Ever since the beginning of humanity, man has always been fond of traveling. In the olden times, it was in search of food. However, development and sophistication have made people find more reasons to travel. It’s surprising to note that we need two essential things to travel: be it for any reason, one should have a passionate mindset to travel, and second, a good account balance. Finance plays a major role in travel and, hence, travel credit cards. Everything beginning from the destination you choose to the things that you buy on your way will depend on how much money you have in hand.
For instance, if one wishes to take a trip to the Netherlands for a short vacation, they will have to book a flight both up and down, find suitable hotels to check-in, restaurants to dine in, and adventure activities to do in that area and the to-do list goes on. All of this requires money. However, people who frequently travel from one destination to the other might find it difficult to keep up with their financial needs. This is where the role of travel credit cards comes into play. It’s a great accessory to rely on for contactless payments as the Covid-19 is still around the corner.
Travel credit cards are nothing but credit cards that have a lot of benefits and deals to offer to the travel folks. A huge number of benefits come along the way by using travel credit cards. If you’re one such person who wishes to travel, is a traveler yourself, or is traveling for a purpose, I’d like to introduce some of the top ten travel credit cards that one can carry. So let’s swipe our travel credit cards and ease out our travel with tons of deals and benefits. I’ll walk you through the details of the top ten travel credit cards one can rely on. The travel credit cards vary depending on the destination, whether domestic or international.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST TRAVEL CREDIT CARD FOR YOU
Choosing the best travel credit card is ultimately an individual preference. When one card works in one case, like booking hotels, it might not be the best for booking flights or for international travel. The best travel credit cards usually offer miles, credit points, welcome bonuses, and exclusive travel offers.
1. Choose between a co-branded travel credit card or a general-purpose travel credit card
This choice mainly depends on your style of travel. If you usually travel with one specific airline or stay in the same line of hotel brands, then a co-branded travel credit card does the job for you. They are affiliated with the specific brand of hotels or airlines and will avail of many benefits, яндекс including hotel credits, free baggage checking, and complimentary meals, among others. If you interested in staying in grand hotels, choose co-branded travel credit cards.
With the general-purpose travel credit cards, you earn points and use them for purchasing. Though these credit cards do not affiliate with any brands, they allow the freedom of flexibility for travelers.
2. Check for the best sign up offers and category bonus
The best travel credit cards will offer huge sign-up offers. The more the annual pay, the higher the introductory offer will be. It is best to avoid cards that give less than 1 percent point while redeeming. Make sure the card offers long-term benefits for your spending.
While most travel cards give one credit for the usual spending, there are premium travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve card or the American Express Premier Rewards Gold card that give you over two credits. More credits mean more points to spend.
3. More travel perks and low annual fee
Many of the top travel credit cards come with rewards like no foreign transaction fees, free checked baggage, priority boarding, free hotel stays and lounge access, and rental car coverage, among others. If you travel with expensive items in your baggage, go for credit cards that provide travel insurance like Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, The Platinum Card® from American Express, or the United℠ Explorer Card.
If you travel frequently, it is always better to get a premium travel credit card with annual fees. Make sure you choose a credit card with no foreign transaction fees.
If you are interested to get travel credit card rewards without paying a dime, some of the best travel credit cards with no annual fee are Discover it® Miles, Chase Freedom Flex℠, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card, Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, HDFC Superia Travel Card, and Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card.
Travel credit cards vs. cash-back credit cards
| Travel credit cards | Cash-back cards |
|
Travel credit cards are those that give deals and offers exclusively related to travel, like hotel booking or flight booking. |
A cash-back credit card is a reward card that will return cash for all spending with the cash-back credit card. |
| The top travel credit cards charge annual fees. | Usually no annual fees for the best cash-back credit cards. |
| As long as you travel, credits on airfare, dining, tickets, or the lounge access are worth it. Not profitable for daily savings. | These are best to save money on daily purchases. |
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, American Express® Green Card | Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Citi® Double Cash Card, Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card |
HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR SAVING WITH A TRAVEL CREDIT CARD
- The best way to save with a travel credit card is to get the sign-up bonus. So, time your credit card application around a large transaction.
- Pay the dining bills, if your travel credit card covers a bonus on dining.
- To get the most value, use rewards for travel rather than cash back, gift cards, or products.
- Join the frequent-flyer or frequent-guest loyalty program that comes with a co-branded card. Choose the best airlines to travel.
- To earn additional rewards, shop at your card’s online bonus mall or through its exclusive offers, if applicable.
List of top 10 Travel Credit Cards in the World
1. Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card was first launched in 2016 and continues to be one of the best travel rewards credit cards.
- Welcome Offer: Do you intend to get some extra points? Then the offer is here! Spend up to $4000 on any of your purchases and grab up to 50,000 bonus points. This deal applies in the first three months after you open the account.
- Benefits: You can easily earn up to 5x total points on traveling via flight and about 10x total points on hotel booking and car rentals by securing it through Chase sapphire reserve card. You also get 1300+ access to airport lounges across the world after you enroll for priority passes. It is a one-time enrollment and convenient. Also, you can benefit from an annual travel credit of three hundred dollars. The card enables you to be devoid of any foreign transaction fee outside the United States.
- Renewal fee: The annual fee for Chase Sapphire Reserve Card is $550. But the benefits of using a Chase Sapphire Reserve card outweigh this huge amount of annual fee. However, the renewal fee charged for another year is only $450.
- Best suitable for: This card is a gem if you are a luxury travel planner.
- Eligibility to apply for the card: To get this card, you will need an excellent credit score of 750 or higher.
2. HDFC Diners Black Credit Card
- Welcome Offer: Complimentary Annual memberships of Club Marriott, Forbes, Amazon Prime, Zomato Pro, MMT BLACK, and Times Prime.
- Benefits: You can book 150+ hotels and flights using the HDFC Diners Black credit card. You get 50 reward points for every one hundred and fifty rupees you spend. Dining in a decent restaurant is an inevitable part of travel, hence you get 2X total points for dining during the weekend.
- Renewal fee: The card charges Rs. 10,000 as a joining membership fee.
- Best suitable for: Frequent international travelers and premium lifestyle enthusiasts.
- Eligibility to apply for the card: For a paid Indian national, the age is between 21 to 60 years, with a monthly income of 1.75 lakhs per month. Whereas it is between 21 to 65 years for the self-employed Indians with a monthly income higher than 21 lakhs per annum.
3. Axis Bank Privilege Credit Card
- Welcome Offer: 12,500 eDGE REWARD Points after paying the full joining fee and completing 3 card transactions of minimum Rs. 200 each within 60 days from card setup.
- Benefits: Using the Axis Bank Privilege credit card, you have two complimentary access for three months in a year to select your domestic lounges. It also offers a credit shield of one lakh and air accident insurance that can cover up to Rs. 2.5 Cr. Upon the renewal of your Axis Bank Privilege Credit Card, you can earn 3000 eDGE REWARD Points.
- Renewal fee: The bank debits an amount of Rs. 1500 as the standard annual fee, apart from the same collected as the joining fee.
- Best suitable for: People looking for a credit cards with wonderful rewards rate with a low annual fee.
- Eligibility to apply for the card: The card holder should be a resident of India and shall be aged between eighteen to seventy. Also, the individual must have a net worth of six hundred thousand per annum.
4. MakeMyTrip ICICI Platinum Credit card
- Welcome Offer: You get Rs. 500 worth of My Cash and a MakeMyTrip holiday voucher worth Rs. 3,000.
- Benefits: You’ll be able to get two hundred rupees’ worth of My Cash, redeemable on the MakeMyTrip website, and a voucher for MMT BLACK membership. If you’re traveling by air, you and your co-traveler will be provided with complimentary Visa lounge access every three months. And if you’re traveling by train, you’ll get free railway lounge access per quarter. For every flight and hotel booking you do via MakeMyTrip, you can earn up to 3 My cashpoints per two hundred rupees you spend.
- Renewal fee: The joining fee is five hundred rupees and there is no annual fee to be paid.
- Best suitable for: This card can be a cherry on top for frequent travelers who undertake a budget trip.
- Eligibility to apply for the card: Candidates who earn income as workers or are self-employed with a minimum income of thirty thousand rupees are eligible to get these benefits from the MakeMyTrip ICICI platinum credit card.
5. American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card
- Welcome Offer: On spending Rs. 5,000 within 60 days of card membership, you get reward of 10,000 points redeemable for Flipkart voucher Pay with Points option in Amex Travel Online3 worth Rs. 3,000.
- Benefits: Amex platinum card is the best travel card to use in India. You can benefit from several services like free lounge access and travel gift vouchers. Traveling for business or other purposes takes away the fun in it and people might get mechanical. However, travel cards like the Amex surprise people with their outstanding offers of travel vouchers. Yearly, you are allowed complimentary lounge access four times. It had travel vouchers up to seventeen thousand- one of the best plans anyone would have wished for .
- Renewal fee: Rs. 3,500+tax in first year and Rs. 5,000+tax for every other year.
- Best suitable for: Premium travelers
- Eligibility to apply for the card: Over 18 years, permanent residential address in India, with an income of Rs. 6 lakhs or above, along with excellent credit history and no payment defaults.
6. Kotak Royale Signature Credit Card
- Welcome Offer: There is no joining offer
- Benefits: By swiping the card you can get 4X bonus points upon booking your flight tickets, hotels, travel agencies, etc. for every one hundred and fifty rupees you spend. The annual charges are nine hundred and ninety-nine rupees only. You also get complimentary access to the domestic lounge eight times a year. The reward points are an enormous source of attraction. You can gain ten thousand reward points for spending four lakhs and can acquire thirty thousand reward points for spending eight lakhs.
- Renewal fee: Though there is no joining fees, the annual renewal fees is Rs. 999, which is waived on annual spends one lakhs.
- Best suitable for: The Kotak Royale Signature Credit Card is the most appropriate card for those who book their travel through a travel agency or tour planners.
- Eligibility to apply for the card: Every individual between the age of 21 to 65 years whose annual income lies above twenty-four lakhs rupees is eligible for these benefits. They should be a resident of India as well.
7. Citi PremierMiles Credit Card
- Welcome Offer: Earn 10,000 Miles at the first swipe of thousand rupees or more within 60 days of card issuance.
- Benefits: Swiping this card to book a flight ticket will provide you with 10 miles for every hundred rupees you spend. Also 8 complimentary lounge access within the country every three months a year. The miles earned can be a boon while you book flight tickets on websites like Indigo, Goibibo, Yatra, and BookMyShow or can be redeemed across many domestic and international airlines.
- Renewal fee: It has an annual charge of three thousand rupees, and with each renewal, you can get 3,000 bonus miles.
- Best suitable for: Frequent flyers and travelers
- Eligibility to apply for the card: The eligible candidates are the ones between the age of 21 & 65. He or she can be a resident of India or an NRI, whereas the criteria for income vary and inquired after applying for the card.
8. SBI Air India Signature
- Welcome Offer: The welcome gift you get is 20,000 reward points in the joining year.
- Benefits: For every hundred rupees you spend on the Air India tickets, it’ll fetch you thirty reward points. For every Rs. 100 spent, you get 4 reward points. The number of complimentary lounge access in domestic airports is 8.
- Renewal fee: The annual for SBI Air India Signature is four thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine.
- Best suitable for: You’ll be familiar with the fact that Air India flights are budget airlines and will be a good option to choose for those who plan a budget-friendly trip via air. This card can be a highlight to the frequent travelers of Air India flights, as the name suggests.
- Eligibility to apply for the card: The applicant must be above 18 years of age, and an Indian with a high credit score.
9. SBI IRCTC Credit Card
- Welcome Offer: You get a welcome gift of 350 bonus points. You also get a cashback of hundred rupees while swiping your card for the first time within the first month.
- Benefits: You preferably get a 10% discount for traveling using the SBI IRCTC Credit Card. Choosing an AC coach will shower you with plenty of exceptional rewards. Also, any transactions done through this card won’t charge you any fees.
- Renewal fee: This card charges you an amount of five hundred rupees as an annual charge. From the second year onwards it is three hundred rupees.
- Best suitable for: This travel card is designed for travelers who choose the train as their means to reach their destination. Check out Top 7 Luxury Trains in India, Routes And Fares.
- Eligibility to apply for the card: Minimum 18 years of age with Rs. 20,000 per month for salaried and Rs. 30,000 per month for self-employed individuals.
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10. Yes Preferred Credit Card
- Welcome Offer: As a welcome reward you can avail of 15,000 points.
- Benefits: Unlike other travel credit cards we’ve talked about, Yes Preferred Credit Card is one of the best travel credit cards as it helps you visit 4 international and 12 domestic lounges in a year.
- Renewal fee: The annual and renewal charge is 2500 rupees and with each renewal, you can get 10,000 Rupees.
- Best suitable for: Individuals who want decent benefits not only in travel but also in entertainment.
- Eligibility to apply for the card: The age limit for candidates is above 21 years and not over 60 years, with a minimum monthly salary of 2 lakh Rupees.
Summing up
Card credit cards are indeed a necessity for traveling today. Almost all travel credit cards possess the following favours:-
- Airport lounge access
- Travel accident insurance
- Reward point that can be redeemed
- Cashbacks and discounts
- Low or no transaction fees for foreign exchange.
Make the best out of the splendid offers each travel credit card presents to you. Being a traveler throughout your life can make you learn a lot and I believe these travel credit cards can make your travel more convenient and enjoyable. Happy traveling!
FAQs
Q) How do travel credit cards work?
A) Travel credit cards earn you points or miles, based on your purchases. These are “transferable points,” that can be transferred to the booking of a flight ticket or a hotel room. Travel credit cards come with many benefits that are perks for a regular traveler, including Sign-up bonuses, free baggage check in, priority boarding, lounge access, trip insurance, travel refunds, etc.
Q) What’s the difference between points and miles on a credit card?
A) In a travel credit card, miles refer to the credit that is earned in an airline’s frequent-flyer program. You can redeem these miles for free flights on the collaborating airlines. Cards with miles are “co-branded” with an airline and every time you use that card, you earn frequent-flyer miles. “Mile” is the term used to denote a unit of the reward of the frequent-flyer program and has nothing to do with the miles the flight travels.
Points on a travel credit card are those rewards earned in a non-airline loyalty program. These are more flexible than miles and can be used for a variety of purchases. You can earn points on everything purchased from dining, streaming services, online grocery purchases, etc. These points can be redeemed to book travel.
Q) Should I get a cash-back or travel credit card?
A) Get a travel credit card if you- travel frequently, and prefer the additional benefits and comfort while traveling like baggage check-in, priority boarding, lounge access, trip insurance, or travel refunds. If you travel with a particular airline or stay in a specific chain of hotels, go for the travel credit card.
If you prefer a hassle-free, low-maintenance wallet, where you can redeem credits for rewards including gift cards, a check, or a direct deposit to a bank account, and no annual fees (usually), it is better to choose cash back credit cards.
Q) What kinds of travel credit cards are there?
A) There are mainly two kinds of travel credit cards. One is the co-branded travel credit cards. These cards are affiliated with a particular airline or hotel brand and offer exclusive benefits for the users for using their company services, like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ credit card. The other kind is the general travel credit cards. They are not branded, and the credit points accumulated from a variety of purchases can be redeemed for travel.
