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Airline credit cards or
rewards credit cards?

Choosing between an airline co-branded credit card and a general travel rewards credit card may not be that easy as you could think at first. There are a number of best airline credit cards that may be good for others but will not work for you simply because you are not loyal to that airline. For example, if you do not fly Southwest, there is no sense in having a Southwest Airlines Credit Card. Everything's much simpler with travel rewards credit cards. They all work, even if you do not travel. The trick is to choose the right credit card for you. Here you can see some popular travel cards below.

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Compare rewards & travel credit cards to find the best

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Compare travel credit cards to find the best

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our choice

Rating 5.0
on Discover's secure website

Excellent/Good Credit 

Rating 3.0
Offer is not available on Credit-Land.com

Excellent Credit 

Rating 5.0
on Capital One's secure website

Excellent, Good Credit 

Rating 4.4
on Capital One's secure website

Excellent, Good Credit 

Rating 4.4
on Citi's secure website

Excellent, Good Credit 

Rating 5.0
on Discover's secure website

Excellent/Good Credit 

Rating 4.4
on Capital One's secure website

Excellent Credit 

REWARDS
Rewards bonus
UNLIMITED BONUS: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers - only from Discover. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you earn 35,000 Miles, you get 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match.
Earn 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.2
Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel
Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
Rewards Earning
  • Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase
  • Earn 3 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases.2
  • Earn 2 points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners.2
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 you spend on all other purchases.2
  • Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day
  • Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
  • Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
  • Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
  • Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.
  • Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels
  • Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
  • Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
  • Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, automatically. Plus earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
  • Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
  • Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
  • Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
  • Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
Rewards expiration
Rewards never expire.µ
Points don't expire.2
Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
Points do not expire provided your account is active and in good standingµ
Rewards never expire.µ
Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earnµ
Fly any airline
Any Airline
Made for Southwest Airlines flights
Any Airline
Any Airline
Any Airline
Any Airline
Any Airline
RATES AND FEES
Intro APR on purchases
0% Intro APR (15 months)
No intro APR2
0% intro on purchases (for 15 months)
N/A
N/A
0% Intro APR (15 months)
N/A
Regular APR
17.24% - 28.24% Variable APR
21.49%–28.49% Variable APR2
19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
21.24% - 29.24% (Variable)
17.24% - 28.24% Variable APR
19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
Annual fee
$0
$992
$0
$95
$95
$0
$395
Foreign transaction fee
None
None2
None
None
0%
None
None

More about
top travel CREDIT CARD
2024

Discover it® Miles APPLY NOW
on Discover's secure website
Rating 5.0

GREAT BONUS OFFER

UNLIMITED BONUS: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers - only from Discover. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you earn 35,000 Miles, you get 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match.

GOOD REWARDS

  • Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase

Expert's opinion

This is an unbeatable option for someone who does not spend much on travel but still wants to be able to redeem for airfare, hotel stays or car rentals. The rewards program is straightforward which makes this card a good option for those who want to get acquainted with the world of travel rewards. Avid travelers can as well find this offer worthwhile as this card allows to increase rewards earnings on everyday purchases. There are no annual fee and no foreign transactions fee.

Excellent/Good Credit

Why rewards cards are
more flexible THAN AIRLINE
CO-BRANDED CARDS?

Earn Rewards
Rewards Earning

While airline credit cards offer bigger rewards on airfare, they basically limit you to specific airline purchases. Take Southwest credit cards from Chase as an example, the cards allow to earn additional points on Southwest purchases and on some partner purchases, all other purchases earn basic 1 point per $1. You can use Chase Southwest credit card login to track your points, but basically, you will have to fly Southwest a lot to earn an award ticket. As for travel rewards credit cards, even if they limit you to a travel category, they do not limit you to a specific airline. Travel category usually includes airfare, hotel stays, car rentals, cruises, travel packages, and gas purchases. Also, there are travel credit cards that give equal rewards on all purchases - an ideal option for those who do not travel often or want to maximize rewards on everyday spendings.

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APPLY NOW on Discover's secure website
  • Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase
Redeem Rewards for Travel
No Redemption Limitations

An airline credit card won't allow you to redeem miles the way you want, any way you slice it. Basically, you will be limited to award ticket redemptions from the issuing airline. More than that, airlines usually limit the number of award seats and impose blackout dates which makes it rather hard to use earned miles. For example, if you are a Southwest frequent flyer, you will need to use Southwest login to see available points and rewards options. Travel rewards credit cards work differently. Since they are not tied to any airline, you have the freedom to redeem earned miles with any airline, any time through credit card account. There are no limits or blackout dates. The only requirement is you should buy your airline ticket using your travel rewards credit card.

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APPLY NOW on Citi's secure website

Redeem ThankYou® Points for gift cards, travel rewards, shop with points and moreµ

Low Fees Credit Cards
Lower Fees

We all know that airline credit cards may have frequent flyer perks like priority boarding, free checked bag, or complimentary access to airline lounges. However, all those perks and benefits do not come for free. Most likely the airline card, that offers some or all of those perks, will have a high annual fee. If you use all benefits an airline credit card has, then it may be worth paying the annual fee. If not, then you may want a cheaper option, which can be a travel rewards credit card. Such a card may not offer you a free first checked bag, but at the same time, it won't charge you high annual fee. Many travel credit cards come without annual fees at all. In addition to low fees, best travel credit cards may come with 0% intro APR allowing you to save on interest payments.

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APPLY NOW on Discover's secure website

Foreign Transaction Fee: None

Annual Fee: $0

Updated: Mar 27, 2024

questions ABOUT
TRAVEL CREDIT CARDS

I have a Southwest Airlines credit card but my Southwest points expired! I’ve been saving for a family trip, I’ve accrued almost 200,000 on Rapid Rewards, which is more than enough for us. I was hoping to redeem those miles this year for a trip to Italy, but I was taken aback when I learned that my miles expired! How could this happen to me?!

Judging from what you are telling, you haven't been flying Southwest for quite a while. Southwest's policy is that your miles expire after 24 months of inactivity. "Inactivity" in Southwest's terms is a little different...

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I have a Southwest credit card which I haven't used for quite a long time but it has some lingering points on it. So I decided to redeem those points and close the card but I wasn't able to do so! What should I do? How can I use those points?

There can be two reasons you cannot redeem your miles. The first is you are trying to redeem Southwest points for a travel after the date your miles are due to expire. Since you haven't used your card for a while, we...

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I read a Southwest credit card review and it sounded great to have a Southwest Rewards credit card. I often fly Southwest, but I also choose other airlines frequently. It’s not very convenient for me to have a separate credit card for each airline, so I’m thinking if it’ll be enough to have only a Southwest Airlines credit card?

Certainly, when you acquire a credit card for travel, you want it to be versatile and convenient for any needs. Unfortunately, airlines want you to be loyal and only grant you rewards when you fly that one airline....

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TRAVEL CREDIT CARDS🜂

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