So you've decided to get a travel credit card — congratulations. Now comes the hard part: finding the card that makes the most sense for your wallet.
With so many options on the market, it can be difficult to pick out what kind of credit card will offer you the most value based on your lifestyle and spending habits. To help you make the decision that's best for you, follow these four simple steps.
Decide between a cobranded or general travel rewards card
First and foremost, you'll want to consider the type of travel card you want and the type of rewards you wish to earn. There are two main categories to consider here: cobranded travel credit cards and general travel rewards credit cards.
Cobranded travel credit cards are affiliated with a particular airline or hotel and often come with brand-specific travel benefits. For airline cards, that means perks like free checked bags, priority boarding and inflight discounts. Hotel cards may include annual hotel credits or automatic hotel elite status.
Since cobranded cards help you earn rewards within a specific travel program, they're best suited for frequent travelers loyal to a particular brand, like United Airlines or Marriott.
General travel rewards credit cards allow you to earn rewards within a credit card rewards program with various redemption options. With a general travel card, you might be able to transfer your rewards to multiple airline and hotel loyalty programs or use them to book travel through your card issuer's travel portal. You may also be able to redeem your rewards for statement credits, gift cards and select merchandise.
General travel credit cards are typically better for those who want flexibility in their rewards without being tied to a specific airline or hotel brand.
Related: Why all travelers should earn transferable rewards
Find a valuable welcome offer
Next, you'll want to identify a card with a hefty — yet achievable — welcome offer, which can sometimes single-handedly justify your ownership of the card for years on end.
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Take stock of your ability to meet the minimum spending requirements on a given offer. For example, the popular Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card's typical welcome offer is 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Spending $4,000 in three months isn't a terribly high bar to clear, but make sure you can meet that spending level if you're considering getting the card.
Rewards cards with higher welcome offers typically come with higher minimum spending requirements. You'll also want to keep an eye on card offer histories and potentially take advantage of any elevated welcome offers on cards you're interested in.
Related: The best welcome offers this month
Maximize bonus categories
If you've found a card with a nice sign-up bonus, be sure that it has bonus categories conducive to your spending habits so that you can take advantage of them as much as possible.
If you spend a lot in a given category, like restaurants, groceries or travel, find a card that earns multiple points or miles per dollar when you spend at those places. Predictably, most travel cards also offer bonus rewards when you spend on travel, with Marriott Bonvoy cards offering bonus rewards at Marriott properties, for example, or more general Chase cards offering bonuses when you book travel through Chase Travel℠.
Welcome offers and bonus categories will make up a major chunk of how you earn rewards, so choose wisely.
Justify the annual fee
Lastly, we recommend only considering the cards with perks that will make a difference to you, with benefits that will help you justify an annual fee (if the card has one) and that you can derive value from the next time you book a trip.
For example, premium offerings like The Platinum Card® from American Express offer lavish perks that are seemingly never-ending. The Amex Platinum has well over $1,400 worth of benefits and statement credits, mostly to offset its $695 annual fee (see rates and fees), but if you can't take advantage of those perks and find yourself paying almost $700 for benefits you aren't taking advantage of, the card won't be worth it.
There are plenty of cards with no annual fee, which is a good place to start. That said, most annual fees on cards are justifiable and can be more than offset if you use the card and its perks wisely.
Related: The complete guide to credit card annual fees
Bottom line
With so many cards on the market, we know it can be difficult to find the one that's right for you, especially if you're new to the world of points and miles. Our advice is to go for a general travel rewards card if you are a free agent or a specific airline or hotel card if you are loyal to a particular brand. Follow the simple steps in this guide to help narrow your options, and keep it locked on TPG for more advice on finding the right card to help fund your next big trip.
Related: Best travel cards of 2024
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, click here.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
