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6 Excellent Travel Credit Cards of 2023
Travel credit cards can be one of the best ways to lower the cost of travel, whether you're taking a trip to visit family in another state or boarding a plane for a luxurious vacation overseas. Regardless if you collect airline miles, hotel points, or flexible issuer-specific currency, they all perform the same function of making your future trip more affordable. Check out the travel cards on this page offering flexible rewards.
Show summary
NerdWallet's Excellent Travel Credit Cards of 2023
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Best for Airline Miles and a Large Bonus
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Best for Flat-rate travel rewards
Chase Freedom Unlimited®: Best for Cash-Back Pairing With Chase Sapphire Preferred®
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Best for Capital One Miles
Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card: Best for Flat-Rate Travel Rewards + No Annual Fee
Discover it® Miles: Best for Flat-Rate Travel Rewards With Miles Match
Apply Now
on Chase's website
on Chase's website
Rewards Rate
5X
Points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
3X
Points on dining.
2X
Points on all other travel purchases.
1X
Point on all other purchases.
Product 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 Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. 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
Apply Now
on Chase's website
on Chase's website
Pros & Cons
Pros
- New cardholder bonus offer
- Bonus categories
- Primary rental car coverage
- Flexible rewards redemption
- Transfer partners
Cons
- Has annual fee
- Requires good/excellent credit
- Complicated rewards
Apply Now
on Capital One's website
on Capital One's website
Rewards Rate
5X
Miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.
2X
Miles on every purchase, every day.
Product Details
- Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Enjoy two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or to 100+ Plaza Premium Lounges through the Partner Lounge Network
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enrich every hotel stay from the Lifestyle Collection with a suite of cardholder benefits, like a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and more
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- View Rates & Fees
Apply Now
on Capital One's website
on Capital One's website
Pros & Cons
Pros
- High rewards rate
- Flexible rewards redemption
Cons
- Has annual fee
- Requires good/excellent credit
Excellent for: Cash-Back Pairing With Chase Sapphire Preferred®
NerdWallet rating
Apply Now
on Chase's website
on Chase's website
Rewards Rate
5%
Cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more.
3%
Cash back on drugstore purchases.
3%
Cash back on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services.
1.5%
Cash back on all other purchases.
NerdWallet rating
5.0
/5Rewards rate
1.5%-5%
Intro offer
Unlimited Matched Cash Back
Annual fee
$0
Recommended Credit
NerdWallet rating
5.0
/5Rewards rate
1.5%-5%
Intro offer
Unlimited Matched Cash Back
Annual fee
$0
Recommended Credit
Product Details
- SPECIAL OFFER: Unlimited Matched Cash Back. Use your card for all your purchases and at the end of your first year, Chase will automatically match all the cash back you earned! There is no limit to how much you can earn. Every dollar in cash back rewards you earn is a dollar Chase will match.
- Unlimited 1.5% cash back is just the beginning of what you can earn. You'll enjoy 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services, 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
- No annual fee - You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, real-time alerts, and more.
- Member FDIC
Apply Now
on Chase's website
on Chase's website
Pros & Cons
Pros
- No annual fee
- Intro APR period
- High rewards rate
- No minimum redemption amount
Cons
- Requires good/excellent credit
Apply Now
on Capital One's website
on Capital One's website
Rewards Rate
10X
Miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
5X
Miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel.
2X
Miles on all other purchases.
Product Details
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Elevate every hotel stay from the Premier or Lifestyle Collections with a suite of cardholder benefits, like an experience credit, room upgrades, and more
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- View Rates & Fees
Apply Now
on Capital One's website
on Capital One's website
Pros & Cons
Pros
- High rewards rate
- New cardholder bonus offer
- Lounge membership
- Anniversary perk
- Flexible rewards redemption
Cons
- High annual fee
- Requires excellent credit
Excellent for: Flat-Rate Travel Rewards + No Annual Fee
NerdWallet rating
Apply Now
on Bank of America's website,
on Bank of America's website, or call (800) 211-3740
Rewards Rate
1.5X
Points per $1 spent on all purchases.
Product Details
- Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don't expire.
- 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.
- Use your card to book your trip how and where you want - you're not limited to specific websites with blackout dates or restrictions.
- Redeem points for a statement credit to pay for travel or dining purchases, such as flights, hotel stays, car and vacation rentals, baggage fees, and also at restaurants including takeout.
- 0% Introductory APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR will apply. A 3% fee applies to all balance transfers.
- If you're a Preferred Rewards member, you can earn 25%-75% more points on every purchase. That means instead of earning an unlimited 1.5 points for every $1, you could earn 1.87-2.62 points for every $1 you spend on purchases.
- Contactless Cards - The security of a chip card, with the convenience of a tap.
- This online only offer may not be available if you leave this page or if you visit a Bank of America financial center. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
Apply Now
on Bank of America's website,
on Bank of America's website, or call (800) 211-3740
Pros & Cons
Pros
- No annual fee
- New cardholder bonus offer
- No foreign transaction fees
- Flexible rewards redemption
- Intro APR period
Cons
- Requires good/excellent credit
- No bonus categories
- Best rewards limited to certain customers
Apply Now
on Discover's website,
on Discover's website, or call 800-347-0264
Rewards Rate
1.5X
Miles for every dollar spent on all purchases.
NerdWallet rating
3.8
/5Rewards rate
1.5x
Intro offer
Discover Match®
Annual fee
$0
Recommended Credit
NerdWallet rating
3.8
/5Rewards rate
1.5x
Intro offer
Discover Match®
Annual fee
$0
Recommended Credit
Product Details
- UNLIMITED BONUS: Only 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 in any amount, any time. Or redeem as a statement credit for 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.
- Freeze your account in seconds with an on/off switch either on the mobile app or website to prevent new purchases, cash advances, and balance transfers.
- Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites. Activate for free.
- Terms and conditions apply.
- View Rates & Fees
Apply Now
on Discover's website,
on Discover's website, or call 800-347-0264
Pros & Cons
Pros
- No annual fee
- Intro APR period
- Flexible rewards redemption
Cons
- Requires good/excellent credit
- No luxury perks
- Lower acceptance abroad
