When it comes to travel credit cards, having one that not only offers great rewards and benefits but also has no foreign transaction fees is crucial for frequent travelers. These travel credit cards ensure that you can make purchases abroad without incurring extra charges. They offer a range of perks, from extensive airport lounge access and travel credits to robust insurance protections and significant rewards on travel and dining, making them the perfect companions for your adventures around the world.

Best Premium Travel Credit Cards

For frequent travelers looking for top-tier benefits, exceptional rewards, and luxurious perks, premium travel credit cards are an excellent choice. Here are some of the best premium travel credit cards available.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Rewards: 3x points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit, 3x points on dining at restaurants (including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out), 1x point per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Sign-Up Bonus: 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 redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Annual Fee: $550.

Benefits:

• $300 annual travel credit for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Priority Pass™ Select Membership for complimentary access to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide.
• Up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every 4 years.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses.
• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: Primary coverage for rental cars.
• Trip Delay Reimbursement: Up to $500 per ticket if your trip is delayed more than 6 hours or requires an overnight stay.
• Baggage Delay Insurance: Up to $100 a day for 5 days if your baggage is delayed over 6 hours.
• Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Up to $3,000 per passenger.
• Purchase Protection: Covers new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year.
• Extended Warranty Protection: Extends the time period of the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year on eligible warranties of three years or less.
• Points are worth 50% more when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
• Ability to transfer points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs.

American Express Platinum

Rewards: 5x Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel, 5x points on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel, 1x point on all other purchases.

Sign-Up Bonus: 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Annual Fee: $695.

Benefits:

• Airport Lounge Access: Complimentary access to over 1,200 airport lounges worldwide, including Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass™ Select, Delta Sky Clubs, and more.
• Hotel Benefits: Fine Hotels & Resorts program offering complimentary benefits at over 1,000 luxury hotels, including room upgrades, daily breakfast for two, early check-in, late check-out, and unique property amenities. Hilton Honors Gold Status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status.
• Travel Credits: $200 airline fee credit for incidental fees charged by your selected airline, $200 Uber Cash for rides or Uber Eats orders ($15 per month and an additional $20 in December), $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit ($50 semi-annually).
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Fee Credit: Up to $100 credit for the application fee every 4 years.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees: No extra charges for purchases made outside the United States.
• Travel Insurance and Protections: Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance, Trip Delay Insurance, Baggage Insurance Plan, Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance.
• 24/7 Global Assist Hotline: Provides emergency assistance and coordination services when traveling more than 100 miles from home.
• Luxury Travel Benefits: The Hotel Collection, International Airline Program with premium cabin discounts.
• Special Access and Experiences: Invitations to exclusive cardmember-only events and experiences, Concierge Service for personalized assistance with travel bookings, dining reservations, and more.
• Earning Points: 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels, 1x point on other purchases, plus points can be transferred to numerous airline and hotel loyalty programs.

Note: American Express cards are not as widely accepted as Visa and Mastercard internationally.

Capital One Venture X

• Rewards: 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel, 2x miles on all other purchases.
• Annual Fee: $395.
• Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, 10,000 anniversary miles each year (worth $100 towards travel), unlimited access to Priority Pass™ and Capital One Lounges, up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, travel and purchase protections, cell phone protection, ability to transfer miles to over 15 travel loyalty programs.

Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite

• Rewards: 2x points on travel and dining purchases. 1.5x points on all other purchases.
• Annual Fee: $550.
• Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, $300 airline incidental statement credit, $150 lifestyle credit, unlimited complimentary airport lounge access with Priority Pass™ Select, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit, travel and purchase protections, access to Premium Rewards® for flexible redemption options including travel, cash back, and more.

Preferred Travel Credit Cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred

• Rewards: 2x points on travel and dining, 1x point on all other purchases.
• Sign-Up Bonus: Substantial bonus points after meeting a minimum spend.
• Annual Fee: $95.
• Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, primary rental car insurance, trip cancellation/interruption insurance.

Capital One Venture Rewards

• Rewards: 2x miles on every purchase.
• Sign-Up Bonus: Large bonus miles after meeting a minimum spend.
• Annual Fee: $95.
• Benefits: Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, no foreign transaction fees.

Apple Card

• Rewards: 3% Daily Cash back on purchases made directly with Apple, including Apple stores, the App Store, and Apple services. 3% Daily Cash back on purchases at select merchants when you use Apple Card with Apple Pay (e.g., Uber, Uber Eats, Walgreens, Nike). 2% Daily Cash back on all other purchases made using Apple Pay. 1% Daily Cash back on purchases made with the physical Apple Card.
• Annual Fee: $0.
• Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, advanced security features including a unique card number for each device and biometric authentication, financial management tools to track spending and manage payments, 24/7 customer support via the Messages app on your iPhone.

American Express Gold

• Rewards: 4x points at restaurants and on up to $25,000 per year at U.S. supermarkets, 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, 1x point on other purchases.
• Sign-Up Bonus: Generous bonus points after meeting a minimum spend.
• Annual Fee: $250.
• Benefits: Dining credits, no foreign transaction fees, baggage insurance plan.

Note: American Express cards are not as widely accepted as Visa and Mastercard internationally.

Bank of America Travel Rewards

• Rewards: 1.5x points on all purchases.
• Sign-Up Bonus: Bonus points after meeting a minimum spend.
• Annual Fee: $0.
• Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, flexible redemption options.

Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi

• Rewards: 4% cash back on eligible gas worldwide, including gas at Costco, for the first $7,000 per year, and then 1% thereafter. 3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel purchases worldwide. 2% cash back on all other purchases from Costco and Costco.com. 1% cash back on all other purchases.
• Annual Fee: $0 (with your paid Costco membership).
• Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, purchase protection for eligible purchases against damage or theft, extended warranty on eligible purchases, car rental insurance, travel and emergency assistance, roadside assistance dispatch service, global acceptance at Costco and anywhere Visa is accepted.

Eligible travel purchases include: airfare, hotels, car rentals, cruise lines, travel agencies, and Costco Travel

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Card

• Rewards: 1.5% cash back on every purchase.
• Sign-Up Bonus: $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
• Annual Fee: $0.
• Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, extended warranty protection, travel accident insurance, 24-hour travel assistance services, complimentary concierge service, access to exclusive dining and entertainment events.

Discover it Miles

• Rewards: 1.5x miles on all purchases.
• Sign-Up Bonus: Match of all miles earned in the first year.
• Annual Fee: $0.
• Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, flexible redemption options.

Note: Discover is not widely accepted internationally.

Best Travel Credit Cards For Beginners or New Cardholders

Capital One QuicksilverOne

• Rewards: 1.5% cash back on every purchase.
• Annual Fee: $39.
• Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, higher credit line after making your first 5 monthly payments on time, access to Capital One CreditWise for credit monitoring.

Capital One Platinum Mastercard

• Rewards: This card does not offer traditional rewards, focusing primarily on building credit.
• Annual Fee: $0.
• Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, higher credit line after making your first 5 monthly payments on time, access to Capital One CreditWise for credit monitoring.

Best Travel Credit Cards For Students

Capital One Quicksilver Rewards for Students

• Rewards: 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
• Sign-Up Bonus: Earn $50 cash bonus once you’ve spent $100 within 3 months. (As of July 2024)
• Annual Fee: $0.
• Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, higher credit line after making your first 5 monthly payments on time, access to Capital One CreditWise for credit monitoring.

Discover it Student Chrome

• Rewards: 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, 1% on all other purchases.
• Annual Fee: $0.
• Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, good grades reward ($20 statement credit each school year your GPA is 3.0 or higher for up to the next five years), Discover will match all the cash back earned at the end of the first year.

Note: Discover is not widely accepted internationally.

Best Secured Credit Cards For Travel

Secured credit cards can be an excellent choice for travelers looking to build or improve their credit while ensuring secure transactions.

Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

• Rewards: This card does not offer traditional rewards, but it’s an excellent card for building credit.
• Annual Fee: $0.
• Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, higher credit line with responsible use, reports to all three major credit bureaus, refundable security deposit (with flexible deposit options based on creditworthiness).

Discover it Secure Credit Card

• Rewards: 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, 1% on all other purchases.
• Sign-Up Bonus: Discover will match all the cash back earned at the end of your first year.
• Annual Fee: $0.
• Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, reports to all three major credit bureaus, refundable security deposit, opportunity to graduate to an unsecured card with responsible use.

Note: Discover is not widely accepted internationally.