The “best” credit card is not the same for everyone. You need perks that are meaningful to the way that you live. The most popular cards offer big sign-up bonuses ($500 or more) and/or great rewards for spending, particularly in high-volume categories, like travel or dining. But your needs may differ: Some cards offer zero interest or no annual fees, while others get you primary rental insurance.

Whatever benefit you’re looking for, we’ve got a great card to fit the bill. Here are the top 5 travel credit cards according to the website CompareCredit:

Chase Sapphire Preferred

- Bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

- Annual Fee: $95

- APR: 15.99% - 22.99% Variable

Perhaps the best "starting out card" in miles and points.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a low annual fee, unlocks transfers from this and any linked Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card to airline and hotel partners, comes with excellent built-in trip delay insurance, primary car rental CDW coverage, and earns 2x points on travel and dining.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Earn Rate:

- 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points on Lyft rides (through March 2025)

- 5X total points on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards

- 3X points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out.

- 3X points on select streaming services

- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)

- 2X Ultimate Rewards points on all travel purchases

- 1X points on all other purchases

Important Note on the 5X multiplier for travel:  This card is listed as earning 5X on travel. You will only receive 5X if you book your travel via the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel portal (using cash). Hotels booked via the portal are prepaid and will not earn hotel points or provide hotel loyalty program benefits. If you book travel directly with a provider, you will earn 2X instead of 5X.

Instacart Benefits

- 6 free months of Instacart Express

- $15/quarter in statement credits

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card DoorDash Benefits

You'll get free access to DashPass which gives you $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.

Chase Will Let You “Pay Yourself Back”

Chase Sapphire Preferred cardmembers can always use their points to book travel via the travel portal where they get 1.25 cents per point.

Now, you can redeem in the same manner for selected rotating categories. Instead of using a “portal” to make the purchases, you just pay as you normally would and then go into the Chase website to “pay” for that purchase with points. You will get the same 1.25 cents per point in value as you get booking travel. The feature is branded “Pay Yourself BackSM“. 

The only requirement is that the merchant category be in one of the specified categories and you must “Pay yourself back” within 90 days of purchase.

Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers get the same opportunity but at a higher 1.5 cents per point cash-out rate.

If you apply for a Chase credit card and don't get instant approval, you may want to call the Chase reconsideration line.

Note: You will only be approved for a Chase credit card if you have applied for fewer than 5 personal credit cards within the last 24 months from any issuer. (Business cards do not count against the total, except for Capital One and Discover, but are subject to the policy). Learn more about the 5/24 rule here.

You also cannot be approved for a Sapphire Preferred if you currently have this card or a Sapphire Reserve card and/or if you have received a bonus on this card in the past 48 months. 

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

- Bonus: Enjoy a one-time bonus of 60,000 miles once you spend 4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $600 in travel.

- Annual Fee: $395

- APR: 15.99% - 23.99% Variable

Capital One Venture X Credit Card Earn Rate

- 10X Capital One Miles on hotels and car rentals when booked via Capital One Travel

- 5X Capital One Miles on airfare booked via Capital One Travel - which utilizes Hopper.

- 2X Capital One Miles on everything else

Capital One Venture X Credit Card Benefits

Capital One launched this card with a laundry list of benefits are very impressive. You'll quickly see that the annual fee is wiped out and then some by the benefits.

- Up to a $300 credit annually for bookings made on Capital One Travel

- 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary (equal to $100 towards travel)

- Unlimited access to Capital One Lounges and also to 1,300+ Priority Pass lounges internationally + two guest passes (Effective January 1, 2023, Priority Pass non-lounge airport experiences (like dining, retail shopping, and spa discounts) are not part of the Visa Infinite® benefit program for Venture X cardholders.)

- Up to $100 in statement credits for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry

- Complimentary Hertz President’s Circle status (top tier!) for primary cardholders, authorized users,and account managers. The status is valid until Dec 31, 2024.

- Primary Car Rental Collision/Damage Coverage

- Authorized Users can be added for no fee and they also get their own Priority Pass membership.

- Cardholders can earn up to 100,000 miles per year for referring friends, who can then experience the unparalleled benefits Venture X has to offer (up to 4 referrals per year; 25,000 miles awarded per referral)

- No foreign transaction fees

You can transfer to several airline and hotel partners. See the full list of Capital One Miles transfer partners and transfer times.

American Express® Gold Card

- Bonus: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months.

- Annual Fee: $250

The Gold Card offers 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants (including U.S. takeout and delivery) and at US supermarkets (up to $25,000 a year; 1X thereafter), as well as 3x on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.

And at long last, American Express is once again offering both new and existing cardholders the opportunity to get the Rose Gold version of the Gold Card. (Simply select it when applying.)

It also offers $20 in total monthly dining offers:

- Earn up to $10 in monthly statement credits at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations (Enrollment required)

- $10 in Uber Cash each month which you can use for Uber Eats. Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year. Enrollment required / terms apply.

(Note that the airline incidental credits will no longer be offered after 2021 and are no longer available to new applicants.)

While many Amex bonus categories are US-only, this card earns 4x on restaurants, including internationally.

American Express defines a supermarket as offering a wide variety of food and household products such as meat, fresh produce, dairy, canned and packaged goods, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies. (Superstores, convenience stores and warehouse clubs are NOT considered supermarkets.)

It's also important to note that as a card product that American Express used to classify as "charge" - meaning that it has No Preset Spending Limit - so it is not counted against your 5 Amex credit card limit. The Gold Card will still be in the category of cards (former charge products) in which you can have up to 10. Those include the Green, Gold, Platinum, and Centurion.

The Platinum Card from American Express

Annual Fee $695

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms apply

Estimated Bonus Value $1340

The Platinum Card® from American Express is full of caché and its heavy metal design will catch more than a few looks. While the fee isn't small, you get a lot back in the form of statement credits and other perks and benefits.

Statement Credit Offers

- $200 in Uber credits annually ($15 per month with a $20 bonus in December)

- $100 in annual Saks Fifth Avenue shopping credits per year ($50 January-June and $50 July-December) as statement credits (Enrollment required)

- $200 in annual airline fee credits (as statement credits) for your chosen airline (Enrollment required)

- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit which is good for up to $20 back each month on select digital subscriptions with Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times.(Enrollment Required)

- $200 Hotel Credit as statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings, with a two night minimum stay, with American Express Travel. (Enrollment Required) 

- $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Get up to $189 back per year on your membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card® (Enrollment Required) 

- $300 Equinox Credit: Receive up to $300 back per calendar year in statement credits for purchases at Equinox. Valid for Equinox All Access, Destination, or E by Equinox membership fees, or for Equinox+. (Enrollment required)

- $300 statement credit when you purchase a SoulCycle At-Home Bike, up to 15x per calendar year. An Equinox+ membership is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge the full price of the bike in one transaction. Shipping is available in the contiguous U.S. only. (Enrollment required)

- $155 Walmart+ Credit: The cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership is covered with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. (Plus Ups are excluded.)

(All above offers require enrollment after you receive the card.)

You also get access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes the Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass, and Delta SkyClubs when you are flying Delta. (Enrollment required)

In addition, you get elite status in two hotel programs (enrollment required):

- Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite

- Hilton Gold

While the Bonvoy Gold status is mostly good for small room upgrades and bonus points on stays, Hilton Gold confers free breakfast - a benefit that can really add up!

More Platinum Card benefits:

- Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck®

- Secondary Car rental CDW/LDW collision/damage coverage

- Lost, damaged or stolen baggage insurance

- Extended warranty, purchase protection, and return protection on covered purchases

- No foreign transaction fees.

- Access to the Platinum Concierge line

Cell phone protection:

Coverage for a Stolen or damaged Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and limits of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $800, per claim, per Eligible Card Account. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per Eligible Card Account per 12-month period.

- Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.

- Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

- Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

NOTE: This card earns 5x on airfare and hotels, however, the airfare must be booked direct with the airline or at Amex Travel and the hotels must be prepaid at Amex Travel to earn 5x. Limit of up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. This site's Estimated Rewards Values will calculate all airfare and hotels at 5x points, so if your hotels are booked directly (which you generally need to do to earn hotel points and status/benefits) please note that they will not earn 5x and your actual rewards value will vary accordingly.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Annual Fee: $550

APR: 16.99% - 23.99% Variable

The card that re-revolutionized points-earning credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a high-end travel rewards card that unlocks transfers from this and any linked Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card to airline and hotel partners and offers rich benefits for a frequent traveler.

It offers 3X Ultimate Rewards points on travel and dining. It provides a 50% boost in point value within the Chase portal or via Pay Yourself Back, and you get an annual $300 travel credit each card year which greatly offsets the card's annual fee.

If you don't mind booking your hotel stays via the Chase Travel portal, you will earn an incredible 10X points, although as a prepaid rate you won't receive hotel chain status benefits.

Earn Rate:

- 10X total points on hotel stays and car rentals purchased through Ultimate Rewards

- 10X Ultimate Rewards points on Lyft rides through March 2025

- 5X total points on air travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards

- 3X Ultimate Rewards points on travel and dining

- 10x total points on Chase Dining purchases through Ultimate Rewards (This is powered by Tock Dining and is only in select markets)

- 1X points on all other purchases

Important Note on the 5X multiplier for airfare and 10X multiplier for hotels and car rentals:  You will only receive these bonus multipliers if you book your travel via the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel portal (using cash). Hotels booked via the portal are prepaid will not earn hotel points or provide hotel loyalty program benefits. If you book travel directly with a provider, you will earn 3X instead of 5X or 10X.

Lyft Benefits:

- Earn 10X Ultimate Rewards points on Lyft rides through March 2025.

- 2 years of complimentary Lyft Pink All Access

Instacart Benefits

- 12 free months of Instacart Express

- $15/month in statement credits

Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card DoorDash Benefits

You'll get free access to DashPass which gives you $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.

Also receive $5 monthly DoorDash Credits through December 31, 2024.

Global Entry or TSA Pre ® or NEXUS fee credit

You can also receive up to a $100 credit for enrollment in Global Entry or PreCheck once every 5 years.

Chase Will Let you “Pay Yourself Back”

Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers can always use their points to book travel via the travel portal where they get 1.5 cents per point.

Now, you can redeem in the same manner for select purchase categories. Instead of using a “portal” to make the purchases, you just pay as you normally would and then go into the Chase website to “pay” for that purchase with points. You will get the same 1.5 cents per point in value as you get booking travel. The feature is branded “Pay Yourself BackSM“. 

Please note that the interest rates for carrying a balance are usually higher for travel cards, so these cards are best suited for consumers who always pay their balance off in full each month. Also, consider the annual fee – annual fees can range from $0 up to $695. Cards that charge annual fees will offer more rewards and perks, but it’s important to carefully consider if you will sufficiently utilize the benefits to justify paying the annual fee.
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