The Best Premium Travel Rewards Credit Cards
Premium travel rewards cards often come with an annual fee of over $350, but they offer a host of benefits that can transform your travel experience. Cards like the The Platinum Card® from American Express, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Capital One Venture X Rewards Card, and Citi Prestige (though no longer open to new applicants) justify their fees with a variety of perks. These cards not only earn extra bonus points on travel categories such as flights and hotels, but also provide access to airport amenities like lounges and expedited security and immigration lines.
Let’s explore the three most popular premium cards and highlight the differences between them. This will help you choose the one that best aligns with your spending habits and travel goals!
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Our Favorite Premium Card
As part of its welcome offer, Capital One Venture X Rewards offers 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of being a cardholder. This is hands-down our favorite premium travel card because of its miles earning potential and its benefits, especially compared to its annual fee ($395).
This card earns:
- 10x miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars through the Capital One Travel portal
- 5x miles per dollar spent on airfare and vacation rentals through the Capital One Travel portal
- Unlimited 2x miles per dollar spent on all other purchases
Earning 2x miles per dollar spent is the highest baseline you can earn across all purchases, and the fact that there is no upper cap means this card’s earning potential is tremendous!
What’s more, this card is the cheapest of all of its competitors in the premium travel rewards card category. At the same time, it earns a $300 annual Capital One Travel credit, 10K bonus miles at every card anniversary year, and a $100 credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. It offers a free Priority Pass membership to the primary cardholder and any authorized users (which can be added free of charge), as well as unlimited access to Capital One Airport Lounges.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®: For Fine Dining Lovers and Lyft Loyalists
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is the second most expensive one on our list. At $550 annually, it also comes with a wide range of perks and a compelling welcome offer as well! You can earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of being a cardholder. Beyond that, the card’s earning potential is also strong. You can earn:
- 10x points per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars through the Chase Travel℠ portal
- 5x points per dollar spent on airfare through the Chase Travel portal
- 3x points per dollar spent on other travel and dining
- 10x points per dollar spent on Lyft (through March 2025)
- 10x points per dollar spent on Chase Dining purchases. All other purchases earn 1x per dollar spent.
Because this card earns 10x points per dollar spent on Chase Dining, we highly recommend it to any foodies who are into fine dining!
Beyond that, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a range of benefits. These include a $300 annual travel credit, a $100 credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, a Priority Pass Membership, access to Chase airport lounges, as well as DoorDash membership (through December 31, 2027) and up to one year of Lyft Pink membership.
At $550, this card is slightly more expensive that its cheaper competitor, the Capital One Venture X. Many of their benefits overlaps, so if you don’t care much for Chase’s earning potential on fine dining and Lyft rides and you’d rather save on your annual, the Venture X may be a better choice. However, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a great choice for foodies and Lyft loyalists!
The Platinum Card® from American Express: For a Wide Array of Benefits and Instant Hotel Status
At $695 (See rates & fees), The Platinum Card® from American Express is the most expensive premium travel rewards card on our list. Its welcome offers vary – its current public welcome bonus is 80,000 points after you spend $8,000 in 6 months.
The card’s points earning potential is great, especially if you find yourself frequently booking airfare, as you earn:
- 5x points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with an airline or through the Amex Travel portal
- 5x points per dollar spent on on prepaid hotels booked through the Amex Travel portal
- 1x on all other purchases
The card’s benefits are really what makes it stand out. As a cardmember, you are eligible for complimentary Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold status, as well as complimentary car rental status: Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle, Avis Preferred Plus, and National Emerald Club Executive.
Moreover, when it comes to airport perks, you have access to American Express’ Global Lounge Network – which includes Priority Pass lounges, Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when you’re flying Delta), Escape Lounges, and more. You receive an up to $200 annual hotel credit on prepaid Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection, up to $200 in statement credits annually for airline incidental fees, up to $199 in statement credits for Clear Plus’ annual membership, a $100 statement credit for Global Entry every four years or an up to $85 fee credit for TSA PreCheck every 4½ years (which depends on which application fee is charged to your card first).
For merchant credits, you receive up to $15 a month in Uber/UberEats credits (you must have downloaded the latest version of the Uber App and your eligible American Express Platinum Card must be a method of payment in your Uber account. The Amex benefit may only be used in United States), up to $20 a month in digital entertainment credits, up to $155 annually in Walmart+ credits, up to $100 annually in Saks Fifth Avenue, and up to $300 in annual Equinox credit on Equinox gym and Equinox+ app memberships.
Needless to say – this card offers a very significant amount of credits and perks. If you take full advantage of them, the $695 annual fee is more than worth it That being said – if you can’t take full advantage of all these perks and credits, this premium card may not be worth it. If you don’t travel frequently, are not likely to use the full range of merchant credits, or just want a no-hassle premium card, the Platinum card is not ideal for you.
Bottom Line
Our top pick is the Capital One Venture X, which we recommend to anyone seeking a premium card with straightforward features, extensive airport benefits, and generous travel-related bonuses. For those interested in earning a substantial welcome offer, receiving a wide range of merchant credits and earning complimentary hotel and car rental agency status, the American Express Platinum is an excellent option. If you generally prefer the Chase ecosystem or enjoy fine dining, the Chase Sapphire Reserve might be a better fit.
While it’s possible to carry all three cards at the same, we generally advise against it. For the long term, we suggest keeping only one or, at most, two of these cards in your wallet!
Note: Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Note: Opinions expressed here are ours alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
