Best Credit Cards: Transform Everyday Spending into Free Travel

If you love traveling but don’t like spending money, try credit cards. They can help you save on flights, hotels, and even upgrades, get free hotel nights, and make your dream vacation a reality. In this article, I will tell you about credit cards for travel, what to look for, and how to maximize your benefits to get the most out of your travels. 

So, how do you make your everyday spending work for you?

Let me make a small but critical remark – the strategy of earning travel rewards through credit cards will only be successful if you pay off your expenses in full and on time.  If you carry credit card debts, it makes no sense.

Why Use Credit Cards For Travel?

Credit cards for travel are one of the best methods to access amazing experiences that might otherwise be unattainable. Imagine a free business-class flight or a free stay at a luxury hotel. 

Every dollar you spend with these cards earns you points or miles that can be used for a variety of purchases, including hotels, flights, and rental cars. With the right strategy, these rewards can help you travel in style without spending too much money.

You don’t have to have dozens of cards. Even with three well-chosen travel cards, you can get a couple of free trips each year if you use them strategically.

While a credit card strategy may sound complex, it’s actually straightforward to get started. It involves working within the rules set by airlines, credit cards, and hotels to earn free travel, including flights, stays, and upgrades. 

Don’t worry, and it’s more straightforward than it seems. 

Is everything really ‘Free’?

It is important to remember that in the world of points and miles, there are many ‘buts’ under the word ‘free’. 

Flights booked with points are often still subject to mandatory fees and taxes, especially on international routes, which can sometimes be substantial. Similarly, hotel stays paid for with points may not include additional costs such as parking fees, resort fees, or other incidentals that can add up quickly.

Hotels in popular destinations tend to offer premium services, such as room service, spas and restaurants, which are not covered by points and may carry a significant markup.

For those who like to ‘play the points and miles game’, it is important to have a clear understanding of these realities and plan for additional expenses to avoid surprises and benefit from travel.

Types Of Credit Cards

To make it easier for you to get your bearings, let’s focus on the main types of credit cards so that you understand how they differ.

There are generally two main types of travel credit cards: universal credit cards and co-branded cards. With the ability to transfer points earned by universal cards to other hotel and airline loyalty programs, you can use your rewards where they are most useful. Co-branded credit cards, on the other hand, are narrowly focused but at the same time, offer special benefits that only they can provide for their airline or hotel brands.

Co-branded Airline Credit Cards

Co-branded airline credit cards are particularly valuable for the perks they offer. For example, the checked-bag benefit alone can cover the cost of the annual fee after just one round trip. Here are some of the common airline benefits that make these cards worthwhile:

• Free Checked Baggage (for the first checked-in baggage or for the first two, and sometimes it applies to your travel companions; it all depends on the specific card)
• Priority Boarding: Many airline co-branded credit cards offer priority boarding, letting you board early.
• In-Flight Discounts: You may receive discounts on in-flight purchases, such as 25% off food and beverages or even free Wi-Fi.
• Lounge Access: Some cards offer full membership, while others provide limited or discounted access.
• Companion Fares: Certain cards offer a companion rate at a very discounted price.
• Elite Status Upgrade: Although credit card miles generally do not count towards elite status, holding an airline’s premium card may automatically qualify you for an upgraded tier in their loyalty program.

The major U.S. airlines—including American, United, Delta, Alaska,  Southwest, and others—offer multiple co-branded credit card options. Your choice might depend on which airline dominates your local airport. If you have several airlines offering frequent service from your airport, consider which carriers fly to your most common or preferred destinations.

Co-branded Hotel Credit Cards

Co-branded hotel credit cards also offer substantial value, especially if you frequently stay with a particular chain. Hotel credit cards typically offer more points per dollar on purchases with the hotel brand and often include bonus points in other categories. While hotel points may be worth less individually than airline miles, they are usually easier to earn in larger amounts. Common hotel credit card benefits include:

• Free Nights: Some cards offer free nights automatically every year or after a certain spending threshold. This benefit alone can offset the annual fee.
• Room Upgrades and Amenities: Cardholders may receive automatic room upgrades (when available) and discounts or free amenities like breakfast or spa services.
• Early Check-In/Late Check-Out: Many hotel cards provide early check-in and late check-out, which can be invaluable if your travel plans don’t align with typical hotel schedules.
• Accelerated Elite Status: Some hotel cards give you instant access to a higher loyalty tier just for being a cardholder.

Best Credit Cards That Everyone Should Have

The idea is to have one or more credit cards covering most of your everyday spending categories to maximize rewards. 

To cover more categories, you can choose two or three cards. Here’s a simple example: you can use one card to pay for groceries, gas, utilities, or even your rent and another for travel expenses.

Here are some of the cards recommended by travel rewards experts (Nerdwallet, Forbes and other):

• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
• Chase Freedom Unlimited
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
• Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
• World of Hyatt Credit Card
• Bilt World Elite Mastercard Credit Card
• United Explorer Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless

Card Name	Card Type	Annual Fee	Rewards Structure	Key Benefits	Transfer Partners
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card	Universal, Travel	$95	5x on travel via Chase, 3x dining, 2x other travel, 1x other purchases	Primary car rental insurance, no foreign transaction fees	Chase Ultimate Rewards Partners
Chase Freedom Unlimited	Universal, Cash Back	$0	5% travel via Chase, 3% dining/drugstores, 1.5% other purchases	Intro APR on purchases, DashPass access	Chase Ultimate Rewards Partners
Capital One Venture Rewards	Universal, Travel	$95	2x on all purchases, 5x on hotels/rental cars via Capital One Travel	TSA Pre credit, no foreign transaction fees	Capital One Transfer Partners
Capital One VentureOne Rewards	Universal, Travel	$0	1.25x on all purchases, 5x on hotels/rental cars via Capital One Travel	No annual fee, travel accident insurance	Capital One Transfer Partners
Ink Business Preferred	Universal, Business	$95	3x on travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone, and social media ads (up to $150k); 1x other purchases	Cell phone protection, no foreign transaction fees	Chase Ultimate Rewards Partners
World of Hyatt Credit Card	Co-branded, Hotel	$95	4x at Hyatt hotels, 2x on dining, flights, transit, 1x other purchases	Complimentary World of Hyatt status, annual free night
Bilt World Elite Mastercard	Universal, Travel	$0	1x on rent (up to 50,000 pts/year), 2x on travel, 3x on dining, 1x other purchases	Earn points on rent, no foreign transaction fees, trip delay insurance	Bilt Transfer Partners
United Explorer Card	Co-branded, Airline	$0 first year, then $95	2x on United purchases, dining, hotels; 1x other purchases	Free checked bag, priority boarding, and two United Club passes.	Earn and redeem United MileagePlus miles with Star Alliance partners
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless	Co-branded, Hotel	$95	6x at Marriott hotels, 2x on other purchases	Silver Elite status, an annual free night	Marriott Bonvoy Transfer Partners

How to Choose a Credit Card​

Selecting the first-class credit card for your wishes relies upon to your journey goals, loyalty to certain airline or lodge brands, spending habits, and the way you opt to redeem your rewards. 

Here’s a list of factors to consider when selecting the best first-class credit card:

• your travel goals,
• loyalty to specific airline or hotel brands,
• spending habits,
• preferred ways of redeeming rewards.

Follow the step-by-step guide to choose a credit card with confidence:

Step 1: Identify your travel preferences and loyalty programs

Start by thinking about whether you regularly stay at certain hotel brands or fly certain airlines:

• Hotel loyalty: If you have a preference for certain brands, consider co-branded card options. For example, the IHG Rewards Premier Card offers the great privilege of 4 free reward nights, automatic silver elite status and much more. For the Marriott Bonvoy brand, consider the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card, which gives you the opportunity to book rooms at a lower rate, automatically earn elite status, and easily convert points to miles and transfer them to miles.
• Airline loyalty: If you fly a particular airline more often, consider their cards. Cards like the United Explorer Card or Delta SkyMiles Gold Card offer valuable perks like a free first-checked bag, priority boarding, and bonus miles for loyalty program members.
• For holidaymakers who don’t have a clear choice of loyalty, a widespread travel rewards card that offers the flexibility to work with multiple brands is more suitable. In this case, each credit card loyalty program has unique partners, so it’s important to understand which airlines or hotels fit your travel plans:
  If you frequently travel within the US with Southwest or United Airlines, Chase is your only option, as these partners are exclusive members of the Ultimate Rewards program.
  Capital One’s unique partners, like Avianca LifeMiles and Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles, can be useful for international travel or niche destinations, especially for award flights on Star Alliance routes. Analyze the destinations you travel to most often and the partners available on those destinations. This way, you will choose a card that supports your typical travel routes.

Step 2: Analyze your total spending in the next 3-6 months and choose a card with a welcome bonus

A credit card welcome bonus is a one-time reward offered by credit card issuers to new cardholders for signing up. To receive the bonus, cardholders must spend a certain amount on their card within a certain period of time, often within the first 3-6 months. The welcome bonus is usually offered in the form of bonus points or miles, cash back, or even free hotel nights.

For example, the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card travel credit card typically offers 50,000 bonus miles but now has a temporarily increased bonus of 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 within the first 6 months. This bonus can be spent on a round-trip business class flight from Chicago to Calgary, Canada.

Below is a table with the best welcome bonuses on credit cards

Card Name	Annual Fee	Welcome offer
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card	$95	Up to $1,050 in Chase Travel value: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months — worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel — plus up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year
Chase Freedom Unlimited	$0	Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back
Capital One Venture Rewards	$95	75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Wells Fargo Autograph Card	$0	20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s a $200 cash redemption value.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card	$95	60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s $600 toward your next trip.
Ink Business Preferred	$95	90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
World of Hyatt Credit Card	$95	Up to 60,000 Bonus Points: 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.* Plus, up to 30,000 more Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point on up to $15,000 spent
United Explorer Card	$0 first year, then $95	Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless	$95	125,000 Bonus Points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card	$250	85,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express	$0 first year, then $95	$250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases in the first 6 months
American Express Gold Card	$325	60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first 6 months
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card	$95	For a limited time, get a $0 Companion Fare (plus taxes and fees from $23) and 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 within the first 90 days
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card	$0 first year, then $150	Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after you use your new Card to make $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months
Citi AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard	$0 first year, then $99	75,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles after $5,000 in purchases within the first 5 months
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card	$0	Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard	$99	Up to 60,000 Bonus Points: 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.* Plus, up to 30,000 more Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card	$69	50,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Hilton Honors Surpass	$150	165,000 Points after spending $3,000 in the first 6 months
Hilton Honors Aspire	$550	150,000 Points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months

Step 3: Analyze Your Spending Сategories

To maximize rewards, pick a card that aligns with your number one spending category:

For example, with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, you get rewards for the following expenses: 

• 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 
• 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services and takeout, 
• 2x points on other travel expenses, 
• 1x point on all other purchases. 

Some credit cards have more rewards, such as the Citi Strata Premier Card: 

• 10X Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com, 
• 3X Points per $1 on Air Travel, 
• 3X Points per $1 on Hotels, 
• 3X Points per $1 spent at Supermarkets, 
• 3X Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, 
• 3X Points per $1 spent at Restaurants, 
• 1X Point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Advanced users choose 2-3 cards at once to cover all categories of expenses with maximum benefit, for example, Chase Trifecta, which can consist of Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Freedom Flex, Chase Freedom Unlimited.

But if you have many cards at once, you may face the problem of controlling all accounts at the same time.

Step 4: Evaluate Additional Perks That Matter to You

Consider the greater perks each card gives and the way they fit your travel fashion:

• Travel Perks: Co-branded resort and airline playing cards regularly include special perks for loyalty members, award night, complimentary upgrades, or extended elite status.
• Protection while traveling: Travel protection, primary vehicle, and home insurance, as well as flight delay coverage, can save you money and add peace of mind.
• Airport privileges: Many rewards cards offer pre-check at the airport (Global Entry/TSA PreCheck), access to airport lounges, and priority boarding. These privileges will come in handy if you fly frequently or want to have a more pleasant experience at the airport.

By examining your tour conduct, spending patterns, redemption possibilities, and desired perks, you may choose a credit card that no longer only suits your journey style but also maximizes your rewards and benefits.

How to Maximize Your Travel Rewards

Earning points is only half of the story—redeeming them effectively is key to getting the most value. 

Maximizing Your Travel Rewards is PointsCrowd

A valuable tool for maximizing your travel rewards is PointsCrowd.com. PointsCrowd helps you find the best travel options for credit card welcome offers and travel with the points you have in your wallet, including recommendations for converting points. 

1. Add your miles and points to the wallet.

2. In the search filters, select the search based on the wallet “Points in Wallet” and the From You Wallet option

3. In the deals, get the required number of points for the transfer. 

With PointsCrowd, you can save time searching for travel while maximizing your points and miles.

Keep It Simple but Strategic

Credit card travel hacking is not about spending money you don’t have. The goal is to make your existing spending work for you. By using your credit cards responsibly, adding to your balance every month, and strategically using sign-up bonuses, you can take incredible trips at virtually no cost, get cheap flights, hotel rooms, and more than you expect.

Final Thoughts

Travel credit cards provide access to luxurious flights, amazing resorts, and unforgettable experiences—all at a fraction of the usual cost. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or just starting out, a well-planned travel credit card strategy can save you thousands of dollars and make your travel dreams come true.

The key is to choose cards that fit your spending habits and travel goals and to use them in a way that maximizes your rewards. Start simple—get one good travel rewards card, earn your first free flight, and build from there. It may seem complicated at first, but with the right trifecta in your wallet, you can turn everyday purchases into epic travel opportunities.

How to quickly cover the necessary expenses to get the welcome bonus: – Timing the opening of your credit card to some major purchase, it can be a phone, laptop, home appliances, this will allow you to quickly get involved in an exciting game of miles and points.

Happy travels—and may your points always take you far!

What is the best travel credit card for beginners?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is highly recommended for beginners due to its low fee, solid rewards rate, and flexible redemption options.

How do travel points and miles work?

Points and miles accumulate through purchases and can be redeemed for flights, hotel stays, and other travel perks, with redemption rates varying by program and partner.

How can I maximize rewards on a travel credit card?

Focus on high-reward categories, take advantage of transfer partners, and use multiple cards for different types of spending to maximize rewards.

Are annual fees worth it for travel credit cards?

Annual fees can be worth it if the card’s benefits, such as lounge access and travel credits, offset the cost through frequent use.

How do credit card sign-up bonuses work?

Sign-up bonuses are typically awarded after spending a set amount within the first few months. They can significantly increase points early in card use.

Should I redeem points for cash back or travel?

Travel redemptions often provide the highest value for points, especially for flights or hotel stays through transfer partners.