Travel Rewards Credit Cards
Travel rewards cards earn points or miles you can use toward flights and hotels, and many skip foreign transaction fees. These guides help you decide whether one fits how often, and how, you travel.
How do travel rewards cards work?
A travel rewards card gives you points or miles for every dollar you spend, usually with extra points on travel purchases like flights and hotels. You can then use those points toward travel, and sometimes for other things like statement credits.
There are two main kinds. General travel cards earn flexible points you can use with many airlines and hotels. Airline and hotel cards earn points with one brand and often add perks with that brand, like free checked bags or room upgrades.
When is a travel card worth it?
Sometimes, but do the math first. Say you spend $2,000 a month on the card and earn 2 points per dollar. That's 48,000 points a year. If each point is worth about a cent toward travel, you'd have around $480 in travel. A flat 2% cash back card on the same spending also earns $480, in cash you can spend on anything.
So for occasional travelers, a travel card wins when its perks matter to you, like no foreign transaction fees, travel insurance, or free bags on an airline you already fly. Many travel cards charge an annual fee, so the points and perks you'd actually use need to be worth more than the fee.
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Learn MoreWhat are foreign transaction fees?
Many cards add a fee, a percentage of each purchase, when you buy something in another currency or from a business based abroad. On a trip overseas, that fee lands on every meal, hotel night and train ticket.
Most travel rewards cards don't charge foreign transaction fees, and some no annual fee cards skip them too. If you travel abroad even once a year, it's worth having one card in your wallet without this fee.
How do you choose the right travel card?
If you fly one airline or stay with one hotel brand most of the time, that brand's card can make sense. If you want options, a general travel card gives you more ways to use your points. If you travel rarely, a cash back card or a no annual fee travel card is often the simpler choice.
Either way, use the card for everyday spending you already do, and pay the balance in full each month. Interest charges wipe out the value of points quickly. The guides below cover specific trips, moves abroad and family travel.
Start here
Is a Travel Credit Card Worth It If You Only Travel Once a Year?
Travel once a year and wondering if the annual fee is worth it? It depends on the fee and the perks you'd actually use — here's the math to decide.
Read the guide →All Travel Rewards guides (14)
