Best No Annual Fee Travel Credit Cards of May 2024
Updated: May 17, 2024
ALSO CONSIDER: Best credit cards of 2024 || Best rewards credit cards || Best airline credit cards || Best hotel credit cards
No-annual-fee travel credit cards offer rewards for no yearly cost of card ownership. This can be appealing to frugal or infrequent travelers. Keep in mind, however, that these cards lack the richer rewards and perks of cards that do charge annual fees. For some travelers, paying an annual fee is worth it thanks to incentives like travel credits, bonus rewards, airport lounge access, free checked bags, priority boarding, hotel status and more. The value of such perks can more than offset an annual fee. But for those who are adamantly opposed to paying one, here are our favorite no-annual-fee travel cards.
250+ credit cards reviewed and rated by our team of experts
80+ years of combined experience covering credit cards and personal finance
100+ categories of best credit card selections (See our top picks)
Objective comprehensive ratings rubrics (Methodology)
NerdWallet's credit cards content, including ratings and recommendations, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in credit cards. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, USA Today, The New York Times, MarketWatch, MSN, NBC's "Today," ABC's "Good Morning America" and many other national, regional and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict guidelines for editorial integrity.
250+ credit cards reviewed and rated by our team of experts
80+ years of combined experience covering credit cards and personal finance
100+ categories of best credit card selections (See our top picks)
Objective comprehensive ratings rubrics (Methodology)
NerdWallet's credit cards content, including ratings and recommendations, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in credit cards. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, USA Today, The New York Times, MarketWatch, MSN, NBC's "Today," ABC's "Good Morning America" and many other national, regional and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict guidelines for editorial integrity.
Show summary
NerdWallet's Best No Annual Fee Travel Credit Cards of May 2024
Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card: Best for All-around rewards
Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card: Best for Flat-rate rewards
Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card: Best for Rewards on rent payments
Discover it® Miles: Best for Simple rewards + matching bonus
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: Best for Capital One miles
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®: Best for AAdvantage miles
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: Best for Delta miles
United Gateway℠ Card: Best for United miles
JetBlue Card: Best for JetBlue points
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card: Best for Marriott points
Hilton Honors American Express Card: Best for Hilton points
Best Western Rewards® Mastercard®: Best for Best Western rewards
IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card: Best for IHG points
Choice Privileges® Mastercard®: Best for Choice Hotels points
Best No Annual Fee Travel Credit Cards
Credit card | NerdWallet rating | Annual fee | Rewards rate | Intro offer | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Find the right credit card for you.
Whether you want to pay less interest or earn more rewards, the right card's out there. Just answer a few questions and we'll narrow the search for you.
Whether you want to pay less interest or earn more rewards, the right card's out there. Just answer a few questions and we'll narrow the search for you.
All-around rewards
Flat-rate rewards
Rewards on rent payments
Simple rewards + matching bonus
Capital One miles
AAdvantage miles
Delta miles
United miles
Marriott points
Hilton points
IHG points
Choice Hotels points
JetBlue points
Best Western rewards
FULL LIST OF EDITORIAL PICKS: BEST NO ANNUAL FEE TRAVEL CARDS
Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.
» FOR GENERAL-PURPOSE TRAVEL REWARDS
Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
Our pick for: All-around rewards
The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card offers so much value, it's hard to believe there's no annual fee. Start with a great bonus offer, then earn extra rewards in a host of common spending categories — restaurants, gas stations, transit, travel, streaming and more. Read our review.
Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Our pick for: Flat-rate rewards
One of the best no-annual-fee travel cards available, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card gives you a solid rewards rate on every purchase, with points that can be redeemed for any travel purchase, without the restrictions of branded airline and hotel cards. Bank of America® has an expansive definition of "travel," too, giving you additional flexibility in how you use your rewards. Read our review.
Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card
Our pick for: Rewards on rent payments
The Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card stands out by offering credit card rewards on rent payments without incurring an additional transaction fee. The ability to earn rewards on what for many people is their single biggest monthly expense makes this card worth a look for any renter. You also get bonus points on dining and travel when you make at least five transactions on the card each statement period, and redemption options include point transfers to partner hotel and loyalty programs. Read our review.
Discover it® Miles
Our pick for: Simple rewards + matching bonus
The Discover it® Miles is the rare travel credit card that lets you redeem your rewards for travel or for cash back at the same rate. (Also rare among travel cards is its intro APR period for balance transfers.) You earn unlimited 1.5 miles per dollar spent on purchases, and the miles are generally worth 1 cent apiece — that's a solid rate for a card with no annual fee. As with other Discover cards, this one matches the rewards you earn in your first year. Read our review.
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
Our pick for: Capital One miles
With the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, you don't pay an annual fee, but you also don't get rewards as rich as those on the regular Venture card (see rates and fees). Read our review.
Amex EveryDay® Credit Card
Our pick for: American Express Membership Rewards
The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card is the only American Express card without an annual fee that gives you Membership Rewards points ... although you shouldn't expect to get a ton of them. You can earn bonus points at U.S. supermarkets and on certain travel, and your rewards rate gets a boost if you use the card frequently enough. Read our review.
» FOR AIRLINE TRAVEL
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®
Our pick for: AAdvantage miles
For occasional but loyal American Airlines flyers, the no-annual-fee American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® is a cost-effective way to earn not only miles but also credit toward elite frequent-flyer status. Read our review.
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
Our pick for: Delta miles
To unlock the most valuable perks of airline credit cards, you'll have to pay an annual fee. But if you're a leisure traveler just hoping to earn airline miles in the background, it's hard to do better than the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card. Read our review.
United Gateway℠ Card
Our pick for: United miles
This entry-level card gives occasional leisure flyers who prefer United Airlines a way to try out an airline credit card for free. Unlike a lot of cards in its class, it won't cost anything to carry, even if you seldom use it. But it lacks valuable airline-card perks, such as free checked bags and early boarding. Read our review.
JetBlue Card
Our pick for: JetBlue points
With the JetBlue Card, you can earn easy rewards on everyday purchases in addition to airfare. And you won’t have to worry about blackout dates once you’re ready to redeem them. Read our review.
» FOR HOTEL REWARDS
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
Our pick for: Marriott points
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card offers bonus rewards not only on purchases at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, but also on other travel purchases. Plus, you'll earn automatic Silver status and the valuable perks that come with it. Read our review.
Hilton Honors American Express Card
Our pick for: Hilton points
The Hilton Honors American Express Card earns bonus rewards on Hilton stays and in common everyday categories. You also get automatic Hilton Honors™ Silver status. Terms apply. Read our review.
IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card
Our pick for: IHG points
The IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card earns rewards quickly on IHG hotel stays and eligible everyday purchases. Read our review.
Choice Privileges® Mastercard®
Our pick for: Choice Hotels
The Choice Privileges® Mastercard® earns a fairly high rate on stays at Choice Hotels, as well as on major everyday spending categories. It's a solid choice if you're a Choice loyalist, but a general-purpose travel card offers more flexibility. Read our review.
Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card
Our pick for: Wyndham points
The Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card rewards you well for Wyndham stays, while also earning bonus points in some popular everyday categories. It offers Gold status and a way to earn a free night each year if you spend enough, all for a $0 annual fee. Read our review.
Best Western Rewards® Mastercard®
Our pick for: Best Western rewards
The Best Western Rewards® Mastercard® offers solid rewards you can redeem for stays and a variety of other options. With automatic Gold status, you also get additional perks. Read our review.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, see this page.
All information about the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card is no longer available through NerdWallet.
Last updated on May 17, 2024
Methodology
NerdWallet's credit cards team selects the best credit cards in each category based on overall consumer value. Factors in our evaluation include fees, promotional and ongoing APRs, and sign-up bonuses; for rewards cards, we consider earning and redemption rates, redemption options and redemption difficulty. A single card is eligible to be chosen as among the "best" in multiple categories. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
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