best amex for travel rewards

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Travel Rewards Credit Cards

For your favorite places, and your favorite ways to get there..

American Express® Gold Card

Earn 60,000 membership rewards ® points.

after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your American Express ® Gold Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. †

The Platinum Card®

Earn 80,000 membership rewards ® points.

after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your Platinum Card ® within the first 6 months of Card Membership. †

American Express® Green Card

Earn 40,000 membership rewards ® points.

after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your American Express ® Green Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. †

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

Earn 60,000 bonus miles.

after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. †

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card

Earn 50,000 bonus miles.

after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. †

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

Earn 40,000 bonus miles.

after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. †

$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150. ¤ †

Hilton Honors American Express Card

Limited time offer earn 100,000 hilton honors bonus points.

with the Hilton Honors Card after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 4/17/2024. †

No Annual Fee ¤

Hilton honors american express surpass® card, limited time offer earn 155,000 hilton honors bonus points.

with the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass ® Card after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 4/17/24. †

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Limited time offer earn 175,000 hilton honors bonus points.

with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 4/17/2024. †

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card

Limited time offer earn 155,000 marriott bonvoy ® bonus points.

after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/1/24. †

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

Limited time offer earn 185,000 marriott bonvoy ® bonus points.

after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/1/24. †

Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card

Earn 10,000 bonus miles.

after spending $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. †

Global Assist® Hotline ‡

Whenever you travel more than 100 miles from home, we'll provide you with emergency assistance 24/7, including medical and legal referrals, visa/passport help, cash wires access, lost luggage and more.* ‡

Let Rewards Take You Further With A Travel Credit Card

There’s nothing like exploring a new city or awakening your senses in the great outdoors. So, choose a dream destination and make it happen with an American Express® Travel Credit Card. From Cards that earn miles to Cards that earn valuable points, you’ll find the one to help you escape to must-see places sooner.

Learn more about the types of Rewards Cards American Express offers

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Find the best credit card for you

The 11 best travel credit cards of april 2024, the best travel credit cards could earn over $2,000 in rewards over the next five years based on our calculations..

The best travel credit cards offer more than just great  cash-back , points or miles incentives — they also come with a range of perks that can take your next trip from basic to bougie without spending extra money.

Some travel card features are nearly standard across the board:  no foreign transaction fees ,  travel insurance  and various travel credits. More  premium cards  take things up a notch by offering  lounge access  and credits for expedited airport security.

To help you choose the best travel rewards card for your needs, CNBC Select analyzed dozens of popular travel cards using an average American's annual spending budget and dug into each card's perks and drawbacks to find the best of the best based on consumer habits. (See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best travel credit cards.)

Best travel credit cards

• Editor's choice: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees )
• Best for no annual fee: Discover it® Miles
• Best for dining when traveling: American Express® Gold Card
• Best welcome bonus:   Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Best for earning points on rent: Bilt Mastercard®
• Best for luxury travel: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Best for fair credit : Discover it® Secured Credit Card
• Best for low annual fee: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees)
• Best for lounge access: The Platinum Card® from American Express
• Best for students: Bank of America® Travel Rewards for Students
• Best for low interest: First Tech Credit Union Choice Rewards World Mastercard®

Editor's Choice

Capital one venture x rewards credit card.

Unlimited 2X miles on all eligible purchases, and 5 Miles per dollar on flights and 10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booked via Capital One Travel portal

Welcome bonus

Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening

Regular APR

19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

Balance transfer fee

$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you

Foreign transaction fees

Credit needed.

See rates and fees , terms apply.

Read our Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card review.

• Large welcome bonus
• No foreign transaction fees
• Up to $100 statement credits for either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
• Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• High annual fee
• No introductory 0% APR period

Who's this for? The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is an excellent choice for frequent travelers who want a premium credit card at a lower price point than other high-end cards with similar benefits.

Standout benefits:  This card is loaded with benefits, including a $300 Capital One Travel credit to use toward purchases made through Capital One Travel and a 10,000-mile bonus on each account anniversary (worth at least $100 for travel). Cardholders also receive an up to $100 statement credit for either  Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® , complimentary  cell phone insurance , access to Capital One and partner airport lounges and more. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details.

[ Jump to more details ]

Best for no annual fee

Discover it® miles.

Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase.

Discover will match all the Miles earned for all new cardmembers at the end of your first year.

0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases

17.24% to 28.24% Variable

3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*

Foreign transaction fee

Good / Excellent

*See rates and fees , terms apply.

Read our Discover it® Miles review.

• Miles program
• Generous welcome bonus
• No blackout dates
• No limit to the amount of miles you can earn and miles never expire
• No Global Entry or TSA PreCheck statement credit offerings
• Travel spending does not receive additional rewards
• No airport lounge access

Who's this for?  The  Discover it Miles  card comes with a generous rewards program — all for zero annual fee — that makes it a standout among travel cards.

Standout benefits:  Discover has a welcome bonus that's hard to beat: It will do a mile-for-mile match of all miles earned the first year (for new card members in their first year only). If you rack up 35,000 miles within the first 12 months, Discover will match you with 35,000 miles. That's a total of 70,000 miles or $700 toward travel. (Based on our calculations, the average card user will earn around 32,777 miles in the first year.) Plus, the card has no foreign transaction fees.

Best for dining when traveling

American express® gold card.

4X Membership Rewards® points at Restaurants (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, 1X points on all other purchases

Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

Not applicable

See Pay Over Time APR

Excellent/Good

Read our American Express® Gold Card review .

• Up to $120 dining credit annually ($10 a month) for purchases made with Grubhub, Goldbelly and other eligible restaurants (after a one-time enrollment)
• Up to $120 Uber Cash annually ($10 a month) for U.S. Uber Eats orders and U.S. Uber rides (card must be added to Uber app to receive the Uber Cash benefit)
• Strong rewards program with 4X points earned at restaurants and 3X points earned on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com
• Baggage insurance plan covers up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage that is damaged, lost or stolen
• No fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.
• No introductory APR period
• $250 annual fee
• Estimated rewards earned after 1 year: $1,074
• Estimated rewards earned after 5 years: $2,969

Rewards totals incorporate the points earned from the welcome bonus

Who's this for? The American Express® Gold Card is a smart choice for consumers who love traveling and dining out due to its generous rewards rates. While the card comes with a $250 annual fee ( see rates and fees ), it offers premium rewards that help offset the cost.

Standout benefits:  Travelers will appreciate the Amex Gold card's various statement credits. Cardholders get up to $120 in annual dining credit (up to $10 per month at Grubhub , Goldbelly, The Cheesecake Factory and other participating restaurants; enrollment is required) and up to $120 in Uber Cash ($10 per month) to put toward rides in the U.S. and dining via Uber Eats (you must add your Amex Gold Card as a payment method in the Uber app to enroll).

Best welcome bonus

Chase sapphire preferred® card.

Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, and $50 annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

21.49% - 28.49% variable on purchases and balance transfers

Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

• Terms apply.

Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review .

• Points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel via Chase Travel℠
• Transfer points to leading frequent travel programs at a 1:1 rate, including: IHG® Rewards Club, Marriott Bonvoy™ and World of Hyatt®
• Travel protections include: auto rental collision damage waiver, baggage delay insurance and trip delay reimbursement
• $95 annual fee
• No introductory 0% APR

Who's this for? The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a loyal following among travelers looking for a travel-centric rewards program and a robust suite of perks. What makes this card shine the most is its generous welcome bonus offer.

Standout benefits:  This card comes with many helpful benefits, such as an up to $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, no foreign transaction fees, primary rental car insurance , trip cancellation and interruption insurance and baggage and trip delay insurance. Cardholders can also benefit from a 10% points boost on each card anniversary and complimentary DashPass membership for a minimum of one year through Dec. 31, 2024.

Best for earning points on rent

Bilt mastercard®.

Earn Bilt Points when you make 5 transactions that post each statement period - up to 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year), 3x points on dining, 2x points on travel, and 1x points on other purchases.

Introductory fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater, for 120 days from account opening. After that, up to 5% for each balance transfer ($5 minimum).

See rates/fees and rewards/benefits ; terms apply.

• No annual fee
• Solid rewards on broad spending categories
• Ability to pay your rent with no transaction fees
• Transfer points to leading frequent traveler programs at a 1:1 rate, including American Airlines, United and World of Hyatt®
• No welcome offer

Who's this for? If you rent your home and don't have the Bilt Mastercard® , you're leaving points on the table. The Bilt Mastercard is the only card that lets you earn travel rewards on rent payments with no fees .

Standout benefits:  Bilt makes it easy for even beginners to get maximum value from their points through a unique partnership with the award search engine point.me . With the BiltProtect feature, it also protects cardholders from using up their entire credit limit or risk going into debt by charging their rent every month. Other benefits include cell phone protection; Purchase Assurance Plus, which covers your purchases for 90 days; discounts with partner brands; and access to the Mastercard Luxury Hotels & Resorts portfolio, which offers amenities like upgrades, free breakfast and property credits.

Best for luxury travel

Chase sapphire reserve®.

Earn 5X total points on flights and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3X points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases plus, 10X points on Lyft rides through March 2025

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

22.49% - 29.49% variable

5%, minimum $5

Read our Chase Sapphire Reserve® review.

• $300 annual travel credit for travel purchases
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit up to $100 every four years
• Priority Pass™ Select lounge access at 1,000+ VIP lounges in over 500 cities worldwide
• Points are worth 50% more when redeemed for travel via Chase Travel℠
• Special benefits at The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection
• Complimentary year of Lyft Pink membership
• High annual fee, but it can be offset by taking advantage of all the card’s perks
• No introductory APR
• Estimated rewards earned after 1 year: $1,469
• Estimated rewards earned after 5 years: $3,346

Who's this for? The Chase Sapphire Reserve is enormously popular among frequent travelers for its luxe perks, including comprehensive travel protections, and a strong rewards program. While this card comes with a substantial annual fee of $550 , the many statement credits help to offset the costs.

Standout benefits:  This card provides an annual $300 travel credit, which can cover everything from airfare and hotels to parking and tolls. Cardholders   can also get a statement credit of up to $100 (every four years) to help cover Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS application fees as well as enroll in Priority Pass™ Select for airport lounge access . Other benefits include elite-like benefits when booking hotels through The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection; trip interruption/cancellation coverage; primary rental car coverage; lost luggage reimbursement; and trip delay reimbursement. 

Best for fair credit

Discover it® secured credit card.

Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, automatically. Plus earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year

N/A on purchases

28.24% Variable

New / Rebuilding

Read our Discover it® Secured Credit Card review.

• Cash-back program
• Starting at seven months from account opening, Discover will automatically review your credit card account to see if you can transition to an unsecured line of credit and return your deposit
• Cash-back program limits earnings: 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, then 1%
• Low credit line prevents cardholders from charging high-cost items or many expenses

Who's this for? For anyone who is working to build their credit , the Discover it® Secured Credit Card offers an opportunity to earn rewards along the way.

Standout benefits: The Discover It Secured card earns cash back on every purchase and offers a generous cash-back matching welcome bonus. Plus, the card charges no foreign transaction fees.

Best for low annual fee

Capital one venture rewards credit card.

5 Miles per dollar on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 2X miles per dollar on every other purchase

Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening

N/A for purchases and balance transfers

19.99% - 29.99% variable

$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you

• 5 miles per dollar on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit up to $100 every 4 years
• There’s a $95 annual fee

Who's this for? The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers an abundance of travel benefits. It's especially valuable for those who want a straightforward way of earning rewards without having to juggle bonus categories.

Standout benefits:  Travelers going overseas can take advantage of  no foreign transaction fees . Cardholders also get a credit of up to $100 to cover  Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® membership .

Best for lounge access

The platinum card® from american express.

Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, 1X points on all other eligible purchases

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.

Credit Needed

Read our The Platinum Card® from American Express review .

• Up to $200 in annual airline fee credits
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive a statement credit that covers the full cost each month. $12.95 plus applicable taxes. Plus Up Benefits not eligible.
• $695 annual fee
• No special financing offers on new purchases

Who's this for? The Platinum Card® from American Express is for road warriors who want to make their travels more comfortable. It grants access to more airport lounges than any other card on the market and is loaded with lots of other travel and lifestyle benefits that help justify its high annual fee (see rates and fees ).

Standout benefits:  Cardholders have an extensive list of opportunities to earn over $1,500 in statement credits each year and enjoy ongoing benefits like automatic hotel elite status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy and various travel and shopping protections. Even if you only take advantage of half of this card's perks, it's worth paying the annual fee (see rates and fees ).

Best for students

Bank of america® travel rewards for students credit card.

Unlimited 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all purchases

25,000 online bonus points after you spend at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening, which can be redeemed for a $250 statement credit toward qualifying travel and dining purchases

0% APR for the first 15 billing cycles on purchases, and for any balance transfers made within the first 60 days of opening your account

18.24% - 28.24% variable

3% of each transaction intro balance transfer fee for the first 60 days from account opening, then 4%

Good/Excellent

• Strong welcome bonus of 25,000 points if you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days
• Intro 0% APR for 15 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers
• No student-centric benefits or incentives to practice responsible credit behavior
• Estimated rewards earned after 1 year: $466
• Estimated rewards earned after 5 years:   $1,528

Who's this for? The Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students is a great choice for students who plan on studying abroad or traveling during breaks. The rewards program is geared toward travel, and cardholders earn 1.5 points per dollar on all purchases.

Standout benefits: There are no foreign transaction fees, making it an ideal card for college students studying abroad. This card also comes with a longer-than-average special financing offer of no interest for 15 billing cycles (then 18.24% to 28.24% variable APR). A full year of no interest is a great way for you to pay off new purchases over time, without incurring interest charges, though we recommend you pay off your balance on time and in full each month.

Best for low interest

Choice rewards world mastercard®.

Earn 2X points on groceries, gas, electronics, medical, household goods and telecommunications, 1X points on all other purchases

Earn 20,000 points when you spend $3,000 in the first 60 days from account opening

13.50% - 18.00% variable

• Good rewards program for everyday purchases
• No balance transfer fee
• Balance must be transferred within 90 days of account opening date
• Estimated rewards earned after 1 year:  $344
• Estimated rewards earned after 5 years: $1,720

Who's this for? If you're looking for a card that also offers an introductory APR, you should consider the Choice Rewards World Mastercard® from First Tech Federal Credit Union. It made our list of the top travel cards for its unique rewards program and relatively low variable APR of 13.50% - 18.00%.

Standout benefits:  The 13.50% - 18.00% variable APR rate is significantly lower than many other competitor cards (though we recommend that you pay off your card in full and on time each month). There are also no foreign transaction fees, which is a huge plus when traveling abroad.

More on our top travel credit cards

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a luxury travel credit card with a straightforward rewards structure and a myriad of benefits that easily make its annual fee worth it.

• 10X miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel portal
• 5X miles per dollar on flights booked via Capital One Travel portal
• 2X miles on all other eligible purchases

Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

$395 (see rates and fees )

Notable perks

On top of the annual $300 Capital One Travel credit and 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, the Capital One Venture X card is loaded with other benefits. Cardmembers receive up to $100 statement credit for either  Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® , complimentary  cell phone insurance , special perks on hotel stays booked through the Premier Collection** and Lifestyle Collection  and unlimited access to  Capital One Lounges  as well as the extensive network of Priority Pass and Plaza Premium airport lounges worldwide. 

You can add up to four authorized users for free and each additional cardholder also gets airport lounge access. If you value rental car perks, cardholders receive complimentary Hertz President's Circle status (enrollment required)***, which grants benefits such as guaranteed upgrades.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has the same redemption options as the Venture Rewards Card. You can use miles to offset eligible travel purchases or transfer them to various airline and hotel partners.

*Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details.

***Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through December 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.

[ Return to card summary ]

The Discover it Miles card is an exceptionally rewarding credit card for everyday purchases , especially when you consider that it has no annual fee.

• 1.5X miles per dollar on every purchase

Discover will match the miles you earn during the first year with no minimum spending requirement or limits on how much you can earn through the match.

The appeal of the Discover it Miles card is its simplicity of not having to worry about paying an annual fee or paying foreign transaction fees. The card also has an introductory 0% APR offer for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers , then a 17.24% to 28.24% variable APR (3% intro balance transfer fee, 5% balance transfer fee on future transfers, see terms ).

There are also no blackout dates when you pay for travel purchases using your card. And, you can easily redeem miles as a statement credit for travel,  restaurant or gas station  purchases, as well as a deposit to your bank account. The best part is, the miles you earn never expire even if your account is closed (Discover credits your account with your rewards balance if your account is closed).

The American Express Gold Card earns elevated rewards for several popular spending categories, including dining, groceries and airfare. To top it off, the Amex Membership Rewards points you earn are some of the most valuable travel points out there.

• 4X points per dollar spent at restaurants (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.)
• 4X points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X)
• 3X points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
• 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases

Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first 6 months of card membership.

$250 (see rates and fees )

In addition to the up to $240 in annual credits for dining and Uber Cash, the American Express Gold Card has a variety of other useful benefits. For example, cardmembers get a $100 experience credit and potential room upgrade when booking stays of at least two nights through The Hotel Collection. Experience credit varies by property.

Eligible purchases also qualify for the following insurance coverages*:

• Baggage insurance (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.)
• Extended warranty (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.)
• Purchase protection (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.)
• Trip delay insurance (Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.)
• Car rental loss and damage insurance (secondary) (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.)

You can use the American Express Membership Rewards points you earn with this card in a variety of ways, from redeeming for gift cards and statement credits to booking travel through the  Amex Travel Portal . To get a potentially bigger bang for your buck, transfer your Membership Rewards points to a variety of airline or hotel partners, including Delta SkyMiles, JetBlue TrueBlue, Hilton Honors,  Marriott Bonvoy , Choice Privileges and more. * Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

In addition to an excellent  welcome bonus , the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers lucrative bonus categories and other useful perks like travel and purchase protections, all for a modest annual fee.

• 5X points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
• 5X points per dollar on Lyft rides through Mar. 31, 2025
• 3X points per dollar on dining
• 3X points per dollar on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).
• 3X points per dollar on select streaming services.
• 2X points per dollar on all other travel purchases
• 1X points per dollar on all other purchases
• 10% anniversary points boost
• $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit

Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers travelers many important protections, including  primary rental car insurance , trip cancellation and interruption insurance and baggage and trip delay insurance. Travelers can also rack up rewards faster thanks to a 10% points boost on each card anniversary. That means if you spend $50,000 on purchases, you'll get a 5,000-point bonus (worth $75 in travel booked through Chase).

Cardholders can take advantage of various statement credits for specific purchases. For starters, the card offers up to $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit. Through July 31, 2024, you can register your Sapphire Preferred to receive six months of free Instacart+ membership and up to $15 back each quarter for Instacart purchases. You'll also receive a complimentary DashPass membership and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.

One of the best benefits of the Sapphire Preferred is that it unlocks access to Chase's 14 airline and hotel transfer partners. You can transfer points to United Airlines MileagePlus,  Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards , Air Canada Aeroplan, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards,  Marriott Bonvoy and more. Otherwise,  your points are worth  1.25 cents each through Chase Travel℠ or one cent per point when redeemed for gift cards or cash back.

Normally it's not worth paying rent with a credit card because of the fees, but the Bilt Mastercard offers a path to earning points for paying rent without any fees.

When you make at least five transactions in a statement period, you'll earn points at the following rates:

• Up to 1X points per dollar on rent payments without the transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year)
• 2X points per dollar on travel
• 1X point per dollar on all other purchases

Thanks to the BiltProtect feature, Bilt Mastercard cardholders are protected from using up their entire credit limit or risk going into debt by charging their rent to their card every month. Other benefits include a $5 monthly Lyft credit after taking three Lyft rides in a month (through March 31, 2024), as well as a free ShopRunner membership (through March 31, 2024).

For a no-annual-fee card, the Bilt Mastercard has a surprising amount of built-in insurance perks, including:

• Trip delay reimbursement
• Rental car collision damage waiver
• Cell phone protection
• Purchase protection

Bilt Rewards points can be redeemed for travel either by transferring them to airline and hotel partners or by booking through the Bilt Travel Portal at a fixed rate of 1.25 cents per point. Other redemption options include using them to shop online, book fitness classes, pay rent and even make a down payment on a home.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve ® is a standout premium credit card with plenty of luxury perks and statement credits to justify its annual fee. Its travel insurance perks can add peace of mind to any adventure and the card's airport lounge access and credits for expedited airport security can help reduce airport stress.

• 10X total points per dollar on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠*
• 10X points per dollar on Lyft purchases through March 2025
• 5X total points per dollar on flights purchased through Chase Travel℠*
• 3X points per dollar on other travel*

*After the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually

Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Chase Sapphire Reserve ® card members get up to $300 in annual travel credits, which covers more than half of the card's annual fee. Additional benefits include an up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit (every four years), elite-like perks when booking hotels through The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, access to Sapphire airport lounges and a Priority Pass Select membership (valued at $469), which unlocks access to more than 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide.

Cardholders also have access to a wide range of limited-time benefits and credits, including:

• Two years of complimentary Lyft Pink All Access membership (worth $199 a year) when activated by Dec. 31, 2024
• At least 12 months of complimentary DashPass membership when activated by Dec. 31, 2024
• $5 in DoorDash credit each month through Dec. 31, 2024
• One year of free Instacart+ membership (activate by July 31, 2024)
• Up to $15 in Instacart credits each month (through July 31, 2024)

Some of the easiest benefits to overlook are this card's top-notch travel and purchase protections, such as purchase protection, extended warranty protection, return protection, primary rental car collision coverage, trip delay protection, trip interruption/cancellation insurance, baggage delay protection, travel accident insurance, emergency medical and dental insurance and more. Cardmembers traveling internationally also don't need to worry about foreign transaction fees.

The value of the points you earn depends on how you use them. If you redeem points for cash and gift cards, each point is worth one cent. However, the value of points increases to 1.5 cents apiece when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 travel. This is a great way to maximize the value of your rewards and makes this card stand out from the pack. Of course, transferring your points to Chase's airline and hotel partners is also an option.

The Discover it Secured Credit Card is ideal for anyone with no credit or poor credit because you don't need a credit score to apply. It has no annual fee and has a generous rewards structure for a secured credit card .

• 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

Discover will match the cash back you earn during the first year with no minimum spending requirement or cap on the match.

The Discover it Secured card is designed for those who have no credit history or need to repair their credit score. You don't need a credit score to apply. Instead, you're required to make a refundable deposit of at least $200 to open the card. Whatever amount of money you deposit becomes your credit limit.

At seven months from account opening, Discover will automatically review your credit card account to see if they can transition you to an unsecured line of credit and return your deposit. The card also has no foreign transaction fees, so you won't be dinged for using it abroad.

Cashback earned with this card doesn't expire and you can redeem your rewards at any time for statement credits, gift cards, merchandise and more.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card stands out for earning versatile rewards that can be used for just about any travel expense while having a reasonable annual fee and convenient benefits for travelers.

• 5X miles per dollar on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 2X miles per dollar on every other purchase

$95 (see rates and fees )

Capital One Venture Rewards cardholders receive a credit of up to $100 to cover  Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® membership and Hertz Five Star status, which unlocks car rental upgrades when available. Other perks include access to extended warranty protection*, purchase security, travel accident insurance *, roadside assistance* and car rental collision insurance*.

Travelers going overseas can take advantage of no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees ). As an added plus, you can use your Venture Rewards card to get access to exclusive sporting and music events, plus premiere culinary experiences through Capital One Dining and Capital One Entertainment .

You can use Capital One miles to book flights, hotels, rental cars and more through  Capital One Travel , or you can use them to offset recent travel purchases at a fixed value of one cent per point. Alternatively, you can transfer them to any of Capital One's hotel and airline partners including Accor Live Limitless, Air Canada Aeroplan, Etihad Guest and others to get even more value from your miles.

The Platinum Card from American Express has a high annual fee but also packs a punch in benefits. If you're able to take advantage of its numerous annual statement credits, entertainment benefits, extensive airport lounge access and elite status perks, you'll be sure to come out ahead.

• 5X points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year)
• 5X points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel

Earn 80,000 points after spending $8,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership.

$695 (see rates and fees )

Cardholders can enjoy a long list of benefits, including:

• Up to $200 annual hotel credit (Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay)
• Up to $200 annual airline fee credit
• Up to $300 per calendar year Equinox credit (enrollment required)
• Up to $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit (enrollment required)
• Up to $189 credit to enroll in CLEAR® Plus (subject to auto-renewal)
• Up to $240 annual digital entertainment credit (enrollment required)
• Up to $155 annual Walmart+ credit. (Plus Ups are not eligible. Subject to auto renewal)
• Worldwide airport lounge access, including Delta SkyClubs and Amex Centurion Lounges
• Up to $200 annual Uber credit. Benefit renews annually. (Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only.)
• $100 fee credit for Global Entry or up to $85 for TSAPreCheck
• Automatic hotel elite status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy
• Comprehensive travel insurance
• Complimentary Amex concierge service

Membership Rewards points can also be exceptionally valuable. The best way to use Amex points is to transfer them to one of Amex's airline and hotel partners. They can also be redeemed for statement credits, gift cards and when  checking out at retailers like Amazon , though you'll usually get a lower value for your points.

Bank of America® Travel Rewards for Students

The Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students card provides a strong return for everyday purchases that competes with many of the top non-student credit cards.

• 1.5X points per dollar on all purchases

Earn 25,000 bonus points after spending at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.

In addition to having no annual fee, the Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students card charges no foreign transaction fees, which is useful when studying or traveling abroad.

You must be 18 or older and enrolled in school (college, vocational or trade school) to qualify for this card. Eligible students have access to a 0%-APR offer on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 billing cycles, then a variable 18.24%-28.24% APR applies. Only balance transfers made in the first 60 days of account opening qualify for the 0%-APR offer and there is a 3% balance transfer fee.

Rewards can be redeemed as a statement credit to cover the cost of travel and dining purchases — a simple way to reduce the cost of taking a spring break vacation or buying a plane ticket home. You can redeem rewards at any time and any amount.

First Tech Credit Union Choice Rewards World Mastercard®

Although we always recommend aiming to pay off credit card debt , if you have the debt, the Choice Rewards World Mastercard has one of the lowest interest rates you can find on a credit card.

• 2X points per dollar on everyday purchases such as groceries, gas, electronics, household goods and telecommunications

Earn 20,000 points when you spend $3,000 in the first 60 days from account opening.

Not only does the Choice Rewards World Mastercard have a low APR, but it also has no foreign transaction fees, which is a huge plus when traveling abroad. It is a World Mastercard and as such, comes with purchase protection, Mastercard ID Theft Protection and 24-hour worldwide assistance for lost or stolen cards. It has an array of travel protections as well, including insurance for trip cancellations, travel accidents, baggage delays, lost luggage and rental cars (secondary).

Membership to First Tech Federal Credit Union is required to apply, but anyone can join through affiliation with select organizations or employers, a relationship with a current member, working or living in Lane County, Oregon, attending Cogswell Poly Technical College or by joining the Community History Museum (CHM) or Financial Fitness Association (FFA). First Tech pays the membership fee for the CHM and FFA on your behalf.

The rewards can be redeemed at a fixed rate toward cash-back, travel, merchandise, gift cards and experiences.

Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox.  Sign up here .

How to choose a travel credit card

There is a variety of travel credit cards available, from general to airline - and hotel -specific, and all the choices can make it hard to settle on one. To choose the best card for your needs, you should consider several factors. Here are some tips on how to choose a credit card.

Consider whether you're willing to pay an annual fee. Some travel cards have steep annual fees of over $500, which can be worthwhile, but not for everyone. Make sure you do the math to see if an annual fee travel card is for you.

Another key factor to consider is the type of travel you do most. If you travel within the U.S., then it doesn't matter if a card charges foreign transaction fees. But if you're off to Mexico or Spain, then it's important to have a no foreign transaction fee card.

Rewards should also play a part in your decision. Do some research to determine which card offers a rewards program more geared toward your spending habits. If you dine out a lot when you travel, consider the American Express Gold Card with 4X points on dining at restaurants. But if you want a competitive rewards rate on all sorts of purchases, the Discover it Miles has no annual fee and unlimited 1.5X miles on every dollar of every purchase.

You can compare card benefits side by side to see if one card rates better than another. The  Chase Sapphire Reserve , for example, offers complimentary lounge access, while the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers cardholders a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck .

Find the best credit card for you by reviewing offers in our  credit card marketplace  or get personalized offers via  CardMatch™ .

Making the most of your travel card

To make the most of your travel card, you should familiarize yourself with the various credit card benefits and fees. Take note of any annual fees, foreign transaction fees and the APR associated with your account. Also, consider the rewards rates and added perks, such as annual statement credits.

Once you're familiar with the terms of your card, you can start optimizing them. That may include setting reminders to use the annual $300 travel credit provided by the Chase Sapphire Reserve or submitting a Global Entry application with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card to take advantage of the up to $100 credit.

If you have multiple credit cards , you might want to have a plan for the best time to use each card. Let's say you have the Discover it Miles and American Express Gold Card . Use the Amex Gold Card for dining expenses at restaurants to earn 4X points, then use the Discover card for all your other purchases to earn unlimited 1.5X miles.

Other types of credit cards to consider

Travel credit cards aren't for everyone. If you travel infrequently, you should consider alternative credit card options, such as cards with dining, grocery or gas rewards. Some cards provide up to 6% back in those categories, allowing foodies, meal-preppers and commuters to benefit.

Beyond rewards, you might benefit from a card that offers a 0% APR period . Some cards offer no interest for a year or more on new purchases and balance transfers, such as the Citi Simplicity® Card . The card has 0% intro APR for 21 months on balance transfers from the date of first transfer, plus 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases from date of account opening (after, 19.24% - 29.99% variable APR; balance transfers must be completed within four months of account opening.) There is an introductory balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer ($5 minimum) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your balance transfer fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5). (See rates and fees ). When used responsibly, these cards can help you get out of debt without high interest charges.

Should you get a travel credit card?

If you travel often and pay for purchases with cash or a debit card , you're missing out on rewards and perks that can make travel more affordable. It can be in your best interest to get a travel credit card that awards high rewards rates on airfare, hotels, rideshares and other common travel expenses.

Who should apply for a travel card?

If you're interested in submitting a travel credit card application, keep in mind that card issuers usually require you to have good credit or excellent credit (scores above 670). Therefore, it's key to check your credit score before applying for a travel card.

Once you know your credit score and can check if you prequalify for a travel card, choose the best card for your needs and apply.

What's the difference between points and miles?

Unlike cash-back cards , travel credit cards generally earn points or miles. Traditionally, the term points referred to flexible rewards that could be redeemed directly through a bank's portal or transferred to a partner airline or hotel loyalty program. Meanwhile, the term miles has been associated with rewards earned through an airline's frequent flyer program. However, nowadays, points and miles are used interchangeably as there are flexible credit card rewards called miles and more restrictive airline rewards referred to as points.

How to compare travel credit cards

If you're having trouble narrowing down the best travel card for you, it can be helpful to compare credit cards. You should first list the benefits you're looking for and any deal breakers, such as an annual fee. Then consider cards that have those benefits.

For instance, if you want both travel and dining rewards, the Amex Gold Card is a better choice than the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card since the rewards rate is 4X versus 2X.

But if you don't want to pay a high annual fee, the Venture Card is only $95 (see rates and fees ) compared to the $250 you'll pay for a Gold Card (see rates and fees ).

Bottom line

The best travel credit cards earn rewards you can use to book flights, hotels , rental cars and much more. But the benefits of having a travel credit card go beyond the rewards you earn. Many travel cards offer additional perks, such as travel insurance that reimburses if a trip is delayed or your baggage is lost.

Before you sign up for a travel credit card, consider how you'll use it and how you can best optimize its  rewards program , especially if you're paying a steep  annual fee . It's also important to make sure you can pay off your balance on time and in full each month because many of these cards have  high interest rates .

The good news: If you choose a card from this list, you could earn over $2,000 in rewards over the next five years based on our calculations.

Why trust CNBC Select?

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best travel credit cards.

Our methodology

To determine which travel cards will put the most money back in your pocket, CNBC Select evaluated over dozens of popular travel credit cards offered by major banks, financial companies and credit unions that allow anyone to join. We compared each card on a range of features, including travel rewards (points and miles), annual fee, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR, one-time perks, annual perks, redemption rates, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available.

CNBC Select teamed up with location intelligence firm Esri . The company's data development team provided the most up-to-date and comprehensive consumer spending data based on the 2019 Consumer Expenditure Surveys from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can read more about their methodology here .

Esri's data team created a sample annual budget of approximately $22,126 in retail spending. The budget includes six main categories: groceries ($5,174), gas ($2,218), dining out ($3,675), travel ($2,244), utilities ($4,862) and general purchases ($3,953). General purchases include items such as housekeeping supplies, clothing, personal care products, prescription drugs and vitamins, and other vehicle expenses.

We then estimated how much the average consumer would redeem over a year, two years and five years, assuming they would attempt to maximize their rewards potential by earning all welcome bonuses offered and using the card for all applicable purchases. All rewards total estimations are net the annual fee and assume that you are paying your credit card balance on time and in full each month so as not to incur interest charges.

It's important to note the value of a point or mile varies from card to card and based on how you redeem them. When we calculated the estimated returns, we assumed that cardholders are redeeming points/miles for a typical maximum value of 1 cent per point or mile. (Extreme optimizers might be able to achieve more value.)

Our final picks are weighted heavily toward the highest five-year returns, since it's generally wise to hold onto a credit card for years. This method also avoids giving an unfair advantage to cards with large welcome bonuses.

While the five-year estimates we've included are derived from a budget similar to the average American's spending, you may earn a higher or lower return depending on your travel habits.

The editor's choice card is independently chosen by CNBC Select's editorial team. While it may not have ranked as the number-one card in any given category, it consistently ranks highly across multiple categories and we believe offers some of the best value overall for a stand-alone card. Its rewards, welcome bonus, APR, fees, ease-of-use and ongoing benefits were all taken into consideration.

Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of  credit cards ,  banking  and  money , and follow us on  TikTok ,  Facebook ,  Instagram  and  Twitter  to stay up to date.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here .

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here .

For rates and fees of the Discover it® Miles, click  here .

For rates and fees of the Discover it® Secured Credit Card, click  here .

Information about the Bank of America® Travel Rewards for Students, has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

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What is the best American Express travel card?

American Express is noted for its excellent, unique and generous rewards programs, especially when it comes to premium cards like the American Express Platinum Card and Gold Card. The travel rewards offered by American Express are particularly noteworthy. Travel rewards cards from American Express typically feature substantial welcome bonus packages, airline fee credits, and access to airport lounges around the world. Not only that, but many premium travel American Express cards come with zero foreign transaction fees.

On top of that, American Express also enjoys partnerships with global lodging brands like Marriott and Hilton as well as Delta Airlines. This combination of airline and hotel partners gives travelers access to great deals for flights and lodging anywhere in the world.

Before you decide to take advantage of the travel rewards from American Express, you might want to do a little comparison shopping. We recommend checking out our article on the Best Chase Credit Card for Travel to learn more.

Otherwise, read on to learn more about the travel rewards and benefits possible with American Express.

Does American Express Have Foreign Transaction Fees?

Before jumping into the specific travel rewards cards available from American Express, it’s worth noting that American Express offers a wide variety of credit cards that do not charge foreign transaction fees. This is actually one of the noteworthy membership benefits available through the array of American Express rewards credit card programs for travelers.

You should be aware that while you won’t pay foreign transaction fees for using a number of premium AmEx cards abroad, these cards do usually come with higher annual fees. As an example, the American Express Platinum Card eliminates foreign transaction fees for spending abroad, but cardholders do pay a $695 annual fee. This makes the card well suited to those who do a lot of international travel.

By contrast, a card like the American Express Blue Cash card does not come with an annual fee, but you will pay 2.7% on foreign transaction fees.

So before you do seek out an American Express card without foreign transaction fees, be sure the combination of savings, travel rewards and annual fees makes sense for your travel needs and spending habits.

What’s the best American Express Travel Card?

The answer to that question depends on the type of travel rewards you’re looking for and the type of travel you plan to do using your card. The good news is that there are American Express Credit Cards designed specifically for every kind of traveler.

The Platinum Card may be right for frequent travelers, especially those who enjoy a taste of the finer things like airport lounge access and reservations with exclusive restaurants around the world. If you plan to book flights and hotels as business purchases, you may prefer the Gold American Express card.

If your top goal is to land great discounts through specific hotel collection bookings, you’ll probably want to learn more about the unique membership programs that AmEx keeps with Marriott and Hilton. And in the next section, we’ll discuss why you might want to fly Delta.

For now, here’s a quick look at some of the most highly recommended travel rewards cards from American Express as well as their fees and benefits.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

In the simplest terms, the Platinum Card offers the most generous and extensive array of benefits to cardholders. It does come with a high annual fee relative to other credit cards, even those in the AmEx portfolio. However, for frequent travelers and those who enjoy luxury perks like fine dining and extensive airport lounge access, it may be well worth the money.

• Annual Fee: $695
• 5X Membership Rewards® Points on up to $500,000 per calendar year on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel via amextravel.com or by calling 1-800-525-3355.
• 5X Membership Rewards® Points on eligible prepaid hotels booked at amextravel.com , including The Hotel Collection.
• 1X Membership Rewards® Points for all other eligible purchases made using your Platinum Card.
• Annual statement credits including $200 hotel statement credit, $200 Uber Cash credit, $200 Airline Fee Credit, and $189 CLEAR Plus Credit for faster security clearance when traveling through the airport.
• No foreign transaction fee when spending abroad.
• Comprehensive access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes more than 1,400 airport lounges in over 500 airports around the world.
• Access to the AmEx Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection suite of benefits including daily breakfast for two, complimentary coffee and free Wi-Fi access.
• Global Dining Access by Resy where you have preferred access to sought-after restaurant reservations and exclusive tables across the globe when you book using your American Express Platinum Card on the Resy app.
• Premium Car Rental Status, which means you’ll be eligible for special upgrades, exclusive discounts and priority service as an automatic member of the Avis Preferred®, Hertz Presidents circle, and National Car Rental® Emerald Club.

Learn More .

American Express® Gold Card

The American Express Gold Card is often a preferred credit card for business travelers. The combination of a modest annual fee–relative to the Platinum Card at least–and the triple points awarded for flight booking make it a sensible option for those who fly frequently for work.

• Annual Fee: $250
• 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide and for any spending at U.S. supermarkets for up to $25,000 per year.
• 3x points for flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel using your Gold Car.
• 1X Membership Rewards® Points on all other eligible purchases.
• $120 dining credit at select restaurants as well as for food delivery from participating vendors.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees when spending abroad.
• American Express® Preferred Access, which offers first dibs on premium seats for select cultural events, cultures, theater performance, and sporting events, depending on availability.
• The Hotel Collection, which gives you access to signature perks at the select upscale hotels available for booking through American Express Travel.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

If you travel frequently and you expect to visit numerous locations with Hilton lodging over the course of each year, you may be a strong candidate for the Hilton Honors American Express rewards program. Membership in this program will provide an array of benefits both for booking Hilton hotels and resorts, and for making purchases during your stay. It does bear noting that this card comes with a comparatively higher annual fee, so it really is only a recommended option for those who intend to make full use of its benefits. This is a card best suited to those who plan to pursue high end travel experiences.

• Annual Fee: $550
• 180,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 14x Hilton Honors Bonus Points per $1 of eligible purchases on your Card made directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• 7x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for eligible purchases on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com as well as on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies
• 7x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for any spending at U.S. restaurants.
• 3x Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases made on your Hilton Honors Card.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card

If you travel frequently and you expect to visit numerous locations with Marriott lodging over the course of a year, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card might make sense for you. You’ll accumulate generous rewards points for booking hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy collection as well as for spending with your Brilliant card during your stay. This card does carry a high annual fee, so it is generally geared toward frequent travelers, who are more likely to take full advantage of its extensive benefits.

• Annual Fee: $650
• Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy® Bonus Points after you use your new card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• 6x Marriott Bonvoy® points on each dollar of eligible purchases  made at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.™
• 3x Marriott Bonvoy® points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines.
• 2x Marriott Bonvoy® points for all other eligible purchases.
• Gain Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite status, which makes it possible to receive room upgrades when available at select properties, including enhanced views or suites.

Keep in mind…

Because a lot of these travel rewards cards come with higher annual fees, it’s important to be sure that you are getting the right card for your travel needs, spending habits, and your preferences regarding hotel and airline loyalty programs. Whichever card you choose, it’s important to note that the perks and benefits outlined above are subject to change. This is especially true of the welcome bonus features, which often vary according to different periodical promotions.

Likewise, your eligibility for some of these rewards and welcome bonuses will depend in part on your personal financial outlook and your history with American Express Cards. To this end, if you have already taken advantage of an American Express welcome bonus at any time in your life, you would not be eligible for a new welcome bonus with your travel rewards card.

So before you choose the very best travel rewards card from American Express for your needs, it’s a good idea to take these factors into consideration and to visit the American Express website to check out the most up to date terms, limitations, and conditions.

If you’re simply looking for an American Express card that offers the ultimate in spending flexibility, you can jump to our look at the best AmEx credit cards with high credit limits.

The Best AmEx Credit Cards for Booking Flights

In addition to the premium rewards cards and hotel collection cards available from American Express, the credit card issuer enjoys a partnership with Delta Airlines. Through its Delta SkyMiles program, you can enjoy a wide variety of flight benefits. Of course, this benefit only applies if you use Delta Airlines for travel, so be sure that this is a smart investment for you based on your geography and the availability of Delta flights to your preferred destinations.

If you do fly through Delta, you will want to consider one of several Delta SkyMiles travel rewards cards from American Express. Broadly speaking, Delta SkyMiles benefits will include:

• Delta Airline Benefits : The Delta SkyMiles cards offer perks specific to Delta, such as priority boarding, a free checked bag for the cardholder and eligible companions, and discounted Delta Sky Club access.
• Earn SkyMiles : Cardholders can earn SkyMiles at an accelerated rate with every purchase made using the rewards card, including Delta purchases.. There are often welcome offers or bonuses for new cardholders as well, which makes it possible to accrue miles faster.
• Annual Fee Credits : While many American Express travel rewards cards come with higher annual fees, you will usually also receive certain statement credits for eligible in-flight, airport, or airline purchases, which can help offset that yearly expense.
• Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) : Higher-tier Delta SkyMiles cards may offer MQMs. Participation in this special Delta frequent flyer program helps you earn Medallion Status faster, providing access to elite benefits like priority upgrades and better seat selections.
• Travel Protections : Every one of the AmEx Delta SkyMiles cards comes with travel insurance benefits including trip delay or cancellation coverage, as well as insurance for car rental loss or damage and baggage insurance.
• Companion Certificates : While this will usually depend on the specific Delta SkyMiles card that you use, as well as the conditions surrounding your bookings, you may be able to get a companion certificate with annual card renewal, which can allow you to book a flight for a travel companion at a reduced fee or even for free.

[Check out our feature article on Companion Tickets from American Express to learn more about this highly desirable membership benefit.]

Which is the right Delta SkyMiles Card for you?

As the features above suggest, the Delta SkyMiles card caters entirely to those who fly with Delta Airlines. So naturally, it only makes sense to consider these options if you expect to fly frequently with Delta airlines. Otherwise, the fees associated with these cards may not be worth it for you. You might do better to focus on a more flexible (albeit more expensive) card such as the Platinum Card detailed here above.

That said, the right card for the right traveler can provide significant value through rewards, benefits, and protections. Consider a few of these options below:

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

• Fees : $0 introductory fee in the first year; $99 per year after the first year
• Earn 40,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in your first 6 months.
• Earn 2x miles on purchases made directly with Delta, at restaurants worldwide, and at U.S. supermarkets.
• Earn 1x miles on all other eligible purchases.
• First checked bag free on Delta flights for the cardholder and up to eight companions.
• Priority boarding and security on Delta flights.
• $100 Delta flight credit after spending a certain amount within the first few months

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card

• Annual Fees : $250
• Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card in your first 6 months.
• Earn 3x miles on purchases made directly with Delta and at hotels around the world.
• Earn 2x miles on purchases made at U.S. supermarkets and for dining at restaurants around the world.
• First checked bag free on Delta flights for the cardholder and up to eight companions
• Companion Certificate for a travel partner each year upon renewal, which generally amounts to a flight booking for free, excluding minimal taxes and fees.
• Priority boarding and discounted access to Delta Sky Club lounges at airports around the world.
• $100 Delta flight credit after spending a certain amount within the first few months.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

• Annual Fee : $550
• Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
• Earn 3x miles on purchases made directly through Delta Airlines.
• 1x miles for every eligible dollar you spend on purchases.
• Complimentary Delta Sky Club access at airport lounges across the world.
• 15% off when using Delta SkyMiles to book Award Travel through Delta.com or the Delta mobile app.
• Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) boost after hitting spending thresholds.
• Companion Certificate upon annual renewal so that a travel partner can book for free, with nominal taxes and fees.

With each of these cards, your Delta SkyMiles can be redeemed for flights, upgrades, bag check, in-flight purchases and a host of other travel options.

The specific terms, benefits, and offers on these cards can change, and new offers may become available over time. Please check the American Express website or contact American Express directly for the most current information before applying for any credit card. Additionally, note that the benefits, rewards, and annual fees can vary or change based on individual eligibility and promotions at the time of application.

For questions about these benefits and any other membership rewards programs available through American Express, we recommend jumping to our listing of important customer service contact numbers.

Advertiser Disclosure

Best Travel Credit Cards of April 2024

Some of the card offers on this site are from companies who are advertising clients of U.S. News. Advertising considerations may impact where and in what order offers appear on the site but do not affect any editorial decisions, such as which card products we write about and how we evaluate them. Terms apply.

• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card : Best feature: Travel rewards.
• Chase Freedom Unlimited® : Best feature: Flexible cash back rewards.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card : Best feature: Travel rewards.
• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card : Best feature: Delta Air Lines rewards.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card : <b>Best Feature:</b> 75,000-mile sign-up bonus.

Whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, travel credit cards can help you save money. There are many types of travel cards, and they often come with sign-up bonuses and robust rewards programs. A general travel card is a good option for those who want flexibility. But if you do have a favorite airline, an airline-branded card might be just what you need. Terms apply.

U.S. News’ Best Travel Credit Cards of April 2024

See all of our credit cards here .

On This Page

• U.S. News’ Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards
• How Travel Credit Cards Work

Commonly Compared Travel Credit Cards :

Popular categories:.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

Airline Credit Cards

Rewards Credit Cards

Credit Cards With Sign-up Bonuses

How Do Travel Credit Cards Work?

You can use travel credit cards to save money on travel expenses such as airfare, hotel stays, car rentals and baggage fees. Use your travel rewards credit cards to pay for travel and other monthly expenses, and you'll be amazed by how quickly your earnings accumulate. I use a combination of travel rewards and cash back cards, and I earn thousands of dollars' worth of rewards every year.

Depending on the credit card, you can redeem your rewards for airfare, statement credits, hotel stays, merchandise, upgrades and more. Many of these cards also allow you to transfer miles or points to partner airlines and hotels.

Within the travel rewards credit card category, there are three basic types of travel cards: general travel cards, airline cards and hotel cards.

General Travel Credit Cards

With general travel credit cards, you can redeem rewards for many things. Options may include statement credits, trips booked via the issuer's travel portal, online purchases and gift cards. Depending on the rewards program, which varies by credit card, you may also be able to transfer rewards to other airline or hotel loyalty programs.

General travel cards are more flexible than co-branded airline or hotel credit cards, which is a big plus for travelers who aren't loyal to a particular brand or who travel to destinations with fewer options for hotels or airports. Cardholders can worry less about blackout dates or other travel restrictions because rewards are not tied to a sole provider.

Airline credit cards

Airline credit cards offer perks that are especially useful to frequent flyers. They can be co-branded, meaning you earn rewards with a particular airline.

Airline cards can deliver a more economical, comfortable flying experience. Benefits often include free checked bags, priority boarding, complimentary or discounted access to airport lounges, and discounts on in-flight purchases.

Hotel credit cards

Hotel credit cards are generally most valuable when used to book eligible accommodations. Co-branded hotel credit cards work best for loyal guests of a specific hotel group. If you regularly stay at properties within a hotel group, you can earn rewards that you can use for free nights at participating hotels.

Choosing the Best Travel Card

Before you begin searching for a travel card, think about your travel preferences. Do you prefer to use one airline or do you enjoy the flexibility to choose different airlines? You also want to consider if you want a straighforward rewards program or if you're willing to navigate a complex program to get more enticing rewards.

To find a travel card that meets your needs, evaluate each card using the following criteria:

1. Pick the right travel rewards program for you .

Your travel credit card will work in conjunction either with the loyalty program of an airline or hotel chain or with the issuer's rewards program. Each program has unique terms and conditions for earning, redeeming and transferring points.

Airline loyalty programs: For some travelers, loyalty to any particular airline lasts only as long as that airline offers the cheapest flights. But frequent flyers might be willing to forgo initial cost savings in exchange for benefits later.

Which airline program works best for you depends on how frequently you fly with the airline and how much value you can get from your rewards. Also consider how active the airline is at the airport you're planning to use. If that airport isn't the main hub of your favorite airline, figure out if there are still enough flights to make the card worthwhile. Highly rated airline rewards programs include:

• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.
• Delta SkyMiles.
• HawaiianMiles.
• United MileagePlus.

Hotel loyalty programs: As with airline cards, choosing a credit card from a hotel group you regularly patronize is likely to offer the best value for earning and redeeming rewards. Highly rated hotel rewards programs include:

• IHG One Rewards.
• Marriott Bonvoy.
• World of Hyatt.
• Wyndham Rewards.

General travel rewards programs: Using a general travel credit card can earn you rewards that can be redeemed for a statement credit or through the issuer's travel portal, or transferred to partners. Many of these programs also have redemption options for gift cards, experiences and more. Examples:

• American Express Membership Rewards.
• Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Which is the right choice? If you're loyal to a particular hotel group or airline and want to earn rewards while taking advantage of brand-specific benefits, a co-branded airline or hotel card is the way to go.

But if you travel infrequently or with many different airlines, or simply want more flexibility, a general travel card may be a better choice.

2. Calculate earning potential.

Travel cards can earn rewards at different rates for spending in different categories, so analyze your spending habits to determine which card will provide the highest rewards value. A good travel card will have a range of purchases that qualify as travel spending, which may include flights, hotels and car rentals.

Depending on the card, these purchases can earn two points/miles per dollar or more. Other purchases may earn one point/mile per dollar or more.

3. Factor in sign-up bonuses.

Some travel cards offer bonuses for meeting a spending threshold within a few months of opening an account. These bonuses can be worth hundreds of dollars.

4. Calculate redemption value.

The value of your points or miles depends on your card as well as your preferences and priorities.

For general travel cards, point valuation may be as simple as the number of points multiplied by the redemption rate, often 1 cent per point. Point value can also vary depending on whether the issuer uses dynamic pricing, which can depend on other factors, such as demand for the date you've chosen.

Award travel booked through airline or hotel loyalty programs can get more complicated. The number of points or miles needed to book can depend on factors such as destination, fare or hotel class, demand, and other factors. And rewards values aren't consistent across all programs: You might be able to redeem a point or mile for a value of 2 cents with one program or less than 1 cent with another.

5. Subtract annual fees.

The average annual fee for travel credit cards is about $139, according to U.S. News research. Credit card companies sometimes entice new users by waiving the annual fee for the first year.

Once the fee kicks in, be sure you're earning enough rewards or enjoying the other card benefits to more than just compensate for it. Also, about a third of travel cards don't carry an annual fee.

6. Understand travel benefits.

Travel benefits can be practical tools, discounted pricing or luxe perks. Benefits can include no foreign transaction fees, access to concierge or customer service assistance, a free checked bag – and sometimes, a free checked bag for one or more traveling companions. Air travel is frequently disrupted these days, and some travel credit cards offer travel cancellation insurance as well as coverage for lost baggage.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , for example, comes with trip cancellation and interruption insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement, and more.

7. Avoid foreign transaction fees.

Many travel cards don't charge a foreign transaction fee, which is typically 3% on every purchase in a foreign currency or country. Because these fees can outweigh any rewards you earn, frequent international travelers will want to make this card feature a top priority.

Compare Credit Cards

You can compare cards side-by-side, plus get info about rewards, points, interest rates, and how to apply — all in one place.

How to Redeem Travel Points

Each travel rewards credit card has its own rewards program. The rewards program will highlight the rewards rate, explain any tiered categories and outline redemption options. Be sure you understand the rewards program for your credit card so you can maximize your benefit.

You can find out how much you've earned in rewards by logging into your account or referring to your card's monthly billing statement. Here's a brief summary of what to expect when you redeem rewards, but note that specific details vary by credit card issuer.

Redeeming Travel Points on a General Travel Card

Redemption options might include using points or miles to pay for airfare, getting a statement credit, receiving free hotel nights or buying merchandise on discount.

One of the best features of a general travel card is that you have flexibility to choose the airline that meets your needs. Some general travel cards also have their own travel portal where you might get more value for each mile or point redeemed.

Log into your account and you'll find redemption options as well as directions for redeeming your rewards. Many general travel rewards cards have airline partnerships, which gives you many options when booking your travel.

Redeeming Points With an Airline Credit Card

An airline-branded credit card often comes with generous rewards and excellent benefits, including in-flight credits, priority boarding, waived baggage fees, baggage insurance and 24/7 emergency assistance.

The method for redeeming airline-branded credit cards will vary by issuer, but you can usually redeem them online or by phone. Some airline-branded cards allow you to redeem miles on their page. For specific details, go to the credit card's homepage for instructions.

Some airline cards use dynamic pricing, which means award rates can vary throughout the month. With these airline credit cards, flexibility with travel dates can help you get the most value from your miles.

Redeeming Points With a Hotel Credit Card

Hotel-branded credit cards are best for those who are loyal to a specific hotel group. Hotel cards often come with generous rewards, including tiered rewards, and perks. Redemption options might include using your points for free or discounted hotel stays, hotel services and upgrades, gift cards and airfare.

Similar to airline cards, some hotel cards use dynamic pricing, so award values can vary depending on changes in demand for a date or time. Your rewards will be worth less during a period of high demand.

How to Compare Travel Credit Cards

You're unlikely to find the perfect travel credit card, but if you take time to compare several cards, you're going to find a card that meets most of your needs.

• Credit score: Rewards credit cards require good credit scores, so know your credit score before you start comparing cards. This way, you won't spend time looking at cards you're unlikely to qualify for. By focusing on cards you might get approved for, you also protect your score. Each time you apply for a credit card, you can lose up to five points off your score.
• Annual fees: Many travel rewards cards have annual fees. The more generous the rewards and perks, the higher the annual fee. Be sure the amount of rewards you expect to earn far outweighs the annual fee.
• Sign-up bonus: Most travel rewards cards offer enticing sign-up bonuses. Usually, there's a spending requirement you have to meet within the first three months or so. Read the terms, because every travel card has its own requirements.
• Foreign transaction fees: If you travel overseas and make purchases, businesses may charge foreign transaction fees. The fee is usually around 3% of your bill. Using a credit card that waives these fees will save you a lot of money.
• Purchase APR: Rewards cards, as already noted, have higher interest rates. While it's always prudent to compare APRs among credit cards, it's important that you never carry a balance with a rewards card. Due to the high rate and compound interest, you can slip into debt quickly.
• Rewards programs: Take time to review the programs of the cards you're considering. Some cards have simple programs, but others are complex. Comparing rewards programs is a great way to see which cards offer rewards that match up well with your spending style.
• Benefits and perks: The best travel credit cards not only have generous rewards, but also come with excellent benefits, such as waived baggage fees, airport lounge access, lost baggage insurance, airline fee credits, travel cancellation insurance and much more. Decide what benefits are important to you and see which credit card is the best match.

As I said, you won't find your credit card soulmate, but if you compare travel cards, you'll find the one that will make you the happiest.

Pros and Cons

For the right consumer, travel credit cards can make a lot of financial sense, but make sure you know the advantages and disadvantages of these cards.

• Better earning rates and higher redemption value for travel. Travel credit cards can accrue points and miles at higher rates on travel-related spending than other rewards credit cards. When cardholders redeem those rewards for travel, they could get more value out of them than if they redeemed them for other rewards, such as cash back , statement credits or gift cards.
• May not charge foreign transaction fees. A foreign transaction fee is a surcharge on every purchase made using a credit card in a foreign country or foreign currency. The fees are typically 3% of every purchase. So if you have an international trip planned, a travel rewards credit card that waives foreign transaction fees can save you a lot of money.
• Sign-up bonuses. Lucrative sign-up bonuses are common among travel credit cards and are typically available to new cardholders who hit a minimum spending amount within the first few months.
• Potentially high annual fees. Most travel rewards credit cards have an annual fee. Fees can range from a low $39 to fees that exceed $500. Premium travel cards provide premium benefits, and that's reflected in their annual fees. If the travel card is a good match for you, the annual fee might be worth it.
• Possible complexity and restrictions. Travel credit cards can also cost you time. Some travel cards require lots of planning or working with customer service to navigate blackout dates, limited seat availability or confusing terms and conditions. Depending on the travel card, there can also be caps and expiration dates on points or miles. And, of course, bonus points from airline and hotel cards may be restricted to redemption with certain brands or qualifying partners.
• Low value for infrequent travelers. If you don't travel regularly, then you'll want to make sure that the rewards and benefits you're getting from the card are outweighing the annual fee.

How to Maximize Travel Rewards

• Pick the right travel card. When you're starting out with travel cards, select one with a general rewards program that gives you the flexibility to earn rewards for all spending and redeem with the largest variety of brands. Unless you spend a lot with a particular travel brand, co-branded airline and hotel cards aren't the best choice to start.
• Combine a general travel card with a co-branded card. Used in tandem with a general travel card, a co-branded airline card or a hotel card makes sense for frequent travelers who are comfortable committing to one travel brand. This combination allows you to use the co-branded card to earn bonus points on purchases with your preferred brand and to use the general travel card to earn bonus points in other categories.
• Apply for a card before a planned large purchase to reach your sign-up bonus. The best way to guarantee that you'll get your sign-up bonus is to activate a new travel rewards card before you'll be making a lot of purchases (a family vacation, for instance).
• Use your travel credit card to pick up the tab. Does your card give you extra points for dining? You can offer to pick up the tab the next time you go out with friends. So long as they pay you back, it's worth it to get more of those sweet, sweet rewards points .

Travel Cards vs. Cash Back Cards

Nate Hellman

If you're not sure whether a travel card or cash back card is the best fit for you, there is good news: You can get a card that offers great travel rewards and solid cash back. There is overlap between the best cash back credit cards and the best travel credit cards.

There are cash back credit cards that come with travel rewards, but many others focus on rewards for everyday expenses. Take a look at your spending habits and decide which benefits you'll enjoy most before picking a card.

And if you're like me, you'll want to have both a travel credit card and a cash back card. I use several rewards cards strategically, and I usually travel for free. It's simply a matter of knowing your rewards programs and using the right rewards card at the appropriate time. This way, you maximize your rewards!

What Are Some Alternatives to Getting a Travel Credit Card?

• Use a cash back rewards credit card. Many cash back rewards cards offer significant cash back for everyday purchases, and some offer travel benefits such as rental car protection and travel insurance.
• Join a frequent flyer program. Many major airlines offer rewards for booking its flights, spending through its travel partners and shopping with select retailers. These points may have no caps and offer redemption options such as flights, exclusive vacations, premium drinks and cabin upgrades.
• Sign up for a hotel loyalty program. Hotel loyalty programs offer various incentives, such as exclusive rates, late checkout and bonus points, for keeping your overnight stays within its family of properties. Be sure to book your stays directly with the hotel and not a third-party service to rack up bonus points, then redeem for perks such as free drinks, spa packages and free nights.

U.S. News Survey

U.S. News Survey: More Than Two-Thirds of Respondents Say Recent Financial Events Have Affected Their Summer Plans

According to a May U.S. News survey, inflation and recent stock market drops have put a crimp in many people's summer travel plans. Almost 21% of respondents are cutting the number of trips they plan to take, while another 21.7% are reducing their travel budgets. Only 28.8% of respondents say they aren't changing their plans at all. While the past two years of summer travel have been seriously disrupted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, most respondents say they aren't planning to make up for lost time and splurge. Though 30.1% say they plan to spend more on travel compared with pre-pandemic vacations, 43% say they plan to spend less, and 26.9% plan to spend about the same amount. Respondents are also fairly split on how much COVID-19 will affect their plans. For 31.9% of respondents, it's a moderate consideration, but 28.2% of respondents say they aren't thinking about COVID-19 at all. A smaller percentage, 15.9% of respondents, say the coronavirus is a major consideration, and it has dictated their destination or transportation plans.

Additional Survey Insights

Most respondents plan to take either one (36.6%) or two (36.7%) vacations this summer.

Only 14.6% of respondents say they plan to travel internationally this summer, while 25.7% of respondents plan to stay in the same state., roughly two-thirds of respondents plan to travel by car, and about one-third plan to travel by air. a limited number of people are traveling by rail, boat or bus., a large majority of respondents, 61.2%, plan to pay for their trips with savings. in contrast, 13% of respondents plan to add the costs to their credit card balances, and 5.6% plan to use a buy now, pay later plan., over half of the respondents (54.2%) plan to spend $1,000 or less per person per trip., there are two summer travel trends that are especially popular: 30.6% of respondents are taking a multigenerational trip with their families, and 31.1% of respondents are taking a vacation focused on self-care and wellness., the most popular type of credit card for traveling is none at all – 28.7% of respondents say they don't plan on using one., people aren't earning that much in rewards with their credit cards. the largest group of respondents, 28.2%, say they've earned $350 or less in rewards in the past 12 months., if respondents did get a travel credit card, 40.8% say the most important secondary benefit would be free checked bags..

Survey Results

• U.S. News ran a nationwide survey of 1,211 respondents through PureSpectrum between May 19 and May 23, 2022. Only people who planned to travel this summer answered questions.
• The survey sample drew from the general American population, and the survey was configured to be representative of this sample.
• The survey asked 12 questions relating to summer travel and spending.

Best Credit Cards for Travel Methodology

U.S. News has been helping consumers make money decisions for decades. The Best Travel Credit Cards are selected based on ease and flexibility of rewards redemption, travel rewards earning rate, rewards redemption value, annual fee, APR, sign-up bonus value, cardholder benefits, foreign transaction fee and balance transfer fee. Cards are also scored on U.S. News' overall issuer satisfaction rating.

To qualify as one of the best travel credit cards, a card must earn bonus travel rewards, including general travel, airline or hotel. Remember to consider your spending and travel habits as you compare travel cards so you can find the best credit card for you.

Can You Get Travel Rewards for Business Travel?

If you are an entrepreneur, a small-business owner or have a side hustle, you have more options to consider. You can keep all of your spending on one travel rewards credit card to consolidate your points. Alternatively, you can open a separate business credit card . Business cards typically have different rewards categories that might be more beneficial to you.

What Credit Score Is Needed for a Travel Credit Card?

Travel credit cards require good to excellent credit , with a typical minimum credit score of 670.

Is There a Difference Between Points and Miles on a Credit Card?

There is a difference, but it's a minor one. Miles are the reward unit for airline credit cards, while points are the reward unit for hotel and general credit cards. The important thing to check is how easy it is to redeem your points or miles once you earn them.

Should I Get a Separate Credit Card Just for Travel?

[READ: What Does Your Credit Card Number Mean? ]

What Are the Best Travel Credit Card Perks?

The best travel credit card perks for you will depend on your priorities when you travel. If you’re a frequent flyer, for example, you might want a card that gets you airport lounge access and covers the fee for TSA PreCheck. If you instead prioritize hotel stays, you can look for perks such as late checkout.

Comparative assessments and other editorial opinions are those of U.S. News and have not been previously reviewed, approved or endorsed by any other entities, such as banks, credit card issuers or travel companies. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired.

Beverly Harzog , Credit Card Expert

Beverly Harzog  is a nationally recognized personal finance and credit card expert for U.S. News & World Report. She’s the bestselling and award-winning author of five personal finance books. Harzog puts her expertise to practice in her personal life by saving thousands every year on travel and everyday expenses by using a combination of credit cards in various categories. Read more

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15 Best Travel Credit Cards of April 2024

ALSO CONSIDER: Best credit cards of 2024 || Best rewards credit cards || Best airline credit cards || Best hotel credit cards

A travel rewards credit card brings your next trip a little closer every time you use it. Each purchase earns points or miles that you can redeem for travel expenses. If you're loyal to a specific airline or hotel chain, consider getting one of that company's branded credit cards. Otherwise, check out the general-purpose travel cards on this page, which give you flexible rewards that you can use without the restrictions and blackout dates of branded cards.

Some of our selections for the best travel credit cards can be applied for through NerdWallet, and some cannot. Below, you'll find application links for the credit cards from our partners that are available through NerdWallet, followed by the full list of our picks.

250+ credit cards reviewed and rated by our team of experts

80+ years of combined experience covering credit cards and personal finance

100+ categories of best credit card selections ( See our top picks )

Objective comprehensive ratings rubrics ( Methodology )

NerdWallet's credit cards content, including ratings and recommendations, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in credit cards. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, USA Today, The New York Times, MarketWatch, MSN, NBC's "Today," ABC's "Good Morning America" and many other national, regional and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict guidelines for editorial integrity .

Show summary

NerdWallet's Best Travel Credit Cards of April 2024

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card : Best for Flexibility + point transfers + big sign-up bonus

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card : Best for Flat-rate travel rewards

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card : Best for Travel portal benefits

Chase Freedom Unlimited® : Best for Cash back for travel bookings

Chase Freedom Flex℠ : Best for Cash back for travel bookings

American Express® Gold Card : Best for Big rewards on everyday spending

Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card : Best for Bonus rewards + no annual fee

The Platinum Card® from American Express : Best for Luxury travel perks

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card : Best for Business travelers — bonus rewards + big sign-up offer

Citi Premier® Card : Best for Triple points on multiple categories

Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card : Best for Flat-rate rewards + no annual fee, and for balance transfers

Chase Sapphire Reserve® : Best for Bonus travel rewards + high-end perks

World of Hyatt Credit Card : Best for Hotel credit card

Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card : Best for Travel rewards for rent payments + no annual fee

United℠ Explorer Card : Best for Airline card

Best Travel Credit Cards From Our Partners

Find the right credit card for you..

Whether you want to pay less interest or earn more rewards, the right card's out there. Just answer a few questions and we'll narrow the search for you.

Flexibility + point transfers + big sign-up bonus

Flat-rate travel rewards, travel portal benefits, cash back for travel bookings, big rewards on everyday spending, bonus rewards + no annual fee, luxury travel perks, business travelers — bonus rewards + big sign-up offer, triple points on multiple categories, flat-rate rewards + no annual fee, and for balance transfers, bonus travel rewards + high-end perks, hotel credit card, travel rewards for rent payments + no annual fee, airline card, full list of editorial picks: best travel credit cards.

Before applying, confirm details on the issuer’s website.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Our pick for: Flat-rate rewards

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is probably the best-known general-purpose travel credit card, thanks to its ubiquitous advertising. You earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases. Miles can be redeemed at a value of 1 cent apiece for any travel purchase, without the blackout dates and other restrictions of branded hotel and airline cards. The card offers a great sign-up bonus and other worthwhile perks ( see rates and fees ). Read our review.

Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Our pick for: Flat-rate rewards + no annual fee, and for balance transfers

One of the best no-annual-fee travel cards available, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card gives you a solid rewards rate on every purchase, with points that can be redeemed for any travel purchase, without the restrictions of branded airline and hotel cards. Bank of America® has an expansive definition of "travel," too, giving you additional flexibility in how you use your rewards. Read our review.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Our pick for: Bonus travel rewards + high-end perks

The high annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Reserve® gives many potential applicants pause, but frequent travelers should be able to wring enough value out of this card to more than make up for the cost. Cardholders get bonus rewards (up to 10X) on dining and travel, a fat bonus offer, annual travel credits, airport lounge access, and a 50% boost in point value when redeeming points for travel booked through Chase. Points can also be transferred to about a dozen airline and hotel partners. Read our review. 

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Our pick for: Flexibility + point transfers + big sign-up bonus

For a reasonable annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns bonus rewards (up to 5X) on travel, dining, select streaming services, and select online grocery purchases. Points are worth 25% more when you redeem them for travel booked through Chase, or you can transfer them to about a dozen airline and hotel partners. The sign-up bonus is stellar, too. Read our review. 

Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

Our pick for: Bonus rewards + no annual fee

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card offers so much value, it's hard to believe there's no annual fee. Start with a great bonus offer, then earn extra rewards in a host of common spending categories — restaurants, gas stations, transit, travel, streaming and more. Read our review.

Citi Premier® Card

Our pick for: Triple points in multiple categories

The Citi Premier® Card earns bonus points on airfare, hotels, supermarkets, dining and gas stations. There's a solid sign-up bonus as well.  Read our review.

U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card

Our pick for: Road trips

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card is one of the most generous cards on the market if you're taking to the skies or the road, thanks to the quadruple points it earns on travel and purchases at gas stations and EV charging stations. It's also a solid card for everyday expenses like groceries, dining and streaming, and it comes with ongoing credits that can offset its annual fee:  $0 intro for the first year, then $95 .  Read our review .

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Our pick for: Travel portal benefits

Capital One's premium travel credit card can deliver terrific benefits — provided you're willing to do your travel spending through the issuer's online booking portal. That's where you'll earn the highest rewards rates plus credits that can make back the bulk of your annual fee ( see rates and fees ). Read our review.

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Our pick for: Cash back for travel bookings

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® was already a fine card when it offered 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Now it's even better, with bonus rewards on travel booked through Chase, as well as at restaurants and drugstores. On top of all that, new cardholders get a 0% introductory APR period and the opportunity to earn a sweet bonus. Read our review.

Chase Freedom Flex℠

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers bonus cash back in quarterly categories that you activate, as well as on travel booked through Chase, at restaurants and at drugstores. Category activation can be a hassle, but if your spending matches the categories — and for a lot of people, it will — you can rack up hundreds of dollars a year. There's a fantastic bonus offer for new cardholders and an intro APR offer, too. Read our review.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Our pick for: Luxury travel perks

The Platinum Card® from American Express comes with a hefty annual fee, but travelers who like to go in style (and aren't afraid to pay for comfort) can more than get their money's worth. Enjoy extensive airport lounge access, hundreds of dollars a year in travel and shopping credits, hotel benefits and more. That's not even getting into the high rewards rate on eligible travel purchases and the rich welcome offer for new cardholders. Read our review.

American Express® Gold Card

Our pick for: Big rewards on everyday spending

The American Express® Gold Card can earn you a pile of points from everyday spending, with generous rewards at U.S. supermarkets, at restaurants and on certain flights booked through amextravel.com. Other benefits include hundreds of dollars a year in available dining and travel credits and a solid welcome offer for new cardholders. There's an annual fee, though, and a pretty substantial one, so it's not for smaller spenders. Read our review.

Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card

Our pick for: Rewards on rent payments

The Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card stands out by offering credit card rewards on rent payments without incurring an additional transaction fee. The ability to earn rewards on what for many people is their single biggest monthly expense makes this card worth a look for any renter. You also get bonus points on dining and travel when you make at least five transactions on the card each statement period, and redemption options include point transfers to partner hotel and loyalty programs. Read our review.

PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card

Our pick for: Credit union rewards

With premium perks for a $95 annual fee (which can be waived in some cases), jet-setters will get a lot of value from the PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card . It also offers a generous rewards rate on travel purchases and a decent flat rate on everything else. Plus, you’ll get travel credits and a Priority Pass membership that offers airport lounge access for $32 per visit. Read our review.

United℠ Explorer Card

Our pick for: United Airlines + best domestic airline card

The United℠ Explorer Card earns bonus rewards not only on spending with United Airlines but also at restaurants and on eligible hotel stays. And the perks are outstanding for a basic airline card — a free checked bag, priority boarding, lounge passes and more. Read our review.

» Not a United frequent flyer? See our best airline cards for other options

World of Hyatt Credit Card

Our pick for: Hotel credit card

Hyatt isn't as big as its competitors, but World of Hyatt Credit Card is worth a look for anyone who spends a lot of time on the road. You can earn a lot of points even on non-Hyatt spending, and those points have a high value compared with rival programs. There's a great sign-up bonus, free nights, automatic elite status and more. Read our review.

» Not a Hyatt customer? See our best hotel cards for other options.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Our pick for: Small business — bonus categories + big sign-up offer

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card starts you off with one of the biggest sign-up bonuses of any credit card anywhere: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠. You also get bonus rewards on travel expenses and common business spending categories, like advertising, shipping and internet, cable and phone service. Points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel booked through Chase, or you can transfer them to about a dozen airline and hotel partners. Learn more and apply .

Are you in Canada?

See NerdWallet's best travel cards for Canada.

OTHER RESOURCES

How travel rewards work.

Modern-day adventurers and once-a-year vacationers alike love the idea of earning rewards toward their next big trip. According to a NerdWallet study , 68% of American adults say they have a credit card that earns travel rewards.

With a travel rewards credit card, you earn points or miles every time you use the card, but you can often earn more points per dollar in select categories. Some top travel credit cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® , offer bonus points on any travel spending, while the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card grants bonus points when you use the card at Marriott hotels, grocery stores, restaurants or gas stations.

Not all points and miles earned on travel rewards credit cards are the same:

General-purpose travel credit cards — including the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , the American Express® Gold Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card — give you rewards that can be used like cash to pay for travel or that can be exchanged for points in airline or hotel loyalty programs. With their flexible rewards, general-purpose options are usually the best travel credit cards for those who don't stick to a single airline or hotel chain.

Airline- and hotel-specific cards — such as the United℠ Explorer Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Card — give points and miles that can be used only with the brand on the card. (Although it's possible in some cases to transfer hotel points to airlines, we recommend against it because you get a poor value.) These so-called co-branded cards are usually the best travel credit cards for those who always fly one particular airline or stay with one hotel group.

How do we value points and miles? With the rewards earned on general travel cards, it's simple: They have a fixed value, usually between 1 and 1.5 cents per point, and you can spend them like cash. With airline miles and hotel points, finding the true value is more difficult. How much value you get depends on how you redeem them.

To better understand what miles are worth, NerdWallet researched the cash prices and reward-redemption values for hundreds of flights. Our results:

Keep in mind that the airline values are based on main cabin economy tickets and exclude premium cabin redemptions. See our valuations page for business class valuations and details about our methodology.

Our valuations are different from many others you may find. That’s because we looked at the average value of a point based on reasonable price searches that anyone can perform, not a maximized value that only travel rewards experts can expect to reach.

You should therefore use these values as a baseline for your own redemptions. If you can redeem your points for the values listed on our valuations page, you are doing well. Of course, if you are able to get higher value out of your miles, that’s even better.

HOW TO CHOOSE A TRAVEL CREDIT CARD

There are scores of travel rewards cards to choose from. The best travel credit card for you has as much to do with you as with the card. How often you travel, how much flexibility you want, how much you value airline or hotel perks — these are all things to take into account when deciding on a travel card. Our article on how to choose a travel credit card recommends that you prioritize:

Rewards you will actually use (points and miles are only as good as your ability to redeem them for travel).

A high earning rate (how much value you get in rewards for every dollar spent on the card).

A sign-up bonus (a windfall of points for meeting a spending requirement in your first few months).

Even with these goals in mind, there are all kinds of considerations that will influence your decision on a travel rewards credit card.

Travel cards are for travelers

Travel cards vs. cash-back cards.

The very first question to ask yourself when choosing a travel credit card is: Should I get a travel card at all? Travel credit cards are best for frequent travelers, who are more likely to get enough value from rewards and perks to make up for the annual fees that the best travel credit cards charge. (Some travel cards charge no annual fee, but they tend to offer lesser rewards than full-fee cards.) A NerdWallet study found that those who travel only occasionally — say, once a year — will probably get greater overall rewards from cash-back credit cards , most of which charge no annual fee, than from a travel card.

Flexibility and perks: A trade-off

Co-branded cards vs. general travel cards.

Travel credit cards fall into two basic categories: co-branded cards and general travel cards.

Co-branded cards carry the name of an airline or hotel group, such as the United℠ Explorer Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card . The rewards you earn are redeemable only with that particular brand, which can limit your flexibility, sometimes sharply. For example, if your credit card's co-branded airline partner doesn't have any award seats available on the flight you want on the day you want, you're out of luck. On the other hand, co-branded cards commonly offer airline- or hotel-specific perks that general travel cards can't match.

General travel cards aren't tied to a specific airline or hotel, so they offer much greater flexibility. Well-known general travel cards include the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card . Rewards on general travel cards come as points (sometimes called "miles" but they're really points) that you can redeem for any travel expense. You're not locked into using a single airline or hotel, but you also won't enjoy the perks of a co-branded card.

Evaluating general travel credit cards

What you get with a general travel card.

The credit cards featured at the top of this page are general travel cards. They're issued by a bank (such as Chase or Capital One), carry only that bank's name, and aren't tied to any single airline or hotel group. With these cards, you earn points on every purchase — usually 1 to 2 points per dollar spent, sometimes with additional points in certain categories.

Issuers of general travel cards typically entice new applicants with big sign-up bonuses (also known as "welcome offers") — tens of thousands of miles that you can earn by spending a certain amount of money on the card in your first few months.

» MORE: NerdWallet's best credit card sign-up offers

What do you do with those points? Depending on the card, you may have several ways to redeem them:

Booking travel. With this option, your points pay for travel booked through the issuer's website, using a utility similar to Orbitz or Expedia. For example, if points were worth 1 cent apiece when redeemed this way, you could book a $400 flight on the issuer's portal and pay for it with 40,000 points

Statement credit. This lets you essentially erase travel purchases by using your points for credit on your statement. You make travel arrangements however you want (directly with an airline or hotel, through a travel agency, etc.) and charge it to your card. Once the charge shows up on your account, you apply the necessary points and eliminate the cost.

Transferring to partners. The card issuer may allow you to transfer your points to loyalty programs for airlines or hotel chains, turning your general card into something like a co-branded card (although you don't get the perks of a co-brand).

Cash back, gift cards or merchandise. If you don't plan to travel, you can burn off your rewards with these options, although you'll often get a lower value per point.

Airline and hotel cards sharply limit your choice, but they make up for it with perks that only they can offer, like free checked bags or room upgrades. General travel cards, on the other hand, offer maximum flexibility but can't provide the same kinds of perks, because the banks that issue them don't operate the airlines or hotels. Still, there are some noteworthy perks on general travel cards, including:

Travel credit. This is automatic reimbursement for travel-related spending. Some top travel credit cards offer hundreds of dollars a year in travel credit.

Trusted traveler reimbursement. More and more travel credit cards are covering the application fee for TSA Precheck and Global Entry, programs that allow you to move through airport security and customs more quickly.

Airport lounge access. Hundreds of lounges worldwide operate separately from airlines under such networks as Priority Pass and Airspace, and several general travel cards offer access to these lounges.

Points programs

Every major card issuer has at least one travel card with a points program. American Express calls its program Membership Rewards, while Chase has Ultimate Rewards® and Citi pays in ThankYou points. Wells Fargo has Wells Fargo Rewards, and U.S. Bank has FlexPerks. Bank of America® travel cards offer points without a fancy name. Travel cards from Capital One, Barclays and Discover all call their points "miles."

These programs differ in how much their points are worth and how you can use them. Some offer the full range of redemption options, including transfers to loyalty programs. Others let you use them only to book travel or get statement credit.

» MORE: Travel loyalty program reviews

Evaluating airline credit cards

What you get with an airline credit card.

Airline credit cards earn "miles" with each purchase. You typically get 1 mile per dollar spent, with a higher rate (2 or more miles per dollar) on purchases with the airline itself. (Some airline cards have also begun offering extra miles for purchases in additional categories, such as restaurants or car rental agencies.) These miles go into the same frequent-flyer account as the ones you earn by flying the airline, and you can redeem them for free flights with the airline or its alliance partners.

Co-branded airline cards typically offer sign-up bonuses (or welcome offers). But what really sets them apart are the perks they give you. With some cards, for example, the checked-bag benefit alone can make up for the annual fee after a single roundtrip by a couple. Common perks of airline cards include:

Free checked bags. This commonly applies to the first checked bag for you and at least one companion on your reservation. Some cards extend this perk to more people, and higher-end cards (with higher annual fees) may even let you check two bags apiece for free.

Priority boarding. Holders of co-branded airline credit cards often get to board the plane early — after the airline's elite-status frequent flyers but before the general population. This gives you time to settle in and gives you a leg up on claiming that coveted overhead bin space.

In-flight discounts or freebies. You might get, say, 25% off the cost of food and beverages during the flight, or free Wi-Fi.

Airport lounge access. High-end cards often include a membership to the airline's airport lounges, where you can get away from the frenzy in the terminal and enjoy a complimentary snack. Some less-expensive airline cards give you only limited or discounted lounge access; others give you none at all.

Companion fares. This perk lets you bring someone with you for a lower cost when you buy a ticket at full price.

A boost toward elite status. Miles earned with a credit card, as opposed to those earned from actually flying on the airline, usually do not count toward earning elite status in an airline's frequent-flyer program. However, carrying an airline's high-end card might automatically qualify you for a higher tier within the program.

The biggest U.S. airlines — American, United and Delta — offer an array of credit cards. Each airline has a no-annual-fee card that earns miles on purchases but provides little in the way of perks (no free bags or priority boarding). Each has a high-end card with an annual fee in the neighborhood of $450 that offers lounge access and sumptuous perks. And each has a "middle-class" card with a fee of around $100 and solid ongoing perks. Southwest offers three credit cards with varying fees; smaller carriers may just have a single card.

» MORE: NerdWallet's best airline credit cards

Choosing an airline

Which airline card you get depends in large part on what airline you fly, and that's heavily influenced by where you live. Alaska Airlines, for example, has an outstanding credit card, but the airline's routes are concentrated primarily on the West Coast. So it's not a great option for those who live in, say, Buffalo, New York, or Montgomery, Alabama.

If your local airport is dominated by a single airline, then you're probably flying that carrier most (or all) of the time by default. Delta, for example, is the 800-pound gorilla at Minneapolis-St. Paul and Salt Lake City. United has the bulk of the traffic at Newark and Washington Dulles. American calls the shots at Charlotte and Dallas-Fort Worth. That airline's credit card may be your only realistic option. If you're in a large or midsize market with frequent service from multiple airlines, you have more choice.

» MORE: How to choose an airline credit card

Evaluating hotel credit cards

What you get with a hotel card.

Hotel credit cards earn points with each purchase. As with airline cards, you typically get more points per dollar for purchases from the co-brand partner, and some cards also give bonus points in additional categories. (Hotel cards tend to give you a greater number of points overall than airline cards, but each individual point is generally worth less than a typical airline mile.) Similar to the airline model, the points you earn with the card go into the same loyalty account as the points you earn from actually staying at a hotel. You redeem your points for free stays.

Hotel cards usually offer a sign-up bonus, but like airline cards, they really make their bones with the ongoing perks. Common perks on hotel cards include:

Free nights. Several cards offer this perk, which can make up for the card's annual fee. You may get a free night automatically every year, or you may unlock it by spending a certain amount within a year. In the latter case, it comes on top of the points you earn for your spending.

Upgrades and freebies. Cardholders may qualify for automatic room upgrades when available, or free or discounted amenities such as meals or spa packages.

Early check-in/late check-out. No one likes having to cool their heels in the hotel lobby waiting for 3 o'clock to check in. And no one likes have to vacate their room by 11 a.m. when their flight doesn't leave till evening.

Accelerated elite status. Some hotel cards automatically bump you up a level in their loyalty program just for being a cardholder.

» MORE: NerdWallet's best hotel credit cards

Choosing a hotel group

If you decide to go the hotel-card route, you'll need to decide which hotel group gets your business. Hotels aren't as market-concentrated as airlines, so if your travels take you mostly to metropolitan areas, you'll have a decent amount of choice. Keep in mind that even though there are dozens of nationally recognizable hotel brands, ranging from budget inns to luxury resorts, many of them are just units in a larger hotel company, and that company's card can unlock benefits across the group.

Marriott, for example, includes not only its namesake properties but nearly 30 other brands, including Courtyard, Fairfield, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton and Westin. The Hilton family includes DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn and Waldorf-Astoria. InterContinental includes Holiday Inn, Candlewood, Staybridge and Crowne Plaza. Wyndham and Choice have more than 15 mid-tier and budget-oriented brands between them.

HOW TO COMPARE TRAVEL CREDIT CARDS

No travel rewards credit card is going to have everything you want. You're going to be disappointed if you expect to find a high rewards rate, a generous sign-up bonus, top-notch perks and no annual fee. Each card delivers value through a different combination of features; it's up to you to compare cards based on the following features and choose the best travel credit card for your needs and preferences.

Most of the best travel cards charge an annual fee. Fees in the range of $90 to $100 are standard for travel cards. Premium cards with extensive perks will have fees of $450 or more. Weigh the value of the rewards and perks you'll get to make sure they'll make up for the fee.

Can you find good cards without an annual fee? Absolutely! There are no-fee options on our list of the best travel credit cards, and we've rounded up more here . Just be aware that if you go with a no-fee travel card, you'll earn rewards at a lower rate, your sign-up bonus will be smaller, and you won't get as many (if any) perks.

Rewards rate

Rewards can be thought of in terms of "earn rate" and "burn rate".

The earn rate is how many points or miles you receive per dollar spent. Some general travel cards offer flat-rate rewards, meaning you get the same rate on all purchases, all the time — 2 miles per dollar, for example, or 1.5 points per dollar. Others, including most co-branded cards, offer a base rate of maybe 1 point per dollar and then pay a higher rate in certain categories, such as airline tickets, hotel stays, general travel expenses or restaurant meals.

The burn rate is the value you get for those points or miles when you redeem them. The industry average is about 1 cent per point or mile. Some cards, particularly hotel cards, have lower value per point on the "burn" side but give you more points per dollar on the earning side.

When comparing rewards rates, don't just look at the numbers. Look at the categories to which those numbers apply, and find a card that matches your spending patterns. Getting 5 points per dollar seems great — but if those 5X points come only on purchases at, say, office supply stores, and you don't spend money on office supplies, then you're getting lousy value.

Sign-up bonus

Travel cards tend to have the biggest sign-up bonuses — tens of thousands of points that you earn by hitting a certain amount of spending. But there's more to consider when comparing sign-up bonuses than just how many points or miles you earn. You must also take into account how much you have to spend to earn the bonus. While cash-back credit cards often require just $500 to $1,000 in spending over three months to unlock a bonus, travel cards commonly have thresholds of $3,000 to $5,000.

Never spend money you don't have just to earn a sign-up bonus. Carrying $3,000 in debt for a year in order to earn a $500 bonus doesn't make economic sense — the interest you'll pay could easily wipe out the value of the bonus.

Finally, keep in mind that the biggest bonuses will come on cards with annual fees.

Foreign transaction fees

A good travel card will not charge a foreign transaction fee. These fees are surcharges on purchases made outside the U.S. The industry standard is about 3%, which is enough to wipe out most if not all of the rewards you earn on a purchase. If you never leave the U.S., then this isn't much of a concern, but anyone who travels abroad should bring a no-foreign-transaction-fee card with them.

Some issuers don't charge foreign transaction fees on any of their cards. Others charge them on some cards but not all.

International acceptance

Not all travel credit cards are great companions for international travel. While Visa and Mastercard are good pretty much worldwide, you may encounter limited acceptance for American Express and, especially, Discover, depending on the destination. This doesn't mean world travelers should dismiss AmEx and Discover. Just know that if you take one of these cards with you overseas, you'd be smart to bring along a backup in case you run into acceptance problems. (Having a backup card is good advice within the U.S., too, really.)

Travel protections

Consider which travel protections — car rental insurance , trip cancellation coverage , lost baggage protection — are important to you.

"Rewards" are what you get for using a credit card — the points earned with each transaction and the bonuses you unlock with your spending. "Perks" are goodies that you get just for carrying the card. There's a very close correlation between the annual fee on a card and the perks you get for carrying it. Cards with no annual fee are all about rewards and go very light on perks. Premium cards with annual fees of $450 or more are laden with perks (although sometimes their rewards aren't too special). Midtier cards (in the $100 range) tend to have solid rewards and a handful of high-value perks.

Assuming you take advantage of them, the perks often make up for the annual fee on a card quite easily. This is especially true with co-branded cards. Free checked bags can pay for an airline card several times over, and a free night is usually worth more than the fee on a hotel card. When comparing the perks of various cards, be realistic about which ones you will and won't use. Sure, that card may entitle you to a free spa package the next time you're at a five-star hotel, but how often do you stay at five-star hotels?

SHOULD YOU GET A TRAVEL CARD? PROS AND CONS

Pros: why it's worth getting a travel card.

The sign-up bonus gives you a big head-start on travel. Bonuses on the best travel credit cards typically run $500 or more — enough for a roundtrip ticket in many instances.

Perks make travel less expensive and more relaxing. You won't have to worry about cramming a week's worth of clothes into a carry-on if your travel credit card gives you a free checked bag (or automatically reimburses you for the bag fee). Hate the crush of travelers in the terminal? Escape to the airport lounge. Renting a car? Use a travel card that provides primary rental car insurance.

Rewards get you closer to your next trip with every purchase. Spending money on the mundane activities of daily life has a silver lining when you know that every $1,000 you spend will knock $10 or $20 off the cost of that future beach vacation or trip home to see Mom and Dad.

No foreign transaction fee can mean big savings. Take just any old credit card with you on vacation outside the U.S., and $1,000 worth of purchases can cost you $30 off the top due to the foreign transaction surcharge. Good travel cards don't charge this fee.

"Double dipping" gives you more points on travel purchases. Buy a plane ticket or book a hotel room, and you'll earn loyalty points or miles regardless of how you pay. Use the right credit card, though, and you'll earn even more points and miles on top of those.

Strategic redemption can multiply your value. With cash-back credit cards, 1 cent is worth 1 cent, and that's just how it goes. The points and miles on many travel credit cards have variable value based on how you redeem them — booking travel with them vs. transferring them to a partner, booking domestic vs. international flights and economy vs. business class, staying at budget hotels vs. high-end resorts, and so on.

Cons: Why a travel card might not be for you

The best cards charge annual fees. In many cases, the value you get from a credit card more than makes up for the annual fee. But some people are dead set against paying a fee under any circumstances. If that's you, your options in travel cards will be sharply limited, and you won't get the perks that provide a big portion of the value on many cards.

Sign-up bonus spending requirements can be steep. A bonus worth $500, $600 or $700 is attractive, but only if you can afford to earn it with spending you were going to do anyway. If you have to amass thousands of dollars in debt and then pay interest on it, it's not worth it.

Travel cards aren't ideal for infrequent travelers. In the first year with a travel card, you're probably going to come out ahead: You can earn a big sign-up bonus, and several popular cards waive the first year's annual fee, too. In subsequent years, though, you'll break even on that fee only if you use the card enough to make up for it (with the rewards you earn and redeem and the perks you use). Infrequent travelers are more likely to get more total rewards from a cash-back card with no annual fee.

Cash back is simpler and more flexible. Some travel cards allow you to redeem your rewards only for travel. Others give you poor value unless you redeem for travel. Still others have complicated redemption options, making it hard to get the most out of your rewards. With cash-back credit cards, you can use your rewards on anything, you know exactly how much your rewards are worth, and redemption is usually simple.

Rewards cards tend to charge higher interest rates. If you regularly carry a balance from month to month, a travel credit card — or any rewards credit card — probably isn't your best choice. The interest you pay is eating up the value of your rewards. You're better off with a low-interest card that reduces the cost of carrying debt.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR TRAVEL CARD

Maximize your rewards with the following tips:

Plan your credit card application around a big purchase to earn the sign-up bonus.

Seize every opportunity to pick up the tab, especially if your travel credit card pays bonus rewards on dining; your friends can pay you back while you collect rewards.

Redeem rewards for travel instead of gift cards, merchandise or (in most cases) cash back to get the best value.

Join the loyalty program associated with a co-branded card — a frequent-flyer or frequent-guest program.

Shop for essentials in your card’s online bonus mall or through its exclusive offers, if available, to get extra rewards.

OTHER CARDS TO CONSIDER

It’s worth considering whether a travel credit card is even right for you in the first place. A NerdWallet study found that cash-back credit cards often earn more money — even for many travelers.

If you carry a balance from month to month, the higher interest rates typically charged by rewards cards can cancel out any rewards earned. If you have a good credit score, you're better off with a low-interest credit card that can save you money on interest.

A good travel credit card shouldn't charge foreign transaction fees, but there are good non-travel cards that also don't charge them. See our best cards with no foreign transaction fee .

If you value transparency and flexibility in your rewards, you can't go wrong with a cash-back card — and you can still use the rewards for travel, if you want.

Finally, if you're still not sure what's right for you, take a look at our best rewards credit cards for options beyond travel and cash back.

NerdWallet's Sam Kemmis contributed to this article.

To view rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card , see this page . To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express , see this page .

Last updated on April 4 , 2024

Methodology

NerdWallet's Credit Cards team selects the best travel rewards credit cards based on overall consumer value, as evidenced by star ratings, as well as their suitability for specific kinds of travelers. Factors in our evaluation include each card's annual fee, foreign transaction fees, rewards earnings rates, ease of use, redemption options, domestic and international acceptance, promotional APR period, bonus offers, and cardholder perks such as automatic statement credits and airport lounge access. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.

Frequently asked questions

Travel credit cards earn points (sometimes called miles) each time you buy something. The standard earning rate is 1 to 2 points per dollar spent, and many cards give you extra points for certain purchases, particularly travel expenses. The value of a point depends on the card that earned it and how you redeem it, but a good rule of thumb is to assume each point is worth an average of about 1 cent.

Your points accumulate in a rewards account, where you can use them to pay for travel. Most cards let you book travel directly using a portal similar to those at online travel agencies or on airline and hotel websites, but instead of paying cash, you pay with your points. Depending on the card, you may also have the option of booking travel any way you want, paying for it with the card and then cashing in your points for a credit against those expenses.

Points and miles are just different names for the same thing: the currency used in a travel rewards program. Some travel credit cards call them points, some call them miles.

Airline frequent flyer programs have long used the term “miles” to refer to the rewards you earn for flying. That’s because at one time, you really did earn rewards according to how many miles you flew — the longer the flight, the more miles you earned. Nowadays, most domestic airlines give out “miles” based on how much you spend, not how far you fly, so they’re really just points. (There are a few exceptions, though, notably Alaska Airlines.)

Especially when it comes to redeeming your rewards, there’s no difference between points and miles. The number of points or miles you need is based mostly on the cost of what you’re redeeming them for. It takes more than 500 miles (value about: $5) to get a free 500-mile flight!

The value of a point or mile depends on the card you earned it with and how you redeem it. A common rule of thumb is to assume that each point or mile is worth an average of 1 cent, although you can certainly get a much higher (or lower) redemption value. See our travel loyalty roundup page for NerdWallet’s current valuations for airline miles and hotel points.

Travel credit cards fall into two main categories: co-branded and general-purpose.

• Co-branded travel cards carry the name of an airline or hotel chain. The rewards you earn on the card can typically be redeemed only with that brand (or maybe its partners). Co-branded cards limit your flexibility, but because they are issued in partnership with an airline or hotel, they can give you special perks, like free checked bags or room upgrades.

• General-purpose travel cards are issued by a credit card company and are not directly tied to any particular airline or hotel. They earn points in the issuer's own program, such as American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards® or Citi ThankYou. These points are a lot more flexible, as you can use them to pay for a range of travel expenses, including flights on any airline or stays at any hotel. However, they don’t offer the airline- or hotel-specific perks of co-branded cards.

Travel cards — like rewards cards in general — typically require good to excellent credit for approval. Good credit is generally defined as a credit score of 690 or better. However, credit scores alone do not guarantee approval. Every issuer has its own criteria for evaluating applications.

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Best Amex Credit Cards for Travel in 2024

American Express provides many appealing credit cards that serve different travel-related requirements. While some of these cards are co-branded, others are not. All the Amex travel credit cards we've selected offer reward points or miles.

Updated: March 14, 2024

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Travelers have multiple credit card options to choose from when they turn to American Express. If you favor using a particular airline or group of hotels over others, you might benefit by getting a co-branded Amex travel card. Irrespective of the card you choose from our selection, you stand to earn rewards in some form.

While some of the best Amex credit cards for travel come with annual fees, a few do away with them completely. This largely depends on the rewards and perks on offer. For example, while the benefit-laden Amex Hilton Honors Surpass Card charges an annual fee, the simpler Hilton Honors Card does not. However, it earns fewer points on bonus category purchases and includes fewer benefits. It is common for Amex travel cards to come with no foreign transaction fees.

• Our Top 5 Picks
• Summarized List of All Winners
• Tips for Comparing Credit Cards

This article is part of our larger series on Best Travel Credit Cards

MoneyGeek's Take: Top 5 Amex Credit Cards for Travel

Quick Summary

The best Amex credit cards for travel offer a variety of travel-related perks and high points/miles earn rates on category-based spending, although these tend to come at a cost. We’ve selected the top five cards from this category based on factors such as annual fees, APRs, welcome offers and value of points/miles.

A great miles rewards card with no annual fees

• up to 2 Miles per $1* Rewards Rate
• 20.99% – 29.99% Variable APR
• $0 Annual Fee
• Good–Excellent Recommended Credit

WHY WE GEEK OUT

We love the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card for more than its no-annual-fee feature. This card lets you earn 2X miles on restaurants worldwide and Delta purchases. All other purchases come with 1X miles.

An welcome offer gives you the ability to earn 10,000 bonus miles. All you need to do is spend at least $1000 on purchases within the first six months.

This card comes with no international transaction fees, which makes it perfect for use when traveling overseas. Other travel benefits include earning 20% as a statement credit when you use your card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases and complimentary car rental loss and damage insurance.

Cardholders also stand to benefit through purchase and fraud protection in different scenarios.

PROS & CONS

• No annual fee
• With welcome offer
• Gives perks for Delta purchases
• No foreign transaction fees
• Good/excellent credit needed
• Limited benefits compared to others
• No lounge access perks
• Less rewarding for non-Delta spend

CARD DETAILS

Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. No Annual Fee. Earn 2X Miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 2X Miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases, and 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. Pay with Miles: take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com. Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit after you use your Card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and audio headsets. No Foreign Transaction Fees. Terms Apply.

Terms, rates and fees apply

An excellent credit card for earning Hilton Honors points

• 3–12 Points per $1* Rewards Rate
• $150 Annual Fee

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is a fantastic option for travelers, especially those with a penchant for Hilton stays. Imagine walking into a Hilton property and enjoying complimentary upgrades, thanks to the Gold Status that comes with this card. Whether you're dining out stateside or shopping online, you're racking up points at an impressive rate. And for the globetrotters, there's no need to worry about those pesky foreign transaction fees. The card does have an annual fee, and while the perks cater primarily to Hilton enthusiasts, its broad rewards system can offer value to many.

• Generous welcome bonus
• Purchases from Hilton get bonus points
• Complimentary Hilton upgrades
• With annual fee
• Benefits mostly Hilton-centric

Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 3 months of Card Membership. Earn 12X 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 6X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations. Earn 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card. Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year. $95 annual fee. Terms Apply.

A rewarding travel card for people who are casual guests at Hilton hotels and resorts

• 3–7 Points per $1* Rewards Rate

The Hilton Honors American Express Card is a traveler's dream come true. With no annual fee and a generous welcome bonus, it's a financial no-brainer for those frequenting Hilton properties or just seeking exceptional value. Whether dining out stateside or shopping abroad, you'll accumulate points seamlessly without those pesky foreign transaction fees. And here's the kicker — this card instantly boosts you to Hilton's Silver status! Want more perks? Just up your spending game, and Gold status awaits. This card truly embraces both the occasional and the dedicated traveler.

• High earning rates with Hilton
• Automatic Hilton Silver status
• Potentially high APR
• High credit requirement
• Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 4/17/24.
• Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• Earn 5X Points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
• Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Silver status with your Card. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors™ Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
• No Annual Fee.
• Terms Apply.

An excellent card for earning Delta SkyMiles

• 1–3 Miles per $1 Rewards Rate
• $350 Annual Fee

We recommend the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card to people who fly with Delta frequently. While this card comes with a $350 annual fee, it offers a number of Delta- and SkyMiles-specific benefits.

A welcome offer gives you the ability to earn 50,000 bonus miles by spending $3,000 on purchases in the first six months. All purchases made directly with Delta earn 3X miles, as do hotel bookings made directly with hotels. A couple of categories come with 2X miles and all others with 1X miles.

Cardholders may check their first bags on Delta flights for free, and they receive one domestic main cabin round-trip companion certificate every year. You also get a fee credit for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck. Using this card outside of the U.S. makes sense as it comes with no foreign transaction fees.

Cardholders stand to benefit through different travel insurance coverage and purchase protection.

• Generous welcome offer
• Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
• Free first checked bag on Delta flights
• Get to the next Medallion membership status faster
• Exclusive rate for Delta Sky Club access
• 20% back as a statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases
• Statement credit toward Global Entry/TSA PreCheck
• Complimentary travel insurance and purchase protection
• $350 annual fee
• Cannot transfer miles to other airline loyalty programs
• Penalty APR may apply in case of late/returned payments
• Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Receive a Companion Certificate on Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Ticket requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights and no more than $250 for roundtrip international flights (both for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
• Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and get closer to Status with MQD Headstart.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
• Earn $1 Medallion® Qualification Dollar for each $20 of purchases made on your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card in a calendar year and get a boost toward achieving Medallion Status for next Medallion Year.
• Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
• $120 Resy Credit: With the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Resy Credit, earn up to $10 per month in statement credits on eligible Resy purchases using your enrolled Card.
• $120 Rideshare Credit: You can earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month on U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers after you pay with your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card. Enrollment Required.
• Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
• Receive Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights; board early, stow your carry-on bag and settle in sooner.
• Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive $100 back for Global Entry or up to $85 back for TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Official Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Members with an eligible ticket will be added to the Complimentary Upgrade list, after Delta SkyMiles Medallion Members and Reserve Card Members.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• $350 Annual Fee.

A great credit card for individuals looking for basic travel perks and more opportunities to earn miles

• 1–2 Miles per $1 Rewards Rate
• 0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 Annual Fee

We like the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card because it comes with a sizable welcome bonus and multiple bonus categories for earning Delta SkyMiles. As a part of its welcome offer, you earn 40,000 Bonus miles if you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first six months.

This card offers 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at U.S. Supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.

This card offers a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, after which it becomes $150. Additionally, it does not charge any foreign transaction fees. You receive a $200 Delta flight credit if you spend $10,000 on purchases each year. You save 20% when you use this card to pay for Delta in-flight purchases. All cardholders get access to priority boarding on Delta flights.

• No foreign transaction fee
• $200 Delta flight credit
• Free first checked bag
• Priority boarding
• Up to 20% savings on in-flight purchases
• Annual fee of $150 after the first year
• No luxury travel benefits
• Earn 40,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Enjoy a $0 introductory Annual Fee for the first year, then $150.
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
• $200 Delta Flight Credit: After you spend $10,000 in purchases in a year, you can receive a $200 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel.
• Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at U.S. Supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
• You can check your first bag free on Delta flights, saving up to $60 on a round-trip Delta flight per person. For a family of four that’s a potential savings of up to $240 per round-trip flight.
• $100 Delta Stays Credit: Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Members can earn up to $100 back annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com.
• Take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com.
• Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases after using your Card.
• With Send & Split®, you can send money and split your Card purchases with any other Venmo or PayPal user, directly from the Amex App. Enroll today.
• ( See rates and fees )

Summary of the Best Amex Cards for Travel

Check this brief Amex travel card comparison table that’s based on aspects such as APRs, annual fees and welcome offers.

• Credit Card Best For Avg. Reward Rate Annual Fee Credit Needed

While many travelers gravitate towards cards with no annual fees, you are often better off choosing a card with a fee. The included perks, like a free checked bag or annual free night, often outweigh any annual fee that you pay. -- Lee Huffman, credit card expert at BaldThoughts.com .

How to Compare Amex Credit Cards & Intro Offers

Features and benefits that you may find in one Amex travel card might be specific to the card in question. This requires that you pay attention to different aspects before arriving at a decision.

Co-branded or not

American Express offers co-branded cards in the form of Delta SkyMiles cards, Hilton Honors cards and Marriott Bonvoy cards. These cards might work well for you if you’re a frequent user of any of these brands. Otherwise, you can choose a card that earns Amex Membership Rewards points, which offer numerous redemption options.

Travel cards tend to come with higher APRs than cards that don’t offer any rewards/cash back. If you plan to carry balances from one month to the next, consider looking at what the top low-interest credit cards have to offer.

Annual fees

The annual fee you might need to pay depends on the features and benefits you’re after. For example, the no-annual-fee Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card comes with up to 2x miles on category-based spending. While the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card charges a $250 annual fee, it offers up to 3x miles on category-based spending. Besides, it comes with a more rewarding welcome offer as well as other perks such as an annual companion certificate, first checked bag free and credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fees.

Welcome offer

All the top Amex travel credit cards give you the opportunity to earn bonus points or miles through different welcome offers. If you get the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card, you earn a welcome bonus of 10,000 miles by spending $500 on eligible purchases in the first three months. The Hilton Honors Card , on the other hand, offers 100,000 bonus points if you spend $1,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months, and an additional 50,000 bonus points if you spend a total of $5,000 in the first six months.

Points/miles earn rate

The annual fee that you might or might not need to pay typically has a bearing on this aspect, so you need to weigh your options after accounting for your spending patterns. For instance, the no-annual-fee Hilton Honors Card lets you earn up to 7x points on category-based spending. This increases to 12x points with the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card , which charges a $95 annual fee.

Value of points/miles

If you get a card that offers American Express Membership Rewards Points, their value may vary from 0.5 cents to 1 cent per point or higher based on how to choose to redeem them. If you get a co-branded card that offers miles or points linked to an airline or a hotel loyalty program, you typically get the best value when you use them to pay for flight or prepaid hotel bookings. In such cases, aspects such as dates, routes and specific properties may also affect the value of your miles/points.

Additional features

You may expect various card-specific features and perks from our selection of the best Amex credit cards for travel. These include no foreign transaction fees, no preset spending limits , complimentary travel insurance coverage, status upgrades in loyalty membership programs, weekend night rewards, Priority Pass lounge access, annual companion certificates and additional savings on in-flight purchases.

Further Reading

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About Rajiv Baniwal

Rajiv Baniwal is a journalist who has been covering financial topics for over 15 years. Meticulous in his research, he provides accurate and up-to-date information. His expertise includes mortgages, loans, credit cards, insurance and international money transfers.

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53 Best Ways To Redeem Amex Membership Rewards Points for Max Value

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Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

Amex airline transfer partners, amex hotel transfer partners, 1. fly singapore suites in an a380 (krisflyer miles), 2. book lufthansa first class to europe (lifemiles), 3. fly virgin atlantic upper class to europe (flying blue), 4. travel to the middle east or north africa from the u.s. (krisflyer miles), 5. fly to central or south africa from the u.s. (krisflyer miles), 6. fly to europe in economy from the u.s. (krisflyer miles), 7. travel between south pacific islands (krisflyer miles), 8. fly united in business or first within the u.s. (krisflyer miles), 9. fly between the continental u.s. and hawaii (krisflyer miles), 10. fly round-trip in ana business class to japan (ana mileage club), 11. book north america to asia 1 (ana mileage club), 12. fly etihad business class to africa or the middle east (air canada aeroplan), 13. fly from north america to asia 2 (ana mileage club), 14. book north america to europe on partners (ana mileage club), 15. travel from north america to africa or the middle east in economy (ana mileage club), 16. take flights within africa and the middle east (ana mileage club), 17. book flights from the u.s. to southern south america (ana mileage club), 18. book a trip around the world (ana mileage club), 19. fly continental u.s. to hawaii on delta in economy (flying blue), 20. redeem flying blue promo rewards (flying blue), 21. make use of flying blue’s weird region definitions (flying blue), 22. fly to mexico for the same price as flying around the u.s. (flying blue), 23. fly to the caribbean from the u.s. (flying blue), 24. book insanely cheap economy flights to the south pacific (flying blue), 25. fly to oceania from the u.s. (aeroplan), 26. jet off to western europe from the u.s. (aeroplan), 27. fly to the middle east from the u.s. (aeroplan), 28. take short-haul flights on air canada (aeroplan), 29. fly to nunavut, yukon, or the northwest territories from the u.s. (aeroplan), 30. travel with a lap child (aeroplan), 31. fly on qatar airways qsuites (british airways avios), 32. take short-haul flights (british airways avios), 33. fly to hawaii from the u.s. west coast  (british airways avios), 34. fly to europe from the east coast (iberia avios), 35. book miami to peru (british airways avios), 36. pay low fees (british airways avios), 37. fly from santiago to easter island (cathay pacific asia miles), 38. fly from los angeles to tokyo — maybe even in first class (british airways avios), 39. fly british airways first class with a companion using miles and the travel together ticket (british airways avios), 40. fly cathay pacific first class (cathay pacific asia miles), 41. fly etihad without carrier-imposed surcharges (aeroplan), 42. travel from the u.s. east coast to europe with 2 stopovers (asia miles), 43. fly chinese airlines in business class (skymiles), 44. take short flights within the u.s. (skymiles), 45. fly american from the u.s. to europe in business (etihad), 46. go to brussels in business (etihad), 47. fly to casablanca with royal air maroc (etihad), 48. travel with an infant (etihad), 49. fly transcontinental business class in the u.s. on united airlines (avianca), 50. redeem avianca promo awards, 51. fly east coast to dubai round-trip on emirates, 52. book free nights at hilton properties (hilton honors), 53. book great rates at hotels in italy, sweden, or norway (choice hotels), how to transfer your american express membership points to transfer partners, final thoughts.

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The American Express Membership Rewards program provides amazing redemptions, thanks to its many airline transfer partners. From hops to Hawaii to once-in-a-lifetime trips around the world, dream vacations are often just a matter of finding the right award-flight sweet spot for you.

You can transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to several hotel partners, but transferring to airline partners is often the best use of your Amex points.

Ready for a trip after earning Membership Rewards points? Let’s take a look at how to redeem your Amex points to get the most bang for your buck!

Earn Amex Membership Rewards Points

If you want to start earning Membership Rewards or boost your current earnings, American Express has several credit cards that could fit your needs.

Here are the American Express credit cards you can use to earn Membership Rewards points for your trip:

The Platinum Card ® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card ® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card  is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access , hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com
• Annual and monthly statement credits upon enrollment ( airline credit, Uber Cash credit, Saks Fifth Avenue credit, streaming credit, prepaid hotel credit on eligible stays, Walmart+ credit, CLEAR credit, and Equinox credit )
• TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
• Access to American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts
• Access to Amex International Airline Program
• No foreign transaction fees ( rates and fees )
• $695 annual fee ( rates and fees )
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards ® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card ® , Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts ® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card ® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card ® . Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card ® .
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR ® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card ® . Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck ® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card ® . Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card ® . That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card ® . An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card ® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

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• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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American Express ® Gold Card

This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!

The American Express ® Gold Card  is a game-changer.

With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x.

There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.

• 4x points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 4x points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases; and 1x thereafter
• 3x points per dollar on flights purchased directly from airlines or at Amex Travel
• Up to $120 annual dining credit: up to $10 monthly statement credit when you pay with the Amex Gold card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com , Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations
• Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash : get $10 monthly in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. when you add your Gold Card to your Uber account
• No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees )
• Access to Amex’s The Hotel Collection
• Access to American Express transfer partners
• $250 annual fee (see rates and fees )
• No lounge access
• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards ® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards ® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards ® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards ® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express ® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.
• Find the Amex Gold 75k or 90k Welcome Bonus Offer
• Benefits of the Amex Gold
• Upgrade Amex Gold to Amex Platinum
• Amex Gold Benefits for Military
• Amex Gold vs Blue Cash Preferred
• Amex Platinum vs Amex Gold
• Amex Gold vs Delta Gold

Depending on the benefits of the card, you may pay a high annual fee — but high-fee cards generally offer generous rewards and valuable benefits.

Transfer Amex Membership Rewards Points To Travel Partners

There are several ways to use your Amex Membership Rewards points, including flight upgrades , redemptions on AmexTravel.com , statement credits, gift cards, merchandise, purchases on Amazon or Ticketmaster, and charitable points donations . Our favorite way to redeem points is for luxury travel leveraging Amex transfer partners .

Additionally, American Express often runs transfer bonus promotions with individual transfer partners, which can be great if you need to book an award flight.

Transfers to partners usually complete almost instantly, but check the table below to see estimated transfer times. Remember: Once you transfer points, you can’t undo the transfer.

With the 17 Amex airline transfer partners, you have access to award flights with members of Oneworld , Star Alliance , and SkyTeam . You even have access to partners that operate outside the major airline alliances, such as Etihad Airways and Virgin Atlantic .

American Express charges a small fee to transfer Membership Rewards to any U.S. domestic airline rewards program, which in this case means Delta and JetBlue. The fee isn’t huge: 0.06 cents per point, up to a maximum of $99.

Amex lets you transfer to 3 hotel loyalty programs: Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, and Radisson Rewards. That said, hotel points transfers are not the best way to use your points. You can get much more value by transferring to airline partners.

In a pinch, though, the Amex hotel partnerships can be helpful.

The 53 Best Ways To Use Your Amex Membership Rewards Points

Transferring your points to airline partners is how you can get the most value out of your points.

The award flights described below are typically centered around North America. You’ll find first class, business class, and economy class from the U.S., as well as great deals between other regions.

Of course, there may be other great award redemptions available, and everyone has different opinions on travel destinations. If you’ve found a good one we haven’t listed here, please feel

Most people transfer points to the Singapore KrisFlyer miles program because they’re after the Singapore Suites, the luxury first-class experience that Singapore Airlines is famous for. If you book 2 tickets with a loved one, you can even experience a double bed in the sky!

Awards for the suites cost 148,500 miles one-way from New York (JFK) to Singapore (SIN). These suites are only available on the Airbus A380, so be sure to check the destinations when planning.

The A380 flies between Singapore and a number of other cities, too, including London (LHR), Sydney (SYD), Melbourne (MEL), Frankfurt (FRA), Paris (CDG), Tokyo (NRT), Mumbai (BOM), Delhi (DEL), and Hong Kong (HKG).

Singapore is also expected to fly the A380 to Auckland (AKL) starting in mid-November 2023 and to Shanghai (PVG) in early January 2024.

Singapore Airlines is known for having one of the best (if not the best) first class/suites experiences. So, if you can, definitely book award travel in Singapore Suites with your Amex points.

Another great thing about the Singapore Airlines program is that it’s a transfer partner of all the major points currencies: American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles , Chase Ultimate Rewards , Citi ThankYou Rewards , and Marriott Bonvoy . That means that if you don’t have quite enough Membership Rewards points, you can top off your Singapore Airlines account with other currencies.

It’s tough to find more than 1 Singapore Suite at the saver level, but you might be able to waitlist a second seat, book business class, and cross your fingers and hope you clear the waitlist.

Need help booking? See our step-by-step guide for booking Singapore Suites or first class .

Arguably, one of the classiest ways to fly to Europe in style is on Lufthansa first class . Don’t forget about the First Class Terminal (Frankfurt only) and the First Class Lounges! These take an already amazing experience to another level.

Avianca LifeMiles charges 87,000 miles to fly one-way. Best of all? Taxes and fees are just $41 per person!

This is a stunning redemption, and flying Lufthansa without reasonable surcharges is often difficult. Lufthansa award flights in first class are almost never available more than 15 days in advance to partners, so you’ll have to book pretty close to departure.

Luckily, Avianca LifeMiles doesn’t assess any close-in booking fees! Avianca LifeMiles provides the most affordable way to fly on Lufthansa first class from the U.S. to Europe without paying about $600 in fuel surcharges each way.

First class from the U.S. to Europe costs 87,000 LifeMiles plus $41 in taxes and fees. Here are great example routes:

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Frankfurt (FRA) — availability is tough
• Houston (IAH) to Frankfurt (FRA) — availability is tough
• San Francisco (SFO) to Munich (MUC) — availability is sporadic
• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Frankfurt (FRA) — usually good availability
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Frankfurt (FRA) — usually good availability
• New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA) — usually good availability

Is Europe on your bucket list? We’ve written an extensive guide on flying to Europe with points and miles .

Need help booking?  Check out our step-by-step guide to booking first class on Lufthansa .

Enjoy your trip home from Frankfurt even more if you have The Platinum Card ® from American Express . You’ll get access to the Priority Pass program upon enrollment, which allows you to use lounges in the airport, including the LuxxLounge and the Primeclass Lounge in Frankfurt.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue is one of the few loyalty programs that can bypass the majority of fuel surcharges that Virgin Atlantic levies on its flights.

For example, if you used Flying Blue points, you could expect to pay about $200 per person in surcharges to fly one-way from the U.S. to Europe in Virgin Atlantic Upper Class. That’s in addition to your points cost of about 74,000 to 106,500 miles. In contrast, if you book with Virgin Atlantic’s own points, you’d pay about $975 per person in surcharges tacked onto the base points redemption.

Availability on Virgin Atlantic in Upper Class tends to be quite good, so you shouldn’t have many issues booking this flight, especially far in advance.

Virgin Atlantic used to charge about 74,000 points for flights from the U.S. to Europe, but that’s dropped dramatically in some cases. We found plenty of availability in Upper Class from New York to London or Paris at 47,500 points (plus those $975 or so in surcharges, of course). So that’s an option if you’re dead set against using cash for a flight. If you’re still not sure what to do to join Upper Class, check out our guide to booking Virgin Atlantic Upper Class !

Singapore Airlines offers great pricing to the Middle East and North Africa  from the U.S. You can redeem KrisFlyer miles for travel on Star Alliance member airlines, including United, EgyptAir, Ethiopian, SWISS, and Lufthansa.

On these airlines, you can get to the Middle East or North Africa for 52,000 miles one-way in economy class, 88,000 miles one-way in business class, or 114,000 miles one-way in first class.

Singapore Airlines has a pretty good award price for travel to Central and South Africa in business class. A one-way business class flight costs you 111,000 miles when you fly with a Star Alliance partner airline.

This pricing is now higher than United, which requires at least 88,000 miles each way to fly Star Alliance partners to Central and South Africa.

Singapore offers a great price to fly from the U.S. to Europe in economy class at 30,500 miles in each direction on Star Alliance member airlines .

This is an amazing way to do some Pacific Island hopping if you’re able to take an extended trip.

Singapore Airlines charges 13,500 miles, 34,500 miles, and 47,000 miles each way for travel in economy, business, and first class respectively, within the South Pacific.

Availability can be tough to find on many of these routes, but if you have flexibility, you can’t beat using your Singapore Airlines miles for travel between South Pacific islands in business or first class.

Singapore Airlines has a handful of other sweet spots in its award chart. Flights on United within the U.S. in business or first class are someof them. Since United MileagePlus no longer offers an award chart, its pricing can often be much higher.

You can redeem KrisFlyer miles to fly on United Airlines within the U.S. for 26,000 miles in business class or 39,000 miles in first class.

You can redeem your Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles for a good value between the continental U.S. and Hawaii in all classes of service for travel on Star Alliance airlines.

One-way prices are 19,500 miles, 39,000 miles, and 52,000 miles in economy, business, and first class, respectively. United no longer publishes an award chart, so it’s impossible to precisely predict its redemption tiers, but its pricing tends to be much higher.

ANA used to have an awesome distance-based award chart allowing 3 stopovers for no additional cost. This was a great deal, but now ANA has more common region-based award charts for flights operated by ANA and flights on ANA’s partner airlines .

Booking awards with partners also means you’re on the hook for carrier-imposed surcharges. Sometimes, you can get lower fees on partner flights through United, Turkish, Air New Zealand, and Air Canada (depending on the routes).

ANA allows 1 stopover and 1 open-jaw (including backtracking) on both ANA and partner flights, though you should closely read the fine print before you book. Thanks to this tiny bit of flexibility in the new scheme, you still have a lot of options for multiple destinations on 1 ticket !

There’s great value to be had by transferring your Membership Rewards points to ANA Mileage Club . One of these is flights to Japan .

ANA flights from North America to Japan cost 85,000 miles round-trip in business class during the regular season and can go as low as 75,000 miles during the low season. Flights on partners always cost 85,000 miles in business class.

Flying ANA in economy class costs you 40,000 miles in the low season, while flights on partners always cost 50,000 miles. For 2024, the low season is considered January 4 to February 8, April 1 to April 24, May 13 to June 30, and December 1 to December 15. You might be able to book an award flight to catch the cherry blossoms in early April!

Need help booking? See our step-by-step guide to booking ANA business class .

You can also transfer points from Marriott Bonvoy to ANA Mileage Club.

ANA includes mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Guam, and the Philippines in its Asia 1 region (confusingly referred to as “Zone 3” on its maps and award charts). Business class one-way from North America to these countries costs 80,000 miles during the low season when flying on ANA.

ANA’s definition of North America is Canada, Mexico, and the U.S., including Alaska. Though Central America is part of North America, ANA lumps it in with all of South America when it comes to its award charts.

If you’re looking at flying with a partner airline, the deal isn’t quite as good at 95,000 miles. That’s the same cost as flying ANA during high season. Flights in economy class cost 60,000 miles.

Aeroplan charges 90,000 or 110,000 points to fly one-way on Etihad business class to the Middle East or Africa. You can also book first class for 130,000 or 140,000 points. The lower numbers are for when your total flight distance is 6,001 to 8,000 miles. If your total flight distance is 8,001 or more miles, it’s the higher redemption price.

Etihad’s business class has received great reviews — we doubt you’ll be disappointed with this redemption. 

Need help booking?  Check out our step-by-step instructions on how to book Etihad business class !

ANA’s Asia 2 region includes India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, but also “stan” countries like Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan. And it doesn’t stop there! Asia 2 also includes areas such as Sri Lanka and Russia east of the Urals. To make it a little more difficult, ANA also refers to Asia 2 as “Zone 4.”

Some of these countries are usually quite expensive to reach from North America, so using miles can present incredible value. Round-trip business class to Asia 2 countries during the low season costs 100,000 miles, or 55,000 miles in economy.

Need help booking?  Check out our step-by-step guide to booking business class with ANA’s Star Alliance partner EVA Air , one of the best business classes in the sky.

Flying to Asian countries besides Japan also carries lower fuel surcharges than flying directly to Japan on ANA — even when your flights to Asia go through Japan!

Flying one of ANA’s partner airlines to Japan on miles isn’t as good as redeeming miles for ANA flights directly, but the award chart does have a few solid partner redemptions.

You can fly round-trip from the U.S. to Europe in business class for 88,000 miles or in economy for 55,000 miles. This price used to be a lot better, but it’s still better than many competitors’ prices.

Watch out for carrier-imposed surcharges that can really add up. If you can, find availability on LOT Polish, Air Canada, Turkish Airlines, or United Airlines to avoid higher taxes and fees .

ANA also offers good pricing in economy class from North America to Africa and the Middle East. A round-trip flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Cape Town (CPT) costs 65,000 miles in economy.

Flights within Africa can be expensive, but ANA hands you a pretty great option to use miles instead.

You need 30,000 miles for round-trip in economy class within Africa and the Middle East when you fly Star Alliance partners, including South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, and Egypt Air.

Many award charts split South America into 2 regions: northern South America and southern South America. Sometimes this is beneficial, but other times it isn’t, especially when you’re trying to get to the southern part of the continent from the Northern Hemisphere. ANA, however, considers South America a single region. It even includes Central America in its South America zone, even though it’s technically part of North America.

Since ANA doesn’t fly to South America, though, you’ll have to utilize the ANA Partner Award Chart . ANA charges 88,000 miles round-trip in business and 55,000 miles round-trip in economy class to fly from North America to South America.

If you’re planning to go to a northern South American country (like Peru or Colombia) or a Central American country (like Costa Rica or Nicaragua), it’s a good idea to check other airlines’ redemptions before you book with ANA.

A lot of airline programs have gotten rid of their around-the-world award charts, but ANA basically turned its old, distance-based program into an around-the-world chart when it made program changes.

If you have time and want to make a bunch of stops on your trip, this is a fantastic redemption! When making an ANA partner redemption , you can make up to 8 stopovers on a round-the-world trip . You can put together incredible trips if you have the time, flexibility, and patience to plan them out.

There are important restrictions to consider:

• You can only have up to 3 stopovers in Europe and 4 in Japan
• You must keep traveling either east or west. In other words, you’re not allowed to backtrack
• You must return to the same continent on which you started
• You have to fly Star Alliance airlines
• Your itinerary can only include up to 4 ground-transportation legs, such as landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City, taking a train to Washington, D.C., and then flying out from Dulles International Airport (IAD). ANA won’t count your ground travel as part of your flight mileage, but it does include traveling between airports in the same city against your limit of 4 ground segments. That means that landing at JFK and flying out of LaGuardia Airport (LGA), about 12 miles by taxicab, all in New York City, is the same as driving over 250 miles and through at least 4 states to get to Dulles, as far as ANA is concerned
• You cannot return to your home country in under 10 days. You must cross the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean once each
• The cost is based on the mileage flown. Itineraries on ANA’s round-the-world chart start at 38,000 points in economy (for trips of between 4,001 and 7,000 miles) and go up to 450,000 points in first class (for trips of 44,001 to 50,000 miles). If you mix classes, ANA will charge you for the highest class you fly in your entire itinerary
• You can’t book an ANA round-the-world trip online or at the airport — you must call ANA to arrange it

One great redemption from the Flying Blue program is for flights to Hawaii from the continental U.S.

Round-trip flights cost 35,000 Flying Blue miles and a little over $20 in fees. Considering that flights to Hawaii from the East Coast usually cost $650 to over $900 round-trip, you can find great redemptions even at the lower end of the spectrum.

Award prices start at 35,000 Flying Blue miles round-trip and can go higher from there. Be sure to look for mileage prices around 35,000, or else you’ll pay way more than you should!

Flying Blue has special Promo Rewards for award tickets that are usually 25% to 50% off economy class and business class from Europe to certain cities.

The Promo Award that most U.S.-based flyers find useful is from Europe to North American cities. For example, we found flights from Paris to New York City for only 11,250 points at 25% off in economy , plus just under $165 in surcharges.

Speaking of that, surcharges tend to be a little higher on Flying Blue awards, but they’re not terrible. If you consider how many miles you’re saving, it might be just what you need.

Flying Blue has odd region definitions that you can take advantage of for incredible awards! For example, the program considers Israel, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia as part of Europe. They’re grouped under what Air France/KLM calls “Europe 3.”

Right away, this means 75,000 miles for round-trip itineraries in economy class from the U.S. and 150,000 miles for round-trips in business class. And since these countries are all considered part of Europe, Promo Rewards for Europe could also apply to these destinations.

Most airline award programs separate Mexico from the U.S. in their award charts. Flying Blue, however, counts them as the same region. That means you can fly from the U.S. to Mexico round-trip in economy for only 29,000.

Flying Blue also has pretty solid prices for flights to the Caribbean. One-way flights in economy class can be had for as few as 25,000 Flying Blue points and in business for as little as 67,500 points.

For more information, check out our guide to flying to the Caribbean with points and miles .

Flying Blue charges a low number of miles for flights to Tahiti and other islands in the South Pacific : 51,000 miles for a round-trip economy ticket or 128,000 in business.

There’s really only 1 valid route here:

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Tahiti (PPT)

There are good Aeroplan redemptions worth mentioning, too.

You can fly from the U.S. to Australia , New Zealand , and the South Pacific for 120,000 miles round-trip in economy class. Where this award really shines is with the ability to make 1 stopover in each direction in addition to your final destination for 5,000 points per stopover. If you’re already flying so far, why not add a few days and an extra country to your trip?

This won’t be the lowest possible price to get to Oceania, but if you can make use of the stopovers , it might be worth paying more miles than a carrier like United would charge.

Bilt Rewards , Capital One , Chase, and Marriott Bonvoy also have Air Canada Aeroplan as transfer partners, so you can combine points from those programs with your Membership Rewards points.

Air Canada charges 70,000 to 120,000 points to fly round-trip in economy class from the U.S. to Western Europe. Though many airlines charge around this same price, Aeroplan also lets you make a stopover for 5,000 points in each direction.

The same routes cost 120,000 to 320,000 points in business class and 180,000 to 360,000 points in first class! In other words, you could fly Lufthansa first class for as few as 90,000 points each way .

Looking for the best ways to get to or from Europe in style? Check out our guide to booking Lufthansa first class !

Air Canada charges 110,000 to 160,000 points to fly round-trip in economy class from the U.S. to the Middle East. Again, this is with the ability to make a stopover in each direction in addition to your final destination for 5,000 additional points per stopover.

Flights from 6,001 to 8,000 miles cost 55,000 points one-way in economy, 90,000 points in business, and 130,000 points in first class.

Meanwhile, flights longer than 8,000 miles cost 70,000 points one-way in economy, 110,000 points in business, and 140,000 points in first.

Flights on Air Canada within North America are generally quite expensive when purchased in cash. Transferring Amex points to Aeroplan offers you a way around that.

But any short-haul flights on any Star Alliance partner that are shorter than 500 miles in flight distance start at 6,000 Aeroplan points each way. Flights between 501 and 1,500 miles cost 10,000 Aeroplan points each way.

The more far-flung provinces of Canada can be expensive to get to — we’re talking easily over $1,000 from the U.S. round-trip (and we’ve even seen prices over $2,000).

But awards to these often beautiful places can be booked for a relative handful of miles: 25,000 round-trip ! If you like off-the-beaten-track destinations, this is a great (and cheap) award. To nab this redemption, your flight distance in each direction has to be between 1,501 and 2,750 miles.

A $2,000 round-trip ticket for 25,000 miles nets you a fantastic value of 8 cents per point , which is on par with a redemption in first class.

The cost of traveling with an infant varies by airline when booking award tickets. Some airlines charge 10% of the cash ticket, which can be absolutely brutal if you’re traveling in a premium cabin.

Air Canada has a simple and reasonable structure for the cost of traveling with an infant: CA$25 or 2,500 miles per ticket. 

Generally, we would recommend paying cash for these infant fees since the value per mile is less than 1 cent per point after conversion to U.S. currency. But if you’re looking to cover as much of your trip as possible with your miles, Air Canada is one of the better options when you’re traveling with a lap child .

If you’re traveling with a lap child, always book a round-trip ticket. The lap child fee is per ticket, so you’ll pay this fee twice if you book 2 one-way tickets .

One of the best ways to redeem Amex points for an amazing business class product on an ultra-long-haul flight is on Qatar Airways Qsuites.

The 2 most obvious partners are Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and British Airways Executive Club, but we generally find redemption rates on U.S.-Middle East itineraries to be the best through British Airways.

You’ll pay 70,000 British Airways Avios plus around $100 in taxes and fees for a one-way ticket in business class between the U.S. and Doha (DOH), with departures from cities such as Chicago (ORD), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington, D.C.

We’ve always been able to find great deals on British Airways. Paired with the Amex Membership Rewards transfer ratio of 1:1, using Amex points on British Airways is often a solid choice.

For short-haul flight deals, try searching for flights up to 650 miles outside of the U.S. These flights cost 4,750 Avios each way for travel on British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus.

On partner-operated flights, that number is 6,000 Avios one-way. This can present incredible value in areas of the world where distances are short, but flights are expensive, like Japan. For flights within North America, that price is 7,500 Avios.

British Airways is notorious for attaching high fees to its flights, but fees are much lower when you redeem Avios for flights on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

One-way, direct flights from the West Coast to Hawaii in economy class on Alaska Airlines or American Airlines cost you 13,000 British Airways Avios plus just over $5 in taxes and fees!

This might be the best economy-class redemption from the continental U.S. to Hawaii.

You can get from the East Coast of the U.S. to Dublin on Aer Lingus for 13,000 Avios off-peak with low surcharges.

In addition, you can transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to Iberia Avios . If you ever book flights on Iberia, you want to book with Iberia Avios, not British Airways Avios, even though you have the ability to book with both.

You can also transfer miles between the British Airways and Iberia programs. In order to transfer, your account must be at least 90 days old, and you must have had some kind of points activity on your account, such as a transfer from American Express.

Some one-way redemptions in business class on Iberia to Europe are Boston (BOS), Miami (MIA), or New York (JFK) to Madrid (MAD) for 50,000 miles plus taxes and fees; or Chicago (ORD) to Madrid (MAD) for 62,500 miles plus about $575 in taxes and fees. If flying on the highly competitive route from Los Angeles (LAX) to Madrid (MAD), you’ll shell out 75,000 Avios plus about $575 in taxes and fees.

If you’re looking to venture somewhere other than Europe, a flight from Miami (MIA) to Lima (LIM) is a great option. You could be walking along the Malecón in almost no time!

This award costs 13,000 British Airways Avios plus around $20 each way in economy. That’s not much more than it would cost to fly within the U.S.!

British Airways doesn’t charge a fee for booking last-minute travel. This means even if you don’t have status with another airline, you have a good way to book just before your trip without an extra fee.

As far as cancellation fees go, they’re also pretty reasonable. If you’re booking from the U.S., your cancellation fee is $55 per person per ticket.

Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase, and Marriott Bonvoy partner with British Airways and transfer at a 1:1 ratio.

Getting to Easter Island is not cheap — round-trip flights from Chile start at around $850. Rather than dropping serious cash, you can use 15,000 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles plus relatively low taxes and fees to fly from Santiago (SCL) to Easter Island (IPC).

Flying from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (HND, NRT) on Japan Airlines puts you right in the 25,750 Avios bracket. If you want to fly the same route in first class, it’ll set you back 103,000 Avios plus around $160 in taxes and fees each way.

Business class could be a happy medium for this itinerary, at 77,250 Avios plus about $160.

See our step-by-step guides for booking Japan Airlines first class  and business class .

If your goal is to use your miles to fly first class on British Airways, be prepared to pay a cash surcharge — though you’ll save a ton over a cash-only ticket.

Flying British Airways first class from Chicago (ORD) to London (LHR) costs as little as 68,000 British Airways Avios off-peak and as much as 80,000 Avios during peak dates (plus a little over $700 to $1,000 in taxes and surcharges in each direction).

You can stretch your Avios even further with a Travel Together Ticket . Earn the Travel Together Ticket by spending $30,000 in a year with the British Airways Visa Signature ® Card .

This ticket gives you a second seat for a companion on the same flight in the same cabin when you book a reward flight. It has to be round-trip on a British Airways mainline flight originating in and returning to the U.S.

You still need to pay taxes and fees on the companion ticket, but you’re only using points for 1 person! You need to book your departure date within 2 years of receiving t he Travel Together Ticket. 

Read our guide to help you book British Airways first class using points !

Want a chance to experience Cathay Pacific first class?

On select flights between the U.S. and Hong Kong, you can access one of the world’s most exclusive first classes starting at 110,000 Asia Miles one-way .

Business class on the same flight costs 70,000 Asia Miles.

American Express occasionally offers bonuses of up to 25% when you transfer points to Asia Miles. Wait for one of these to come up to get an even better deal!

Need help booking? See our step-by-step guide to booking Cathay Pacific first class .

When looking at most foreign carriers, you have to be careful about whether or not carrier-imposed surcharges are passed on when you’re booking an award ticket. Thanks to Etihad’s partnership with Air Canada’s Aeroplan program, you don’t need to worry about that.

Using your Aeroplan points, you can fly from Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) for 90,000 points in business class or 130,000 points in first class. Similarly, on a shorter trip between London (LHR) and Abu Dhabi, you can fly in business class for 45,000 points and first class for 65,000 points.

Need help booking?  Take a look at our step-by-step instructions on how to book Etihad business class !

Use cards such as the Amex Platinum card to get elite status for your car rentals upon enrollment with Avis, Hertz, and National.

One of the most amazing things about the Asia Miles award program is the ability to make 2 stopovers on a round-trip award.

On flights from the East Coast, you should be able to fly in economy class for 70,000 points round-trip or business class for 110,000 points round-trip. An example routing you might want to consider is New York (JFK) to Madrid (MAD) to Helsinki (HEL) back to New York (JFK).

You need to be careful which airline you fly with to avoid fuel surcharges, but flights on Iberia and Finnair will generally have low surcharges.

Asia Miles has 2 award charts : one for Cathay and another for all other Oneworld flights. The number of partners you are flying dictates the number of stops you’re allowed to make:

• If using the Cathay chart, you are allowed to fly Cathay Pacific and 1 other partner. You can make 2 stopovers on a round-trip booking. Stopovers on one-way flights are not allowed.
• If you aren’t flying on Cathay at all, or are flying 2 or more different partners, reference the Oneworld chart. When booking from the Oneworld chart, you’re allowed 4 stopovers and 2 open-jaws on a round-trip booking.
• Redeem online with Cathay Pacific, British Airways, or Qantas. Speak to an agent for other airlines or fill out the online form to request airline award bookings.

Try to avoid carrier-imposed surcharges when making these bookings. In addition to flying Aer Lingus and Air Berlin, you should also consider flights on LATAM, American Airlines (within the Americas), and Air New Zealand.

Other partners will likely have carrier-imposed surcharges. Depending on the miles you’re spending and the amount of the surcharge, you could still find a good deal, though.

Flyers praise the business class on many Chinese airlines. When using your Delta SkyMiles , you can book business class on China Eastern or China Airlines for 120,000 SkyMiles in each direction.

While both airlines are good, China Airlines is generally considered to be slightly superior. Assuming there is availability to your destination, you should consider booking China Airlines over China Eastern.

Don’t forget you can also fly Delta One to Asia starting at 120,000 SkyMiles.

Need help booking?  Use our Delta award flight booking guide to simplify the process.

Marriott Bonvoy also partners with Delta Air Lines, and there are many ways to earn lots of Marriott Bonvoy points .

All of the airlines seem to be getting in on the low-mileage, short-flights game. Delta charges 7,500 SkyMiles in Main Cabin for select short flights within the U.S., like San Francisco (SFO) to Seattle (SEA). These redemptions can be a great deal, especially if there is availability at the last minute when flights tend to be more expensive.

A month out, flight prices for SFO to SEA are currently only $89 on select days, making the redemption not as good. Since Delta’s award pricing is so variable, it always makes sense to compare the award price to the cash price on any day you’re looking at flying .

Etihad isn’t part of an airline alliance, but it does have a lot of different airline partners. In March 2023, it rolled out a simplified, zone-based redemption table that eliminated many of the great redemptions the airline’s loyalty program was known for.

Amex points transfer to Etihad Guest at a ratio of 1,000 American Express Membership Rewards points for 750 Etihad Guest miles.

Looking for more Etihad redemptions ideas on its new chart? Check our guide to the best Etihad redemptions !

If you want to fly with American Airlines and Virgin Australia, you can book those award flights right on the Etihad website. Call Etihad at 877-690-0767 for all other partner award flights.

The new Etihad chart can offer better redemptions with AA than on American’s own chart. For example, it offers Charlotte (CLT) to London (LHR) in business one-way for 80,000. The trick here is finding available flights.

See our step-by-step instructions on booking American Airlines first class .

Brussels Airlines was a sweet spot with Etihad’s old partner-by-partner redemption arrangement, and it can still be a good use of Etihad miles.

From East Coast airports like New York (JFK), Toronto (YYZ), or Washington, D.C. (IAD), you can fly to Brussels (BRU) in business for 80,000 miles one-way. Economy costs 45,000 miles.

Etihad’s partnership with Royal Air Maroc still provides an opportunity to redeem points to get to Morocco. New York (JFK) or Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Casablanca (CMN) costs 45,000 miles one-way in economy or 80,000 miles one-way in business class. Both fall under the 3,001-to-4,000-miles bracket.

Capital One, Citi, and Marriott Bonvoy also partner with Etihad. Use cards such as the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card , Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card , or the Citi Premier ® Card   to earn more points for your award.

Traveling on Etihad with an infant lap child is reasonable — it charges 10% of the mileage cost of the ticket for your infant to travel on your lap.

For example, if you’re thinking about booking the Brussels Airlines business class flight for 80,000 Etihad miles from JFK to BRU, you would only need to budget an extra 8,000 miles to book a lap child ticket.

Another sweet spot you can take advantage of with transferred Amex Membership Rewards points is on United Airlines 787-10 routes between Newark (EWR) or New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO).

You can fly transcontinental on United’s awesome Polaris business class! Trying United Polaris across the U.S. will set you back 25,000 miles each way when booking through its Star Alliance partner Avianca LifeMiles.

Avianca routinely runs promotional awards for destinations all around the world. These provide solid opportunities to eke out extra value from your LifeMiles due to the discounts offered here.

You need to read the fine print carefully and be sure to book the awards when the sale is actually occurring. The promo awards are typically only valid if booked within a small window, usually 2 or 3 weeks.

Deals from past promotions include:

• New York (JFK) to Seoul (ICN) : Round-trip for 144,000 miles in Asiana Airlines first class (regular price: 180,000)
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Beijing (PEK) : Round-trip for 144,000 miles in Air China first class (regular price: 180,000)
• San Francisco (SFO) to Taipei (TPE) : Round-trip for 120,000 miles in EVA Air business class (regular price: 150,000)
• Seattle (SEA) to Taipei (TPE) : Round-trip for 120,000 miles in EVA Air business class (regular price: 150,000)

Emirates has one of the sky’s best economy products and a fantastic business class. But it’s not currently in an alliance and only partners with a handful of airlines, which makes these award redemptions tougher to snag.

You can earn Emirates miles through transfers at a 1:1 ratio from Amex Membership Rewards. For Business Saver tickets booked round-trip from JFK to Dubai (DXB), you can spend as few as 145,000 miles. For one-way tickets, you’ll spend around 115,000 miles.

Taxes and fees are extremely high, though, hovering at around $1,200 one-way.

There are several East Coast cities with nonstop flights to Dubai on Emirates, including Boston (BOS), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK), and Washington, D.C. (IAD).

Try to catch superior business class on the A380 , as opposed to the 777-300ER!

Read our guide on how to book Emirates business class using points .

Up until this point, we’ve only talked about American Express airline transfer partners, but you can also book award stays at hotels through Amex hotel transfer partners.

Generally, you won’t get as much value from your Membership Rewards points by booking a hotel, especially compared to buying flights, but there are still deals worth considering.

For example, one good option is booking a lower-tier Hilton hotel. Amex Membership Rewards points transfer to Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio. So, with Membership Rewards, you can transfer 10,000 points to get 20,000 Honors points for a night at one of Hilton’s most affordable properties , like the Hampton Inn in Decatur, Alabama.

Though the entry-level hotels aren’t the most glamorous stays in the Hilton portfolio, they still mean you’ll have places you can stay on points both domestically and internationally. So how about a stay at the Hilton Alexandria Green Plaza in Alexandria, Egypt (19,000 points per night), or 2 nights at the Hampton by Hilton Guilin Lingui in Guilin, China (9,000 points per night)?

Use the  Amex Platinum card  to get complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status upon enrollment! You can also check out the various  Hilton credit cards  to find more ways to  earn a bunch of Hilton Honors points , such as the  Hilton Honors American Express Card .

Membership Rewards points can be transferred to Choice Privileges at a 1:1 ratio, and there are excellent hotel redemptions to be had in Europe. For example, you can stay in Europe starting at 8,000 points per night. During peak season, these hotels can easily cost hundreds of euros per night.

Here are some of the best redemptions for Choice Hotels award stays:

• Clarion Collection Hotel Principessa Isabella , in Rome, is 16,000 points per night
• Hotel C Stockholm, Ascend Hotel Collection is 16,000 points per night
• Hotel Christiania Teater, Ascend Hotel Collection in Olso, is 20,000 points per night

You can also earn lots of Choice Privileges points by using the Choice Privileges ® Mastercard ® .

Step 1: Navigate to the American Express website and log in to your account.

Step 2: Select a credit card account that earns Membership Rewards points. This might be the American Express ®  Gold Card or the Amex Platinum card, among others.

Co-branded cards such as the Marriott Bonvoy Business ® American Express ® Card and the Hilton Honors card don’t earn Membership Rewards.

Step 3:  On the top, righthand side, choose Rewards. On the next page, choose Transfer Points  from the drop-down menu.

Step 4: Choose the airline or hotel partner you want. If you haven’t already linked its loyalty program account number to your Amex account, do so now.

Step 5: Once the accounts are linked, choose how many points you would like to transfer. Generally, you’re required to transfer in chunks of 1,000 points. You’ll have to verify you’re the cardholder by entering your 4-digit card ID and your 3-digit security code. Both can be found on your physical card.

Step 6:  After entering the number of miles you want to transfer, click Review Transfer and complete the process.

All transfers are final and cannot be reversed, so double-check that everything is correct!

There’s a lot to choose from when it comes to American Express partner airlines and hotels, but only some of these will maximize your redemption value.

By carefully calculating your Membership Rewards transfers, you could fly Singapore Suites to experience the famous double bed. Or maybe you’ll decide to get 8 stopovers on your flight around the world. Use your imagination!

To maximize the points you get for any flights and take advantage of these deals, the Amex Gold card is a great option — you’ll earn 3x points for flights purchased directly through the airlines or on amextravel.com . There are also many different Membership Rewards credit cards to choose from.

Happy redeeming!

The information regarding the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Choice Privileges ® Mastercard ® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here . For rates and fees of the American Express ® Gold Card, click  here . For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, click here . For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business ® American Express ® Card, click here .

Frequently Asked Questions

What are amex points.

Amex’s points program is called Membership Rewards. The points you earn, redeem, and transfer are Amex Membership Rewards (or MR) points.

What are Amex Membership Rewards points worth?

The value of an Amex point depends on where you’re redeeming your points. A really bad redemption, such as redeeming points for purchases at Amazon.com, has a value of about 0.5 cents per point.

Other airline and hotel partners of Amex return a value of up to 8 cents per point! That’s like getting a $100 ticket for the equivalent of about 1,250 Membership Rewards points.

How many Amex Membership Rewards points do I need to go to Hawaii?

Fly one-way to Hawaii from the continental U.S. for as low as 13,000 Membership Rewards points transferred to British Airways Avios spent on an Alaska Airlines flight.

How many Amex Membership Rewards points do I need to go to Europe?

Fly one-way to Europe from the U.S. for as few as 11,250 Membership Rewards points transferred to Air France-KLM Flying Blue during certain Flying Blue promotions.

Are Amex points taxable?

The short answer is no. The IRS and tax court have decided, alongside American Express, to treat frequent flyer miles or mileage awards as nontaxable.

How do I transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to airlines or hotels?

To transfer your MR points to airlines or hotel partners:

• You need an American Express card that is eligible for the Membership Rewards program.
• Sign in to your Amex credit card account at americanexpress.com .
• Log in and select an eligible card to find the Membership Rewards balance on the right side.
• Select Rewards  and then Transfer Points.
• Press View All  right under the Transfer Points button.
• On the loaded page, choose the loyalty program you want to transfer to.
• If you haven’t done so already, you’ll need to link your account with that program by selecting Link your [partner award program name] Account under “See more information.”
• When the page loads, link your account by selecting Linked travel programs on the right side and then Link additional programs.
• Select the partner award program to which you are transferring points (assuming you have already signed up for that program) and click Continue.
• Enter your card and transfer partner program details.
• Return to the page listing the partner program for transferring the points.
• Enter the number of points you will need, press Calculate, and then Transfer this amount .

Note: Once you transfer points, you cannot transfer them back!

How can you earn more Membership Rewards points?

Membership Rewards offers numerous ways to earn lots of Amex points , including over 10 points-earning credit cards.

When do Membership Rewards points post in your account?

Membership Rewards points earned will appear as “pending” in your account at the end of a billing cycle, which is after your statement closes. This means you can sometimes wait months for points to post — whether from purchases or welcome bonuses.

In their pending state, points are eligible to be used if you are in a hurry to use them. As long as your account is in good standing, you can call up Amex and ask the representative to turn pending points into posted points immediately. This may require speaking to a few different agents or a supervisor to make it happen.

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About Caroline Lupini

Caroline Lupini always enjoyed traveling, but it became her goal to do as much as possible after a 3-week trip around Europe in 2011. In March 2014, Caroline left her job and embarked on nearly full-time travels. 

As a frequent traveler, frequent flyer miles have played a large role in planning her trips. Caroline has enjoyed discovering the ins and outs of how to maximize different types of miles, hotel points, and transferable points currencies.

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8 best ways to use Amex points

Ashley Barnett

“Verified by an expert” means that this article has been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for accuracy.

Robin Saks Frankel

Updated 9:32 a.m. UTC Jan. 23, 2024

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American Express Membership Rewards® points, aka Amex points, are earned from numerous Amex credit cards and have multiple uses. You can redeem these points for everything from cash back to Amazon purchases and from travel purchases in the Amex Travel portal to paying yourself back for purchases you’ve already made.

But if we’re looking at the best way to use Membership Rewards points , nothing compares to the potential value of transferring your Amex points to one of the many airline or hotel partners Amex offers. Obtaining value here requires an understanding of how to use these partners, how to find the hotel nights or flights you want to book with your points and what represents good value on these redemptions. 

How to redeem Amex points comes down to one of two situations: Either you have almost all the points you need for an award stay and just need to transfer a small amount from Amex, or you’ve found an opportunity where the cash price of the hotel is inflated while the points cost has remained at a standard amount. Notably, the latter is the only time it’s the best way to use Amex points for hotels.

Otherwise, using your Amex points for flights tends to provide the best value. Here are some of the best ways to use Amex points.

We currently value American Express Membership Rewards points at 1.275 cents per point, and as we discuss the best and worst ways to use Amex points, you’ll see that all of the uses come in below this number but one.

If all of those numbers are below our valuation of Amex points (1.275 cents per point), that might not seem to make sense. It’s the remaining option (which actually provides many options) that holds the potential for massive value: transferring Amex points to hotel and airline partners. 

American Express® Gold Card

Welcome Bonus

• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

Regular APR

Credit score.

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Editor’s Take

• Up to $240 in combined credits for Uber Cash and on select dining.
• High rewards rate on restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and travel.
• Generous welcome bonus.
• $250 annual fee.
• Minimal travel perks.
• Complex rewards structure.

Card Details

• Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.
• Terms Apply.

Book domestic flights on United Airlines using Avianca LifeMiles

It can be cheaper to book domestic United flights through a partner, rather than directly with United. And that’s advantageous for those with Amex points, because Amex points don’t transfer to United Airlines.

This generally applies to flights of 500 miles or less, so you won’t be going very far, but the more flying you do, the more you could save in the long run.

Consider a flight from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California (SNA) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). United charges a minimum of 8,700 miles for this flight.

However, you can book the exact same flight by transferring Amex points to Avianca LifeMiles and paying just 6,500 miles instead.

You’ll need to find what’s called “saver” award space to book at the cheapest rates with partners, and luckily United makes it very obvious. You’ll see that the image above says Saver Award clearly, and those flights are available through United partners at their optimal rates.

Take short American Airlines flights in North America using British Airways Avios

Just as you can book United flights cheaper with a partner, the same applies to short American Airlines flights booked through British Airways. This is especially true on flights with inflated costs, such as near holidays or those with little competition from other airlines.

Consider this American Airlines flight from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Oklahoma City (OKC). American Airlines is charging 9,500 miles for this flight.

However, British Airways, thanks to its distance-based pricing and the short distance of this flight, charges just 7,500 Avios.

A few items are worth noting. First, because British Airways uses a distance-based chart, you’ll pay more the farther you fly. That’s why short flights represent the best value. Additionally, British Airways charges by the distance of each segment, so prices can really inflate if you go out of your way for a connecting flight (such as flying from Kansas City to Cincinnati by way of Philadelphia). 

Book Star Alliance around-the-world tickets in business class using All Nippon Airways (ANA) from Japan

Booking a trip around the world is a bucket list item for many, and you can save a ton of points and miles by booking your flights as part of an around-the-world ticket, rather than booking each piece separately. If you’re going to do this, ANA offers some of the best pricing.

There are a few rules to note, however. First, you must keep flying in the same direction; you cannot backtrack, flying east from New York to Paris, then west to Madrid before continuing east to Istanbul. You also must cross both the Atlantic and Pacific with these bookings and can have a maximum of eight stopovers (where you spend more than 24 hours at a stopping point), with a maximum of three stopovers in Europe and a maximum of four stopovers in Japan. The full rules are available here .

Pricing is based on the total distance of your flights, and you’ll pay based on the highest fare of any flight. Thus, if you take a single flight in first class, you’ll pay for first class on the whole itinerary.

Imagine flying from New York to London for a few days before continuing to Rome. Your next stop is Istanbul before spending time in Dubai, then a vacation to New Delhi and Bangkok. Your last country involves a stop in Sydney before flying through Los Angeles to get home to New York. This excellent holiday has a total flying distance of 24,903 miles. You’ll pay 100,000 miles to fly this route in economy, 145,000 per person in business class, or 220,000 miles each in first class. Do note that several of these routes don’t have an available airline flying first class.

Fly round-trip to Europe by booking with ANA

ANA also offers excellent rates on round-trip flights between the U.S./Canada on one side and Europe on the other. For this pricing, ANA treats the whole continental U.S. and Canada as the same zone, meaning this pricing applies broadly.

The airline you fly can change the taxes and fees added onto your redemption, so you might have a few hundred dollars to pay when flying with Lufthansa or less than $100 if you fly with United. Take this into consideration when booking.

However, the pricing can’t be beat. Paying 88,000 miles per person for round-trip tickets to Europe in business class is truly one of the best ways to use Amex points.

Book Iberia flights to/from Europe during off-peak dates

One of the craziest deals for using frequent flyer miles is flying from the U.S. to Spain with Iberia on off-peak dates. Iberia has lower prices during these dates, so if you can avoid Christmas and Spring Break, you might snag a round-trip ticket for what other airlines charge on a one-way trip.

Consider this business-class flight between Madrid and New York City for 34,000 Avios + $149.40 in taxes and fees. Paying 68,000 Avios for round-trip business class from the U.S. to Europe is incomparable. 

Prices will climb if you fly further or fly on peak dates. Flights to Chicago, for example, would cost 42,500 Avios per person, while flights to the West Coast would cost as much as 51,000 Avios per person — all during off-peak (cheaper) pricing. You can view the current peak and off-peak calendar here .

Fly to Hawaii from the West Coast using Air Canada Aeroplan points

For those on the West Coast who can access nonstop United Airlines flights to Hawaii, using your Amex points with Aeroplan offers a great deal. You’ll pay just 12,500 Aeroplan points per person, plus roughly $45 in taxes and fees.

Prices jump to 22,500 points per person if you’re making a connection from the East Coast, so the best value is for those who can catch a nonstop flight to Hawaii. We consider taking a family of four to Hawaii and back for 100,000 points among the best ways to use Amex points.

Use monthly Air France–KLM Flying Blue Promo Rewards for discounted deals on flights to/from Europe

Air France and KLM share a rewards program called Flying Blue. Each month, the program offers Promo Rewards, which can offer up to 50% discounts on award tickets — though a 25% discount is more standard. These represent incredible value if you are headed to one of the eligible destinations.

The discounts apply to a set list of flights and eligible dates, typically published for the next three months. And the discounts only apply to flights operated by Air France and KLM, meaning you’ll be flying to or through these airlines’ hubs in Paris and Amsterdam. 

The list of eligible destinations changes monthly, but examples from current and previous deals highlight just how much value can be found. Flying from Houston to Paris for just 16,875 miles per person is a fantastic price.

You can view the current list of routes and dates here .

Pay for flights with points using the 35% points rebate

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express * The information for the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. (terms apply) provides a unique benefit in which cardholders get 35% of their redeemed points back (up to 1 million points back per calendar year) when paying with points for a flight via Amex Travel. 

All information about The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint.

However, not all flights are eligible. This applies to first-class and business-class flights on any airline, as well as flights in any cabin on a preferred airline you choose in advance. This can make your points worth up to 1.54 cents each, and it presents a great opportunity to buy a flight with points when you’ve found a great deal.

When should you use this benefit? It’s most advantageous if the number of points you’d use to pay via Amex Travel is less than what you’d need to transfer to a rewards program and book the ticket as a redemption flight. 

However, it’s worth pointing out that you must have the full number of points required (before the discount), because the discount is applied as a points rebate after the fact.

This business-class ticket from Madrid to San Francisco costs $1,108 or 110,750 points. You also could transfer points to Aeroplan and book a similar route for 90,000 points + $123 in taxes and fees.

But those with The Business Platinum Card® from American Express * The information for the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. would pay just 71,988 points in the end, thanks to the 35% points rebate. And that’s with everything included, no extra fees like you’ll pay when booking through partner airlines.

This benefit won’t always present cost savings, so it’s important to comparison shop. How many points would you pay if you transferred your Amex points to a partner airline for a redemption booking? Compare that to the points you’d pay (after the discount) by booking with Amex Travel. Choose whichever option costs less, which will vary. 

This is a nice option for increasing your booking options. And when you can’t find award availability, this benefit is always available, so long as there’s a seat for sale.

Other ways to use Amex points

Transferring using your points for hotels and flights is the best way to use Amex points, but it’s not the only way.

The simplest way to use Amex points is redeeming them for cash, which you can do as a statement credit to offset your recent purchases. Points are worth only 0.6 cents apiece here — one of the lowest-value options available.

Other poor-value options for using Amex points include shopping with points at merchants like Amazon, where you can get 0.7 cents per point, or paying with points in Amex’s shopping portal, fetching the lowest value possible: half a cent per point. Amex also allows you to buy gift cards with your points, and the values here vary. You can use points between 0.5 cents and 1 cent apiece.

It’s also possible to use your points to pay for travel at Amex Travel, which offers flights, hotels, cruises and vacation packages. The value you’ll get from your points varies. They’re worth 1 cent each toward flights and hotel bookings with the Fine Hotels + Resorts® program. Points are worth just 0.7 cents each toward rental cars, cruises, hotels and vacation packages, however.

What are Amex Membership Rewards?

American Express Membership Rewards are the rewards currency earned with several Amex cards. Not all Amex credit cards earn these points, to be clear. Amex points have multiple uses, which is why they’re often called flexible points, and the best way to use them often involves flight redemptions with partner reward programs.

If you have multiple cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards points, the good news is that you can combine all of your cards into a single log-in on Amex’s website, thus putting all of your points together in one place. That makes it easy when it’s time to redeem them.

What Amex credit cards earn rewards points?

American Express issues numerous credit cards , but not all of them earn Membership Rewards points. Obvious examples include those with “cash” in the name of the card, and co-branded cards earning Delta SkyMiles, Marriott Bonvoy points, or Hilton Honors points also don’t earn Amex points.

You can earn Amex points with the following personal (consumer) cards (terms apply):

• American Express Centurion Black Card * The information for the American Express Centurion Black Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express
• The Platinum Card® from American Express for Charles Schwab * The information for the The Platinum Card® from American Express for Charles Schwab has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley * The information for the The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• American Express® Gold Card  
• American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card * The information for the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.  
• Amex EveryDay® Credit Card * The information for the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• Blue from American Express® (no longer available to new applicants)

All information about American Express Centurion Black Card, The Platinum Card® from American Express for Charles Schwab, The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley, American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card and Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint.

And the following small-business cards earn Membership Rewards points (terms apply):

• The Business Centurion® Card from American Express * The information for the The Business Centurion® Card from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express * The information for the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• American Express® Business Gold Card * The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• Business Green Rewards Card from American Express * The information for the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express * The information for the The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.  

All information about The Business Centurion® Card from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Business Gold Card, Business Green Rewards Card from American Express and The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint.

How to earn Amex Rewards points

You can earn Membership Rewards in a few ways:

• Welcome offers. Like all issuers, Amex makes welcome offers to entice you to open one of its cards. The welcome offer typically looks like this: “Earn x points if you spend this amount of money in this amount of time, starting from the date your account is opened.” This can be the most straightforward way to earn a significant sum of Amex points quickly.
• Spending. You can also earn Amex points from spending on its credit cards . Each card has different features and different earning rates, with some cards having high-value bonus categories where you earn extra points. A good example is the American Express® Gold Card , which earns 4 Membership Rewards points per $1 at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4 points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point), 3 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases (terms apply, rates & fees ). In contrast, the Amex Platinum Card earns only minimal rewards at U.S. restaurants.
• Referral bonuses. It’s also possible to earn Amex Rewards points by referring a friend (or another small business owner for business cards) to apply for a credit card. If your friend uses your referral link and then is approved for the card, you could earn a bonus. Bonus amounts vary and are targeted to individuals, but you may be able to earn $100 cash or as much as 20,000 bonus points from each referral.
• Amex Offers. Cardholders also can earn bonus points through targeted spending offers via Amex Offers . These offers, which you must add to your card before using them, can provide cash back or bonus points when making purchases at the merchant highlighted in the offer. These offers could be related to your local supermarket, a cruise line, or online streaming services. 

You also may receive other offers of bonus points, such as Amex offering a retention bonus of points to convince you not to close your account (if you’re in the process of doing so) or offering a bonus to entice you to upgrade your card to a more premium version. Again, these offers are targeted to the individual, so what you see may vary from offers others receive.

Holding a combination of Amex cards can also accelerate your earnings. The so-called Amex Trifecta provides a solid example, using three cards with complimentary bonus categories that can help you earn extra rewards on every purchase you make.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

The value of the points depends on how you use them. If you shop through Amex’s website and purchase goods with your points, they’re worth half a cent each — making 50,000 points worth $250. However, it’s also possible to redeem those 50,000 points for expensive flights, using Amex’s transfer partners, fetching thousands of dollars in value.

You can redeem points in many ways, with the worst option (shopping for gifts with Amex) providing just 0.5 cents in value per point — making 100,000 points worth $500. Conversely, 100,000 points is more than enough for a round-trip ticket from the U.S. to Europe in business class if you use the available airline transfer partners. That could make your 100,000 points worth $6,000 or more.

Points earned from an Amex Platinum card are the same Membership Rewards points that you’ll earn on other Amex cards. The best value redemptions for Membership Rewards points is typically booking airfare.

Points do not expire as long as your account is open and in good standing. However, if you close your account or Amex closes it due to a violation of program terms, failure to pay your bill or other negative reasons, you could forfeit your points. As long as you pay your credit card bill and follow the rules, points don’t expire.

American Express calls its annual fee a “membership fee” and it also issues several no-annual-fee credit cards.

For rates and fees for the American Express® Gold Card please visit this page .

*The information for the American Express Centurion Black Card, American Express® Business Gold Card, American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, Business Green Rewards Card from American Express, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, The Business Centurion® Card from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley and The Platinum Card® from American Express for Charles Schwab has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy . The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Ryan grew up in Ohio but has lived in half a dozen states and multiple continents before recently returning to the U.S. and settling in southern California. After someone at his hostel in China said, “I flew here for free using points,” Ryan was hooked. In December of 2023, he completed his goal of visiting every country in the world. Ryan has been around points and miles for several years and has published content at Miles to Memories, AwardWallet, The Points Guy and Forbes Advisor. He also holds Brazilian citizenship and speaks fluent Portuguese. His wife joins him on many of his trips, and they enjoy snowboarding, scuba diving, seeing animals in the wild and hunting for vegan tiramisu. When not traveling, Ryan is probably answering questions from his family about how he travels so much and whether this points and miles stuff is illegal.

Ashley Barnett has been writing and editing personal finance articles for the internet since 2008. Before editing for USA TODAY Blueprint, she was the Content Director for an international media company leading the content on their suite of personal finance sites. She lives in Phoenix, AZ where you can find her rereading Harry Potter for the 100th time.

Robin Saks Frankel is a credit cards lead editor at USA TODAY Blueprint. Previously, she was a credit cards and personal finance deputy editor for Forbes Advisor. She has also covered credit cards and related content for other national web publications including NerdWallet, Bankrate and HerMoney. She's been featured as a personal finance expert in outlets including CNBC, Business Insider, CBS Marketplace, NASDAQ's Trade Talks and has appeared on or contributed to The New York Times, Fox News, CBS Radio, ABC Radio, NPR, International Business Times and NBC, ABC and CBS TV affiliates nationwide. She holds an M.S. in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University. Follow her on Twitter at @robinsaks.

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Is the Amex Business Platinum card worth it?

Amex business platinum card rewards, amex business platinum card benefits, amex business platinum card fees, rates & limit, how the amex business platinum card compares, is the amex business platinum card right for me, how do i apply for the amex business platinum card, faq: amex business platinum card.

Amex Business Platinum Card Review 2024: Is It Worth It?

• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express offers a chance to earn 5x points on travel and rack up points on everyday business spending too.
• Card members can benefit from more than $1,000 in statement credits every year.
• This card does come with an annual fee of $695 ( see rates and fees ).
• You can carry a balance for some charges with the Pay Over Time feature, but not for all.

At first glance, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express comes with a high admission price — its annual fee is almost $700. However, when you dig into the benefits, you find out that it also comes with more than $1,000 in statement credits annually and ample opportunity for earning valuable points. That’s especially true if you book travel for yourself or your employees regularly.

Find out more about this card to decide if it’s right for you in our Amex Business Platinum card review.

We’ll take a look at:

• How you can maximize rewards with this card
• What types of statement credits you can get
• Whether this is a charge card or credit card
• How to apply for the Amex Business Platinum card
• Excellent welcome offer
• Easy to earn points
• Great travel benefits
• No intro APR offer
• Hefty $695 annual fee
• High spending requirement for welcome offer

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express may be worth it for business owners who travel frequently and can take advantage of its premium travel benefits, such as Amex lounge access worldwide. It also comes with high point earnings on select purchases, which makes it a great option for businesses that spend on more than just travel.

However, this American Express card does come with a substantial annual fee of $695. This makes it less appealing for small businesses that don’t usually spend much on travel. In these cases, you may prefer another business credit card better suited to your organization.

Amex Business Platinum pros and cons

• A generous welcome offer
• 5x points on prepaid flights and hotels booked through American Express Travel
• Comprehensive travel benefits including access to Amex lounges worldwide
• Up to $1,400 in credits, including for airline fees, Dell purchases and more
• A high annual fee of $695
• A more complex rewards system that requires careful management and an understanding of your options
• Requires good to excellent credit

Learn more about the Amex Business Platinum card

Terms apply / Rates & fees

As the flagship business rewards card , the Amex Business Platinum offers an excellent rewards structure, especially if you book regular travel for yourself or your staff. 

Welcome offer

You can earn 120,000 Membership Rewards Points when you spend $15,000 in the first three months of holding this card. 

The value of rewards points depends on how and when you redeem them, but the average is around 1 cent per point. That means this welcome offer has a potential value of around $1,200.

Earn Amex Business Platinum rewards

You can earn valuable rewards points outside of the welcome offer too, including:

• 5x points when you book prepaid flights and hotel stays through American Express Travel
• 1.5x points on certain business expenses, such as electronic goods, construction and hardware expenses, software subscriptions and expenses and shipping
• 1.5x points on any purchase of $5,000 or more
• 1x points on all other purchases

Redeem Amex Business Platinum reward points

You can redeem Amex Platinum Business card rewards in a variety of ways, providing flexibility on how you use these perks. 

Some options include:

• Booking travel.  When you use your rewards to book through American Express Travel, you typically get the most value per point.
• Transferring points. Amex lets you transfer points to hotel and airline rewards programs, including Delta, Marriott Bonvoy and Virgin Atlantic. You need at least 500 points to transfer and must transfer in increments of 250 points.
• Shopping.  You can use your points to purchase gift cards and merchandise.
• Receiving a statement credit. Request a conversion to cash back and get a statement credit using your points.
• Donating to charity. In some cases, you can redeem points for charity donations—a benefit that could help with goodwill for your business. 

In addition to a pretty strong rewards structure, the American Express Business Platinum card offers some great benefits for business card members . 

Travel benefits

Amex is known for its travel cards , and the Amex Business Platinum is no exception.

Some travel benefits you can get with this card include:

• American Express Global Lounge Collection.  Platinum cardholders get access to Amex lounges across the globe, making business travel more enjoyable. 
• Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status. You can leverage our card membership status to upgrade to Elite status with this hotel rewards program without meeting stay requirements. That can help you earn free nights and other perks faster. 
• Hilton Honors Gold status.  Not a Marriott Bonvoy member? That’s okay because you get a similar benefit with Hilton’s hotel rewards program. 
• Fine Hotels & Resorts program.  When booking luxury and other hotel stays through American Express Travel, you can get hundreds of dollars in perks and upgrades, making any stay more enjoyable. 
• Travel insurance. By paying for travel expenses with your Amex Platinum Business card, you get automatic Amex travel coverage that helps mitigate losses due to delayed or canceled trips, interruptions during travel, damage to rental cards or lost or delayed baggage.

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/​benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

Statement credits

The Amex Business Platinum card comes with a bevy of statement perks every year to help your business save money. 

Options include:

• Indeed statement credit. You can get up to $90 back each quarter on purchases you make with Indeed as you work to round out your staff. This credit opportunity is through December 2024.
• Dell statement credit.  Through December 2024, you can earn up to $400 on purchases with Dell in the United States. You can earn up to $200 semi-annually.
• Adobe statement credit.  If you use your Amex Platinum Business card to pay for an auto-renewing Adobe subscription, you can get up to $150 back in statement credits per year.
• Wireless services statement credit. You can get up to $120 back per year when you use your Business Platinum card to pay for services with a U.S.-based wireless phone carrier. 
• Airline fee credit.  You can get up to $200 in credits on airline fees, including baggage fees. You’ll need to choose one airline and spend with that airline to get these perks.
• CLEAR plus credit.  Earn up to $189 back on CLEAR Plus membership annually when you pay with this card.
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit.  Get up to $100 in statement credit every 4.5 years to help cover the cost of either Global Entry or TSA Precheck .

Shopping protections

Using your Amex Business Platinum to make purchases for your company ensures you’re backed by numerous shopping protections.

These protections include:

• Extended warranty. When you use this card to purchase items that have a manufacturer’s warranty of five years or less, you get extended coverage for up to one year. That means if your business laptop, printer, copy machine, or other covered item breaks right after the manufacturer’s warranty is up — as often happens — you’re still covered. 
• Purchase protection. Use your Amex card to purchase items and get peace of mind knowing you can get reimbursed for losses if the item is damaged in an accident or stolen. This coverage is good for up to $10,000 per incident and a total benefit of $50,000 per year.
• Return protection.  If you can’t return your item to a vendor, you may be able to return it directly to Amex and get a refund. 
• Cell phone protection.  Amex coverage will reimburse you for replacement or repair of a damaged cell phone up to $800 total minus a $50 deductible. You can use this benefit up to two times annually as long as you are paying your cell phone bill with your Amex card.

So far, the Amex Business Platinum is stacking up to sound like a great option. But you need to understand the fee structure to know if all those rewards and statement credit opportunities actually end up profiting your business. 

Business Platinum Card from American Express fees

With Amex, huge perks and rewards usually come at a price, and that’s true with this card. The annual fee is $695. However, you can add up to 99 employee cards at no additional fee, and spending on those cards also earns rewards ( see rates and fees ).

Other fees you may pay with this credit card include:

• $39 or 2.99% of any past due balance when you make a late payment, whichever is greater
• $39 if your payment is ever returned

You won’t pay foreign transaction fees if you make purchases outside of the United States.

Business Platinum Card from American Express interest rates

With this card, Amex offers a Pay Over Time feature that lets you carry a balance over time at an APR of 19.49% to 27.49% variable, depending on your creditworthiness. This feature is only available on certain purchases and is limited by a Pay Over Time Limit, which works similarly to a credit limit. 

If you make late payments, you may be assessed a penalty APR of 29.99% variable for 12 billing cycles. The penalty APR applies if you make two or more late payments within 12 months, you have a returned payment or you fail to make a minimum payment at all within an entire statement cycle. 

Business Platinum Card from American Express credit limit

This card doesn’t come with a preset spending limit. The amount you can spend at any one time depends on your credit history and your management of American Express credit card accounts, including this one. As you demonstrate responsible account management, you can typically increase your credit limit . 

Note that the Pay Over Time benefit does come with a limit. This limit might also change as you demonstrate a responsible payment history. You can call Amex to discuss your limits and how much you would like to be able to spend.

While it’s one of the most costly when it comes to an annual fee, the Amex Business Platinum is among the top business rewards cards on the market. It offers plenty of statement credits, rewards opportunities and card member perks, and you may find that you get more benefits from this card than others.

The Business Platinum Card from American Express vs. American Express® Business Gold Card

For businesses that can’t maximize Platinum card perks, an American Express Business Gold Card might be a better option. The annual fee for this card is only $375 ( see rates and fees ), and you earn 4x points on two spending categories you select, 3x points on flights and hotels booked through American Express Travel and 1x points on other purchases. You can also get a welcome offer of 70,000 bonus points when you spend $10,000 in the first three months.

It’s worth noting that you can only earn 4x points in your selected categories on a total of $150,000 in spending annually. After that, spending in those categories earns 1x points. 

While the Business Gold card doesn’t offer quite the same level of perks and statement credits that the Platinum card does, you can still earn $155 in Walmart+ credit and $20 monthly credits for eligible business expenses. 

The Business Gold card also utilizes Pay Over Time features, and the rates and fee structures on this card are the same as they are for the Platinum card. 

Read our full Amex Business Gold card review

The Amex Business Platinum card holds a lot of enticing benefits, but it’s best for businesses that have higher spending budgets. If you’re only spending a few thousand each month, you probably won’t maximize the rewards and perks on this card, making that $695 annual fee a financial albatross.

Explore these alternatives if you’re not convinced the Amex Business Platinum card if the right fit for you.

• Capital One Spark business cards
• Chase business cards

You can learn more about the Amex Business Platinum card and apply online. The application typically only takes a few minutes and requires information such as your full name, Social Security or tax ID number, business name, address and contact information, and some basic information about your business revenue or finances. In some cases, Amex might ask for more information, and you may need to provide documents like tax paperwork or checking account statements.

This card requires good or excellent credit . People with credit scores of 700 or higher have the best chance of being approved for this card, but other factors, such as income and overall credit history, are factors in approval.

What credit score do you need for an American Express Business Platinum Card?

You need good or excellent credit to get approved for this card, and a higher score improves your chances. Look to apply for this card if you have a score of 700 or higher. If your score is lower, you may want to consider other options.

How much does the American Express Business Platinum Card cost each year?

The annual fee on this card is $695. However, if you maximize statement credit and rewards opportunities, you can balance out that cost and end up earning with this card.

Can you carry a balance on Amex Business Platinum?

Yes, you can carry some balances forward using the Pay Over Time feature. You must pay other balances off every statement cycle.

How do you redeem American Express Platinum points?

You can redeem American Express points earned with the Platinum card on travel, as statement credits or for various other purchases, including gift cards. Redeem points for travel via American Express Travel or by transferring the points to a hotel or airline loyalty rewards program that participates with Amex.

What type of business do I need to get an American Express Business Platinum Card?

Amex accepts applications from all types of business owners. You can apply as a sole proprietor even if you are the only employee of your business, for example. Whether you are approved has less to do with your business type and more to do with your credit history, business income and ability to make your statement payments.

What airport lounges do I have access to with my American Express Business Platinum Card?

Card members can access more than 1,400 airport lounges across the globe. That includes Aspire, Escape, Plaza Premium, Delta Sky Club and Priority Pass lounges. Some lounges require you to enroll in a program or be flying a certain airline that day.

Sarah Stasik is well versed in personal finance thanks to her previous role as a Revenue Cycle Manager for a Fortune 500 healthcare company. Using her inside knowledge and expertise, Sarah often covers topics ranging from insurance and the economics of private healthcare to personal finance and small business management.

Over the past 12 years, Sarah has contributed to numerous publications in the personal and small business finance sector, including content on budgeting, bankruptcy, small business accounting, and financial tech. Her writing focuses on making complex or seemingly daunting financial topics more accessible and providing helpful, relevant resources for readers.

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The Best Points and Miles Travel Deals in April 2024

By Ramsey Qubein

All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

A common adage among frequent flyers and points and miles fans is “earn ’em and burn ’em.” This philosophy centers around the fact that these currencies rarely appreciate in value the way traditional investments might. Instead, they almost always diminish in value as airline loyalty programs raise the price of awards over time—so you might as well spend them right off the bat.

Recent news from the United States Senate has some travelers up in arms over the implications of the Durbin-Marshall credit card bill (as in, a bill about credit cards, not a literal credit card bill). The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to host a public hearing regarding the proposed legislation on April 9—and the CEOs of Visa, Mastercard, United Airlines, and American Airlines have been invited to testify.

The bill, if passed, could put into jeopardy the ability to earn credit card rewards in the same fashion we do today. This could affect the more than three-quarters of Americans who possess and use credit card rewards, according to recent survey data from the US Tourism Economy Alliance . While experts see the bill as something of a long shot (airlines and hotels rely heavily on credit card partnerships to drive profits), it could still spook some travelers into using their points and miles earnings sooner rather than later. Hey, it’s as fair a reason as any to stop waiting and book that trip you've been thinking of.

To get you started, here’s what you need to know about April 2024’s latest points and miles deals and how to refill (or top up) your balance along the way.

Points and miles bonus opportunities

IHG One Rewards wants to plump up your account with extra points this spring. For every two eligible nights spent at an IHG property between now and the end of April, members can earn 2,000 bonus points. There is no limit to the number of points you can earn with this promotion, but be sure to register first. Extra points can really help if you want to check into some of the brand’s newest openings like the InterContinental Dominica Cabrits Resort & Spa in the Caribbean or the new Kimpton Aysla Mallorca in Spain .

And now that IHG has opened its third Atwell Suites property, IHG’s loyalty program has another reward for travelers that visit. For stays between now and May 31, guests can register to earn triple points at Atwell Suites, in addition to EVEN Hotels , avid hotels , or Garner, an IHG hotel , properties.

Hilton Honors fans should keep an eye on the brand's numerous new hotel openings in the works. That’s because members can earn 1,000 bonus points per night at select properties, or 5,000 points for a stay of at least three nights. Check to see what new hotels are available in your destination using this search tool .

Need more Virgin points? Capital One is offering a 30% transfer bonus for moving miles from its program to Virgin Red between now and the end of April. If Flying Blue miles are what you need for an upcoming award redemption, Chase Ultimate Rewards is offering a 25% bonus for moving points to its mileage program.

Changes to credit card perks (good and bad)

Unfortunately, Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders will see a cut to their Priority Pass benefits by the end of June. Airport restaurant credits will no longer be included as a benefit for those that have Priority Pass through this credit card. However, it will still include access to nearly 1,300 traditional airport lounges.

It’s not all bad news on the lounge and dining front. If you’re headed to the Olympics in Paris this summer, Chase Sapphire Reserve members can enjoy lounge access, invitations to dining venues, and other special events. The calendar of opportunities , accessible to cardmembers, will be updated periodically online.

The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is getting some new quarterly statement credits for Hilton stays as well as the ability to earn 5x Hilton Honors points per dollar spent on non-Hilton purchases up to $100,000 per year. Unfortunately, the annual fee is getting an increase, and the card is losing its Priority Pass benefits.

Another big change coming soon affects Bilt Rewards credit cardholders. The transferable points partnership that the card has with American AAdvantage will end on June 30. This is notable because Bilt is the only credit card to allow points transfers to American’s loyalty program (aside from American’s own co-branded cards). Luckily, Bilt has already forged a new transfer partnership with Alaska Mileage Plan, which joins more than a dozen other transfer programs in the Bilt portfolio.

And a small but mighty update: Travelers that use Lyft to reach the airport and pay with a World Elite Mastercard can now save 10% when scheduling a ride in advance .

With the Marriott Bonvoy and MGM Rewards partnership, you can now earn Bonvoy points at hotels like the Bellagio, A Luxury Collection Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas.

Deals worth considering this month

Some great news for the Swifties out there: you can now redeem Marriott points for Taylor Swift Eras Tour experiences. The Marriott Bonvoy Moments packages go live on select dates in April, June, and August for shows in Milan, Hamburg, Vienna, Miami, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Toronto, and Vancouver. In total, there are 48 Eras Tour packages available to be redeemed at a fixed price of 500,000 points (which equates to around a $3,700 value). The experiences include two Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert tickets, a two-night hotel stay at a Marriott Bonvoy portfolio property, dinner at one of Marriott Bonvoy’s premier restaurants, a spa treatment, transportation to and from the venue, and more. Considering Eras Tour tickets sold for an average resale price of $3,801 last year, this is a pretty sweet deal if you can snag one of the packages before they sell out.

Caitlin Morton

Stacey Lastoe

Meaghan Kenny

Additionally, Marriott Bonvoy and MGM Rewards have finally inked their deal together allowing travelers to earn and redeem points when staying at properties affiliated with either loyalty brand. Marriott Bonvoy members can now earn and redeem points at world-famous properties like Bellagio, A Luxury Collection Resort & Casino or The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Autograph Collection , among others.

Travelers can inch closer to World of Hyatt elite status with a special offer this month from Dream Hotels and Thompson Hotels , two of Hyatt’s boutique luxury brands. Between now and June 10, every night at either of these brands will earn double elite-qualifying nights. Be sure to register for this offer before May 22.

And if you’re looking for ways to burn those points in your pocket, try Straight to the Points , a subscription service that specializes in spotting flight deals and bargain mileage redemptions. They’ve several upcoming bargains for the coming year, like business class redemption seats on United flights to London from almost all of its hub airports in the US. Dates may vary, but the lowest price clocks in at around 60–70,000 Aeroplan points in each direction or 80,000 MileagePlus miles each way plus tax. As ever, act fast because award seats disappear in a snap. All the more reason to use up those points—and earn more on your next flight.

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Here are 9 of our favorite ways to use Amex Membership Rewards points

Editor's note: This story has been updated with the latest information.

It's no secret that American Express Membership Rewards are my favorite points and miles currency .

Over the years, Membership Rewards have given me tens of thousands of dollars in value. I've used these points to fly everything from Lufthansa first class to countless domestic hops booked at the last minute. Many of these trips would've been financially impossible without the help of my Membership Rewards.

And I'm not the only one that finds Membership Rewards super valuable.

TPG's latest valuations tie Membership Rewards with Chase Ultimate Rewards points as the most rewarding transferable points currency in TPG's monthly valuations at 2 cents per point. However, it's easy to get even more value out of your points by leveraging the right transfer partners.

To prove this value to you, we'll take a look at some of the best ways to redeem your Membership Rewards points in this article. We'll discuss everything from ultra-high-end business class redemptions to domestic flights around the U.S., looking at how to stretch your points for the best possible travel experience.

Transfer your way to your next destination in record time – download the free TPG App to see where your points could take you!

Before we start, however, you need to actually earn Membership Rewards points. The best way to quickly do this is by utilizing welcome offers on the issuer's top credit cards — here's a look:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express : Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 on purchases in your first six months of card membership. However, some readers have been targeted for up to a 100,000-point bonus using the CardMatch tool (offer subject to change at any time). Terms apply.
• American Express® Gold Card : Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first six months of card membership. However, some readers have been targeted for an even higher welcome offer using the CardMatch tool (offer subject to change at any time). Terms Apply.
• The Business Platinum Card ® from American Express : Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card within the first three months of card membership. Terms apply.

Once you have one of these cards, you can earn even more Amex points by shopping through Rakuten or when you buy (or sell) a house using a participating agent with RBN .

Now, let's dive into the best ways to use Membership Rewards points!

For more TPG points tips and news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter .

Transfer partners

The best way to spend your Amex points is through transfer partners. The program partners with 20 different airlines , including ANA , JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic . You also have the option to transfer your points to three hotel chains : Hilton , Marriott and Choice.

You can book flights or hotels directly through Amex Travel , but redeeming points with a transfer partner usually results in a better redemption value. This is because Amex Travel only lets you redeem at a set 1 cent per point value for flights, while transfers can yield a much higher value.

Most Membership Rewards transfers process instantly, while others can take up to 48 hours. Make sure to check out our guide to Membership Rewards transfer times for more information.

Related: Redeeming American Express Membership Rewards points for maximum value

Cheap American Airlines International Flights

Although Etihad isn't a member of one of the three major alliances, it has non-alliance airline partnerships that yield excellent value. One of the best values is using Etihad Guest points to book American Airlines-operated flights at prices similar to what American charged before its 2016 devaluation .

The best deals are for international business and first-class flights on American's large international route network. Here's a look at Etihad's American award chart for flights departing North America.

These rates are often much lower than you'd pay if you booked directly with American. For example, you can use 30,000 miles to book a one-way ticket from any U.S. city to Lima (LIM), Bogota (BOG) or other cities in the "Central/South America 1" region. This includes many cities in Central America and northern South America.

Or, you can fly to Europe in business class for 50,000 points one-way. This is cheaper than the 57,500+ miles that American charges for the same tickets, giving you cheap access to American's large European route network. This includes cities like Frankfurt, Paris and others.

Finally, you can use Etihad Guest to get a solid deal on American's premium transcontinental first and business class from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The San Francisco route is operated by American's specially configured A321T aircraft with a true first-class cabin. This costs just 32,500 points one way when you book with Etihad Guest.

Related: Best strategies for Etihad Guest miles

Incredible redemptions with Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic is another great example of an airline leveraging individual partnerships instead of an alliance membership to build a valuable loyalty program .

Each Virgin Atlantic partner has a different award chart, but you'll want to pay the closest attention to Delta and ANA for the best value

Related: How to find and book Virgin Atlantic partner awards

Delta Air Lines

Virgin Atlantic devalued its Delta award chart last year but kept one sweet spot: 50,000-point flights from the U.S. to Europe in Delta One business class. This pricing applies to all nonstop Delta tickets from the U.S. — connecting tickets are subject to extra mileage.

This is a great way to fly Delta from the U.S. to one of its many European destinations. Likewise, it's substantially cheaper than transferring points to Delta SkyMiles for the same award ticket.

For example, this flight from New York to Zurich costs the stated 50,000 points and $5.60 in taxes and fees:

The same flight costs an insane 215,000 Delta SkyMiles and $5.60 on the same date:

If you're booking a Delta One ticket to Europe, always check Virgin Atlantic first. It consistently prices lower than Delta and other SkyTeam programs on these routes.

Related: 3 great ways to redeem Virgin Atlantic points now that Delta awards are devalued

While this is a much more narrow use, Virgin Atlantic's ANA award chart has to be one of the single best sweet-spot redemptions in the entire points-and-miles world. The chart below shows round-trip prices:

This means you can fly from West Coast airports like Los Angeles or San Francisco to Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT) or Haneda International Airport (HND) in ANA first class for only 110,000 miles round-trip . That's less than some airlines charge for a one-way ticket, essentially giving you a 50% discount.

ANA first-class tickets sometimes cost $16,000 or more , so this is an easy way to get more than 10 cents per point in value.

You'll still get a great deal flying from other U.S. cities for 120,000 miles round-trip. Booking business class will only require 90,000-95,000 miles round-trip. One-way tickets are bookable at half the listed mileage cost.

You can also use this trick to book a mini-round-the-world trip with an open-jaw itinerary . This is when you depart from one city and return to another. So, you could use this to book JFK to HND as your outbound flight and HND to LHR as your "return" flight. This itinerary costs just 120,000 points in total.

Related: Review of The Room, ANA's new business class on the Boeing 777-300ER

United and Alaska flights to Hawaii

Hawaii is a dream for many travelers — and it's easy to see why. From the great city of Honolulu to Maui and Kona's vast beaches, the islands truly have it all. You can book flights to the islands on United and Alaska Airlines by transferring your Membership Rewards points to Singapore Airlines Krisflyer.

Those on the West Coast should book Alaska flights with these miles. The two airlines have a non-alliance partnership that offers ultra-cheap nonstop flights to Hawaii from cities including Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland, among others.

You'll pay just 13,500 Krisflyer miles for a one-way flight from California, Oregon, or Washington to any Hawaiian islands. Just note that Singapore doesn't let you book Alaska flights with stops, so you're restricted to booking flights from one of Alaska's various hubs. You also need to call in to book these awards.

Those based elsewhere in the country can book nonstop or connecting flights with United Airlines. You'll pay 19,500 points for a one-way economy ticket or 39,00 for business class. This includes United's long-haul nonstop flights from Newark, Chicago and Washington D.C. to Honolulu.

This can be an excellent deal if you manage to book one of the long flights from the Midwest or East Coast. These flights are operated by wide-body aircraft with lie-flat seats. Check out Zach Honig's review of Newark to Honolulu in United First to look at what to expect on board.

Related: The best ways to get to Hawaii using points and miles

Fly the world's longest nonstop flight in comfort

Singapore Airlines operates two of the world's longest flight : Singapore Changi International Airport (SIN) to EWR and JFK. It's an excellent way to travel to one of Asia's most modern big cities and connect to other countries like Malaysia, India and Indonesia.

Of course, you're not going to want to spend 18 hours in an uncomfortable seat — so use your Membership Rewards to fly business class.

Both routes cost 111,500 points plus taxes and fees one-way, a small price to pay for comfort on such a long flight.

Onboard, you can expect top-notch service and dining. Plus, the seat is nothing to scoff at either — it's fully lie-flat and has a fully stocked entertainment selection. Think of it like a five-star hotel room and restaurant that whisks you around the world.

Related: 18 hours in nonstop style: Singapore business class on the world's longest flight

Iberia flights to Madrid

Booking premium-cabin award flights to Europe can be a complicated and expensive endeavor, but Iberia's distance-based award chart is one of the best options to consider.

There are two things to keep in mind with distance-based award charts. The first is that sweet spots are likely to be between individual city pairs with nonstop flights. This is different from a zone-based award chart, where the sweet spots cover flights between all cities that fall into the corresponding region(s) you're traveling.

Second, you'll typically be punished for taking connecting routings, so you'll want to stick to the shortest nonstop flight you can find. That might even mean taking a domestic positioning flight to kick off your award ticket.

With that in mind, Iberia's award chart for transatlantic flights to and from Madrid (MAD) offers some incredible values. Here are the one-way award prices:

Off-peak business class flights offer the best deal. You can fly from New York-JFK and Boston (BOS) to Madrid for just 34,000 Avios in economy, 50,000 in premium economy and 68,000 in business class. Yes, those are round-trip prices. Considering that most airlines charge 50,000 to 60,000 miles for a one-way business-class flight to Europe, is an absolute steal. Even longer flights to Madrid from Los Angeles or San Francisco are attractively priced — here's a look at off-peak pricing:

• Economy: 51,100
• Premium economy: 76,500 Avios
• Business: 102,000 Avios

Booking these awards through Iberia not only lets you save your hard-earned points but also helps you minimize the taxes and fees that you'll pay . If you book the same round-trip business-class award from JFK to Madrid using British Airways, you'd pay the same 84,000 Avios but have to fork over $1,000+ in taxes and fees. Booking through Iberia costs a much more reasonable $211.

Related: The complete guide to American Express Membership Rewards partners

Round-trip business class flights to Europe

Another great way to get to Europe is transferring points to ANA Mileage Club and booking Star Alliance flights.

While you can book any Star Alliance partner with these miles, European partners like Lufthansa and Swiss add huge fuel surcharges to their tickets. These can add up to well over $1,000 round-trip on a business class ticket, so stick with United if you want to keep taxes and fees low. You can also book with low-surcharge carriers like Air Canada, LOT Polish Airlines, TAP Portugal or SAS.

ANA Mileage Club charges just 88,000 miles for a round-trip business class flight from the U.S. to Europe. This is an exceptional deal as it's just over what most other Star Alliance carriers charge for a one-way ticket. Plus, you can also add a stopover on another airline, letting you see two European cities on one trip. This may slightly raise the taxes and fees but are generally worth it if your connecting flight is in business class.

If you're looking for a basic round-trip redemption, you can book something like this TAP Portugal itinerary from New York to Lisbon for 88,000 points and just over $55 in taxes and fees.

Or, you can spice things up by adding a stopover and booking New York to Lisbon for a stopover before continuing to Madrid. Then, you can fly home via Lisbon for the same 88,000 points. Taxes and fees rise slightly to roughly $88, but this depends on the itinerary you book.

Whatever you book, you can get a solid deal when you book low-fuel surcharge carriers to Europe with ANA Mileage Club — especially if you maximize your included stopover.

Related: Do this before booking award tickets for your family

Round-the-world on SkyTeam carriers

Continuing on the path of international business class, you can transfer your points to Aeromexico Club Premier to book round-the-world tickets on SkyTeam carriers. These tickets let you visit multiple cities on various continents while sampling a ton of SkyTeam carriers. Aeromexico's round-the-world pass pricing is extremely reasonable and there's just a small list of restrictions to keep in mind.

On the pricing side, you'll pay 224,000 Aeromexico points in economy or 352,000 in business class. Membership Rewards points transfer to Aeromexico at a rate of 1:1.6 transfer ratio. This means a pass costs 140,000 or 220,000 Membership Rewards points for economy and business class, respectively. I think it's worth the extra points to fly business class — especially if you're doing a true round-the-world trip.

Here's a look at the restrictions to keep in mind when you book a round-the-world ticket with Aeromexico:

• Travel must continue in the same direction, east or west.
• Travel must begin and end in the same country.
• You can have a minimum of three or a maximum of 15 stopovers, with no more than five per continent. A stopover is defined as any city where you remain for 24 hours before continuing your travel.
• All flights must be booked in the same class of service.
• Pass is valid for one year from the date of issue.

This gives you a ton of flexibility in how you plan out your round-the-world ticket. I whipped up a quick example that routes you through Central America, Europe and Asia before returning to the U.S. via Hawaii — here's a look:

• Los Angeles to Mexico City – Aeromexico.
• Mexico City to Panama City – Aeromexico.
• Panama City to Paris – Air France.
• Paris to Prague – Czech Airlines.
• Prague to Bucharest – TAROM.
• Bucharest to Istanbul – TAROM.
• Istanbul to Seoul – Korean Airlines.
• Seoul to Honolulu – Korean Airlines.
• Honolulu to Los Angeles – Delta Air Lines.

This all fits into the criteria above and lets you see eight cities, all while flying some of SkyTeam's best business class products. To book this, you'd have to find SkyTeam award space using your favorite SkyTeam search tool . Then, call Aeromexico to book the award.

One last thing: Aeromexico passes on fuel surcharges for carriers that charge them. You can check by searching for your flights with ITA Matrix and looking for the "YQ" line on the flight's pricing breakdown. You may also be responsible for paying some taxes and other fees levied by local governments, the operating carrier or Aeromexico.

Related: A review of Aeromexico's business class on the 787-9 from Mexico City to Buenos Aires

Book Choice hotels around the world

The Choice Privileges program is lesser-known than the bigger chains like Marriott and Hilton, but it's still worth a look. You can still get value by transferring Membership Rewards to Choice Privileges, with awards starting at just 8,000 points per night.

Choice has a wide range of brands and properties around the world. On the low end, you can use 8,000 points per night to book a stay at the Econo Lodge in downtown Salt Lake City. While not the most luxurious property, it's a nice option if other hotels are out of your price range.

The hotel company also has conveniently located hotels outside of major cities. For example, you can use 10,000 points per night to book the Comfort Inn near the Six Flags theme park in Gurnee, IL, a suburb of Chicago. This can be a good option for a staycation or a stop on a long road trip.

Things get more exciting when you travel abroad. There are a handful of properties in Tokyo that can be booked for 8,000 points per night. The centrally located Comfort Hotel Tokyo Kanda is one of them. The rooms look solid, and it's within walking distance of public transit.

Of course, Choice has higher-end options too. You can spend 20,000 points for a Hotel Christiania Teater — a member of Choice's higher-end Ascend Hotel Collection. This hotel has unique rooms, a beautiful lobby and a central location that gives you easy access to everything Oslo offers. That said, cash rates can be cheap, so do your own research to see if paying with points is a good idea.

Hilton is also a transfer partner, but earning Hilton points is easy via paid stays or cobranded cards like the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card . So we don't recommend transferring Membership Rewards to Hilton Honors unless you're just short points for an award booking.

The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: Why I often choose IHG and Choice hotels, despite limited elite perks

Book short-haul flights with Avianca LifeMiles, Avios or Delta SkyMiles

You don't have to jet halfway around the world to get a great redemption. You have plenty of options if you're looking for a great deal on domestic flights. The three best transfer partners for domestic flights — LifeMiles, Avios and SkyMiles — span the three major airline alliances. So you can book tickets with the Big 3 U.S. carriers and Alaska Airlines.

Book American flights with British Airways Avios

British Airways Avios are the best way to book domestic flights operated by American and Alaska Airlines. The program has a distance-based award chart, so you'll pay more Avios for longer flights, but short and mid-haul domestic flights are the award chart's sweet spots for Oneworld flyers.

Flights that are 1,151 miles or shorter can be booked for just 9,000 Avios. This is a solid way to use your points if cash flights are otherwise expensive. Think peak travel times like holidays, conferences and school breaks.

One thing to note about Avios: it charges per leg, so you'll pay more for connecting flights. In most cases, you should only use Avios to book nonstop flights. You're better off booking connecting flights with LifeMiles, SkyMiles or American AAdvantage miles, if you have them.

Related: Here's why you should care about British Airways Avios

Book United flights with LifeMiles

LifeMiles is the loyalty program for Avianca, a Star Alliance member. This means you can book United flights with your LifeMiles, and there are some excellent deals to be had.

The program has kept a standard award chart, so you'll pay a predictable price for your flights. The program splits the U.S. up into three regions. You can view the regions and flight prices on LifeMile's United partner page.

While the award chart shows flights starting at 7,500 LifeMiles one-way, there's a hidden 6,500 LifeMile tier that's reserved for short flights like Newark to Pittsburgh. These business-heavy routes can get expensive when booking at the last minute or during peak times, so it helps to have a low-cost points option in your back pocket.

You can score solid deals on longer flights too. You'll pay 7,500 LifeMiles for mid-haul flights such as Chicago to Philadelphia and Newark. On the other hand, even longer routes will cost 10,000 LifeMiles or 12,500 LifeMiles one-way, which is still a good deal if cash tickets are expensive.

Domestic first class isn't a terrible deal either. This flight from Newark (EWR) to Austin (AUS) is just 15,000 LifeMiles one-way, a mere 2,500 LifeMiles more than an economy ticket.

Related: 3 reasons your family needs LifeMiles for domestic travel

Book Delta flights with SkyMiles

If Delta is your airline of choice, you can transfer your Membership Rewards points to Delta SkyMiles . Unlike Avios and LifeMiles, the airline has dynamic pricing, so prices change by route, date and when you search. That said, we've found that domestic flights are generally one of the best ways to get value from the program.

For example, check out this flight from Chicago to Detroit — it costs as few as 4,500 SkyMiles one-way in basic economy. This is a pretty excellent deal on this route, especially if cash fares are expensive.

Long transcontinental flights offer great deals too. For example, this flight from New York to Los Angeles costs just 9,000 SkyMiles in basic economy and 12,000 in standard economy. This is an excellent redemption for one of the longest domestic flights in the U.S.

Best Amex Membership Rewards cards

Now that you're more familiar with how to maximize and burn your hard-earned Amex points, it's time to start earning them. Here's a look at some of the best Membership Rewards-earning cards for businesses and individuals:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express : Best for high-end travel benefits
• American Express® Gold Card : Best for dining at restaurants and buying groceries
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Best for frequent business travelers
• American Express® Business Gold Card: Best for flexible earning on business expenses
• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express: Best for everyday business expenses

Bottom line

Whether you're looking for first-class airfare, an economy flight home for the holidays or a road trip hotel, you can use Membership Rewards to cover it all. Use the eight examples listed in this article as inspiration for your next big trip. Not only will you have a better experience, but you'll spend significantly less out of pocket too.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here . For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here . For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum card, click here .

Additional reporting by Juan Ruiz, Ethan Steinberg, Victoria Walker and Chris Dong.