Top Rewards Credit Cards of 2024
If you are just starting out in the world of travel hacking, these are some of the first best travel credit cards we would recommend to the majority of people. There are no one size fits all solutions, but these cards are in our wallets for one reason or another. Some were acquired for their valuable sign-up bonuses and kept, because they either have no annual fee or continue to provide value above the cost of said annual fee. We always recommend sitting down every year when your annual fee hits and doing the math. You always need to be sure the value you’re getting from the card outweighs the costs.
For anyone looking to get into the points & miles “game” we would highly suggest using our consultation service. However, if that doesn’t seem like the right fit for you at this time or if you’ve already signed up, we would greatly appreciate if you clicked through our links which help support the site.*
*In the interest of full disclosure, Travel is the Point. earns a referral bonus for anyone that’s approved through some of the below links. To the best of our knowledge these are the best publicly available offers that we have found for each card. We choose our picks based on the combination of benefits the card provides, and the ability to earn outsize rewards. Thanks for your support!
Without further ado here are our best travel credit cards right now…
Best Travel Credit Cards for Beginners
New Cardmember Offer
- 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s approximately $1,200 toward travel rewards when you redeem through transfer partners.
At a Glance
- Premium travel & dining rewards Earn 2x points on travel and dining at restaurants.
Annual Fee
- $95
Best Chase Business Credit Card for Travel
New Cardmember Offer
- 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s approximately $2,000 toward travel rewards when you redeem through transfer partners.
At a Glance
EARN 3 POINTS PER $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in the following categories each account anniversary year:
- Shipping purchases
- Internet, cable and phone services
- Advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines
- Travel
Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases — with no limits to the amount you can earn.
EARN 5X TOTAL POINTS
Earn a total of 5x total points on Lyft rides through March 2025
Annual Fee
- $95
Best Chase Credit Card for Rotating Rewards
New Cardmember Offer
Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Earn 5% on combined gas station and grocery store purchases (not including Target® and Walmart®) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year.
At a Glance
Earn cash back for every purchase
Earn 5% on up to $1,500 on combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate.
Earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel.
Earn 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services.
Earn 3% on drugstore purchases.
Earn 1% on all other purchases.
Annual Fee
- $0
Best Chase Credit Card for Flat-Rate Rewards
New Cardmember Offer
Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Earn 5% on combined gas station and grocery store purchases (not including Target® and Walmart®) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year.
At a Glance
Earn cash back for every purchase
Earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel.
Earn 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services.
Earn 3% on drugstore purchases.
Earn 1.5% on all other purchases.
Annual Fee
- $0
Best Credit Card for Premium Travel
New Cardmember Offer
Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
At a Glance
10x Capital One Miles
Earn 10x Capital One Miles for hotels & rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
5x Capital One Miles
Earn 5x Capital One Miles for flights booked through Capital One Travel.
2x Capital One Miles
Earn 2x Capital One Miles for all other purchases, every day.
10,000 Miles Anniversary Bonus
Get 10,000 bonus miles (worth approximately $200 or more towards travel rewards when you redeem through transfer partners) every year, starting on your first anniversary.
$300 Annual Travel Credit
Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel.
Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓
Receive up to a $100 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓.
- Capital One Lounges & Priority Pass Select Lounges
Escape the airport crowd by visiting our all-inclusive lounges—enjoy unlimited complimentary access for you and 2 guests per visit. Cardholders and authorized users also receive Priority Pass Select membership and access to their global collection of lounges.
- Premier Collection
Enjoy a $100 experience credit, daily breakfast for 2 and other premium benefits, plus earn 10x miles on hotel stays booked through Capital One Travel.
Annual Fee
- $395
Best Credit Card for Luxury Travel Perks
New Cardmember Offer
- Earn 80,000—150,000 Membership Rewards® Points (try opening the link in incognito browser) after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 6 months from account opening. That’s approximately $1,600—$3,000 toward travel rewards when you redeem through transfer partners.
At a Glance
- 5x Membership Rewards® Points
Earn 5x Membership Rewards® points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel.
Earn 5x Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com.
- $200 Uber Cash
Platinum Card Members get $15 in Uber Cash to use on eligible orders with Uber Eats and rides with Uber in the US each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. That can be up to $200 in annual Uber savings.
*Uber Cash is available to Basic Card Member only
- $200 Hotel Credit
Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit
Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card Account.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit
Get up to $20 back each month when you pay for one or more of Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, SiriusXM and The Wall Street Journal when you purchase directly from one or more of the providers. Enrollment required.
- $189 CLEAR Plus Credit
CLEAR uses unique attributes, such as eyes or fingerprints, to digitally verify identity to help its members move faster through security at select airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR Plus Membership with up to $189 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR Plus with your Platinum Card.
- $100 Shop Saks with Platinum
Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue or saks.com on your Platinum Card. That’s up to $50 on a semi-annual basis. No minimum purchase required. Enrollment required.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit
Walmart+ members enjoy shopping perks – both online and in-store – at Walmart. Use your Platinum Card to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and receive a statement credit that covers the full cost each month.
- $300 Equinox Credit
Experience Equinox membership however you want. Choose between an Equinox+ subscription with live and on-demand classes or an Equinox club membership and receive up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year when you use your Platinum Card. Enrollment required.
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓
- Fine Hotels & Resorts program
Receive complimentary benefits with an average total value of $550* with Fine Hotels & Resorts at over 1,000 properties.
*Average value based on Fine Hotels & Resorts bookings in 2018 for stays of two nights. Benefits include daily breakfast for two, room upgrade when available, property amenity valued at $100, guaranteed 4PM late check-out, noon check-in when available, and complimentary Wi-Fi. Room upgrade not guaranteed; certain room categories not eligible for upgrade. Amenity varies by property. Actual value will vary based on property, room rate, upgrade availability, and use of benefits.
- The Global Lounge Collection
- No foreign transaction fees
Annual Fee
- $695
Best Credit Card for Dining & Groceries
New Cardmember Offer
- Earn 60,000—90,000 Membership Rewards® Points (try opening the link in incognito browser) after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 6 months from account opening. That’s approximately $1,200—$1,800 toward travel rewards when you redeem through transfer partners.
At a Glance
- 4x Membership Rewards® Points
Earn 4x Membership Rewards® points when you dine at restaurants worldwide.
Earn 4x Membership Rewards® points at US supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases.
- 3x Membership Rewards® Points
Earn 3x Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- $120 Dining Credit
- $120 Uber Cash with Gold Card
Whether you’re dining or riding, Uber and Gold deliver savings. Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash per year for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you’ll automatically receive $10 in Uber Cash every month.
- No foreign transaction fees
Annual Fee
- $250
Best Credit Card for %0 Intro APR
New Cardmember Offer
- Earn 10,000 after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 6 months from account opening. That’s approximately $200 toward travel rewards when you redeem through transfer partners.
At a Glance
- Earn 20% Extra Membership Rewards® Points
Use your card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and earn 20% more points on those purchases less returns and credits.
- 2x Membership Rewards® Points
Earn 2x Membership Rewards® points at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x).
- APR
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening, then a variable APR applies.
Annual Fee
- $0
Best Discover Credit Card for Cash Back
New Cardmember Offer
Get a $100 Statement Credit when you apply through this referral link and make your first purchase within 3 months of being approved.
Only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
At a Glance
- Earn cash back for every purchase
Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in rotating bonus categories each quarter you activate and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- APR
0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months from the date of account opening, then a variable APR applies.
Annual Fee
- $0