What is the best travel Credit Card?
I know there are some very influential people that do not like credit cards, like Dave Ramsey https://www.ramseysolutions.com/debt/excuses-to-keep-credit-cards . But I disagree with him on this. I pay off my balance every month, I have a rainy day fund for emergencies, so I never have to pay interest. I look at credit cards like a free 30 day loan, it’s free as long as I pay the balance each month. In return I get at least 2% back, sometimes more depending on how the points are spent. For those who travel frequently, a travel credit card can provide even more benefits.
That article has been written hundreds of times and they all give you great information, like the Nerd Wallet or The Points Guy, tons of information and advise. Instead of rehashing that I am going to tell you the travel credits I actually use.
What Travel Cards Do I use?
- Capital One Venture X – I love this card! It is our primary credit card, and it has paid for several vacations. We use it to pay for most things, utilities, insurance, groceries, and so on. The annual fee on this card is $395, WOAH! You’re thinking that seems awfully high, it can’t possibly be worth it. First off, there’s a 75,000 bonus miles if you spend $4000 in the first 3 months, ok, so maybe that isn’t the greatest benefit. However, every year you get $300 in travel credit, which needs to be booked through the Capital One travel site. We use it every year, so that means I’m really just paying $95 for the card. But the biggest benefit for us is the lounge benefit. You and every cardholder can get a Priority Pass card, which grants you access to over 1700 lounges around the world. You can get multiple cards for family members! This means my oldest children get them without any extra fees. They use them to fuel up vehicles and run errands for Mom and Dad. Each Priority Pass holder can invite up to 2 guests, so we can get our whole family into the lounge. Why is getting all 9 of us into the lounge such a big deal, you ask? Well, in the lounge there is free food and drinks. Do you want a Coke or water? check! It’s there (we bring empty Stanley cups to fill in the lounge). Want some real food like tacos or soups, check. Want some brownies or cookies? Check and check! If we were to feed the whole crew in the airport, it would be close to $200 per meal, and sometimes you’re travelling far and you need multiple meals. With just one visit to a lounge, the credit card cost disappears, and we’re doing great. Now I’m just talking costs. I’m not even talking about the comfortable, clean, and contained area for your family to gather and charge devices while you wait for your flights. The lounges have become an amazing perk for our family! I’m pretty excited to try the new Capital One Venture lounge in Las Vegas, when it opens up. Another bonus the Capital One Venture X card gives you is $120 towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, which means it’s free. The TSA PreCheck is totally worth it, Bonnie and I both have it, and whenever we book our kids with us, they automatically get the PreCheck too (even though we didn’t go through the process for it), so the whole family goes through precheck! (As a couple, the $120 is only good for 1 person, so we used this card for one of us and the Delta Sky Miles for the other) The reward points for this card never expire, start earning now and save for your next vacation! Apply for your Capital One Venture X card here!
- Delta Sky Miles Platinum American Express Card – Current bonus offer is 90,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first 6 months. The annual fee is $350. Now you’re thinking Tim is some kind of elitist getting all these highfalutin credit cards, not true, there is logic for these things. There are 2 really big reasons I get this card, the first reason is the free companion ticket every year (that’s worth at least $300 every year), and the second is the free checked bags. I can book up to 8 other people on my reservation, and everyone gets the free baggage. Once again, with a large family one flight pays for this a few times over. The companion ticket is transferrable to anyone, which is nice, they have added a ton of places in the last year to the companion ticket (previously, it was once only US domestic flights). The card also offers $120 for TSA PreCheck. (As a couple the $120 is only good for 1 person so we used this card for one of us and the Venture card for the other). Elevate your travel experience with an annual statement credit of up to $150 after using your Card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com. Elevate your travel experience with an annual statement credit of up to $150 after using your Card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com. Transform your car rental experience with Hertz Five Star® Status, compliments of your Delta Platinum Card. Once again, if you use the perks this credit card pays for itself, just like the Capital One Venture X. Apply for your Delta Platinum Card Here
- Chase IHG One Rewards Premiere – Bonus offer is 140,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. The annual fee for this card is $99, not nearly as high as the other cards. The perk that we use the most is the free reward night you get every year, always worth more than $99. Why IHG and not Hyatt or Marriott? Well, Holiday Inn Hotels (owned by IHG, they have many other brands) usually have big rooms with 2 queen beds and a pull out bed (I know some Marriott’s do too, but the Holiday Inns are typically more affordable) that’s a good amount of sleeping room for our large crew. Also, the Holiday Inns usually have free breakfast, another big score for large families. Apply for your IHG card here.
- Chase Prime Visa – OK not a travel card but who doesn’t use amazon (like the joke that says if I worked for Amazon delivery they would let me work from home)? You get 5% back on all Amazon purchases and the annual fee is $0. The bonus offer currently is $100 amazon gift card, sounds great to me (I didn’t get any bonus when I got mine years ago). Apply for the Chase Prime Visa here.
