Best travel rewards credit cards
Travel cards earn transferable points (like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards) or airline/hotel currency, which can be worth far more than a cent each when redeemed for flights and hotels. We rank them by estimated value of the welcome bonus.
If you’re newer to this, prioritize transferable-points cards from issuers with strong transfer partners, and mind the Chase 5/24 rule — Chase travel cards are some of the best, but only if you can still be approved.
| # | Card | Bonus | Est. value | Min. spend | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IHG One Rewards Premier Chase | 185,000 points | ~$1,751 | $6,000 / 6mo | $99 |
| 2 | Amex Platinum Card American Express | 175,000 points | ~$1,730 | $12,000 / 6mo | $895 |
| 3 | Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Credit Card American Express | 175,000 points | ~$1,500 | $5,000 / 6mo | $250 |
| 4 | Sapphire Reserve Chase | 150,000 points | ~$1,455 | $6,000 / 3mo | $795 |
| 5 | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card American Express | 200,000 points | ~$1,350 | $6,000 / 6mo | $650 |
| 6 | Southwest Personal Cards Chase | 85,000 points | ~$1,275 | $3,000 / 3mo | — |
| 7 | IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card Chase | 125,000 points | ~$1,250 | $4,000 / 6mo | None |
| 8 | Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite Card Bank of America | 100,000 miles | ~$1,230 | $6,000 / 3mo | $395 |
| 9 | Frontier Airlines Mastercard Barclays | 50,000 miles | ~$1,211 | $3,000 / 3mo | $89 |
| 10 | Capital One Venture Rewards Capital One | 100,000 miles | ~$1,205 | $4,000 / 3mo | $95 |
| 11 | Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card American Express | 175,000 points | ~$1,200 | $6,000 / 6mo | $550 |
| 12 | Delta Gold American Express | 60,000 miles | ~$1,181 | — | $99 |
| 13 | American Express Gold Card American Express | 100,000 points | ~$1,175 | $6,000 / 3mo | $325 |
| 14 | Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card American Express | 130,000 points | ~$1,150 | $3,000 / 6mo | $150 |
| 15 | Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Ascent Bank of America | 85,000 miles | ~$1,109 | $4,500 / 4mo | $95 |
Don’t apply blind — the biggest reason applications get denied is issuer eligibility rules. Check which of these you can actually get →
Other categories
- Biggest credit card sign-up bonuses right now
- Best cash-back credit cards
- Best no-annual-fee credit cards with sign-up bonuses
- Best first credit cards for churning (under 5/24)
- Best Chase credit card sign-up bonuses
- Best American Express credit card sign-up bonuses
- Best Citi credit card sign-up bonuses
- Best Capital One credit card sign-up bonuses
- Best Bank of America credit card sign-up bonuses
- Best Barclays credit card sign-up bonuses
- Best Wells Fargo credit card sign-up bonuses
- Best U.S. Bank credit card sign-up bonuses
Values are estimates based on our point valuations and current offers, which change frequently. See how we value rewards. Verify terms on the issuer’s site before applying.