What's the best travel credit card signup bonus?

This question is about Best Travel Credit Cards

RODNEY BENNETT, Hipster Investor

@rodneyben 10/08/20 This answer was first published on 07/12/19 and it was last updated on 10/08/20.For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company.

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The best travel credit card signup bonus is 60,000 miles (worth $600 in travel) for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months with the Capital One Venture card. The Venture card also gives 2 miles for every dollar spent, with no limit on how many miles you can earn. You can easily redeem your miles for any travel-related expenses using Capital One’s Purchase Eraser.

Venture has a $95 annual fee, so you need to decide if the rewards are worth it before paying to start earning them. As with all of the best travel credit cards, Venture has no foreign transaction fees.

In general, the best travel cards are those that reward you extra for every travel purchase and have no foreign transaction fees. Add on huge signup bonuses, and there’s even more reason to apply if you have the good-to-excellent credit needed for approval. Earning the best travel credit card signup bonuses requires paying an annual fee ranging from $0-$99. But the bonuses you’ll get are worth several times more.

Best Travel Credit Card Signup Bonuses:

Capital One Venture Rewards Card: 60,000 miles once cardholders spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. $95 annual fee.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: 60,000 points once cardholders spend $4,000 in the first 3 months. $95 annual fee.

Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select Card: 50,000 miles once cardholders spend $2,500 in the first 3 months. $0 annual fee the first year, $99 after.

Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card: 70,000 miles once cardholders spend $2,000 in the first 3 months. $0 annual fee the first year, $99 after.

Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card: 25,000 points once cardholders spend $1,000 in the first 90 days. $0 annual fee.

Most of the signup bonuses can be redeemed at a 1:1 rate, so 1 reward point/mile is equal to 1 cent. The exception is Chase Sapphire Preferred, whose points are worth 1.25 cents each when redeemed for travel.

People also ask

What's the best travel credit card with no annual fee?

The best travel credit card with no annual fee is the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card because it offers an initial bonus of 20,000 miles for spending $500 in the first 3 months. It also rewards cardholders with at least 1.25 miles / $1 spent on all purchases. VentureOne has a $0 foreign transaction fee in addition to its $0 annual fee. … read full answer

If you aren’t planning to go anywhere too adventurous, consider the Discover it® Miles card. Discover’s not accepted in as many international locations as Visa or Mastercard, but its US acceptance is pretty good. The Discover it Miles card also has good rewards. It offers 1.5 miles per $1 on all purchases, doubled the first year.

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Are travel credit cards worth it?

Travel credit cards are worth it if they save you more than they cost you and if they provide better value than your other credit card options. In other words, the card’s rewards and benefits should outweigh the fees. And its net value – rewards and benefits, minus fees – should be higher than what other comparable cards offer. A credit card is not truly worth it if getting that card means bypassing a better deal.… read full answer

Nearly all of the best travel credit cards charge an annual fee. But there are plenty of benefits that reduce the impact of such a fee. For example, an initial bonus is one factor that can easily make a travel credit card worth getting. The best travel rewards cards offer sizeable bonuses when you meet minimum spending requirements in the first year. Top initial bonus offers cover the cost of their card’s annual fee for several years.

Typically, you can redeem a travel card’s rewards for travel-focused purchases such as airfare or hotel stays, as well as other options like gift cards, merchandise or cash. The value of those rewards varies by card. But in many cases, you’ll get the most value when you redeem for travel.

If you’re not sure what travel card would be right for you, WalletHub has picked out a few popular options for you to compare.

Travel credit cards that may be worth it:

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card

Discover it® Miles

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

People who frequent a specific hotel or airline may get the most value from co-branded travel cards that offer enhanced rewards for loyal customers. Common perks on such cards include free checked bags, seat or room upgrades and lounge access. However, you’ll lose the flexibility for earning and redeeming rewards that you would get with a general travel card. Co-branded travel cards tend to give the best rewards at their affiliated airline or hotel, and your rewards are usually tied to that company’s rewards program.

The travel credit cards that are most worth it for international travel are ones that come with no foreign transaction fee. Foreign transaction fees can be as costly as 3% of each purchase made with a foreign merchant. But luckily, most travel cards don’t have this fee.

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