Top Credit Cards for Travel Rewards in 2025

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There are a lot of credit cards with travel points that offer amazing travel rewards, so how do you know which one to choose? You could choose them all, but that could end up costing you a lot in annual fees. And if you’re using so many cards, you probably aren’t building a huge point bank with any of them.

The best way to benefit from travel rewards is to actually use the card. I personally use my credit cards with travel points for everything and then pay them off immediately. I keep the points, but not the debt.

Also, you can get creative with big purchases. Buying a new car? You can often put a certain amount on a credit card for the down payment, and then transfer your money/ pay the card right after. Registering for a soccer tournament? Use the credit card and then pay yourself back with the money you collect from the team. Credit card travel points can add up much more quickly that way, and you’ll be enjoying free nights in no time.

Here are my favorite travel reward credit cards.

Credit Cards With Travel Points: Chase Sapphire Preferred

Chase Sapphire Preferred – $95 Annual Fee

Highlights: 2× points on general travel, 3× on dining and food delivery; transfers to Marriott, Hyatt, and more.

This is my favorite credit card for travel. The points and rewards are simple to understand, it doesn’t cost a fortune to have, and there are a lot of extra perks that come with the card. This card is most beneficial when you shop through Chase Ultimate Rewards to book travel, but you can still earn 2X points on purchases booked anywhere else and 3X points on everyday food and restaurant purchases.

One of the biggest perks about this card is that you can transfer your points to various rewards programs including Marriott and Hyatt. These points go even further than booking through the Chase travel portal when you transfer them to different loyalty programs. Check out this guide for more tips on how to travel for free.

I always make sure to use this card while dining out or reloading my Starbucks card. Their introductory offer can reward you with $750 towards travel as well.

Marriott Bonvoy Visa

Marriott Bonvoy Visa – $95 Annual Fee

Highlights: Silver Elite status, up to 17× points at Marriott, 3× on gas and groceries, plus a generous sign-up bonus. And 1 free night annually.

This is another of my favorite credit cards with travel points. Simply having the card gets you Silver Elite Status with Marriott Bonvoy, so you can get extra perks like free early and late check in. You earn up to 17X points when you use your card at Marriott, and 3X points on everyday purchases at gas stations and grocery stores. Every other purchase gets you 2X points.

I use this card for gas and groceries to maximize the points, since I divide purchases between this and my Sapphire card. Anything else that Sapphire will only give me 1X points for, I choose to use this card. The introductory offer will get you 3 free nights at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel as well (up to 50,000 points each night), and sometimes you can catch elevated deals that give you 5 free nights as a sign-up bonus.

World of Hyatt Credit Card – One of the best credit cards with travel points

Hyatt Visa – $95 annual fee

Highlights: Excellent Hyatt redemption value; can transfer points from Chase cards for even faster access.

I just recently opened the Hyatt credit card, but I have instantly fell in love. Hyatt hotels are priced at a reasonable amount of points, making them much more quickly attainable. While some hotels require about 80,000 points per free night, Hyatt hotels start much lower; with most hotels being about 20,000 points per night.

And to top if off, they have a whole collection of all-inclusive resorts, and you can use points for those as well. Even their all-inclusive resorts will only set you back about 29,000 points per night. One more perk is that you can transfer your Sapphire or Chase Ink points to help you earn free nights even faster.

Alaska Airlines Visa

Alaska Airlines Visa – $95 Annual Fee

Highlights: 2× miles on travel, companion fare (~$99), free checked bags for up to 7 travelers, and an introductory bonus.

Apparently I really like paying $95 annual fees because I have this card as well. It’ll give you 2X miles on travel purchases, and 1X miles on all other purchases. But I don’t use it for everyday purchases. I use it for larger purchases and when I book flights, so that I can earn the companion fare each year.

With the companion fare, I can get one $99 companion rate for my spouse or child to fly anywhere I’m flying. With taxes, this makes it about $122 total, which is a bargain when it’s an expensive flight, like to Hawaii. Oh, and you get a free checked bag for yourself and up to 6 others on the same reservation. You also can get 50,000 miles and a $100 statement credit with the introductory offer.

Credit Cards With Travel Points: Capital One Venture One & X

Venture One – $0 Annual Fee

• Highlights: 5× points on Capital One Travel purchases, 1.25× on other spending, great intro bonus.
• TSA PreCheck/Global Entry: Does not include this benefit.

I like this card because it’s free. It was my first travel card and it gave me a taste of what rewards I could get from travel credit cards. You’ll earn 5X points on travel purchases you make through Capital One Travel, and 1.25 points on all other purchase. For a free credit card, that’s a pretty good return. And you can get 40,000 points with their introductory offer.

Venture X – $395 Annual Fee (offset by $300 travel credit)

TSA PreCheck/Global Entry Benefit: Offers a statement credit every four years for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry reimbursement.

Highlights: 2× on all purchases, elevated travel and lounge perks, 10,000 anniversary miles.

I am editing this to note that I did finally just give in and upgrade to the Capital One Venture X card. You can read my full review of it here. I am doing enough traveling that this card made the most sense for me now. It is a $395 annual fee, however, $300 of that comes back as a statement credit when I use the card to book travel.

The 75,000 bonus points I got for opening the card (and spending $4000 in the first three months), gave me $1250 worth of points, plus I get 2X points of purchases and 10,000 anniversary points each year (which is $100 value), so this card pays for itself. This card also includes a free Priority Pass membership for airport lounge access–which is a game changer, especially when flying with kids.

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