Top Travel Rewards Credit Cards 2026
31 million Americans haven't changed credit cards in more than a decade
According to CreditCards.com, 31 million Americans haven't changed credit cards in more than a decade - and two thirds are still using their first credit card. If this describes you, you're missing out on a bonanza of free flights, complimentary travel incidentals, VIP benefits and perks big banks dole out to entice you to sign-up to their credit cards. The latest up-and-coming benefit; an annual travel incidental credit you can apply against any incidentals fees charged to your card.
Sign-up bonuses aren't as generous as they once were, but the sign-up incentives alone offered by the credit cards in the chart below add up to 28 free round-trip flights and a dozen free hotel stays. Every year, I earn a few free trips this way, and in the following video, I share how I did this to pull off a trip for taxes only:
FINDING THE BEST CARD FOR YOU
To quickly find which credit cards offer the best overall value to you:
- Choose 3 credit card travel benefits of most valuable to you.
- Narrow down which card in the grid below offers the best combination of those benefits. (Canadians: Click Here for a list of credit cards in Canada).
These lists focus on cards I feel provide best overall value based on their combined sign up bonus, perks offered, and annual fee. Due to space restrictions, insurance benefits are not in the chart. But you can review any card's insurance benefits by clicking 'APPLY' and reading the insurance benefits on their homepage:
- - Credit card promotions and incentives change frequently. In the event of discrepancies with the source website, the source website is accurate.
- - Tables is intended to provide a general overview of types of benefits available. It does not detail all associated terms and conditions. For specific terms and conditions, click the link to to the source website.
- - Each card has distinct qualifying requirments. Visit the respective application page for details.
CO Branded
Insurance
Credit Card
Mastercard
SkyMiles Platinum
Skymiles Gold
Miles & More
British Airways Signature
Rapid Rewards Premier
Mileage Plus Explorer
Quest
Platinum Select World Elite
Surpass
Boundless
Premier
of Hyatt
Annual Fee Waived
1st Year?
No - $95
No - $350
Yes - then $150
No - $89
No - $95
No - $149
Yes - then $150
No $350
Yes
No annual fee
No $150
No - $95
NO $99
No $95
*Sign Up
Bonus?
100K
60K
50K
60K
75K
Avios
50K
60K
70K+1000 PQP
50K
80K
130K
3 FREE nights
140K
60K
FREE
checked bag?
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes-domestic only
No
No
No
No
No
Annual
Companion Pass?
No
Yes
No
Yes - After 6K
annual spend
Yes - After 30K
annual spend
10K companion
pass qual.
pt boost/yr.
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Foreign Exchange
Fee Waived?
Yes + $120 Global Entry/
PreCheck / NEXUS
credit every 4 yrs
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Lounge
Access?
No
No
No
2x/yr
No
No
2x/yr
$100 Global
Entry/TSA Pre
Credit
Preferred boarding
No
No
No
Yes
No
TSA/Nexus
Fee Credit?
Yes
$120 Global
Entry or $85
TSA Pre
Credit
No
No
No
No
$120 Global
Entry/TSA
Pre or
Nexus
Yes $120 credit
every 4 yrs:
Global Entry /TSA /Nexus
No
No
No
No
$120 credit every 4
years: Global Entry,
TSA Pre, NEXUS
No
Trip
Delay
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
Trip
Cancellation
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Trip
Interruption
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Bag
Delay
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
Lost/Damaged
Bags
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
Collision -
Car Rental
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Car Rental
Elite Status?
-
Hertz 5 Star
Status
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
National Emerald
Club Executive
No
No
No
Point
Incentives 1
3X on Groceries/
Dining/Air Canada
3x on hotels &
Delta purchases
2X on Dining, grocery,
Delta purchases
2X w/ Miles & More
partner airlines
3X on British Airways,
Aer Lingus,
Iberia purchases
3X on Southwest
purchases
7X total miles on
United Flights
Up to 8X on
United purchases
2X restaurants,
gas stations,
AA purchases
7X on eligible
direct Hilton
bookings
12X on eligible direct
Hilton bookings
17X for member
purchases at
participating hotels
26X for Platinum
Elite member
IHG purchases
9X on spend
at Hyatt
Point
Incentives 2
500 pts for 2K
spend/calendar month
2X on dining &
grocerg
$100 credit for
Delta.com hotel/
trip booking
-
2X on hotels
booked direct
2X on numerous
partner purchases
5X total miles on
stays via United Hotels
5X on hotel stays
via Renowned hotels
& Resorts for United
Card members
-
5X on dining,
grocery, gas
6X on dining,
grocery, gas
3X on first $6K spent
each year on dining,
grocery, gas
3X on dining, grocery,
gas, select
purchases
-
Other 1
Auto. 25K status
(current and second year)
$150 annual
hotel credit
$200 Delta Credit
(10K spend in 1yr)
-
$100 - $600 credit
pending seat class
2 EarlyBird Check-ins
+ 6K pts/yr
Priority Boarding
$850+ in annual
partner credits
Preferred boarding
HH silver status
FREE night (upon 15K annual spend)
+ $200 Hilton credits/yr
($50 issued per quarter)
1 FREE
night/year
1 Free night/year
2 free nights/yr
(Cat 1-4)
Other 2
-
$120 rideshare
credit ($10/mth)
Delta Zone 5
Priority boarding
-
-
Travel Accident
Insurance
$500+ partner
credits/year
Priority boarding
$125 annual
AA discount after
20K spend/year
-
HH Gold
Status
Bonvoy Silver
Status
IHG Platium
Elite Status
Additional free Cat.
1–4 night(s) after $15K
spend/ calendar yr
*Contingent on minimum spend conditions.
Transferable
Insurance
Credit Card
Rewards Credit Card
Master Card
Rewards
Venture
Business Preferred
Preferred
Visa Signature
Annual Fee Waived
1st Year?
No Fee
No $95
No $895
No $95
No $95
No $95
No $95
No
No - $95
*Sign Up
Bonus?
25K
60K
80K
60K
75K
100K
75K
$200 Bilt cash
70K
FREE
checked bag?
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Annual
Companion Pass?
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Yes upon meeting
min. spend rqmt.
Foreign Exchange
Fee Waived?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Lounge
Access?
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
$100 off
lounge
membership
TSA/Nexus
Fee Credit?
No
No
Up to: $120 for Global Entry;
$85 for TSA PreCheck;
$209/yr for Clear
(subject to conditions)
$100 statement
credit
(every 4 years)
$120 credit
Global Entry
or TSA Pre
No
No
No
No
Trip
Delay
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Trip
Cancellation
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Trip
Interruption
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Bag
Delay
No
-
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
No
Lost/Damaged
Bags
No
Yes
Yes
Yes - Lost
Luggage
No
No
No
No
No
Collision -
Car Rental
No
Master Rental
Coverage
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Car Rental
Elite Status?
No
-
Premium Status -
select car
rental programs
No
Hertz Five Star Status
No
No
No
No
Points Incentive 1
-
-
5X on flights
hotels booked
at AMEXTravel
2X on travel
& dining
5X on hotel, car rental,
vacation rentals via
Capital One Travel
3X on travel, internet,
cable, phone, online
ads and shipping
5X on Chase
Travel
4% Bilt cash back
on purchases excl.
rent/mortgage
10% bonus on points
earned for eligible
BOA account holders
Points Incentive 2
-
-
-
1.5 on
all other
2X on all other
5x pts on Lyft
rides through
September 30, 2027
3X on dining,
select grocery,
streaming services
3X pts on choice
of dining or
grocery (to $25K)
3 pts/dollar spend
on Hawaiian/Alaska
purchases
Other 1
-
$100/yr Hotel Credit
Gold Status:
Hilton &
Marriott
$100/yr airline
incidental statement credit
-
Cell phone insurance
to $1,000
2X on other
travel
purchases
$100 hotel credit
(2x $50/yr as statement
credits for qualifying
bookings on Bilt portal)
Preferred boarding
Other 2
-
-
$200 credit
for select
hotels
-
-
-
$50 Chase Travel
credit/yr
for hotels
2X points on travel
20% back on
onboad spend
(Wi-Fi, drinks)
*Contingent on minimum spend conditions.
MAXIMIZE YOUR POINTS
You should also factor how many points your card earns for everyday purchases. Most cards offer bonus points for purchases made at certain stores in addition to bonus points (or point multipliers) for purchases at select restaurants, with certain travel operators and for gas.
Accelerate your Points Earnings:
1. Charge all everyday purchases to your card as long as you can pay your balance in full each month. Otherwise, any interest on open balances will erode the value of points earned.
2. Sign-up to 2 or more cards. I recommend traveling with 2 cards in separate places (especially when traveling alone) in case anything happens to your primary card.
3. Charge rent, tuition and income tax payments to your credit card by linking it to a Plastiq account.
To collect your sign-up bonus, you are usually required to first charge a pre-defined dollar value to your card within a set number of billing cycles. This is referred to as minimum spend, and the minimum spend requirement varies by card. Most cards that come with an annual fee require to to spend $3,000 within 3 months of activating your card. Prestige and business cards tend to offer more enticing sign-up bonuses, but they come with higher annual fees and higher minimum spend requirements.
AVOID FEES
Any credit card with generous benefits comes with an annual fee. Some cards waive this fee for your first year upon subscribing, but you might not know how to have this fee waived when it comes due for renewal on your card's anniversary:
1. Call your credit card company and ask to cancel your card.
2. To keep you from canceling, you will likely be offered points or to have your annual fee waived if you keep your account open.
Make this call every year before your card comes due for renewal - you'll be amazed how often it works!
Russell Hannon uses lean principles to travel at a fraction of the going rate. He has been featured on CNBC, FOX, America Tonight, CBS, CTV, CBC, the National Post and Around the World Travel TV. He is also the author of amazon.ca Budget Travel #1 Best Seller ‘Stop Dreaming Start Traveling: The Ultimate Guide to Traveling More & Spending Less’ available at Stop Dreaming Start Traveling.
