To choose the best travel credit card for your needs, first check your credit score and narrow down your choices to cards whose approval requirements you meet or exceed. Then, calculate the value you’d get in rewards from each card over the first two years, including initial bonus offers, and subtract any annual fees. Factor in the cards' supplemental benefits as well, and pick the travel credit card with the greatest value that allows you to redeem your rewards on a regular basis.
If you don’t travel often, you should also consider the possibility that a travel rewards card isn’t the best option for you.
How to Choose the Best Travel Credit Card
- Narrow down the options to cards you can qualify for, based on your credit score.
- Compare the expected net value (rewards minus fees) of your remaining choices.
- Consider extra benefits.
- Decide how long you want to use the card, and where you want to use it.
If you don’t want to do the legwork of calculating everything yourself, you can always check out WalletHub’s editors’ picks for the best travel credit cards. Just pick the card that fits your lifestyle the best.
Choosing the best travel credit card may seem difficult at first, but once you know what to look for, it gets a lot easier. Below, you can learn the process, see key factors to consider and compare some of the best travel credit cards.
4 Steps to Choose the Best Travel Credit Card for You
1. Narrow down the options to cards you can qualify for, based on your credit score.
Check your credit score, then rule out cards you don’t have a realistic shot at getting approved for based on that score. Most travel credit cards require good or excellent credit for approval, but there are some options for lower scores.
2. Compare the expected net value (rewards minus fees) of your remaining choices.
Estimate how much you expect to spend on the card each year, then calculate how much you’d earn in rewards. After that, subtract each card’s annual fee to find out its net rewards value.
If your card has an initial bonus, it’s a good idea to calculate your potential rewards earnings for the first two years. That way, you can see how much you’d earn with the bonus and then what the number would be during a normal year.
3. Consider extra benefits.
The best travel credit cards can have extremely valuable benefits, ranging from airport lounge access to free checked bags to annual travel credits, depending on the card. These benefits can potentially be worth hundreds of dollars per year, which could give one card the edge in net value, assuming you take advantage of the perks.
4. Decide how long you want to use the card and where you want to use it.
If you’re only planning to keep your card for a year or two, initial bonuses should factor more into your decision. If you want a card for the long haul, ongoing rewards and benefits, as well as annual fees, are more important.
Where you want to use the card – including your preferred travel providers and whether you plan to travel domestically or internationally – also should play a role in your choice. For example, you might want to get a card that offers rewards with a certain airline or hotel if you use that brand often. And if you’re going abroad, it’s a must for your card to have no foreign transaction fee and a high acceptance rate in the country you’re going to visit.
How to Choose Between Co-Branded and General Travel Rewards Cards
You should only get a co-branded travel rewards card if you use a particular airline or hotel often. Earning rewards with a specific brand doesn’t make much sense if you always use different travel providers on your trips, unless you plan to take advantage of a big initial bonus and not keep the card long-term.
If you do use the same airline or hotel frequently, then it’s quite convenient to build rewards directly in that company’s loyalty program with your card, and you’ll often get some valuable supplemental perks as well. But it’s still not guaranteed that the co-branded card is going to be better for you than the best general-purpose travel cards.
To decide, you should do a side-by-side comparison of the travel company’s cards and the regular travel cards you’re considering, taking into account each card’s:
- Credit score requirements
- Ongoing rewards
- Initial bonus, if applicable
- Supplemental travel benefits (co-branded cards may have things like automatic status levels in the company’s loyalty program, free checked bags, priority boarding, hotel meal credits, etc.)
- Annual fee
- Foreign transaction fee
- Card network (for international acceptance)
- Interest rate (not super important unless you plan to carry a balance)
Once you’ve done your comparison, pick the card with the greatest yearly value from those that work for your financial needs and spending habits. If the value is close, go with the option that has more flexible redemption policies.
Other Things to Consider When Choosing the Best Travel Credit Card
International acceptance
If you travel abroad often, you’ll want a card you can use no matter where in the world you are. Mastercard and Visa are the networks with the widest acceptance worldwide, while Discover and American Express lag behind a bit (though not by nearly as much as they used to).
Foreign transaction fee
Almost every travel credit card on the market will offer a $0 foreign transaction fee, but it’s always a good idea to confirm whether any card you’re interested in charges this type of fee. Avoiding a foreign transaction fee can save you up to 3% on purchases from foreign merchants.
Credit cards are also the best method for exchanging currency, and they can save you 8.6% relative to airport currency exchanges and 5.6% compared to the average bank or credit union.
Helpful tools
WalletHub’s free CardAdvisor tool will suggest credit cards for you based on a few anonymous questions. Alternatively, you can join WalletHub for free to receive personalized credit card recommendations based on your WalletHub profile and the information in your credit report.
In summary, the best way to pick a travel credit card is to compare the value of the options you can qualify for, then pick one that offers both high value and worthwhile benefits. The best way to start your search is by checking out WalletHub’s editors’ picks for the best travel credit cards.
Best Travel Credit Cards of 2025 Compared
Opinions and ratings are our own. This report is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. WalletHub independently collected information for some of the cards on this page.
| Credit Card | Annual Fee | Credit Required |
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | $95 | Good |
| Discover it® Miles | $0 | Good |
| Regions Prestige Visa® Signature Credit Card | $0 | Good |
| Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® | $95 | Good |
| U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card | $0 | Excellent |
| JetBlue Plus Card | $99 | Excellent |
| American Express Platinum Card® | $895 | Good |
When to Get a Travel Credit Card
You should ideally get a travel credit card well in advance of the next time you plan to travel. That way, you’ll have plenty of time to earn rewards on the card that you can use to reduce the cost of your trip. You might also be able to take advantage of valuable supplemental benefits like travel insurance, travel credits or automatic airline and hotel status levels on your trip.
If you travel frequently and you have good credit, you should get a travel credit card as soon as possible. You might even want to make a travel credit card your main credit card, and you can consider some of the more expensive but more lucrative options. Travel cards with high annual fees often give large bonuses, ongoing bonus rewards on travel purchases, and valuable supplemental benefits such as airport lounge access and annual travel credits.
As a frequent traveler, you are in a position to redeem points and miles for travel on a regular basis, which is crucial for maximizing the value of these rewards and not allowing them to expire. As someone with a good credit score of 700+, your odds of getting approved for one of the best travel credit cards might be high.
If you travel a few times per year, you might want to consider one of the many travel credit cards that don’t charge an annual fee.
If you’re only an occasional traveler, we recommend getting a good credit card for everyday purchases first, then applying for a travel credit card with a big initial bonus at least a few month before your next trip. Ideally, you should wait a bit between card applications to give your credit score time to recover from the hard pull.
The main advantages that travel cards have over cash back cards are bigger initial bonuses and higher bonus earning rates on travel. If you don’t travel much and only have an everyday cash back card, the only thing you’ll really miss out on is a travel card’s bonus. Just make sure that the cash back card has no foreign transaction fee if you ever plan to use it abroad on one of your occasional trips.
If you have less than good credit, you might want to focus on getting a regular credit card to build your credit first. Most worthwhile travel credit cards require good credit score or better, though there are some decent options for people with lower credit scores.
What to Get if a Travel Rewards Card Isn’t for You
If you don’t travel at all, there’s no need to keep a travel rewards credit card in your wallet. Your alternatives include cash back cards and non-travel points cards, both of which have their own pros and cons.
- The best credit card for someone who doesn’t travel a lot is a solid cash back credit card that offers a good amount of rewards on the types of purchases on which you spend the most money. For example, if you spend a lot of money on gas and groceries each month, there are plenty of cards that offer bonus rewards on both.
- There are plenty of non-travel points credit cards that are worth considering, too, but the main downside to them is that unlike cash back, their rewards can be devalued at any time by their respective issuers.
- If your spending varies or you don’t spend a lot more on certain purchases than others, you can get a card that offers 2% cash back on everything. Or, you can get a card that allows you to choose your own bonus categories or that automatically gives bonus rewards in whatever categories you end up spending the most in each month.
Check out WalletHub’s guide on what credit card you should get for a more in-depth look at the card selection process.
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