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Which travel card has the most valuable miles?

See the travel credit cards that can help you earn enough points to book a free trip.

Travel cards pack serious rewards

A recent NerdWallet study found that, on average, Americans earn about $901 in travel rewards during their first year of using a travel card. Roughly half of those rewards are from the sign-up bonus and the remainder is typically from ongoing rewards. Together, they can help you travel for free. Friendly heads up, you’ll want to apply for a travel card at least 5 months before your next trip. In most cases, that’ll give you enough time to earn your sign-up bonus and book a flight.

...but first, is a travel card right for you?

There are a few basic requirements you should be meeting before you apply for a travel card. They'll help you earn enough points (or miles) to shrink the cost of your next trip.
  • Savvy spender: You pay off your credit card balance on time, every month.
  • Frequent swiper: You spend around $2,000 or more each month and will spend at least $3,000 in the first three months to qualify for the bonus offer.
  • Healthy credit: Your credit score is considered good or excellent.

Find the credit card for you

Travel cards come in all flavors. Whether you want massive sign-up bonuses, amazing rewards or a fee-free travel card, there’s a card for you. To help find the one for you, we’ve included five cards that stand out from the rest — each for a different reason — and included an easy-to-read summary of each card.
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on Chase's website

Great for: Airline Miles and a Large Bonus
NerdWallet Rating
  • Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
  • Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
  • Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
  • Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
  • Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
  • Member FDIC
See card details
  • Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
  • Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
See card details
Securely with Chase

Bonus Value

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Rewards Details

5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

Annual Fee

$95

Recommended Credit Score

690 - 850

Good - Excellent
See NerdWallet's pros & cons
[object Object] card art

on Discover's website, or call 800-347-0264

Great for: Flat-Rate Travel Rewards with Miles Match
NerdWallet Rating
  • UNLIMITED BONUS: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers - only from Discover. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you earn 35,000 Miles, you get 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match.
  • Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase
  • No annual fee
  • Turn Miles into cash. Or redeem as a statement credit for your travel purchases like airfare, hotels, rideshares, gas stations, restaurants and more.
  • 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 17.24% - 28.24% Standard Variable Purchase APR will apply.
  • Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. It’s free, activate with the mobile app.
  • Discover is accepted nationwide by 99% of the places that take credit cards.
  • Terms and conditions apply.
  • View Rates and Fees
See card details
  • UNLIMITED BONUS: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers - only from Discover. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you earn 35,000 Miles, you get 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match.
  • Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase
See card details
Call to apply
Securely with Discover

Bonus Value

UNLIMITED BONUS: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers - only from Discover. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you earn 35,000 Miles, you get 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match.

Rewards Details

Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase.

Annual Fee

$0

Recommended Credit Score

690 - 850

Good - Excellent
See NerdWallet's pros & cons
VIEW RATES AND FEES
Want to see more cards? Fly over to our expanded selection of travel credit cards.
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