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Travel Rewards Credit Cards
Airline tickets, cruises, hotel stays, and general vacation expenses can take a toll on your wallet. The good news is that they don't have to if you plan ahead by making purchases with a travel rewards credit card. These deals allow you to earn points or miles toward your next vacation or flight which can help off-set the sometimes prohibitive cost of going somewhere you've been dying to visit. The more you spend, the more you earn, and in some cases you can book a whole trip using nothing but miles or points. View the following travel rewards credit cards below to find a deal that will align with your needs and desires. When you've found an attractive offer, you may apply securely online over the issuer's website by clicking on the "apply" button.
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- Earn 10,000 Bonus Miles with every $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months - up to 20,000 Bonus Miles
- 1 Mile on every $1 you spend - Plus flexible redemption options like travel credits, merchandise, gift cards or cash
- 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 12 months, then the variable purchase APR of 10.99% - 15.99%*
- No restrictions on travel--fly on any airline, book any hotel or car, with no blackout dates
- Travel benefits include secondary collision damage insurance when you rent a car with your Miles by Discover card
- Discover is ranked #1 in customer loyalty--16 years in a row! (2012 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index report)
- Great rewards with no annual fee, no rewards redemption fee, and no additional card fee
- *Click apply to view rates, fees, rewards, limitations and other important information.
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Intro APR
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Intro APR Period
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APR
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Annual Fee
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Balance Transfer
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Minimum Credit Required
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0%
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12 months on Balance Transfers
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10.99%-15.99% (Variable)*
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$0*
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Yes*
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Excellent
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- Earn up to $250 in travel rewards--1,000 Bonus miles every month you make a purchase for the first 25 months
- Double Miles on every $1 you spend
- 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 6 months, then the variable purchase APR of 10.99% - 16.99%*
- No restrictions on travel--fly on any airline, book any hotel or car, with no blackout dates
- Flexible redemption options like travel credits, merchandise, gift cards or cash
- Travel Insurance benefits, including primary car rental, lost or damaged luggage, travel delay, and trip cancellation when you book with your Escape by Discover card
- Discover is ranked #1 in customer loyalty--16 years in a row! (2012 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index report)
- *Click apply to view rates, fees, rewards, limitations and other important information
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Intro APR
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Intro APR Period
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APR
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Annual Fee
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Balance Transfer
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Minimum Credit Required
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0%*
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6 months on purchases and balance transfers*
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10.99%-16.99% (Variable)*
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$60*
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Yes*
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Excellent
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| Citi® Hilton HHonors® Visa Signature® Card |
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- Earn 40,000 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points after spending $1000 within 4 months of account opening*
- Earn 6 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points for each $1 spent at a participating hotel within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio*
- Earn 3 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points for each $1 spent on purchases at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations*
- Earn 2 Hilton HHonors Bonus Points for each $1 spent on all other purchases*
- No annual fee.*
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Intro APR
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Intro APR Period
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APR
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Annual Fee
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Balance Transfer
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Minimum Credit Required
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N/A*
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N/A*
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14.24-16.24% (Variable)*
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$0.00*
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N/A*
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Excellent
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| Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card |
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- Earn 50,000 Bonus Points after your first use
- Receive 1 free night stay upon account approval and each year upon account anniversary
- Earn 5 points for every $1 spent at Marriott® locations
- Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on qualifying airline, dining, and rental car purchases
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on other purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
- Cardmembers achieve Silver elite status with 15 nights credit toward Elite status
- Redeem Marriott Rewards® points at Marriott properties including Renaissance Hotels, Courtyard, Residence Inn, and Fairfield Inn & Suites
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Intro APR
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Intro APR Period
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APR
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Annual Fee
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Balance Transfer
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Minimum Credit Required
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N/A*
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N/A*
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15.24% (Variable)*
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$85.00*
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Yes*
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Excellent
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| Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card |
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- Now! Earn a Free Flight after your first purchase
- Get 3,000 Points every year on your Card member Anniversary - that can be redeemed for a $50 Wanna Get Away® Fare
- Now you can redeem for International Travel, Hotels, Gift Cards and more.
- Earn unlimited Free Flights- 2 Points per $1 Spent on Southwest Purchases and 1 Point per $1 Spent on Everything else
- Your Bags Fly Free!No Blackout Dates, Points Don't Expire, and Unlimited Reward Seats!
- No Change fees - if you need to change your flight, you won't be charged a fee.
- September 11th Security Fee Applies
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Intro APR
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Intro APR Period
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APR
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Annual Fee
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Balance Transfer
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Minimum Credit Required
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N/A*
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N/A*
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15.24% (Variable)*
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$69.00*
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Yes*
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Excellent
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| United MileagePlus® Explorer Card |
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- Earn up to 40,000 bonus miles & first year free, a $95 value*
- First checked bag is free for you and a companion when you fly United flights, up to a $50 value
- Board your flight before general boarding with priority boarding privileges
- Visit the United Club with two complimentary day passes every year, up to a $100 value
- Earn 2 miles for each $1 spent on airline tickets purchased from United and 1 mile per $1 for everything else
- Your miles don't expire and there is no limit to the number of miles you can earn
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Intro APR
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Intro APR Period
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APR
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Annual Fee
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Balance Transfer
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Minimum Credit Required
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N/A*
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N/A*
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15.24% (Variable)*
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$0.00 1st year, then $95.00*
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Yes*
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Excellent
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Travel Rewards Credit Cards vs. General Points Rewards Programs
Which are better? Though everyone's situation is different, by and large, the general credit card with points is a better deal when it comes to rewards than a travel offer. The reason is this: travel rewards programs are limiting, and some are more limiting than others. There are two different types of cards with travel perks. One is a general miles card and the other is a merchant specific offer. General miles cards operate in the same way that points rewards offers do in the respect that you may earn miles or points for purchases made. These in turn may be redeemed for anything that's travel related: airline tickets, hotels, cruises, etc. In our opinion, what's problematic about this is that the sole distinguishing difference in most cases between general travel rewards programs and points credit cards is that with the points variety you can redeem your earnings for just about anything, including travel, whereas with travel cards you are limited to just travel redemption. From a pricing standpoint, points programs tend to come with either an annual fee or lack of a 0% term. In many cases miles cards come without a fee or with a 0% term, and in some cases both. As a consumer, depending on your spending habits, and whether or not you are going to carry a balance will determine which is right for you. But, in almost all cases, for an individual with no intention of rolling over a balance from month to month, when faced with deciding to use a points or travel/miles card, the points card is usually the better choice.
Merchant or airline specific cards are a bit more complicated. As a rule of thumb, these aren't the most consumer-friendly offers. They usually come with higher interest rates, unfavorable lengths (if they even exist) for their introductory terms, and a lack of flexibility for redemption as you are typically limited to the co-branded vendor and their partners. Plus you can usually book travel through the same merchants with a general miles or points card. However, there are some cases where as a consumer you may want to go with a specific travel card, usually in the event that you travel frequently on the specific airline or stay in the hotel very often of the co-branded card. This may give you the ability to earn preferred upgrades to business/first class for airlines and in the case of hotels, upgrades or discounts on stays.
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