If travel rewards cards are tuxedos, cash-back cards are comfy black T-shirts — they aren’t as flashy, but they’re great to use in so many situations. As a result, some cash-back cards can be good companions for everyday spending and travel.
Think of cash-back cards as flexible travel rewards cards. Instead of using points to get a free plane ticket or discounted car rental, you can offset travel costs with rewards cash. If you have a $400 plane ticket on your statement and you redeem $400 worth of cash back, you essentially get the airfare for free.
Unlike many travel credit cards, some cash-back credit cards may also offer a 0% introductory APR that can free up cash flow to cover travel expenses in your budget. As long as you can pay off the balance with certainty, this move can make good financial sense. Combined with a sign-up offer for new cardholders, you could defray travel costs by a few hundred dollars.
There are a couple of scenarios when cash-back cards are useful for travel:
What to look for in a travel-friendly cash-back card
Several features can make cash-back cards a decent option to bring on trips, or to use at home so you can offset travel costs later. Look for:
- A good rate of cash back. Among flat-rate cash-back cards, look for ones that earn at least 2% back. If a card has bonus categories, look for one that not only amps up your cash back overall, but also gives you something extra for spending you’ll do while traveling, such as extra rewards for gas, hotels, transportation or restaurants.
- Travel protections. You won’t find robust travel protections, insurances and perks like you would on good travel credit cards. But the best cash-back cards for travel will have some travel features, sometimes offered by the bank and sometimes by the network, such as Visa or American Express.
If you’re traveling abroad, also look for:
- Worldwide acceptance so your card doesn’t get declined. In general, Visas and Mastercards are accepted all over the globe, while Discover and American Express cards may not be.
- No foreign transaction fees. Many cash-back cards charge these fees, often 3% of your purchases, but some do not. The fee is irrelevant if you use the card for only domestic purchases.
Good cash-back cards to carry while traveling in the U.S.
The following cards earn solid cash-back rates on a variety of spending — travel, sometimes, but also other major line items in many household budgets.
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card offers an ongoing 3% back on a category of your choice, which among others includes gas, dining and travel, as well as 2% back on grocery stores and wholesale clubs for the first $2,500 of combined bonus category/ grocery store/ wholesale club spending per quarter. After hitting that threshold, you’ll earn 1% back on these purchases.
Gas, dining and travel are useful 3% categories for domestic excursions.
It has an annual fee of $0 and comes with a sign-up bonus: $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
There's also an introductory offer: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 17.49%-27.49% will apply.
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is as simple and straightforward as a cash-back card can get. It earns 2% cash back on all eligible purchases, making it an excellent workhorse card for both travel and everyday expenses. It has a $0 annual fee and a new cardholder sign-up offer: Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. You could also use the introductory offer to finance a trip or a large expense. It offers a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% Variable APR.
Citi Double Cash® Card
The Citi Double Cash® Card also earns 2% cash back on purchases (1% back as you spend, 1% back as you pay it off). The annual fee is $0, and there’s a welcome offer: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. It has a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, and then the ongoing APR of 17.49%-27.49% Variable APR.
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns generous cash-back rates for a variety of expenses you’d incur on a U.S.-based trip:
- 6% cash back on purchases at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 in spending per year (then 1% back). That’s ideal for stocking up on groceries for your vacation rental.
- 6% cash back on select streaming subscriptions — technically not a travel expense, but at least you won’t fall behind on your current favorite show while you’re out of town.
- 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and on transit, which includes taxis, rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more.
- 1% cash back on other purchases.
- Terms apply; rates and fees.
New cardholders can earn a welcome bonus: You may be eligible for as high as $300 cash back after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Cash back is received as Reward Dollars, redeemable for statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Terms Apply. The card has a 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 19.49%-28.49% Variable APR. The annual fee is $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.. Terms apply.
Chase Freedom Flex®
The Chase Freedom Flex® offers multiple bonus categories that are ideal for many budgets. It earns 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. The card's bonus calendar offers a glimpse into the types of purchases that have qualified for this rate in the past.
You’ll also earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase, 3% cash back on drugstore and restaurant purchases, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
It features a welcome offer for new cardholders: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. And it has a 0% intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%-27.74% Variable APR. If you’re willing to pair it with other eligible credit cards in the Chase portfolio, you can potentially get more value. See more below.
Cash-back cards to carry while traveling abroad
The following cards don’t charge a foreign transaction fee and run on the widely accepted Visa and Mastercard networks. Both are important features when using a card in a foreign country.
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card*
The $0-annual-fee Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card features a powerful combination of rewards categories for frequent travelers, earning 3% back on dining and entertainment (which includes streaming services, movie theaters, sporting events, zoos, aquariums, amusement parks and more). You’ll also earn 3% back at grocery stores and 1% on all other purchases. New cardholders qualify for the following: For a limited time, earn a one-time $250 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. This card, too, has a 0% promotional APR offer: Get a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months; 18.49%-28.49% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies.
Apple Card
The Apple Card may be hit or miss, depending on where you spend, but it does have some travel-related categories that earn rewards. For example, it earns 3% back on Apple purchases and at select merchants like Booking.com, Uber, Ubereats, Exxon Mobile and Chargepoint, among others, when you use the Apple Card with Apple Pay.
It also gets you 2% back on all other purchases made with the Apple Card using Apple Pay. But you’ll earn just 1% back when you use the physical Apple Card to make purchases, and as of this writing, it doesn’t provide any standard introductory offers for new cardholders (though you may occasionally receive targeted offers).
Pairings that maximize travel rewards
Some cash-back credit cards pair well with other cards in their issuer’s portfolio, allowing you to collect rewards at a faster pace and potentially get more value toward travel.
Of course, managing multiple credit cards requires more effort and responsibility to ensure you're making the most of each credit card’s value and paying off the balances in full to avoid interest charges. For instance, you may need to track different redemption values for each card, annual fees, or the categories that earn rewards on each card. Still, if you’re organized and strategic, using more than one card can help you cover the costs of your next trip more quickly.
Here are some examples:
Chase
If you’re willing to use three cards strategically and jump through some hoops, you can use two cash-back cards from Chase in a strategy to collect rewards toward travel. Details are here.
Basically, you use the popular Chase cash-back cards — the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and Chase Freedom Flex® — to earn cash-back rewards. Then you transfer those rewards to either the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
At that point, you can then transfer them to various Chase travel partners to get greater value, or redeem them for a statement credit and pay for travel with the card. Another option is to redeem those rewards directly through Chase’s travel portal, potentially for a "points boost."
Full list of Chase transfer partners
Airlines
- Aer Lingus (1:1 ratio).
- Air Canada (1:1 ratio).
- Air France-KLM (1:1 ratio).
- British Airways (1:1 ratio).
- Iberia (1:1 ratio).
- JetBlue (1:1 ratio).
- Singapore (1:1 ratio).
- Southwest (1:1 ratio).
- United (1:1 ratio).
- Virgin Atlantic (1:1 ratio).
Hotels
- Hyatt (1:1 or 4:3 ratio; varies by card).
- IHG (1:1 ratio).
- Marriott (1:1 ratio).
- Wyndham (1:1 ratio).
» MORE: What is the Chase trifecta?
Citi
The Citi Double Cash® Card earns rewards in the form of ThankYou points, which can be redeemed for cash back, but also for travel booked through Citi. You even get access to Citi's travel partners. And since you can combine ThankYou points into one account if you carry multiple cards that earn them, you can pair the card with the Citi Strata Premier® Card or Citi Strata Elite℠ Card, which unlocks higher transfer ratios to those travel partners.
Full list of Citi transfer partners
Transfer ratios will vary depending on which card you have.
Airlines
- Aeromexico (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- American Airlines (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Air France/KLM (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Asia Miles (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Avianca (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Emirates (1:0.8 or 1:0.56 ratio).
- Etihad (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Eva Air (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- JetBlue (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Qantas (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Qatar Airways (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Singapore Airlines (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Thai Airways (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Turkish Airlines (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
- Virgin Atlantic (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Hotels
- Accor Live Limitless (2:1 or 2:0.7 ratio).
- Choice Hotels (1:1.5 or 1:1.05 ratio).
- The Leading Hotels of the World (5:1 or 5:0.7 ratio).
- Preferred Hotels & Resorts (1:2 or 1:1.4 ratio).
- Wyndham (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
Events
- Virgin Red (1:1 or 1:0.7 ratio).
» MORE: Citi trifecta: What to know
Capital One
Because you can move cash back earned on the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card to one of Capital One’s Venture travel cards, it’s a good match for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card . From there, you can book travel through Capital One, use your rewards to reimburse a recent eligible travel purchase, or transfer rewards to one of Capital One’s airline or hotel partners.
Full list of Capital One transfer partners
Airlines
- Aeromexico (1:1 ratio).
- Air Canada (1:1 ratio).
- Air France-KLM (1:1 ratio).
- Avianca (1:1 ratio).
- British Airways (1:1 ratio).
- Cathay Pacific (1:1 ratio).
- Emirates (1:1 ratio).
- Etihad (1:1 ratio).
- EVA (2:1.5 ratio).
- Finnair (1:1 ratio).
- Japan Airlines (2:1.5 ratio).
- JetBlue (5:3 ratio).
- Qantas (1:1 ratio).
- Qatar Airways (1:1 ratio).
- Singapore Airlines (1:1 ratio).
- TAP Air Portugal (1:1 ratio).
- Turkish Airlines (1:1 ratio).
- Virgin Red (1:1 ratio).
Hotels
- Accor (2:1 ratio).
- Choice Privileges Hotels (1:1 ratio).
- I Prefer Hotel Rewards (1:2 ratio).
- Wyndham Rewards (1:1 ratio).
Wells Fargo
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card earns rewards in the form of Wells Fargo Rewards. In addition to redeeming rewards for cash back (and travel), you can also transfer them to another rewards account you own, meaning another eligible card in your name.
If you also carry the Wells Fargo Autograph® Card or Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card, you can also transfer points to one of Wells Fargo’s airline or hotel partners.
Full list of Wells Fargo transfer partners
Airlines
- Aer Lingus (1:1 ratio).
- Air France-KLM (1:1 ratio).
- Avianca (1:1 ratio).
- British Airways (1:1 ratio).
- Cathay Pacific (1:1 ratio).
- Iberia (1:1 ratio).
- JetBlue (1:1 ratio).
- Virgin Atlantic (1:1 ratio).
- Virgin Red (1:1 ratio).
Hotels
- Choice Privileges Hotels (1:2 ratio).
- Wyndham (1:2 ratio).
Why you might want a travel credit card instead
Many consumers can get more value out of cash-back cards than travel rewards cards, but you might benefit more from a travel card if you:
- Travel domestically or overseas more than once a year.
- Are willing to open new credit cards every year or two to snag those (usually richer) sign-up bonuses.
- Take advantage of the other perks that travel cards typically offer, such as Global Entry or TSA Precheck application reimbursement, access to airport lounges, and free checked bags.
- Can make the most of the card's perks and rewards to offset any potential annual fees.
Not everyone can eat enough room-temperature cheese cubes in an airport lounge to offset the higher annual fees of a travel card. Thankfully, there are cash-back cards that can help pay your expenses — and some that can travel with you, too.
To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, see this page.
