Book your dream holiday trip at a fraction of the cost

Planning a trip this holiday season? Take the sting out of expensive flights and hotel stays by using rewards from the best travel credit cards to book your upcoming holiday vacation. With some of your largest trip expenses covered with points or miles, you can put your money toward fun experiences and outings.

Why we like it: The Capital One Venture card is a winning travel card for earning and redeeming miles, no matter how you like to travel. The simple 2x miles on every purchase can help you earn toward future trips with everything you buy. And redemptions are just as far-reaching: You can use miles to book future trips through Capital One Travel, reimburse yourself for travel purchases you make with your card, or transfer miles to Capital One’s 15+ travel partners.

Read our full review of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Why we like it: The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has a solid welcome offer and rewards on a mix of travel and everyday categories, so you can rack up points no matter how often you vacation. On top of that, you’ll get an anniversary points bonus worth 10% of your overall spending from the past year. But you’ll get the most value from this card when it’s time to redeem. Points redeemed for travel through Chase Travel℠ get a 25% boost — so 10,000 points would be worth $125, for example.

Read our full Chase Sapphire Preferred Card review and learn more about pairing today’s top Chase credit cards

Why we like it: We like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card because it has no shortage of great perks and rewards, but offers a relatively lower annual fee. You’ll get a $300 annual travel credit for bookings with Capital One Travel; 10,000 bonus miles each year after your first anniversary; a credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fees; access to Capital One Lounges and partner lounge networks; a $100 experience credit when you book stays with the Premier Collection; Hertz President’s Circle status; and more. Combined, these perks more than outpace the card’s annual fee — but consider your travel plans to ensure you’ll be able to take full advantage and get the maximum possible value from your Venture X card.

Read our full Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card review

Why we like it: You might not expect a travel credit card to offer some of the best rewards on your most frequent budget items, but the American Express Gold Card does just that. With 4x points at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 in purchases annually) and 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 in purchases annually), it’s easy to earn rewards on your year-round food spending to put toward an upcoming trip — in addition to travel rewards categories. Combined with travel savings, travel rewards, and flexible redemption options (including transferring to Amex’s partner travel programs), Amex Gold offers great value even if you travel only a few times per year.

Read our full American Express Gold Card review

Why we like it: The U.S. Bank Altitude Connect may be a no annual fee card, but the rewards and perks it offers can bring just as much value as more costly options. Like the other cards on our list, you can earn rewards across a range of travel and everyday categories: 5x points on prepaid hotels and rental cars booked through U.S. Bank’s Altitude Rewards Center; 4x points on other travel and at gas stations or EV charging stations (up to $1,000 spent per quarter); 2x on dining purchases, streaming services, and grocery stores; and 1x on everything else. Redemption options may be slightly more limited than other cards on our list, but you can redeem rewards for a deposit to your U.S. Bank account, travel, gift cards, and more.

Why we like it: The Citi Strata Premier card is another travel card with a straightforward rewards structure but plenty of potential value. Earning rewards is simple — get 10x points when you book hotels, rental cars, and attractions through CitiTravel.com and 3x points across other hotel purchases, air travel, restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and EV charging stations (everything else earns 1x points). In addition to redemptions through CitiTravel.com and for gift cards, you can transfer points to Citi’s partner airline programs.

Why we like it: The Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card works a bit like a flat rewards card — with a boost. You’ll earn 2x points on travel and dining with an unlimited 1.5x on everything else, which means you’re still getting the 1.5x multiplier no matter what you use your card to buy at home or away. Even better, you may be eligible to increase your rewards earnings even more. If you’re a Preferred Rewards member with Bank of America, you can earn 25% to 75% extra on every purchase, depending on your combined balances across eligible deposit and investment accounts. That could increase your travel and dining rewards to 2.5x to 3.5x and everything else to 1.87x to 2.62x per dollar.

General travel cards like the ones above can be great for scoring points and miles toward any type of travel. But if you always prefer flying with a certain airline or booking with a specific hotel chain, a co-branded travel card might be more rewarding.

We included hotel and airline cards in our overall travel card ratings, and the cards below are the top-scoring options.

Just remember: a co-branded travel card only makes sense if you fly often enough with that airline or stay frequently enough at the hotel to justify its value over a more general card. Make sure you look at your recent travel and any upcoming plans before deciding.

The Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature card has a solid welcome offer and rewards on a combination of everyday spending and Alaska Airline purchases — plus it offers an affordable way to score Alaska’s Companion Fare every year. You’ll earn a $99 Companion Fare (plus taxes and fees) each account anniversary when you spend at least $6,000 in the year prior, or about $500 per month. With 3x rewards on Alaska Airlines spending and 2x on gas, EV charging, cable, streaming services, and local transit (plus 1x on everything else), you can meet that threshold with a combination of travel and everyday purchases while boosting your rewards.

Read our full review of the Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature

If you’re planning a trip to Hawaii, the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard can offer amazing savings on your trip. In addition to the bonus miles you’ll get from the welcome offer, you’ll also get a one-time companion discount for 50% off a roundtrip coach ticket between Hawaii and North America. Even after the one-time discount, you’ll still save when you fly to Hawaii with a $100 companion discount every account anniversary which also applies to roundtrip travel between Hawaii and North America on Hawaiian Airlines.

Read our full Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard review

United and Chase offer multiple co-branded card options for frequent United Airlines flyers, but we like the United Quest Card for a few reasons. The annual fee is higher than some other options, but you’ll get plenty of benefits that can help make up the cost if you fly United at least a few times per year. In addition, get a solid welcome bonus and a wide range of ongoing rewards, from 3x miles on United purchases, 2x miles on other travel, dining, and select streaming services, and 1x on everything else.

For travelers who prefer to stay in IHG Hotels (which includes brands like InterContinental, Kimpton, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, and more), the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card offers a solid balance of rewards potential and annual benefits. Annual perks include automatic Platinum Elite status (qualify for Diamond when you spend at least $40,000 in a calendar year); an anniversary free night worth up to 40,000 points; a $100 statement credit and 10,000 points when you spend $20,000 in a calendar year; your fourth night free on eligible reward stays; and up to $50 United TravelBank Cash each calendar year when you connect your card to your United MileagePlus account.

As one of the most extensive hotel programs in the world, a co-branded Marriott credit card can be a great tool for traveling the world no matter what type of property you prefer. With the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card, you’ll get benefits when you stay, like an annual free night award (worth up to 35,000 points) and a path to elite status with 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year plus one additional Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 you spend. On top of that, get automatic Silver Elite status and Gold Status if you spend $35,000 in a calendar year.

All information about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card has been collected independently by and is no longer available through Yahoo Finance.

If you’re a Hyatt traveler, the World of Hyatt Credit Card has plenty to offer for savings on your hotel and resort stays. For ongoing rewards, you’ll earn up to 9x points on purchases at Hyatt hotels; 2x points at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly with airlines, local transit and commuting, and fitness club and gym memberships; and 1x points on everything else. Compared to other co-branded travel cards, this lineup of rewards categories is pretty unique, which could make it a good pick if those categories line up with your budget while at home or when you travel.

The points or miles you earn with travel credit cards can be redeemed toward expensive trip costs, such as flights and hotel stays.

In general, there are two primary ways to earn rewards with a travel credit card:

Earn a generous welcome offer as a new cardholder

Earn rewards on everyday purchases

Qualifying for a sign-up bonus can significantly boost your earning potential as a new rewards cardholder, so it’s essential that you meet the terms and conditions of the bonus.

For example, many welcome bonuses require you to spend a certain amount of money on your card within the first few months of card membership. If you don’t typically spend thousands of dollars over the course of three months, consider timing your card application for when you know you have large, upcoming purchases.

To earn the most rewards possible on everyday purchases, consider travel credit cards with categories that align with your typical spending habits. For instance, if you eat out a lot, a card that rewards you with bonus points or miles on dining may make sense.

Related: Best credit card sign-up bonuses and welcome offers for 2025 — Enjoy boosted first-year credit card rewards

Various travel card perks and benefits can help lower your overall trip costs and make life easier as you travel. These could include airport lounge access, travel credits, free checked bags, and more.

The most beneficial perks for you depend on your travel habits and preferences. If you frequently fly throughout the year, just having a checked bag benefit could save you hundreds of dollars annually.

3. Take advantage of card protections and insurance

Part of the benefit of many travel cards is having built-in purchase protection and travel insurance coverage. This could come in handy if your phone or another item is lost or stolen while traveling, if your luggage is delayed or lost, if your trip is canceled or interrupted, or many other potential situations.

You typically have to pay for applicable trip expenses, such as flights, to take advantage of these benefits.

Related: Get the most from your cards: How credit card protections work

Travel credit cards offer points and miles rewards on your spending, which you can use toward travel-related redemptions, such as flights, hotel stays, and car rentals. You’ll often earn the highest rewards rate on travel purchases with a travel credit card, though many also offer boosted rewards on everyday purchases like groceries, gas, and more.

Many travel cards also provide travel benefits and perks, which could include airport lounge access, annual travel or airline credits, companion airfare, or elite status with an airline or hotel loyalty program.

Learn more about how travel credit cards work

When you’re comparing travel credit cards, it can be useful to separate them into two distinct types: general travel rewards cards and co-branded airline and hotel credit cards.

With a general travel credit card, you’ll have a number of flexible redemption options when you’re ready to redeem your points and miles. You may also have a broader range of benefits. Some general travel credit cards include:

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

American Express Gold Card

Travel card issuers generally have their own travel portals, like Chase Travel or American Express Membership Rewards. You can use these to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and more. They may also have a number of travel partners, to which you can directly transfer points or miles. For example, American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to Delta SkyMiles at a rate of 1:1.

Related: Amex points vs. Chase points — Who has the better rewards program?

The flexibility of general travel cards means you can travel with any number of different airlines or hotel brands and get the best bang for your buck. Each time you’re ready to book, simply shop around between the portal or partners and compare the best options for your specific travel plans.

These credit cards also allow other redemption options, such as statement credits, gift cards, and cash back. But you’ll generally get the best value by redeeming points or miles for travel.

Airline and hotel credit cards

Airline and hotel credit cards are typically co-branded between the card issuer and the airline or hotel chain. Here are a few examples:

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature credit card

United Quest Card

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card

These cards are best suited for travelers who prefer to fly with a specific airline or stay at a certain hotel chain. Maybe you live near a hub airport, frequent a destination where a specific airline offers the most direct flight options, or you enjoy the perks of a specific hotel’s loyalty program.

Instead of flexible rewards points or miles, you’ll earn points or miles within the airline or hotel rewards program, like Marriott Bonvoy points or American Airlines AAdvantage miles — and get a boosted rewards rate when you spend directly with the airline or hotel. These cards often offer a faster path to elite status tiers within these programs as well.

You’ll typically get the best redemption rate when you use rewards for flights with the airline or stays at a hotel, but many programs offer other redemptions, too. Some airline and hotel rewards programs may even allow you to transfer your points and miles to other travel partners like you can with general travel rewards programs.

The added benefits of co-branded cards are designed to appeal to loyal airline or hotel customers. For example, your airline card may get you priority boarding, upgrades, free checked bags, and in-flight discounts. And your hotel card may offer early check-in or late checkout, annual free night awards, and on-site credits.

Co-branded travel cards aren’t for everyone, but they can add a lot to your travel experience if you have a strong airline or hotel preference.

Here are a few key details to look for in any new travel credit card:

No matter your budget, there’s a travel credit card with an annual fee that fits. You can find solid no annual fee options, like the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature card. But there are also plenty of premium travel cards with steep fees — the American Express Platinum Card®, for example, may set you back $695 per year (see rates and fees) but comes with an abundance of valuable benefits and perks that can potentially give you even more value back each year.

The most important thing to keep in mind when deciding whether an annual fee is worth it for you is whether you can get enough out of the rewards and benefits to outweigh the cost — without spending more than you otherwise would or can afford.

For new cardholders, a sign-up bonus can offer major first-year value. These bonuses may be worth anything from 10,000 to over 100,000 bonus points or miles — which can translate to hundreds of dollars in rewards value.

However, you should compare the terms of the bonus to your own budget before you apply. For example, you may need to spend $4,000 within the first three months of opening your card before you can earn the 60,000 bonus points. If that’s not within your typical spending, be careful not to take on debt to meet the spending threshold. Accruing high interest on balances can quickly outpace even the best bonus.

One smart strategy is opening a new travel credit card when you’re booking a trip you’ve been saving for. You may already be prepared to spend more than usual, which can help you reach the bonus requirement faster. Plus, you can earn rewards on those travel purchases to put toward future trips.

Also look out for limited-time offers from top travel credit cards. Occasionally, issuers will increase the welcome bonus for a period of time — if you see a promotional offer that fits within your budget, that could be a great time to apply for a new card.

Rewards are one of the biggest reasons for many people to open a travel credit card.

Earning rewards with travel cards often works in one of two ways. You’ll either earn rewards on your everyday spending (groceries, gas stations, restaurants) to redeem toward future travel, or earn rewards on your travel spending to put toward future travel.

Some cards offer a combination of these rewards, but knowing which type of spender you are can be useful. If your monthly budget is largely dedicated to everyday spending, you may get more value from the former. But if you travel frequently and spend a lot of money on flights, hotels, and rental cars, you can quickly rack up more points with travel-based rewards categories.

4. Travel perks and benefits

Many travel rewards credit cards — especially the most premium cards with high annual fees — really shine when it comes to added perks and benefits. These benefits can help you offset the annual fee and save money each time you travel.

Take the $395 annual fee Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, for example. Each year, you’ll get a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel and 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) on your account anniversary. Already, that’s enough to wipe out the annual cost — before accounting for any rewards and other benefits (like up to $120 in fee credits toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry and Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership).

Just remember: Choose a card with benefits that help you save on purchases you would still have made otherwise. If you tend to arrive shortly before takeoff and don’t care about airport lounge access, you won’t actually get the $200 potential value from that benefit.

5. Travel insurance and protections

One unique aspect of travel credit cards is the protections you can get as a cardholder when you travel. Common protections offered by travel credit cards include trip cancellation and interruption insurance, car rental insurance, trip delay reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, access to emergency assistance services, and more.

As long as you pay for your travel expenses with the card (booking flights, hotels, tours, etc.) you can qualify for these travel protection benefits. Like any coverage, though, you should make sure to read the fine print of what your individual card offers. These benefits can vary greatly between different travel cards, so make sure to look for details in your card agreement.

More travel credit card tips

Travel credit cards are worth it if you get enough value from the card’s benefits and rewards to outweigh any potential costs, such as an annual fee. Unlike some other rewards cards, like cash-back credit cards, travel cards are more likely to carry annual fees in exchange for their high rewards rates and annual benefits. They might not be worth it if you don’t travel enough to take advantage of these card benefits and rewards.

However, a travel card can still be worth it if you’re not a frequent traveler. Even if you travel only once or twice per year, you can accumulate points throughout the year to offset your airfare and hotel costs when you do go on a trip.

See if travel credit cards are worth it for you

Travel rewards credit cards can make a great addition to your wallet, even if you only travel a few times per year. Be sure to compare different travel card options to find the combination of annual fee, rewards, benefits, and sign-up bonus that works best for your travel plans and spending.

There may be a few reasons why a travel credit card isn’t right for you, though:

You’re already in credit card debt. Avoid adding another card — especially one with a potentially high annual fee — to your wallet if you already have high-interest debt. Eliminating those balances will help you save a lot more in interest than any value travel rewards could offer.

You don’t want to keep up with a rewards strategy. Travel credit cards can be most lucrative if you maximize how you earn and redeem rewards. If you don’t want to spend the time strategizing bonus categories and the best redemption options, a credit card with a simpler rewards structure may be better for you.

You don’t have great credit. Travel credit cards generally require a good-to-excellent credit score to qualify for approval. If your credit isn’t in a great place right now, focus on improving your score before you apply for a new card.

If you are ready to open a travel credit card, time your application wisely. The spending thresholds to earn your welcome bonus can be high, so you may want to plan your application around your next trip. The money you’ve already saved can help you score the bonus when you book your travel, and you’ll also earn bonus points or miles for your next trip.

If you’re new to travel credit cards, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a great place to start — you can earn 2x miles on everything, and it’s easy to redeem your miles through Capital One’s travel portal.

Before you apply for any new travel card though, look at your frequent spending and travel to find the best one for your individual goals.

When traveling abroad, look for credit cards that don’t charge foreign transaction fees. All of the cards on the list above waive foreign transaction fees, so you won’t have to worry about extra charges when you use them to travel internationally.

One thing to keep in mind while traveling abroad is worldwide acceptance of your card. It can be useful to travel with more than one credit card on different card networks (these include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover).

For a premium travel experience, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is our top pick. However, there are other premium travel cards with valuable benefits for travelers — including annual credits, elite status, bonus rewards, and more — for higher annual fees.

Read our full review of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Compare two more premium travel credit cards: The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Reserve®

We began our search for the best travel cards with a list of 70 credit cards that offer travel rewards and benefits. This list includes general travel cards with flexible rewards programs, as well as co-branded hotel and airline cards that earn points and miles within a specific program. Our methodology focuses on cards that offer the greatest value to the broadest range of cardholders — without a significant annual cost.

We start with each card’s welcome offer, which we rate based on the value of the bonus, the spending required to qualify, and a ratio comparing the bonus points or miles earned to the card’s annual fee. The more you’re spending to own the card, the more value we believe you should get in return.

Another large portion of the overall ratings is rewards and ongoing benefits. We give preference to cards with rewards categories that span both travel and everyday spending (gas stations, supermarkets, dining, streaming services, etc.) to help ensure you can maximize points even when you’re not on-the-go. We also consider redemption options for each card, with the most flexible rewards programs earning higher scores. Finally, we compare travel benefits like annual statement credits, airline status and award nights, companion offers, and other ongoing perks that might make opening a travel card worth it over the long-term.

We also look at each card’s annual fee, ongoing APR, credit score access, and foreign transaction fees — as well as issuer-specific information like customer service contact information, mobile app user ratings, and fraud protections. These are details we evaluate for every type of credit card.

The final picks on our list are the travel credit cards with the highest overall ratings given each of the criteria above. We sort out general travel cards first — these are the options that make up the primary list, because they are more flexible for a larger number of travelers. But we also include top-scoring hotel and airline co-branded cards. These are great options for some travelers, though you should consider how often you travel with the hotel or airline before you consider one of these cards.

Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions belong solely to the Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site doesn’t include all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.