By John EganAre Travel Credit Cards Worth It?
By John Egan
Quick Answer
A travel credit card might be worth it if you frequently travel and want a more luxurious experience, or if you’re saving for a big trip and can use the rewards for luxury bookings. Additionally, some cards offer benefits and savings that might more than offset the card’s annual fee.
Having a travel credit card in your wallet is like having a financial passport, opening the door to all sorts of travel benefits. A travel credit card might be worth it if you frequently travel or want a more high-end experience, or if you're saving for a big trip and can use the rewards for luxury bookings.
However, a travel card might not be worth it if you travel infrequently or don't tend to pay off your credit card balances each month.
What Is a Travel Credit Card?
A travel credit card lets you earn travel-related rewards when you make eligible purchases. This could give you miles for airfare, points for hotel stays or rewards for short-term rentals. Some travel cards may go even further by offering perks such as airport lounge access or travel insurance.
Best travel cards of 2026
Compare cards from our partners that earn valuable points or miles and unlock travel perks on flights and hotel stays.
Offers from our partners
American Express Platinum Card®
Intro bonus:
As High As 175,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.
You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Ongoing APR:See Pay Over Time APR
Rewards:
1x - 5x (Points per dollar)
Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
Annual Fee:$895
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:19.74% - 29.74% (Variable)
Rewards:
2x (Miles per dollar)
Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent at gas stations and restaurants, and on eligible American Airlines purchases. Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases.
Annual Fee:$99, waived for first 12 months
Credit One Bank® Wander® American Express® Metal Card
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:
1% - 10% (cash back)
Earn 5% cash back rewards on eligible dining, gas, & travel purchases, 1% cash back rewards on all other purchases, and 10% cash back rewards on eligible hotel and car rentals booked using the Credit One Bank travel partner. Cash back rewards will be awarded as rewards points redeemable for a statement credit, gift cards, travel, and more. Terms apply.
Annual Fee:$95
Hilton Honors American Express Card
Intro bonus:
70,000 Points
Earn 70,000 Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 01/13/2027.
Ongoing APR:19.74%-28.74% Variable
Rewards:
3x - 7x (Points per dollar)
Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio. Earn 5X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card: at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, at U.S. gas stations. Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
Annual Fee:$0
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Intro bonus:
100,000 Bonus Points
Earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Ongoing APR:19.74%-28.74% Variable
Rewards:
2x - 6x (Points per dollar)
Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Earn 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. Earn 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
Annual Fee:$650
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
Intro bonus:
Earn 2 Delta Comfort Flight Certificates + 50K Miles
Earn two domestic Delta Comfort Flight Certificates + 50,000 Bonus Miles after $10,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. A 21+ day advance purchase required. Taxes and fees up to $80 per person apply. Terms and other restrictions apply. Offer ends 11/04/2026.
Ongoing APR:19.74%-28.74% Variable
Rewards:
1x - 3x (Miles per dollar)
Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
Annual Fee:$650
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
Intro bonus:
As High As 80K Miles + $250 Statement Credit
You may be eligible for as high as 80,000 Bonus Miles and a $250 Statement Credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply to find out your offer. Terms Apply. Offer ends 11/04/2026.
Ongoing APR:19.74%-28.74% Variable
Rewards:
1x - 2x (Miles per dollar)
When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, you can earn: 2X miles on Delta Purchases, 2X miles at restaurants, 2X miles at U.S. supermarkets, 1X miles on all other eligible purchases. Every mile you earn brings you closer to the places you want to go. Turn them into your next trip, use them for seat upgrades, and more.
Annual Fee:$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.
Citi Double Cash® Card
Intro APR:0% for 18 months on Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:18.24% - 28.24% (Variable)
Rewards:
2% (cash back)
Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
Annual Fee:$0
See all our best travel credit cards for 2026.
Types of Travel Credit Cards
There are three types of travel credit cards: general, airline and hotel. Here, we explore each kind of card.
General Travel Credit Card
A general travel credit card is not tied to an airline, a hotel chain or any other provider of travel services. Therefore, you enjoy the freedom of determining how you earn and redeem rewards.
This type of card typically provides rewards in the form of points, which you can earn by making everyday purchases. You may be able to earn even more points with transactions in certain spending categories, such as travel or dining.
On top of the rewards, a general travel credit card might supply travel perks such as a 0% foreign transaction fee or a statement credit for the cost of a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry membership.
You generally redeem rewards from general travel cards by:
- Reserving travel through the card issuer's travel portal.
- Applying the rewards to travel costs paid with your card.
- Moving rewards to affiliated airline or hotel loyalty programs, and then reserving flights or stays through those programs.
Learn more: How Do Travel Credit Cards Work?
Airline Credit Card
If you regularly fly on a certain airline, getting an airline credit card could be a smart move.
When you make purchases with an airline credit card, you can earn points or miles connected to the airline's loyalty program. The rewards normally are richer if you use an airline card to pay for airfare. For instance, you might score 5 miles per dollar when you make an airline purchase with the airline's card compared with the usual 2 miles.
Depending on the card, you can redeem rewards for things like plane tickets, seat upgrades, free checked bags and early boarding privileges. You must follow the rules of the airline's loyalty program to redeem rewards.
Hotel Credit Card
As with an airline credit card, a hotel credit card might let you pile up a generous amount of points when you use the card to book a room with an affiliated hotel. For instance, if you stay at hotels operated by Hilton when taking business trips, you'll likely collect more points if you charge your stays on a card connected to Hilton than if you use the same card for everyday purchases.
In addition, the hotel card might afford you some perks, such as room upgrades, free breakfast, early check-ins, late checkouts and elevated status in the hotel chain's loyalty program.
Remember that you must adhere to a hotel chain's rules about redeeming points.
Pros and Cons of Travel Credit Cards
Just like any credit card, a travel credit card comes with pros and cons.
Pros
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Travel benefits: Among the potential benefits of travel credit cards are 0% foreign transaction fees, free checked bags, airline seat upgrades, hotel room upgrades, free checked bags and airport lounge access.
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Card bonuses: When you sign up for a travel credit card, you might be able to take advantage of a bonus like 80,000 extra airline miles, 30,000 extra hotel points, free-stay awards or an appealing intro APR.
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No annual fee: Some travel credit cards don't charge an annual fee.
Cons
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Airline and hotel restrictions: If you have a travel credit card tied to a specific airline or hotel chain, you probably won't squeeze much value out of it unless you frequently fly with the associated airline or frequently book stays with the associated hotel chain.
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Potentially high annual fee: Perk-loaded premium travel credit cards, also known as luxury travel credit cards, generally charge a high annual fee to offset the cost of all of a card's goodies.
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Strict credit requirements: When you apply for a premium travel credit card, you normally need a good or excellent credit score to be approved. That's because the credit limits for these cards are typically higher than those for some other cards.
Are Travel Credit Cards Worth It?
Before applying for a travel card, think about whether it's worth it based on your travel and spending habits.
When a Travel Credit Card Could Be Worth It
- You travel frequently: On the road or in the air several times a year? A travel card might make sense.
- You can qualify for the card's signup bonus: If you're sure you can make enough purchases to secure the card's intro bonus, the card could pay off.
- You pay off your balance each month: If you reduce your balance to zero every month, the rewards of a travel credit card are that much more rewarding because you're not stuck with interest payments.
When a Travel Credit Card May Not Be Worth It
- You don't travel much: If you're not on the road or in the air several times a year, a travel credit card might be pointless.
- You carry a balance from month to month: When you carry a balance each month, you're hit with interest charges that water down the value of a travel credit card.
- You're paying a high annual fee: Let's say the benefits of a card might not offset its high annual fee. In this case, you're likely better off looking for a different kind of card.
How to Choose a Travel Card
So, you're taking the leap and getting a travel card. Now what? As you're trying to choose a travel card, pay attention to:
- Intro offers: A credit card with an intro bonus of miles or points can boost your rewards stash and help cover the cost of that Hawaiian getaway you've been eyeing. Before filling out an application, carefully read the terms and figure out whether you can handle the card's spending requirements without carrying a balance or busting your budget.
- Rewards rates: Many travel cards offer rewards in different tiers, meaning you earn higher or lower amounts of points or miles for each dollar spent based on where you use a card. Search for a card that closely matches your spending behavior.
- Redemption options: Sift through a card's redemption and transfer options to ensure you'd maximize the card's value.
- Card perks: Review the list of cardholder benefits, including travel protections and insurance. Assess which ones you'll frequently use and hunt for a card with those benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Bottom Line
A travel credit card can help you earn points or miles for trips and gain perks like hotel room upgrades, airport lounge access and travel insurance. It's typically worth it for frequent travelers who pay off their balances monthly and can maximize rewards, while less-frequent travelers or those carrying month-to-month balances might not find a travel card so rewarding.
Choosing the right general, airline or hotel credit card comes down to your spending habits, desired perks and willingness to potentially pay an annual fee. Before applying for a travel credit card, check your credit report and FICO® ScoreΘ for free with Experian to see your credit stands.
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About the author
John Egan
John Egan is a freelance writer, editor and content marketing strategist in Austin, Texas. His work has been published by outlets such as CreditCards.com, Bankrate, Credit Karma, LendingTree, PolicyGenius, HuffPost, National Real Estate Investor and Urban Land.
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