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Top 5 March 2024 credit cards for travel
Days are getting longer, snow is melting and you already feel the lightest breath of warm breeze on your skin - spring is here. It's time to earn rewards towards your future travel that may be as soon as this summer. We picked the creme de la creme of travel rewards credit cards and made them compete against each other in a vicious fight of rewards and bonuses. Take a look at our candidates and see who won in the spring rewards race.
#1 credit card |
#2 credit card |
#3 credit card |
#4 credit card |
#5 credit card |
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Discover it® Miles | Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Citi Premier® Card | Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card |
apply now | apply now | apply now | apply now | apply now |
on Discover's secure website
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on Capital One's secure website
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on Capital One's secure website
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on Citi's secure website
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on Capital One's secure website
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Bonus Offer
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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.
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Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel
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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
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Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
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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
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Earning Rewards
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Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase
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Intro APR on Purchases
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0% Intro APR (15 months)
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0% intro on purchases (for 15 months)
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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Ongoing APR
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17.24% - 28.24% Variable APR
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19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
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19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
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21.24% - 29.24% (Variable)
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19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
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Annual Fee
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$0
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$0
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$95
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$95
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$395
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apply now | apply now | apply now | apply now | apply now |
on Discover's secure website
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on Capital One's secure website
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on Capital One's secure website
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on Citi's secure website
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on Capital One's secure website
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How to choose a
travel credit card
A good travel credit card helps you save on travel by earning rewards that you can later use to get free flights or hotel stays. Some travel rewards credit cards can give you more benefits than just rewards. But before you choose the best recommended travel credit card, you should make sure it will be worth your time and money.
First of all, to get a decent travel rewards credit card, you should have good or excellent credit. If you have bad credit, you won't be able to get a worthy travel credit card. The second thing to consider is your spending habits, which are closely followed by travel habits. Many cards for travel do not give big rewards for everyday purchases. So consider where you spend most of your money and try to find a travel card that will offer high rewards rate in this category. Same with travel, if you do not travel much, look for a travel credit card that will reward you for your everyday purchases, not only for travel purchases.
And the last thing to consider is your preferences. Whether you want to pay an annual fee or not, or maybe you need some travel perks like lounge access or free checked bags, or TSA Precheck credit. Still, you should keep in mind that there may be no travel credit card out there that could give you everything you want. So you may need to compromise or get more than one travel credit card to achieve your goals.
Airline credit cards vs. travel credit cards
Airline co-branded credit card
Travel credit cards
General travel rewards credit cards are not co-branded with any airline and therefore can be used for various travel expenses, not only airfare. Travel rewards credit cards will either allow you to use points to book travel directly, by redeeming points for statement credits, or by transferring points to participating loyalty programs. Also, travel credit cards can allow cash redemptions, but they are usually least beneficial. Travel rewards credit cards may not offer some perks like priority boarding or free checked bag, but they may offer other perks like concierge service, travel protections, or no foreign transaction fees.
Airline credit cards are usually great for those who travel with one airline all the time. Also, this type of card will be most beneficial for those who fly two times a year or more often as the biggest rewards are earned on airfare. Travel rewards credit cards will be good for various travelers and even for those who fly only occasionally. The flexibility in redemption will give travelers the freedom to plan their trips choosing the cheapest flight as points can be redeemed with various airlines.
Pay attention to fees, perks, and restrictions
The most disappointing thing that may come with a travel credit card is rewards expiration. No one will want their earned miles to be expired. With airlines credit cards, miles may often expire in several years of inactivity. So, if you do not fly often, an airline credit card won't be the best travel credit card for you. In this case, you'd better consider a regular travel rewards credit card.
Fees are also unwelcome on travel cards, especially such fees as foreign transaction fees, redemption fees, or hefty annual fees. While most airline credit cards will charge you an annual fee, there are travel credit cards that do not charge an annual fee. Still, if a card offers benefits you often use and which otherwise would cost you a lot, having a travel credit card that offers this benefit for free can be worth paying the annual fee.