I’ve carried 11 different travel credit cards across 50+ international trips since 2018. Most of them don’t earn back their annual fee. Three of them have paid for themselves five times over. Here’s the honest ranking.
The TL;DR ranking
If you only read one section: Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for travelers who fly internationally 2-4 times a year. American Express Platinum wins if you fly 6+ times and value lounge access. Capital One Venture X is the underrated dark horse with $300 in annual travel credit that almost nobody talks about.
Everything else on this list earns its place for specific use cases.
What actually matters in a travel credit card
Marketing tells you to compare points-per-dollar. That’s the wrong frame. Here’s what actually saves or costs you money on international trips:
- Foreign transaction fees – 3% on every purchase abroad. On a $5,000 trip, that’s $150 burned. Any travel card worth carrying has $0 foreign transaction fees.
- Sign-up bonus – This is where 80% of the value lives. A 60,000-point bonus is worth $750+ in travel.
- Annual fee vs. usage – A $695 card with $1,500 in credits is cheaper than a $95 card you barely use.
- Travel insurance – Trip cancellation, lost baggage, rental car coverage. If you don’t carry separate insurance, this matters a lot.
- Lounge access – Priority Pass alone runs $429/year. Cards that include it save real money.
- Transfer partners – Can you move points to airlines + hotels? Chase and Amex win here. Capital One has caught up.
The 8 cards I’ve actually used
1. Chase Sapphire Preferred — Best entry point
Annual fee: $95
Foreign transaction fee: $0
Sign-up bonus: Typically 60,000-80,000 points after $5,000 spend in 3 months ($750-$1,000 in travel)
Points value: 1.25 cents through Chase travel portal, 1.5-2 cents transferred to airline partners
This is the card I tell friends to start with. The math is straightforward. The sign-up bonus alone covers 8 years of annual fees. The 5x points on Chase travel + 3x on dining means a $300 hotel night earns 1,500 points = $30+ back in travel.
The travel insurance is real. I had a flight cancellation in Bali in 2023, Chase reimbursed $2,100 in hotel and food costs that the airline refused to cover. The card paid for itself ten times over on that single trip.
Best for: 2-4 international trips per year, want simplicity, don’t need lounge access.
2. American Express Platinum — Best if you fly 6+ times/year
Annual fee: $695
Foreign transaction fee: $0
Sign-up bonus: 80,000-150,000 Membership Rewards points
Hidden value: $200 Uber credit, $200 airline fee credit, $200 hotel credit, $200 digital entertainment, $100 Saks credit, $189 CLEAR credit, Global Entry/TSA Pre credit
The $695 fee scares people. The math doesn’t. If you actually use the credits (most don’t, which is why Amex offers them), you net positive before the points even count.
Lounge access is the killer feature: Priority Pass, Centurion lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta), Plaza Premium, Escape, Airspace. I’ve used Centurion lounges in Las Vegas, JFK, Miami, Dallas, San Francisco, and London Heathrow. Each visit alone retails for $50-65 of food and drink.
Membership Rewards transfer 1:1 to 18+ airlines (including ANA, Cathay, Emirates, Etihad). I’ve booked $8,400 business class flights for 70,000 points + $200 — a 12x value.
Best for: Frequent travelers who fly through major US hubs, want premium lounge experiences, can use the $1,500+ in annual credits.
3. Capital One Venture X — The underrated workhorse
Annual fee: $395
Foreign transaction fee: $0
Sign-up bonus: 75,000-100,000 miles
Hidden value: $300 annual travel portal credit, 10,000 anniversary miles ($100 value)
Effective annual fee after credits: $-5. Yes, negative. The card pays you to hold it.
Includes Priority Pass and Capital One Lounge access (Dallas, Denver, Washington-Dulles, with more opening). The miles transfer to 15+ airlines at 1:1 (similar to Amex).
The reason this card flies under the radar: Capital One’s UI was clunky for years, and the transfer partners weren’t as good. Both have been fixed. The card now competes head-to-head with Amex Plat at $300 less per year.
Best for: People who hate paying $695 but want lounge access + premium travel benefits.
4. Chase Sapphire Reserve — Premium without overkill
Annual fee: $550
Foreign transaction fee: $0
Sign-up bonus: 60,000-75,000 points
Hidden value: $300 annual travel credit, $100 Global Entry credit
The Reserve is between Chase Sapphire Preferred and Amex Plat. Priority Pass included, points worth 1.5 cents through Chase portal, same transfer partners as Preferred.
I downgraded from Reserve to Preferred in 2023 because I wasn’t using the lounge access enough to justify $455 extra per year (after the $300 credit). If you fly 6+ times a year, the Reserve makes sense. If less, the Preferred saves you money.
Best for: Travelers fully invested in Chase ecosystem who want lounge access without Amex’s complexity.
5. Citi Strata Premier (formerly Premier) — Best for grocery + gas
Annual fee: $95
Foreign transaction fee: $0
Sign-up bonus: 60,000-75,000 points
Earning rate: 3x on dining, supermarkets, gas, hotels, air travel
This is my non-travel spending card. The 3x on supermarkets is the killer feature – no other major travel card matches it. The Citi ThankYou points transfer to 15+ airlines (1:1 to Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, JetBlue, Avianca and others).
Pairs perfectly with Chase Sapphire Preferred: Sapphire for travel + restaurants, Strata Premier for groceries + gas. Combined annual fee: $190. Combined coverage: most spending categories.
Best for: Couples or families with high grocery/gas spending.
6. American Express Gold — Best for restaurants
Annual fee: $325
Foreign transaction fee: $0
Sign-up bonus: 60,000-90,000 Membership Rewards
Hidden value: $120 Uber credit, $120 dining credit, $84 Dunkin credit, $50 Resy credit, $100 hotel credit
If you spend $1,000+/month on restaurants and groceries (US supermarkets), this is a printing press. 4x points on both categories means a $300 monthly grocery run earns 1,200 points = $18+ in travel.
I keep this and the Chase Sapphire Preferred. The Amex Gold for dining + groceries, the Chase for general travel. Combined ~$420 annual fee but with $300+ in real credits used.
Best for: Heavy restaurant spenders, foodie travelers, big families.
7. Bilt Mastercard — Rent payments earn points (the only card that does this)
Annual fee: $0
Foreign transaction fee: $0
Sign-up bonus: None (always)
Unique: Earn points on rent payments (the only card that does this without a fee)
If you rent, this card prints free points. 1x on rent (capped at 100,000/year), 3x on dining, 2x on travel. Bilt’s transfer partners are excellent (American, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG, Air France, Cathay Pacific).
I send my rent through this card every month for free. Net cost: $0/year. Net gain: 50,000+ points/year if you rent $2,000+/month.
Best for: Renters. Period. If you own, skip this card.
8. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant — Best hotel card
Annual fee: $650
Foreign transaction fee: $0
Sign-up bonus: 95,000-185,000 Bonvoy points
Hidden value: 50,000 free anniversary night, $300 Marriott dining credit, Platinum elite status
If you stay at Marriott properties 5+ nights a year, this card pays for itself through the free anniversary night alone (often worth $500-800 in peak season). Platinum status gets you suite upgrades that I’ve received at the Marriott Marquis Times Square, JW Marriott Bangkok, and Sheraton Maldives — each easily worth $400-1,000 over a standard room.
Best for: Marriott loyalists, business travelers, people who book 5+ hotel nights a year.
How to actually use them
The starter setup (1 card)
Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95/year). Hit the sign-up bonus, get 60k-80k points = $750-1000 in travel. Done. Don’t overthink it.
The travel-focused setup (2 cards)
Chase Sapphire Preferred + Amex Gold = $420/year. Covers dining, groceries, gas, travel. Points pool across ecosystems via airline transfer partners.
The premium setup (3 cards)
Amex Platinum + Chase Sapphire Preferred + Amex Gold = $1,115/year, with ~$1,500 in real credits used, plus 90,000+ point sign-up bonuses each year you add a new card to the family.
Common mistakes
- Carrying a balance. If you don’t pay every month, the 20%+ APR makes any rewards math pointless. Always pay full.
- Hoarding points. Points devalue 5-10% per year. Use them within 12-18 months of earning.
- Optimizing categories blindly. Don’t buy something you don’t need to hit 5x category. The discount is 5%, not 100%.
- Cancelling too soon. Closing cards under 12 months can void bonuses. Wait at least 13 months.
- Ignoring foreign transaction fees on your DEBIT card. Bank debit cards charge 3% AND a flat $5/transaction at ATMs. Get a Charles Schwab checking account (refunds all ATM fees worldwide) or a Wise card.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need multiple cards?
No. One good card (Chase Sapphire Preferred) is enough for most travelers. Two becomes useful if you have high spending in specific categories. Three is for hobbyist travel hackers.
How do I meet the minimum spend?
$5,000 in 3 months = $1,667/month. Most American families with normal spending easily hit this. If you don’t normally spend that much, time the application around expected large purchases (annual insurance, taxes, vacation booking).
What credit score do I need?
Most premium travel cards (Chase Sapphire family, Amex Plat) want 720+ FICO. Mid-tier (Capital One Venture, Citi Strata) accept 680+. Bilt is 670+.
Can I get the bonus twice?
Chase has a 5/24 rule (no bonus if you’ve opened 5+ cards in 24 months). Amex generally lifetime-limits bonuses per product. Read the terms before applying.
What about churning?
Opening cards for bonuses then closing them is “churning.” It works but is risky long-term — banks have algorithms detecting this, and you can get blacklisted from future bonuses. I’d recommend a long-term mindset: pick 2-3 cards you’ll actually use for years.
The honest verdict
If you fly internationally even twice a year, ONE travel credit card pays for itself many times over. Most people who don’t have one are leaving thousands of dollars on the table every year — money that’s already coming out of their wallets for the same flights and hotels they’d buy anyway.
Start with the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Use it for everything for a year. Then evaluate whether you need a second card.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best travel credit card for beginners?
Chase Sapphire Preferred. $95 annual fee, $0 foreign transaction fees, typically 60,000-80,000 point sign-up bonus worth $750-1,000 in travel. Straightforward earning structure and excellent travel insurance built in.
Are travel credit cards worth the annual fee?
Yes, if you fly internationally at least once a year. A single $95 card earning a 60,000-point bonus produces $750 in travel value, paying the fee back 8x over. Premium cards ($395-695) pay for themselves through annual credits, lounge access, and insurance coverage.
What credit score do I need for the best travel cards?
Premium cards like Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve require a 720+ FICO score. Mid-tier cards like Capital One Venture X and Citi Strata Premier are accessible at 680+. Bilt and basic travel cards work at 670+.
Should I have multiple travel credit cards?
Most travelers benefit from one or two cards. One covers basics. Two strategically chosen (e.g., Chase Sapphire Preferred + Amex Gold) covers most spending categories without complexity. Three is for travel hackers who actively maximize rewards.
How do foreign transaction fees affect international travel?
Cards with foreign transaction fees charge 3% on every purchase abroad. On a $5,000 trip that’s $150 in pure fees. Any card worth carrying for international travel must have $0 foreign transaction fees – all the cards in this guide qualify.