Best Credit Cards of 2024: No Annual Fee Travel Category Returns
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Revenge travel helped make 2023 one of the busiest years ever for airports and hotels. This high demand has led to increased costs throughout the travel industry, while broader inflation continues to erode household savings. Your wallet may be feeling the pinch, but fortunately, the right credit card can earn points to help offset the price of travel.
With the cost-conscious consumer in mind, the 2024 installment of NerdWallet’s Best-of Awards brings back a category not awarded since 2021 — the Best No-Annual-Fee Travel Credit Card.
This year’s winner, the Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card, proves that sometimes the best things in life can be free.
The $0-annual-fee card allows you to pay rent without transaction fees while earning rewards, a value proposition offered by no other card, annual fee or not. Beyond rent, cardholders also earn bonus rewards in useful everyday spending categories and have access to travel perks often reserved for premium travel cards with an annual fee.
Here’s why the Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card beat the competition.
» MORE: Best no-annual-fee credit cards
Pay rent and earn points
Rent is often difficult to pay directly with a credit card, especially without expensive processing fees. But the Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card lets cardholders pay any landlord in the United States without transaction fees — and earn rewards in the process. The process is simple: Just set up your rent payment through the Bilt app and an ACH payment or check will be sent to your landlord.
You’ll earn 1 Bilt Rewards Point per $1 spent on rent each month, up to 100,000 points each calendar year.
A caveat of the Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card is that you must use the card five times per statement period to earn the card's stated rewards rate. If you make less than five total purchases with your card, you'll earn 250 points on rent, but most other purchases won't earn rewards.
Competitive everyday rewards rates
The Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card is good to use for more than just rent. In addition to the 1 point per $1 spent on rent (up to 100,000 points annually), cardholders will earn an uncapped 5 points per $1 spent on Lyft (when you link your accounts), 3 points per $1 on dining, 2 points per $1 on travel and 1 point per $1 spent on other purchases.
Other competitors for Best No-Annual-Fee Travel Credit Card also earn outsized rewards on everyday spending categories. The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card, for example, earns an unlimited 3x points on dining, travel, gas stations, transit, streaming services and cell phone plans. But cardholders won’t earn rewards on rent unless they use third-party services (like Plastiq) that assess fees which likely cancel out the value of your rewards. That card also won't come with many of the travel perks discussed below.
Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card holders will earn double points on non-rent spending on the first of every month (up to 10,000 bonus points). On "Rent Day" each month, cardholders will earn 6x points on dining, 4x points on travel and 2x points on other purchases. (Rent payments will still earn 1x points). You can amplify your rewards by strategically scheduling payments for recurring expenses like utilities or streaming services on the first of each month.
Flexible redemption options
Most no-annual-fee cards earn rewards that are worth a maximum of 1 cent each. And make no mistake, that's a solid value. But the Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card offers the potential to wring even more value from its points with the ability to transfer to travel partners. Transferring points directly to partnering airlines and hotels often yields more value than 1 cent per point.
Rare is a no-annual-fee card that allows the ability to transfer points to travel partners without having to also hold a more premium card. The $0-annual fee Chase Freedom Flex®, for example, earns Ultimate Rewards®, but in order to unlock the ability to transfer those rewards to travel partners you must also hold a more premium Chase credit card, like the $95-annual-fee Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. (Editor's note: As of April 2024, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card does allow cardholders to transfer points to travel partners, though the options are limited.)
The Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card earns Bilt Rewards that can be transferred 1:1 to over a dozen travel loyalty programs, including Hyatt, United Airlines and American Airlines. (Editor's note: As of July 2024, American Airlines is no longer a Bilt partner.) Transferring rewards to travel partners can provide outsized value. For example, NerdWallet values Hyatt points at 2.2 cents each.
Points can also be redeemed for travel through the Bilt travel portal, rent payments, a future home down payment, fitness classes through SoulCycle and others, home decor and curated art.
According to Bilt, the value of points redeemed toward rent will vary by building and management company, and the value of rewards used toward a down payment will be up to 1.5 cents each. Redemption values will vary for the other options.
Additional benefits and protections
Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card holders receive an auto rental collision damage waiver (otherwise known as primary auto insurance) on qualifying rental vehicles paid for with the card. With this benefit, you can avoid paying for insurance at the rental car counter or submitting a claim through your own insurance if your vehicle gets damaged, which could save on deductibles and potentially increased premiums. This primary coverage perk is usually reserved for premium travel cards and sets this card apart from its no-annual-fee competitors.
Cardholders will also receive up to $800 in cellular telephone protection per claim on up to two paid claims per 12 month period. To qualify, you need to pay your monthly phone bill with the Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card and incur a $25 deductible per successful claim (you don’t need to pay for the phone itself with your card). Cell phone insurance has recently become a more common card benefit, but you won’t find a lower deductible on any other card.
If that isn’t enough, the Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card also comes with trip delay reimbursement. Simply pay for your trip with the card. If you incur a qualifying delay of at least six hours, the primary cardholder and any spouse, domestic partner or dependent child booked on the same reservation can receive $200 per day for up to three days per covered traveler (capped at $1,800 in total for all travelers per trip).
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