a credit towards a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application.

The Best Credit Card for Airport Lounge Access

The best credit cards for airport lounge access are the previously mentioned American Express Platinum Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve, but both have high annual fees. These cards have a huge number of benefits, and are definitely worth it if you take advantage of them, but  if the annual fee is too steep, we recommend sticking with the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card has a lower annual fee of $95 and 10 airport lounge visits per year, but since your points are locked into the Hilton Honors program, we recommend foregoing the lounge access to get the Chase Sapphire Preferred for the same fee, with the flexibility to book any flight or hotel you want. Plus, there's other ways to get cheap lounge access – check out our full guide!

All information about Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card has been collected independently by Thrifty Nomads. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card is no longer available through Thrifty Nomads.

The Best Credit Card for TSA Precheck and Global Entry

Signing up for TSA Precheck or Global Entry can save you hours at the airport over time. The Capital One Venture Rewards Card offers a credit of up to $100 on your statement when you apply for this handy perk.

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