✈️ Best credit cards for travel
Ranked by effective rewards rate — factoring in point values, caps, and annual fees.187 cards compared.
Sapphire Reserve
Chase · $795.00/yr
Platinum Card
American Express · $695.00/yr
Cap: $500000/annual
Venture X
Capital One · $395.00/yr
JetBlue Plus
Barclays · $99.00/yr
Gold Card
American Express · $325.00/yr
Strata Premier
Citi · $95.00/yr
Green Card
American Express · $150.00/yr
Amazon Prime Store Card
Synchrony · No annual fee
Freedom Flex
Chase · No annual fee
Freedom Unlimited
Chase · No annual fee
Hilton Honors Business
American Express · $175.00/yr
Altitude Reserve
U.S. Bank · $400.00/yr
Showing top 12 of 187 cards
How to choose
The best card for travel depends on how much you spend in this category each year, whether you prefer cash back or transferable points, and whether the annual fee is worth the extra rewards.
Look at the effective rate — not just the headline multiplier. A 3x points card with 1¢ per point earns the same as a 3% cash-back card. Cards with caps earn the bonus rate only up to a spending threshold, then drop to the base rate.
Add your cards to PerkPro to see which one in your wallet actually earns the most on each travel purchase, with caps and bonus deadlines tracked automatically.