18 Best Travel Credit Cards in January 2025

If frequent travel is on your agenda, you are going to want to take a look at a travel credit card. The best travel cards offer lucrative rewards that can save you hundreds of dollars each year on travel. Travel cards also provide valuable travel benefits, like free checked bags, free hotel stays, lounge access, travel insurance and annual credits.

You may prefer a specific issuer over others due to the benefits offered. You may also want to pool points from multiple credit cards to maximize their value. If this is the case, you should choose a travel credit card based on the bank that issues the card. Here are our top overall travel card picks from these major issuers:

A travel credit card offers travel-related benefits and rewards. These rewards typically include bonus points on travel spending and a rewards system with travel redemption options.

The best travel credit cards come with travel protections and perks, like trip insurance, airport lounge access and elite status.

A travel credit card is worth it for both frequent travelers and those who travel just a few times a year. Access to the rewards and benefits offered with a travel credit card can save you on flights and hotel stays. Plus, you will travel more comfortably when you take advantage of travel benefits. What makes a travel credit card worth it:

• Sign-up bonus: Get a head start on earning points towards your next trip.
• No foreign transaction fee: A travel credit card can help you save abroad on foreign transaction fees.
• Redemption options: Many travel credit cards come with portals that offer a number of ways to redeem points at higher values.
• Rewards structure: Using your card on other daily purchases can help you save points for your next vacation.
• Loyalty programs: Increase your earnings by pairing a travel credit card with a rewards, hotel or airline loyalty program.
• Benefits: Checked bags, trip insurance, early check-in and more will make your trip more enjoyable.

Loyalty programs are another important factor in choosing the best travel credit card. These programs differ in how you can use points and how much they are worth. Some programs allow you to redeem points by transferring them to a qualifying airline or hotel partner at a 1:1 ratio. Others only allow you to redeem points or miles within the program.

You should make sure that a card’s underlying rewards program matches up with your travel preferences and offers redemption options that fit your travel goals. You should also take a close look at the program to make sure there aren’t hurdles like blackout dates or limited inventory that will prevent you from redeeming your rewards.

Consider how you plan to use your points and see if your goals match up with one of these popular loyalty programs:

• American Express Membership: Best for heavy travelers with higher incomes who value luxury perks. Especially good for frequent flyers of Delta Air Lines.
• Chase Ultimate Rewards®: Best for people who want to rack up points quickly and want multiple options for redeeming. Especially good for frequent flyers of Southwest and United Airlines.
• American Airlines AAdvantage: Best for people who want to earn VIP airline benefits and who enjoy maximizing miles, especially on international flights.
• Delta SkyMiles: Best for both frequent business travelers and occasional travelers who want to earn free flights and benefits, particularly for domestic travel.
• JetBlue TrueBlue: Best for people who want an easy way to earn and redeem rewards and who live along the East Coast.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards: Best for people who fly domestically and prefer a simple, straightforward loyalty program.
• United Airlines’ MileagePlus: Best for people looking to earn rewards on international flights, especially those who are flexible with their travel dates.
• Best Western: Best for budget travelers looking for rewards on affordable hotel stays.
• Choice Privileges: Best for people who want a variety of redemption options including hotels, vacation rentals and cruises.
• Hilton Honors: Best for people who want a loyalty program that is packed with benefits and offers a large, international hotel network.
• IHG: Best for people who want a wide variety of hotel options with a large, international hotel network.
• Marriott Bonvoy: Best for people who want an easy way to earn free hotel stays and want a large, international hotel network.
• World of Hyatt: Best for people who prefer staying at upscale properties and are looking for flashy elite benefits.

Even if you decide you want flexible points, you’re going to want to identify your preferred airlines and hotels. You might be able to transfer your points at a 1:1 value.

For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card offers transferable points. The list of available transfer partners can help you choose which general travel credit card to get.

The best airline or hotel rewards program, the best hotel rewards program or the best credit card for travel points will depend on how you redeem your points. You’ll need to consider points and mile value to earn the most rewards on your spending.

In general, you’ll find that some rewards will take you farther than others. Keep these rules in mind:

• With the exception of Hyatt, hotel rewards program points tend to be inflated
• Airline miles tend to be a little more valuable than average
• Flexible points like Chase Ultimate Rewards® and Amex Membership Rewards tend to be especially valuable because you can transfer them to a variety of loyalty programs

Here’s how some popular rewards programs stack up according to our own estimates:

Ultimately, the value of points and miles depends on how you redeem them. According to a recent LendingTree study, the cost of domestic plane tickets has risen 9.8% since 2022 and 28.4% since 2021, which could cause the value of miles to fluctuate. With a redemption option in mind, use this simple equation to calculate the value of your points/miles:

For example, through Hilton Honors, a stay at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club Hokulani Waikiki Honolulu starts at $290 or 138,0000. $290 ÷ 138,000 = $0.0021.

Or, you could stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites Williamsburg-Central through Hilton Honors starting at $82 per night or 22,000 points. $82 ÷ 22,000 = $0.0037.

To get the most value from your travel credit card, take full advantage of the card’s rewards program and benefits.

1. Plan out your next few cards. It’s helpful to create a timeline of when you plan to apply for different cards. Some issuers have restrictions that could influence when they approve you for cards.

For example, Chase has its unspoken “5/24 rule.” Chase may deny you for a card if you’ve opened five or more credit cards in the last 24 months. Wells Fargo also has a rule that prevents you from opening a new Wells Fargo card if you’ve already opened a card from the issuer in the last six months.

2. Time your applications for bonus offers. Credit card bonus offers can be significant. Earning a sign-up bonus before you book a trip can help you reduce the price of your flight or hotel. Many cards — like the Delta credit cards and the Southwest credit cards — frequently update their offers. You should monitor and try to time your application for when a card’s offer is at a high point.

3. Juggle multiple cards. Using multiple cards can take some extra planning and effort, but it can be worth it. Strategically using certain cards for specific earning categories can help you earn points faster. This also helps you spend less money to get the same number of points.

4. Consider how to redeem your points. There are several ways to redeem your points, depending on what travel card you have. Two of the best ways for travel are either your issuer’s travel portal or transferring to airline or hotel loyalty programs. How you redeem can alter the value of your points.

For example, Chase points are worth 25%-50% more when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. However, when you transfer Chase points to a travel partner, it’s possible to get values of more than 2 cents per point.

5. Use the issuer’s shopping portal. Some issuers have online shopping portals that allow you to shop at popular retailers, but earn more points for it. If you’re already going to be shopping, you might as well do it where you can earn more rewards for it.

6. Take advantage of card benefits and protections. It’s important to be aware of what benefits and protections your card offers. Benefits like trip cancellation insurance and car rental protection can save you thousands of dollars in case a trip goes awry and can potentially save you from having to purchase a policy. Some notable protections include:

• Car rental insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Trip delay insurance

7. Look for travel benefits. These travel benefits can be a significant value add, so shouldn’t be overlooked:

• Free checked bags: A free checked bag on an American Airlines flight, for example, can save you from $30 to $75 each flight.
• Airport lounge access: For example, airport lounge access with United can save you $550 to $650 per year on a United Club membership.
• Room upgrades: Some hotel cards grant you automatic elite status in a hotel’s loyalty program with free room upgrades as an included perk.
• Elite status upgrades: For example, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card comes with complimentary Platinum elite status. It would normally take 50 hotel stays with Marriott to get this level of status.
• Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit: Cards like the United℠ Explorer Card offer a statement credit of up to $100 every four years to cover the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS.

We’ve looked at credit cards reviewed on LendingTree, as well as cards on major issuer sites, to compile a list of the best travel credit cards available right now. Our recommendations are based on the additional value you can earn with these travel cards. We primarily considered the following:

• Welcome offer and travel rewards value
• Cost of ownership
• Value of benefits, like travel and purchase protections, lounge membership and airline companion passes