Travel CCs

loro929

I am looking to get a credit card with good travel rewards. At the moment, the CCs that I have just don't offer too many benefits and with the seemingly endless offers out there for miles, points, whatever, I am looking to change primary cards to take advantage of some of them, especially now with all of our various wedding expenses - we might be able to get some nice rewards!

So question for those of you that use/ have travel CCs: What one(s) do you use; why do you like it/them; how did you choose it/them?

morewineplease

I am putting the whole wedding on my American Express card so I can get the delta miles, then paying that card right off. They have great customer protection for purchases. Plus it is a great card to have if you travel because they have lots of benefits if stuff goes wrong. 

For example I had my wallet stolen while in Cambodia, AmEx was the only card company that offered to send me a new card to Cambodia instead of to my address back in the states.  If I had been traveling with someone else that would have been the only way I would have been able to get home as all the cards and cash was gone.  

charlottesmom0626

I use my capital one visa card for travel because (at least when I was looking) it was the only card that charged absolutely NO fees for conversions OR out of country use. 

My research showed most cards charged one or the other (So if something costs 5euros, it would show up on my statement as $5.42, where other cards might charge a $1 out of country fee on each transaction, or a 3% conversion charge) which is awesome because I could use it just like I would in the US without worrying about what the surcharge was, or how much I was actually paying for items.

I would also access my bank account online and pay off the card as I used it, so it was almost like using a debit card with no fees. 

ETA: there is no annual fee on this card.

southernbelle0915

We also have the Delta AmEx. It gets us 2 free bags each for every flight we book w/ the card. Plus we earn miles for the money we spend. We both really like it.

Thankfully, we haven't had to use any of the emergency situation benefits, like in @morewineplease's situation, but I've heard they're really good.

plainjane0415

FI has the Southwest Visa, and loves it. 

charcoalandblush

I also have the Delta AmEx. I picked it because I fly Delta most often (it's the only airline with direct flights between my current city and my hometown). The travel benefits (free bags, priority boarding, etc.) are great, especially since it's an airline I fly several times a year. They also had a fantastic sign-up bonus when I applied. If you spend $1000 in the first 3 months, you get 50,000 bonus miles (we were about to renew our football season tickets, so I put them on the AmEx) and a free $50 statement credit if you make a Delta purchase in the first 3 months (I waited to apply for the card until I knew I wanted to book a flight). I've only had the card for maybe 4 months, and with the sign-up bonus I have enough miles for two round-trip domestic flights.

flyingfoxes

We have the Delta card, and I just updated my Capital One card to the Venture version but I haven't used it yet.

lovemesomemonster

I have a capital one venture card and used it for three month long trips out of the country last year. Gives me good points and doesn't charge for out of country use. We also have a chase card that we like for the points and FI uses it as his primary card so we are stocking points on both of them. They also both make it easy to use the points to pay down your card if you aren't saving them for anything which can be nice.

labro

We went with the Bank of America Travel Rewards card.

Here are the primary things you want to consider:

Does it have an annual fee? Cards with annual fees tend to come with better rewards, but there's an obvious pay off. If you only want it for a year it may be worth it if you choose a card where the fee is waived the first year.

Do they charge transaction fees for international transactions? Obviously, don't pick anything you can't use internationally where they are going to charge you a fee. Not worth it.

Are you limited in how you can redeem points/who you can redeem points with? This is the primary reason we went to Bank of America (Capitol One was our second choice because they are the same way). The BoA travel rewards card works as a credit to your statement. You buy whatever flights, hotels, car rentals you need, and you can use the rewards as a credit towards your bill. This helps you avoid black out dates or other issues that you may run in to with a provider specific card like the Delta SkyMiles visa as an example.

What are the sign up bonuses? Most credit cards will offer so many free points when you sign up and this may guide your decision making.

Don't forget to consider cards that offer double points for certain expenditures, like gas or groceries. Also make sure that your travel purchases also count towards your rewards.

novella1186

lovemesomemonster said:

I have a capital one venture card and used it for three month long trips out of the country last year. Gives me good points and doesn't charge for out of country use. We also have a chase card that we like for the points and FI uses it as his primary card so we are stocking points on both of them. They also both make it easy to use the points to pay down your card if you aren't saving them for anything which can be nice.

This. Racks up points fast, no annual feel, no currency exchange charge or foreign transaction fees, etc etc etc. 

thisismynickname2

My husband has a United Mileage Plus card. We love it because we travel frequently. We're going to England in the fall to see family and we're paying for our flights 100% with the miles earned. 

However, this card does have an annual fee. It's worth it to us, because it gets us United Club membership. The Club has free food and some free booze (hence the annual fee), but you also get access to alliance clubs in foreign countries. Lufthansa Lounge, helloooo. Some of those lounges even have showers!

I think there's some really good advice above. I would have never chosen a card with an annual fee, but our use of the Club and other things like no foreign transaction fees and free checked bags makes it worth it to us personally. We hoard miles. Part of our honeymoon tickets were paid for in miles. DH uses it like his debit card and pays it off every month. Since we've been married I've had my own card for his account, and I'm getting used to to the transition from using debit to using credit for the purpose of getting miles. 

Edit: DH put the entire wedding on the credit card. That was awesome for miles. (Yes, we paid if off because our parents gave us checks and we used what was already in our savings accounts as well.)

Jells2dot0

With airline cards, it depends on what airline is accessible to you. I started out with an American Airlines MasterCard, then moved, so switched to the United Club Card. Now, we're moving again, so I started using my American MasterCard and upgraded it to the Admiral's Club card.

In addition, I also have a Starwood AmEx. The only downside to the AmEx is that it DOES have foreign transaction fees, while my others do not. However, Starwood Points can be used for almost anything- hotel stays, flights, concerts, and activities during your Starwood hotel stays, among other things.

loro929

Thanks so much for the great advice! 

When doing my preliminary research on the topic (i.e. looking at comparison blogs), I was leaning toward either the Delta AmEx and the Chase Sapphire Preferred. However, we travel internationally several times a year and not always with the same company (we tend to prioritize best value over loyalty). Because of the flights that we take, Delta does **usually** have some of the better direct options, hence learning toward their AmEx but not always, hence why we don't always fly with them. 

One of the perks I would have enjoyed though is the lounge access. Even though we make a lot of long haul flights per year, because we don't always do it with the same company, we never get reach preferred status. But, the reason I was hesitating and wanted to understand your experiences was because I didn't know if I was giving up a great over from the Sapphire card for lounge access, which we can't even use all the time because we are forever running late. 

The security that the AmEx provides though seems quite comprehensive, and I am not sure if the Sapphire card offers that too. I will have to inquire about that.

AuroraRose41

I have a Chase Sapphire Preferred and love it! I did my research prior to signing up for it, and the one thing that I had trouble finding out online is that you can use points on almost any airline through their website. I prefer to fly Delta, as normally that is the cheapest and shortest option for FI and I to fly back to the East Coast, but we don't always fly with them. The Sapphire won't let you transfer points to the Delta SkyMiles program like you can with United or Southwest (and many others for international travel), but you can book Delta flights using points on Chase's Ultimate Rewards site. I would be happy to answer any other questions you have about that card. 

arrippa

Jells2dot0 said:

With airline cards, it depends on what airline is accessible to you. I started out with an American Airlines MasterCard, then moved, so switched to the United Club Card. Now, we're moving again, so I started using my American MasterCard and upgraded it to the Admiral's Club card.

In addition, I also have a Starwood AmEx. The only downside to the AmEx is that it DOES have foreign transaction fees, while my others do not. However, Starwood Points can be used for almost anything- hotel stays, flights, concerts, and activities during your Starwood hotel stays, among other things.

I also have the Starwood AmEx. I already have my eye on a hotel stay in DC using my points. The customer service at AmEx is great but I also wish they covered foreign transaction fees.

vikinganna87

Like PP I have the Delta AmEx and am really happy with it.  Took an awesome trip last year with points. 

mlg78

Another vote for Capital One.  I like that it's not tied to a particular airline and you rack up points pretty quickly.

JoanE2012

We have the United Mileage Plus card.  We live near a United hub, so it's worth it for us.  We charge everything we possibly can (and if we online order, go through the United page if possible for bonus miles), pay it off immediately, and get free flights!  Our most recent free flight was Hawaii last fall....and we still have enough miles to go back a few times!