Vacation season is approaching, which means that a lot of people are thinking about which travel credit card might be best for them. Join ViewCation as we try to pick out the best travel cards for 2023.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Some travel credit cards are good for people who want to earn points while they’re travelling, while others are better for those who want to earn points while shopping locally. Chase Sapphire Preferred is a travel credit card that falls under the prior category. As far as travel credit cards that are meant to be spend whilst travelling, this one is aimed more towards the average family than some others. If you’re a family looking to take your once-a-year vacation and you want to earn points while you do it, then this is the card for you!
With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you’ll earn 3 points for every dollar spent on dining, as well as 2 points for every dollar spent on travelling. For all other pushes, you’ll earn 1 point on the dollar. To get the card, you’ll have to pay a $95 annual fee, which is a common amount. This is a popular choice when it comes to travel credit cards, and it’s been around for a decade. You’ll get 60,000 points as a sign-up bonus when you spend $4,000.
The dining perks when it comes to the Chase Sapphire Preferred are numerous. The points that you rack up from dining purchases include purchases from food delivery services. Not only that, but cardholders will also get a complimentary subscription to DashPass.
When it comes to travel perks, there are more reasons that Chase Sapphire Preferred is popular than just the points. There’s also the fact of the matter that the points can be redeemed with so many different companies. Chase works with all of the top players and more in the travel industry, and you will have an easy time redeeming the points you earn. Another travel perk that you’ll receive with the Chase Sapphire Preferred is free insurance for your rental car.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
If Chase Sapphire Preferred is the travel credit card from Chase that’s best for the average family, then Chase Sapphire Reserve should be the choice for Chase members that travel a bit more often. In terms of perks, Chase Sapphire Reserve is a step up from it’s cousin. However, that step up also comes with a higher price point that may make it so that this card isn’t the right choice for everyone.
With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, cardholders earn 3 points per dollar on both food and travel purchases. Meanwhile, all other purchases earn the same single point per dollar as with the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Once again, the points are easy to redeem when it comes to Chase travel credit cards, so cardholders will be getting plenty of use from them.
Another perk that is exclusively offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a $300 credit for travel purchases. This can come and pretty handy, but it might not seem like such a value when you take into account that the card has an annual fee of $550. Other travel perks offered by this travel credit card include the fact that cardholders get access to around 1,300 different airport lounges around the world. Not only can cardholders get in, but they can also bring a friend! The last perk of note is the card’s Lyft bonus category, which provides 10 points per dollar when using the driving service.
American Express Gold
We’ve taken a look at what Chase can offer when it comes to travel credit cards, but what about American Express? The American Express Gold is American Express’s mid-tier travel credit card, with the step up being the American Express Platinum. Like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, American Express Gold is better for families than it is for those who travel for business. However, it has some unique advantages over the Chase Sapphire Preferred that may make it more appealing towards certain demographics.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a good travel credit card for families looking to earn points whilst travelling, but the American Express Gold is a good choice for families that want to save up point for a vacation while shopping locally. The American Express Gold offers an impressive number of points not only for dining purchases, but for money spent at the grocery store, as well. You’ll get 4 points per dollar while spending money at the supermarket. However, there’s a limit. Once you’ve spent $25,000 at the supermarket, you’ll only earn 1 point per dollar. Dining purchases have the same 4-point-per-dollar earnings, but there is no limit. Once again, you can rack up points by purchasing from delivery services.
Another unique thing that makes the American Express Gold a credit travel credit card for those that are interested in raking up points while dining would be the credits. You get a few different credits with the card, including $10 a month that can be utilized at such locations as the Cheesecake Factory and Shake Shack. You also get $10 of Uber credit a month.
The American Express Gold offers it’s best point-earning opportunities with food-related purchases, but cardholders can also earn points while travelling. You can earn 3 points per dollar on flights, but only if those flights are booked directly through the airline.
If you’re a big family with a lot of mouths to feed, the points you build up with this travel credit card can make a huge difference once vacation time comes around. However, there’s a pretty hefty annual fee. The card costs $250 a year, though there is a sign-up bonus of $60,000 points when you spend $4000.
American Express Platinum
Now let’s look at the next step up from American Express. The American Express Platinum is even more oriented at hardcore travellers than the Chase Sapphire Reserve. This means that avid travellers will get even more out of the card, but those who all travel every so often will likely find the card to be of no use at all. The name of the game when it comes to this travel credit card is travel perks, though they aren’t necessarily coming to cardholders via the points they earn. The card does earn points, but the ways to earn points are few and far between. The main draw of the American Express Platinum seems to be the access to premium airport lounges around the world, as well as the credits.
The American Express Platinum does have a point system, but it’s specifically aimed at travellers. Unless you travel often, you won’t be getting very many points with this card. Even if you do travel often, the point-earning system here is a little bit limiting. You can early 5 points per dollar on flights, but that’s only if the flights are booked directly through he airline. Not only that, but those 5 points per dollar drop all the way down to 1 once purchases reach the $500,000. Thankfully, if you’re spending $500,000 on flights, you’re likely a frequent-enough traveller that you’ll get some use out of this cards other, and more unique, travel perks.
The main reason avid travellers seem to love the American Express Platinum is because of the fact that it grants them access to some of the best airport lounges around. It may seem like a joke, but the airport lounges that cardholders are granted access to are said to truly be something. If you’re someone who is travelling often, the benefit of having a home away from home between flights could be valuable.
As far as the credits go, the American Express Platinum touts some varied offerings. You’ll get $200 in both airline credits and Uber credits a year, and you can even use the Uber credits to purchase from Uber Eats! You’ll also get some more interesting credits, such as a $100 credit to spend at Saks Fifth Avenue every year. Then there’s the $155 credit that cardholders get for a Walmart+ account.
Travellers may be interested in the fact that the American Express Platinum provides complimentary Gold Elite status and Hilton and Marriot Hotels, as well as Preferred Elite Status with the car-rental chains Hertz and Avis. There are certainly a lot of unique travel perks offered up by this travel credit card, and the point system may come in handy if you’re an avid traveller and know how to use it. However, the annual fee of $695 pay put a lot of people off. There’s another sign-up bonus this time, with the card offering 80,000 points after you make $6,000 in eligible purchases.
Capital One Venture Rewards
Finally, let’s take a look at what many consider to be the most basic travel card out there. If you’re intimidated by the prospect of keeping track of points, then the Capital One Venture Rewards card may be for you. With this travel credit card, your purchases aren’t divided up into different categories. Cardholders simply earn 2 “miles” for every dollar spent in any situation, with those miles equating to 1 cent in travel purchases. You get a sign-up bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000, which means that you’ll get $750 to spend on your next vacation. This card is easy to use, but there is a $95 annual fee.
The above travel credit cards represent the most popular, though each one has it’s pros and cons. Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that there are travel credit cards that give cardholders access to airport lounges around the world, and that some cards offer up free credits that can be used on such things as dining purchases? Comment down below!