Best Credit Cards for Travel

Picture this: you book a flight to Paris, a beach getaway in Mexico, or a family road trip, and the points you earned from everyday spending cover most of it. Travel credit cards promise big rewards, but many reserve their headline rate for trips booked on the issuer's own site, value their points anywhere from 0.5 to 1.5 cents each, and charge annual fees that may or may not pay for themselves. The cards below are ranked by the cash-equivalent rate you earn booking wherever you like, with any higher rate that depends on where you book listed separately, so you can see which ones actually deliver for your next trip.

Rankings are estimates based on published card terms. Actual rewards depend on your spending, redemption, and category qualification. How we rank.

Quick Answer

Our #1 Pick

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card

6% on travel $350/yr

Also Consider

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card

5% on hotels $95/yr

Which card wins depends on your spending. Try the calculator to see your personalized ranking.

The Top Contenders

IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card

Earns 6% on travel with no spending cap. Earns 12% only on stays at IHG Hotels and Resorts. Other travel earns 6%. Points are worth ~0.5¢ each, making the cash-equivalent rate ~3.0%. Up to 28x total at IHG hotels, 6x on dining and all other travel, 3x on everything else.

Annual fee: $350 Points value: ~0.5¢ each Sign-up bonus: 200,000 points after $5,000 spend in 3 months

Perfect if: You spend enough in bonus categories to easily offset the annual fee.

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Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card

Earns 5% on hotels with no spending cap. 5x on hotels, 4x on airlines, 3x on restaurants and other travel.

Annual fee: $95 Sign-up bonus: 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in 3 months

Perfect if: You want a strong rewards rate with no spending caps to worry about.

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IHG One Rewards Premier Card

Earns 5% on flights with no spending cap. Earns 10% only on stays at IHG Hotels and Resorts. Other hotels earn 3%. Earns 5% only at car rental agencies. Rideshare, transit and other travel earn 3%. Points are worth ~0.5¢ each, making the cash-equivalent rate ~2.5%. Up to 24x total at IHG hotels, 5x on direct flights, car rentals, dining, groceries, and gas.

Annual fee: $150 Points value: ~0.5¢ each Sign-up bonus: 180,000 points after $3,000 spend in 3 months

Perfect if: You want a strong rewards rate with no spending caps to worry about.

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The Rest of the Field

The Platinum Card from American Express (#4): 5% on flights, $895/yr fee. 5X on flights and prepaid hotels through Amex Travel. Global Lounge Collection access. Earns 5% only on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel, Amex's own booking site. Hotels booked direct earn 1%.

Chase Sapphire Reserve (#5): 4% on flights and hotels (~6.0% cash value), $795/yr fee. 8x on Chase Travel, 4x on flights and hotels booked direct, 3x on dining. Earns 8% only on travel booked through Chase Travel, Chase's own booking site. Flights and hotels booked direct earn 4%.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Business (#6): 4% on flights and hotels (~6.0% cash value), $795/yr fee. 8x on Chase Travel, 4x on flights/hotels direct, 3x on ads. Earns 8% only on travel booked through Chase Travel, Chase's own booking site. Flights and hotels booked direct earn 4%.

Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi (#7): 3% on travel, no annual fee. 4% on gas/EV (up to $7,000/yr), 3% on restaurants and travel, 2% on Costco purchases.

How We Rank

Cards are ranked by the rate they earn in this category without conditions. A rate you only get by booking on the issuer’s own site, staying with one hotel chain, or shopping at one store does not count toward the ranking. It is listed underneath the card instead, so a card with a narrow high rate cannot outrank one that simply earns more everywhere. This ranking still does not account for the cash value of points (which varies by card and redemption method), spending caps, or annual fees. All of these are shown per card so you can factor them in.

For a personalized comparison that weighs your actual spending, accounts for caps, subtracts annual fees, and estimates real dollar value, use our calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which credit card gives the most travel rewards?

Booking wherever you like, the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Reserve Business lead at 4x on flights and hotels booked direct, worth about 6¢ per dollar once the points are redeemed. Several cards advertise more, up to 12x, but pay it only on travel booked through the issuer's own site.

Do travel card bonus rates require booking through the issuer?

Many do. The Chase Sapphire Preferred (5x), Capital One Savor (5x), and Citi Double Cash (5x) earn those rates only on travel booked through their issuer's own site. Booking direct with an airline or hotel earns less, so the rate worth planning around is the one that applies anywhere.

How much are credit card points worth for travel?

Point values vary significantly by card. Chase points are worth ~1.25-1.5 cents, Amex points ~1 cent, Capital One miles ~1 cent, and IHG points ~0.5 cents. Our rankings show the cash-equivalent value next to each rate.

Is a travel credit card worth the annual fee?

It depends on how much you travel and which perks you use. Many premium cards offset their fee with credits (e.g., $300 travel credit on the Chase Sapphire Reserve). Enter your spending in our calculator for a personalized comparison.

Your Spending Is Unique

These rankings are based on stated rates. The card that actually earns you the most depends on how much you spend in each category, annual fees, and spending caps. Enter your numbers to see your personalized ranking.

See Your Best Card

Best Credit Cards for Travel