It can be confusing looking for the best credit cards for rewards travel. With so many rewards credit cards to choose from with similar benefits and annual fees, travel rewards sign-up bonuses can be your deciding factor, but it’s important to pick the best rewards credit card based on your specific needs. For example, I focus on earning transferable points since I like to redeem my points for premium cabin international flights.
I’ll be reviewing 9 of the best credit cards for rewards in these categories:
- Airline Rewards
- Hotel Rewards
- Flexible Rewards
Flexible Rewards
Chase Sapphire Reserve–50,000 Points
Bonus Offer: 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points by spending $4,000 in 3 months
Annual Fee: $450
The Chase Sapphire Reserve has captured the hearts of many travel-savvy Millennials and Gen Xers. The Sapphire Reserve’s 50,000-point bonus offer is worth $750 when redeemed for award travel on Chase as each point is worth a remarkable 1.5 cents each. You can squeeze even more value from each point by transferring them to one of the Chase Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel travel partners including Southwest Airlines, United, and World of Hyatt.
Besides the $750+ travel sign-up bonus, you’ll also reap these ongoing rewards:
- $300 annual travel credit
- Priority Pass Select lounge membership
- Global Entry application fee reimbursement
- 3x purchase rewards on all travel and dining
Chase Sapphire Preferred–50,000 Points
Bonus Offer: 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points by spending $4,000 in 3 months + 5,000 points for authorized user
Annual Fee: $95 ($0 the first year)
The Chase Sapphire Preferred also offers 50,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points worth $625, but you might prefer the Sapphire Preferred over the more expensive Reserve when you only want a rewards credit card that offers 1:1 point transfers without the extra air travel perks.
Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.25 cents each for award travel booked through Chase or you can transfer them to any of the 1:1 travel partners. You will also earn 2x points on all travel and dining purchases.
Platinum Card from American Express—60,000 Points
Bonus Offer: 60,000 Membership Rewards points by spending $5,000 in 3 months
Annual Fee: $550
The Amex Platinum is a premium travel credit card that comes with a lot of perks but has a high annual fee of $550. It does have a good sign-up bonus of 60,000 Membership Reward points. You will get the most value from the 60,000 Membership Rewards points by transferring them to the 1:1 Amex travel partners including Delta, Emirates, Etihad, and JetBlue. Your points are only worth 1 cent each ($600) for flights booked AmexTravel.com.
You will also enjoy these luxurious travel benefits:
- $200 air travel credit
- $200 Uber credits
- Complimentary access to 4 airport lounge networks
- 5x points on airfare and select hotel reservations
- Global Entry fee reimbursement
Chase Ink Business Preferred–80,000 Points
Bonus Offer: 80,000 Membership Rewards points by spending $5,000 in 3 months
Annual Fee: $95
The Ink Business Preferred is my favorite business credit card and it has the largest public Ultimate Rewards bonus offer. Your 80,000 points can be transferred on a 1:1 basis or redeemed for 1.25 cents each for $1,000 in award travel. The spending requirement is relatively high, but how often can you get a four-figure travel sign-up bonus?
Besides the flexible travel rewards, you will also earn 3x points on the first $150,000 in combined spending for these spending categories:
- Travel
- Shipping purchases
- Internet, phone, and cable tv
- Advertising on social media and search engines
Airline Rewards
Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card–35,000 Points
Bonus Offer: Up to 35,000 SkyMiles by spending $1,000 in 3 months + $50 statement credit
Annual Fee: $95 ($0 the first year)
There are several Delta SkyMiles credit cards to choose from including the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card which is a good option for casual Delta flyers. The 35,000 bonus SkyMiles are each to earn with the low $1,000 spending requirement and (for a limited time) you will also get a bonus $50 statement credit by making a single Delta purchase within the first 3 months.
The Gold Delta Amex also includes these Delta benefits:
- Free checked bag for you and eight passengers
- Priority boarding for you and up to eight passengers
- 2x points on all Delta purchases
United MileagePlus Club Card–50,000 Points
Bonus Offer: 50,000 United MileagePlus points by spending $3,000 in 3 months
Annual Fee: $450
The United MileagePlus Club Card gives you 50,000 United miles by spending $3,000. You can use these miles to find low-cost domestic flights or avoid fuel surcharges on international flights. And you’ll never pay a close-in award booking fee either!
The Club Card also gives you some of the best United perks:
- United Club Membership ($550 value)
- Two checked bags free for you and one travel companion
- No close-in award booking fees
- World of Hyatt Discoverist status
- 2x points on all United purchases and 1.5x points for remaining purchases
Hotel Rewards
Hilton Honors American Express Ascend–100,000 points
Bonus Offer: Up to 100,000 Hilton Honors points by spending $3,000 in 6 months
Annual Fee: $95
American Express is now the exclusive provider of the co-brand Hilton Honors credit cards and they are celebrating with the opportunity to get 100,000 bonus Hilton Honors points. There aren’t many 100,000 travel sign-up bonuses, so you should strongly consider this offer before it goes away on either of these two new Amex Hilton credit cards.
The Hilton Honors Ascend is the mass consumer Hilton credit card with a tiered sign-up bonus:
- Spend $2,000 in the first three months and earn your first 75,000 Hilton points
- Spend an additional $1,000 within the first six months to earn the final 25,000 bonus points
Hilton rewards nights start at 5,000 points per night and this 100k can be worth 20 free nights.
Besides the signup bonus, you can also enjoy these benefits with the Hilton Ascend:
- 12x bonus points on Hilton purchases
- 6x points at U.S. restaurants, gas stations, and supermarkets
- Gold Hilton Honors status
- 10 free Priority Pass Select Lounge passes every year
- Free weekend reward night after spending $15,000 in annual card purchases
Business travelers might prefer the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card for the business-related purchase rewards. You can still earn 100,000 bonus Hilton points and enjoy the Hilton amenities listed above.
Hilton Honors American Express Ascend–100,000 points
Bonus Offer: 100,000 Hilton Honors points by spending $4,000 in 3 months
Annual Fee: $450
The Hilton Honors American Express Ascend is a premium travel rewards card with a powerful collection of Hilton and air travel benefits:
- 14x points on Hilton purchases
- 7x points on direct airline purchases, car rentals, and U.S. restaurants
- Diamond Hilton Honors status
- One free Weekend Night Certificate
- Priority Pass Select membership
- $250 air travel credit
- $250 Hilton Resort credit
The Hyatt Credit Card–40,000 Points
Bonus Offer: 40,000 Hyatt points by spending $2,000 in 3 months + 5,000 points for authorized user
Annual Fee: $75
The Hyatt Credit Card and the World of Hyatt rewards program also earn high marks. Rewards nights start at 5,000 points and cap at 30,000 points for a Category 7 property. Assuming each 5,000 point reward night has a $200 cash value, this bonus can be worth $1,600 in free Hyatt nights–that’s unheard of for a hotel credit card!
You will also enjoy a free Hyatt reward night each card anniversary and complimentary Discoverist status in the World of Hyatt program to reap a 10% stay bonus.
Summary on Best Credit Cards for Rewards Travel
If you have never earned a travel sign-up bonus worth at least $1,000, several of these rewards credit cards present the perfect opportunity, and they will help you get the best rewards from your credit card application.
