Since it’s almost the end of the year and credit card companies are giving away extra bonuses and rewards points, we wanted to share our favorite travel credit cards with you!
Our credit card has single handedly paid for several of our favorite international trips we’ve enjoyed together!
We never use cash, and we never use debit cards. In fact, the only thing I carry in my wallet phone case is my credit card and my driver’s license. With my credit cards I get back a percentage of every dollar I spend. Although, some credit cards have special spending categories that can give you up to 6% back, it is safe to assume that with most credit cards you can get between 2-3% back on everything. Although that may not seem like a lot, it adds up really fast. Think about how much you spend in a single year, take 2-3% of that and drop that number back into your bank. It’s basically free money that you’re not taking advantage of if you aren’t using a credit card.
Credit cards get a bad rep, and they can be dangerous if you let your spending get out of control. Debit cards only allow you to spend as much as is in your checking account. However, credit cards come with a limit, say it is $1000, this means that you can spend up to $1000 of money that you don’t actually have. This is a problem if you don’t pay it off every month because then you will have pay interest and that $1000 can quickly double and triple and suddenly you’re in debt. So, If you can’t control your spending, then sure credit cards can be dangerous. But if you want to take advantage of all the perks of credit cards and not worry about any of the scary debt, you have to forget that it’s a credit card and think of it as a debit card, where your bank account balance is your spending limit.
We completely pay off our credit cards biweekly and sometimes even weekly and we’ve never missed a payment.
And the points we’ve gotten from regularly using our credit card has paid for more than three full international trips for both of us in the last 18 months!
If you can confidently say, “I will only buy what I can afford,” then you should absolutely get a credit card and enjoy all the great rewards!
- CAPITAL ONE VENTURE REWARDS
- We use the Capital One Venture Card and we love it. It gave us $400 towards travel after meeting a spending requirement in the first three months and gives us an unlimited 2% back on everything else: grocery, gas, restaurants, literally every purchase. The points are extremely easy to use and can be put towards erasing travel purchases, which can be anything from airplane tickets to a subway pass to a purchase at the gas station. In addition to points, as a visa signature card it gives you free rental car insurance, concierge services, zero foreign transaction fees, and access to tons of other perks. This card isn’t as fancy as other cards on the market, but the points are rather liquid.
- CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED CARD
- 50,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in the first three months.
- Receive 1 point for every $1 spent. Points are then worth 1.25 cents when used for travel.
- $95 annual fee after the first year.
- CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE CARD
- This is essentially the more prestigious version of the “Preferred.”
- 50,000 points when you spend $4,000 in the first three months. At 1.5 cents per point, that’s $1,500 towards travel!
- $300 travel credit per calendar year.
- 3x points on travel and restaurants.
- Access to priority lounges, rental car discounts, and several other perks.
- $450 annual fee (But technically you get $300 toward travel every year, so it’s really like a $150 annual fee.)
- If you decide to cancel your card before you pay a second annual fee, you can receive the $300 credit twice and end up with a lot of bonus cash.
For airline or hotel specific cards, try:
- GOLD DELTA SKYMILES CARD
- Currently a free 60,000 mile bonus if you spend $2,000 in first three months.
- First checked bag is free for as many people as are booked on your card.
- Not as liquid as the above mentioned cards, but if you fly Delta, it’s worth it because your points never expire.
- HYATT CARD
- 40,000 points towards Hyatt free nights (Free nights start at 5,000 points) if you spend $2,000 in the first three months.
- One free night every year!
- 3x Hyatt points for every $1 spent on Hyatt purchases.
Take advantage of these great rewards programs, and create beautiful and free travel opportunities for you and your family.
*BONUS TIP* Set aside a percentage of your income each month and put it in an online bank account that will give you decent interest. We call this our “travel savings.” It helps you keep your money safe and will add a few extra bucks every month. Try GS Bank.
Feel free to email us with any specific credit card questions. We’re always happy to help you find the best card for you!
All of the above is based on our personal opinions. Always remember to read all the fine print before you sign up for any credit card!
I had to click on this one! I literally research credit cards as much as I research travel haha. I’m totally looking into that reserve card! One card that’s totally advantageous if you’re in the US is the Southwest Visa – get two and you almost have a companion pass where a guest can fly for free with you for two years!
Yes! I’ve heard all about that Southwest trick! We thought about that but decided to wait until next year. I’d highly recommend the Reserve if you travel a lot, but like the southwest visa it’s better to get at the end of the year to take advantage of the $300 travel credit both at the end of the year and at the beginning of the next year.
Thank you for this!! Currently trying to choose a card to put our wedding on, since we will be traveling to Italy we figured use a rewards card for everything and hopefully at least get our tickets covered! Do you recommend the Capital One or Delta? I think Delta would be our airline of choice, seems to be the best option for flying to Italy!
That’s a good question. We are less thrilled about the Delta card because you only get points for Delta. If you get the Chase Sapphire Preferred you can get more points from other purchases besides delta flight purchases and you can use the points for several airlines.
Also, the Capital One Venture is nice and easy to use. Check out the point benefits for each one and look at your own typical spending categories to see what card will allow you to get the most points.