Travel reward credit cards represent a broad category of rewards cards. They encompass everything from airline miles cards to more generic rewards cards. Some cards offer miles, others use points. As a result, picking the best travel rewards card can be a challenge. Here are our top picks for 2022.
Travel Reward Credit Cards Table of Contents
September 2022 Travel Card Updates
Here are changes over the past month to travel credit cards we track in our database:
- 9/22/22: Limited Time Offer! Earn 60,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
- 9/22/22: Limited Time Offer! Earn 100,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card.
- 07/21/22: The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card has a Limited Time Offer: Earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy Bonus Points after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer expires 8/31/22.
- 7/06/22: The Chase Freedom Unlimited® now has a $300 bonus when you spend $ in months. It used to be a $300 bonus, now both this card and the Chase Freedom Flex(SM) offer the same bonus.
- 6/14/2022: The Chase Sapphire Reserve® increased its signup bonus from 50,000 points to 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening.
Types of Travel Reward Credit Cards
To narrow down the list, I divide travel cards into three categories:
1 All-purpose travel cards: These cards aren’t part of an airline or hotel brand. Instead they offer miles or points that can be used with any travel. As you’ll see below the top cards in this category offer at least 2% in rewards. The “catch,” if you will, is that these rewards must be used for travel.
2 Airline miles cards: Offered from every major airlines, these cards can offer the highest value in rewards. The key is to understand your travel patterns. These cards are ideal for those who fly frequently with the same airline.
3 Hotel rewards cards: As with airline miles, these cards can offer good rewards for those who stay with the same hotel brand.
We’ve covered each of these types of cards below.
Best Travel Reward Credit Cards
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Editor’s Pick: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns top honors for an all-purpose travel rewards card. Its 2x points for every $1 spent on travel and dining and 60,000 bonus points leads the pack in the travel category.
- Earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases with the card in the first 3 months. These points are worth $750 in travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
- Rewards
- 5x points on travel purchased through Chase
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel not purchased through Chase
- 1x point on all other purchases
- Get 25% point bonus when you redeem points for travel through Chase
- $0 foreign transaction fees
- 1:1 point transfer to leading frequent travel programs at full value
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get up to $60 back on an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership through 12/31/2021.
- $95 Annual Fee
- Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 within your first 3 months.That’s $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- 10x points on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x points on flights booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3X points on other travel and dining immediately after earning your $300 travel credit.
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- $0 foreign transaction fees.
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™
- Select Up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre?®
- Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $4,000 within your first 6 months.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants in the U.S. This includes takeout and delivery.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X).
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- 1X points on other purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash: Add your Gold card to your Uber account and each month you’ll get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.
- $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to $10 in statement credits each month when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factor, Ruth’s Chris, Boxed, and participating Shake Shacks. Enrollment required.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees, making this an excellent card for international travel.
- Annual Fee: $250.
- Rose Gold is back. Choose between Gold or Rose Gold.
- Terms Apply. (See Rates & Fees)
- One-time Bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 within your first 3 months.
- Rewards: Earn 2X miles on every purchase
- Credits: Receive up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Miles aren’t specific to any airline or hotel, so they can be used anywhere
- Travel when you want with no blackout dates
- Miles won’t expire for the life of the account
- No foreign transaction fees
- Transfer miles to more than 10 travel programs.
- $95 annual fee
- Welcome Offer: Earn
75,000100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases with the card in the first 6 months. - Earn 5X points on for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel, up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, and on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
- Credits: The card now offers a number of credits, including a $200 Hotel Credit (2-night minimum stay required), $240 Digital Entertainment Credit, $200 Airline Fee Credit, $200 Uber Cash, $300 Equinox Credit, and a $179 CLEAR Credit. See terms and conditions.
- $695 annual fee.
- Terms Apply. (See Rates & Fees)
Airline Miles Cards
Editor’s Pick: My favorite airline card is the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card. It gets my vote for two reasons. It offers an excellent signup bonus of up to 50,000 points.
- Signup Bonus: Earn 50,000 when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months.
- 6,000 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases.
- Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- Earn 2X points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
- All points earned count towards Companion Pass®.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Annual Fee: $99
- Welcome Offer: Earn 10,000 bonus miles after spending $500 in purchases on your new Card in your first .
- 2 Miles Rewards: Earn 2 miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide and on purchases made directly with Delta.
- 1 Mile Rewards: Earn 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
- Receive a 20% In-Flight Savings in the form of a statement credit after you use your Card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and audio headsets.
- No foreign transaction fees
- No Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply. (See Rates & Fees)
- Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
- Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at U.S. Supermarkets and a restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- $100 Delta Flight Credit: After you spend $10,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, receive a Credit to use toward future travel.
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.
- Terms Apply. (See Rates & Fees)
- Signup Bonus: Earn up to 100,000 Avios. Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening and earn an additional 25,000 Avios after you spend $20,000 in the first 12 months of account opening.
- Every calendar year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you’ll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years.
- Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL.
- Earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel.
- Earn 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- 10% off British Airways flights starting in the US when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials.
- Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad.
Hotel Rewards Cards
Editor’s Pick: The top pick goes to the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. It offers excellent value in terms of redemptions, and you can earn free night stays very quickly.
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 100,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card.
- Anniversary Bonus: 1 Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
- Earn up to 17X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card.
- Earn 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining.
- Earn 2X points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Earn 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend.
- Receive 15 Elite Night Credits annually, automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year, and path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each calendar year.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- $95 Annual Fee
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 100,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer expires 11/2/22.
- Earn 6x points at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- Earn 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
- 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. Terms and Conditions Apply.
- Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Card.
- Annual fee is $125
- Terms Apply (See Rates & Fees)
- Welcome Offer: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus Points after spending $2,000 within your first 3 months.
- 12X Bonus: Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a participating hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio.
- 6X Bonus: Earn 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
- 3X Bonus: Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your card.
- Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year.
- Earn a Weekend Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
- Terms Apply. (See Rates & Fees)
- Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $1,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, you can earn up to $100 in Statement Credits on eligible purchases made on the Card at any of the Hilton family hotels in the first 12 months of Membership.
- Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
- Earn 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for every dollar of eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your card.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status with your Card. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
- No Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply. (See Rates & Fees)
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 60,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases in your first months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
- 14x Rewards: Earn up to 14X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Card.
- 2x Rewards: Earn 2X points for every $1 spent on other travel purchases (from airfare to taxis and trains).
- 1x Rewards: Earn 1X point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Receive 15 Elite Night Credits annually, qualifying you for Silver Elite Status. Restrictions apply.
- Earn unlimited Marriott Bonvoy® points and get Free Night Stays faster.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- No annual fee
