Wondering how to choose the best travel credit card? Don’t worry. I’m about to make it really easy for you. (Free quiz!)
There are hundreds of travel credit cards out there to choose from, which can be extremely overwhelming for travel hacking and travel credit card newbies.
Between the opening bonuses, points per dollar ratios, card benefits and more, there is a lot to consider before opening your new card.
That’s why I’ve created this free downloadable quiz to tell you exactly which travel credit card is best for you, no matter if you’re completely new to the points systems or a seasoned travel hacking pro.
We’ll talk more about this quiz in a moment, but if you’re anxious to see your results, you can download the quiz here!
What’s the point of a travel credit card?
Simply put, the point of a travel credit card is to earn free travel, in the form of flights, accommodations and car rentals, by putting your everyday purchases on the travel credit card.
Yes, you can actually travel for free using travel credit cards. It’s called travel hacking.
I’ve booked trips all around the world to places like Italy, France, Ireland, Iceland, Denmark and more for free — just by putting my daily expenses on a travel credit card, paying off the credit card in full every month and redeeming the points for free travel.
Which bank is best for travel card?
Capital One is the best bank for travel cards overall.
Although Chase was the best bank for travel cards in prior years, Capital One has taken quickly the lead with its new Capital One Venture X card, which rivals the previously leading Chase Sapphire Reserve card, with similar benefits, a higher opening bonus and a much lower annual fee.
Capital One Venture X Vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve
| Card | Points Per dollar | Opening Bonus | Benefits | Annual Fee |
| Capital One Venture X | 2x | 75,000 after spending $4000 in 3 months | $300 annual travel credit, TSA Pre, Global Entry, anniversary bonus, lounge access, no foreign transaction fee, travel insurance and more. | $395 |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | 1x | 60,000 after spending $4000 in 3 months | $300 annual travel credit, TSA Pre, Global Entry, lounge access, no foreign transaction fee, travel insurance and more. | $550 |
That being said, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Capital One is the best bank for you to open a travel credit card.
These two popular travel credit cards are two of the most expensive premium travel credit cards on the market. You may be looking for a cheaper, or even free, alternative.
Luckily, there are other types of travel credit cards to choose from, such as airline cards and hotel chain cards. All of which can earn free travel.
So, how do you choose the best travel credit card for you?
How To Choose The Best Travel Credit Card
To choose the best travel credit card for you, determine your goals as a traveler and find the travel credit card that best aligns with those goals.
For example, do you want to travel as many places as possible without caring which airlines you fly on or what hotels you stay in? Or, are you brand loyal to one particular airline or hotel chain?
If you want to travel to as many places as possible, don’t care about which airline you fly on and would rather fly on the cheapest flights anyway, I highly recommend the Capital One Venture card (which I use everyday) or the Capital One Venture X card (which I will soon be upgrading to).
On the other hand, if you have a strong opinion about sticking with one particular airline or hotel chain, and would rather receive free upgrades over more frequent free travel, it may be worth looking into your preferred airline or hotel’s travel credit card.
Lastly, if you want to begin seriously travel hacking (earning credit card opening bonuses, redeeming the opening bonuses for free travel, closing the credit card, repeat), I recommend opening either the Capital One Venture, Capital One Venture X or Chase Sapphire Reserve first, depending on your budget for an annual fee.
Clearly, there are many things to consider when deciding which travel credit card you should open.
To help you decide, I have developed a free downloadable travel credit card quiz that you can take to help determine which travel card is best for you at this stage in your life.
Travel Credit Card Quiz
This travel credit card quiz will help you narrow down your options to one single travel card in less than five minutes.
All you have to do is click the button below, and the quiz will be sent straight to your email inbox.
Easy, right?
I wish this quiz would have existed when I first started travel hacking!
Now, this guide on how to choose the best travel credit card wouldn’t be complete without listing the overall best travel credit cards. If you still can’t choose a card after taking the quiz, this list should help.
Best Travel Credit Cards
- Capital One Venture X (premium)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve (premium)
- The Platinum Card American Express (premium)
- Capital One Venture (mid-tier)
- Chase Sapphire Preferred (mid-tier)
- US Bank Altitude Connect (no annual fee for the first year)
- Bank Of America Travel Rewards Card (mid-tier)
- Citi Premier Card (mid-tier)
- American Express Gold Card (mid-tier to premium)
- Capital One VentureOne (no annual fee)
Remember to take the free quiz here: Travel Hacking Quiz: Which Travel Credit Card Is Best For You?.
And, if you love the quiz, check out my ultimate ebook guide to budget travel, the Budget Travel Bible!
More On Travel Credit Cards
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How To Travel More This Year
How To Start Traveling in 6 Easy Steps
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