Top-Notch Credit Card Travel Perks To Elevate Your Trips

If you’re a frequent traveler, you know how much the costs can add up. The good news is that travel credit cards can help you save money and elevate your trip through the variety of perks they offer. Whether your goal is to earn miles to pay for your next big vacation or to make your trip a bit more luxurious with airport lounge access, there’s a travel credit card that can help you do that.

When you’re choosing the right card, it’s important to consider which travel perks are most important and valuable to you, as well as how much you’re willing to pay to get them.

Key Takeaways

The variety and value of travel-related credit card perks can significantly enhance travel experiences.
Evaluating travel perks requires considering one’s travel habits and preferences.
Some credit cards offer unique perks for frequent flyers and international travelers that can save time and money and offer luxury experiences.
Maximizing travel perks often involves strategically planning your spending and combining benefits from multiple credit cards.

Understanding Credit Card Perks for Travelers

Travel credit cards offer various perks to elevate and make travel more affordable for cardholders while also enticing them to sign up for the card, use it for spending, and pay an annual fee.

“Perks for travel credit cards typically include things like access to airport lounges, priority boarding, a free bag check, travel insurance, and no foreign transaction fees,” said Erika Kullberg, an attorney and credit card expert. “Travel credit card perks have the potential to save cardholders a good deal of money, and can make travel more comfortable to boot.”

You typically qualify for travel credit card perks by using your card. First, you’ll earn points or miles each time you spend on your card—you can then use those points or miles to pay for travel. Additionally, when you use your travel credit card to pay for your trip, you may have access to other card perks, such as priority flight boarding on airline flights or free checked bags.

Credit Cards With Travel Perks

There’s no shortage of credit cards that offer travel perks. The table below breaks down some of the most popular travel credit cards and the perks available, ordered based on annual fee:

You can also get cards connected to specific airline or hotel loyalty programs, such as Delta Skymiles or Hilton Honors. Such cards may offer more brand-specific travel perks than more general travel cards which may be beneficial if you already have airline or hotel preferences when traveling.

How To Evaluate Travel Perks

According to Jennifer Doss, credit card analyst and the executive editor of the credit card site CardRatings, the first step to evaluating travel perks and choosing a travel credit card is to decide whether you’re okay with paying an annual fee. Generally speaking, the better the card perks, the more likely the card is to have an annual fee—and the higher the annual fee will be.

“Most often, the best travel credit cards come with fees, but they can usually be offset by card perks,” said Doss. “A once-a-year traveler, however, might not want to pay an annual fee, and if that’s the case, they’ll want to search for a no-annual-fee travel card.”

Once you’ve decided whether you’re okay with an annual fee, you can start to evaluate individual perks. The best way to do this is to consider your travel style and frequency and identify which card perks best align with those.

“For example, everybody wants airport lounge access, but the reality is that you are going to be paying $400 or more in annual fees for a credit card that offers it,” said Nick Serati, the co-founder of Thrifty Traveler.

“That may make sense for a business-traveling road warrior who is in airports every week, but for somebody who travels two or maybe three times a year, is that really worth the cost,” said Serati. “Those individuals will probably be better suited by a lower annual fee card that doesn’t provide as many benefits but can still offer them value for the few trips a year they are taking.

Here are a few specific factors to consider when evaluating travel credit cards and perks:

How frequently you travel

Whether you’re okay with paying an annual fee

Whether you travel domestically or internationally

Whether you’re loyal to a specific airline or hotel chain

Whether you opt for budget or luxury travel

Top Credit Card Perks for Frequent Flyers

If you’re a frequent flyer, a travel credit card helps you rack up lots of rewards throughout the year and save money on expenses you would be paying for anyway. Here are a few of the best travel credit card perks for frequent flyers.

Points or Miles

One of the most important features of a travel credit card is the ability to earn points or miles, which you can then redeem for travel expenses like flights and hotel rooms. The type of reward you’ll earn and the rate at which you earn it depends on your credit card.

Some cards offer elevated rewards in certain spending categories. For example, a credit card might offer 2 points per $1 spent on dining out and 1 point per $1 spent on all other expenses. In the case of travel cards, you’ll get a higher per-dollar earning rate on travel purchases.

The ability to earn points or miles is practically universal across travel credit cards, but it’s important to choose a card that offers earnings rates that align with your spending categories.

TSA PreCheck

TSA PreCheck allows you to go through an expedited screening process at the airport. You won’t have to remove things you might have to during the normal TSA screening process, such as your shoes, belts, and jackets from your body, and liquids or electronics from your bag. You’re often also able to go through a shorter security line.

Many travel credit cards offer a statement credit for the cost of TSA PreCheck, and the TSA even maintains a list of the more than three dozen cards that offer this perk. A few popular examples include several American Express, U.S. Bank, and Capital One cards, as well as the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Airport Lounge Access

“The most sought-after airline credit card perk is typically airport lounge access,” said Doss.

Airport lounges can be a quiet and relaxing space to wait for your flight. Many offer complimentary food and beverages. They can be especially attractive if you have long layovers.

“Some brand-specific credit cards offer this access at brand-specific lounges, but there also general travel credit cards which offer lounge access as a perk to cardholders,” said Doss.

Airport lounge access is generally one of the more premium perks you can get with a travel credit card, meaning you should expect to pay a high annual fee.

A few examples of premium cards that offer this perk include:

The Platinum Card from American Express
Capital One Venture X Rewards
Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card
Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard
United Club Infinite Card

Priority Boarding

Priority boarding allows you to board the plane before other passengers. Though you may not be the first person on the plan, priority boarding usually allows you to board in one of the earlier groups. Key benefits of priority boarding include not having to wait in line and ensuring you’ll be able to find room in the overhead storage above your seat.

Priority boarding generally requires an airline-specific card. This perk is best for frequent travelers who are loyal to a specific airline. Priority boarding is available for the following travel credit cards/airlines:

Citi / AAdvantage cards
Delta SkyMiles cards
United Airlines cards
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature
Frontier Airlines World Mastercard
JetBlue Business Card
Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card
Free Spirit World Elite Mastercard

Free Checked Bag Allowance

Most credit cards charge a fee for checked baggage, and those costs can add up when you’re traveling with your family, and everyone brings their own bag. Luckily, there are plenty of travel cards that can help you avoid this fee.

First, airline credit cards often allow you to get one or more free checked bags. Some cards offer a free checked bag only for the cardholder, while others also allow a free checked bag for any travel companions.

Even if you don’t have an airline-specific credit card, you may still be able to avoid paying a checked bag fee.

Several premium travel rewards cards, including The Platinum Card by American Express, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and the Venture X Rewards, offer airline fee credits, which cover airline fees (such as checked bag charges) up to a specific dollar amount each year.

Elite Status

Elite status is a perk that’s often available through hotel credit cards. Hotel elite status comes with various perks, depending on your credit card and the hotel chain. Popular perks could include late checkout, free upgrades, complimentary breakfast, and more.

This perk is likely a good fit for you if you travel frequently and stay with the same hotel chain. A few cards that offer this perk include Marriott Bonvoy cards, World of Hyatt cards, Hilton Honors cards, and IHG One Rewards cards.

Top Credit Card Perks for International Travelers

If you frequently travel internationally, you may be looking for a different set of perks to save you money, save you time, or protect you on your trip. Let’s talk about a few examples of important credit card perks for international travelers.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

Foreign transaction fees are assessed by credit card issuers on foreign transactions, meaning those made in a currency other than USD. Foreign transaction fees can be as high as 3% of the purchase price. For example, a $100 purchase could have a foreign transaction fee of $3.

Many travel credit cards, and even some non-travel cards, waive foreign transaction fees. This is a money-saving perk for international travelers, and a common one. Many no- or low-annual-fee travel cards offer this perk.

Global Entry Credits

Global Entry is a program that allows travelers to go through an expedited customs process when they arrive in the United States. This program can save you significant time at the airport. Similar to TSA PreCheck, several credit cards offer credits to pay for Global Entry as a travel perk.

A few popular examples include:

The Platinum Card from American Express
Capital One Venture Rewards and Venture X Rewards
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Bank of America Premium Rewards card
U.S. Bank Altitude Connect and Altitude Reserve

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance can help reimburse you for certain expenses if you run into problems on your trip. Common protections that travel insurance offers include trip delay, interruption, or cancellation; delayed, lost, or damaged baggage; rental car insurance; and more. In dire situations, they can even facilitate emergency evacuations.

Travel insurance can help significantly reduce your out-of-pocket costs if you have to cancel your trip at the last minute or if you have to change or postpone your travel plans. You can get travel insurance through several popular credit cards, including multiple American Express, Capital One, and Chase cards.

How To Maximize Your Travel Perks

With so many different travel credit cards and perks available, it can be challenging to know how to balance and maximize them all. Let’s talk about a few strategies to help you maximize your perks, saving you the most time and money on your travels.

1. Spend Strategically

“In addition to being smart about where you choose to travel with your credit card, you’ll also want to maximize the travel perks you get from your card by using it strategically,” said Kullberg.

First, keep track of which cards earn you the best rewards in specific categories. For example, if you have a travel card that offers 3 or 4 points per $1 spent on groceries, use that card for your grocery shopping. You may end up using a different card for eating out or gas station spending, depending on your cards. Many travel cards offer elevated rewards on travel purchases.

It’s also important to make sure you’re using the right card for your travel purchases. If you have multiple travel cards and one offers free checked bags or priority boarding, you’ll want to make sure to use that card to book your trip.

2. Take Advantage of Welcome Bonuses

Many rewards credit cards offer welcome bonuses, where you’ll get a certain number of points or miles for spending a certain amount after you open the card. For example, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you might earn the card’s welcome bonus for spending $4,000 in the first three months of opening the card.

The amount of points you can earn through a welcome bonus depends on the card and the time of year. Some cards offer limited-time offers with higher welcome bonuses. If you’re planning a big trip, it might make sense to open a new credit card several months ahead of time to earn the reward to help fund your travel expenses.

3. Combine Perks From Multiple Cards

You can make the most of your travel credit cards by strategically combining perks from multiple cards. First, you can be strategic about the card you’re using for each purpose to ensure you’re getting the benefits you need from each card.

If you have two cards from the same ecosystem—for example, two Chase cards or two American Express cards—you may be able to transfer your points from one card to another. Even if you have two cards of different ecosystems, you could effectively combine your points by transferring the points from both cards to the same travel partner, such as an airline or a hotel.

Combining points from multiple cards is beneficial because it allows you to do all of your shopping in each category with the card that gives you the best bonus while still consolidating all of those points in one place.

4. Understand the Terms and Conditions

It’s critical that you fully read and understand the terms and conditions of each of your credit cards. Know what redemption offers are available and which aren’t, and pay attention to what requirements you must meet to use each of your card perks. The last thing you want is to plan a trip under the assumption you’ll have certain benefits, only to realize you didn’t check all of the right metaphorical boxes.

5. Pay Your Balance in Full

A good rule of thumb for any credit card, not just travel credit cards, is to pay your balance in full each month. Paying your balance in full ensures that you won’t pay interest on your purchases. And while some people might appreciate the ability to spread their purchases out over a longer timespan, the interest you’ll pay can essentially cancel out any rewards you’re earning.

As of February 2024 (the most recent data available), the average credit card has an interest rate of 21.59%. Suppose you charge $3,000 on a card that charges the average interest rate. In the first month, you would accrue more than $50 of interest—and that amount will only rise over time. It won’t take long for the amount you pay in interest on your travel expenses to exceed the travel perks you earned.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Are the Hidden Costs of Credit Card Travel Perks?

One of the biggest costs of credit card travel perks is the annual fee you’ll pay for your card. Annual fees on travel credit cards often start around $95 per year but can be as high as $695. Another hidden cost that people may not think about is interest, which accrues when you don’t pay off all of the purchases by the end of the statement period.

Can Credit Card Perks Be Combined With Loyalty Programs From Airlines and Hotels?

Most travel credit cards allow you to transfer your points to partner airline and hotel loyalty programs. If you already have perks through your preferred airline or hotel, simply transfer your credit card points to combine those rewards.

Can Changes in Credit Card Terms Affect My Travel Perks?

Credit cards can change the terms of a card, which could ultimately affect your travel perks. Card issuers are required to give at least 45 days’ notice for certain changes, such as interest rates and fees, but that rule doesn’t generally apply to card perks.

What Is a Premium Travel Credit Card?

A premium travel credit card offers elevated travel perks, usually in exchange for a much higher annual fee. Some examples of the most popular travel credit cards include The Platinum Card from American Express, the Capital One Venture X Rewards card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

The Bottom Line

Travel credit card perks can save you a lot of money and make your travel experience more pleasant. Look for perks like priority boarding, free bag checks, no foreign transaction fees, and access to airport lounges. However, keep in mind that many travel cards charge an annual fee. Plus, terms and conditions can change at any time. Do your research and consider your travel goals before signing up for a new card.