Disclosure: Basic Travel Couple, LLC has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Basic Travel Couple, LLC and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
There are so many great credit card offers out there that sometimes it is hard to figure out which one has the best benefits or would be the best fit for you. Whether you are looking for travel benefits, cashback, or maybe some type of protection, we have you covered.
Our Best Credit Card List will give you our favorite offers based on the value of points, fees, and bonuses. They will also be listed based on if you are under 5/24 or over 5/24.
I would recommend taking a quick peek at our 5/24 guidelines if you don’t know what those are or just need a quick refresher.
Most of these credit cards offer some type of benefit to keep the card in your wallet year after year. I’m going to dive into which ones are our favorites and why.
New here? Learn how to travel hack to travel the world for close to free!
Lastly, you’ll want to know other banks ‘rules’ you can find on our Basic Breakdown of Bank Rules. Also be sure to join our Basic Travel 101- Points, Miles & More Facebook group for more daily finance and travel tips.
Want to search by category?
Under 5/24
Our Top Travel Credit Cards
Chase Sapphire Preferred
- $95 annual fee
- 80,000 Ultimate Rewards Offer
- 2x on travel & dining
- 5x on Lyft through March 2022
- 1x everything else
The Chase Sapphire Preferred has arguably one of the best credit cards sign up bonuses out there right now. Coming in at 80,000 Ultimate Rewards Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. This card can net you $1,000 when booking travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal. Also, until September 30th (although we’ve heard this benefit might get extended), you are able to cash out your points with the “Chase Pay Yourself Back Promo” at a rate of 1.25%, which would equate to $1,000 cash back.
Perks:
Along with the very generous welcome offer, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has many options when it comes to travel benefits. You can read more about these benefits in detail on our comparison of the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Chase Sapphire Reserve card. I will give a quick breakdown of my favorite benefits:
- Trip Cancellation Insurance (up to $10,000 per covered trip)
- Baggage Delay Insurance (up to $500 per day for 5 days)
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement (up to $3,000 per person)
- Rental Car Insurance
- Trip Delay insurance (12 hours or more)
Our Favorite Cash Back Credit Cards
Chase Freedom Flex
- $0 Annual Fee
- 20,000 Ultimate Rewards Offer
- 5x on grocery stores up to $12,00 in the first year
- 3x on dining and drugstore purchases
- 5x up to $1,500 on quarterly categories
- 1x on all else
The Chase Freedom Flex pretty quickly became our top Cash Back Card when it was first launched Mid-September. Not only does it give you a 20,000 welcome offer (convertible to $200 cash back), there is NO annual fee, and it has rotating 5x quarterly category bonuses. In the first year, you also can earn up to an additional $600 cash back on grocery store spending. This is limited to the first $12,000 in purchases. So if you have high grocery store bills, this card will net you $800 in the first year. Add in the quarterly categories of max $75 per quarter, and you are up to $1,100 that first year.
Perks
The Chase Freedom Flex is a MasterCard which provides additional benefits, such as:
- Cell Phone Protection
- Lyft Credits
- Free Shop Runner Membership
- Earn 5x on Boxed purchases
Lastly, you also get a few travel perks with this card, similar to the Chase Sapphire Preferred (above).
- Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Rental Car Insurance
- Trip Delay insurance
Favorite Business Cards
Chase Business Ink Preferred
- $95 Annual Fee
- 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Offer
- 3x on Travel, Shipping & Technology on the first $150,000
- 1x on all else
Chase Business Ink Preferred Card offers one of its highest welcome offers coming in at 100,000 Ultimate Rewards Points. This also equates to $1,000 or more if transferred to another Chase product, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Perks
Similar to the Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Chase Business Ink Preferred also comes with some great benefits:
- Trip Delay insurance
- Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Baggage Delay Insurance
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement
- Rental Car Collision Damage Coverage
- Cell Phone Insurance (up to $600 if employees phone is lost or damaged)
Best Hotel Credit Card
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless
- $95 annual fee
- 5 free nights after spending $5,000 (50,000 point value each free night)
- Annual free night (up to 35,000 points)
- Automatic Silver Elite Status
For $95, you can get 5 free nights at a Marriott hotel that is a category 7 on off-peak times. This is by far the best hotel credit card rewards offer we’ve seen in quite some time. The 5 free nights at a 50,000 value each net you 250,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points. If you are under 5/24, this is definitely a great card to get if you are looking for hotel stays. Keep in mind these free certificates have a 12-month expiration date. This offer is set to expire on 10/29/2020.
If you need some inspiration for where to stay within the Marriott brand, be sure to check out the Top 5 Aspirational Marriott Properties. You can also learn more about Earning Marriott Bonvoy points as well as Redeeming Marriott Bonvoy Points.
Over 5/24
Our Favorite “Everything” card
Capital One® Venture® Card
- $95 annual fee
- 50,000 Venture Miles after spending $3,000 in 3 months, and an additional 50,000 when you spend $20,000 in 12 months
- Unlimited 2x on all purchases
Capital One® Venture® Card can be a great bonus with a value of $1,000 if you max out the 12-month spending. I also only suggest getting this if you are over 5/24. If you are not, I would still focus on Chase cards. Capital One Venture Miles are great because they are super easy to use and redeem as a statement credit for travel on your credit card.
Perks
Some other perks I like are:
- $100 application fee credit for TSA Pre Check or Global Entry
- Miles don’t expire
- No limit to how many you can earn
Our Favorite Cash Back Cards
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
- No annual fee
- $150 welcome offer after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of card membership
The Blue Cash Everyday Card is one of my favorite no annual fee cash back cards as you can earn 3% on your first $6,000 of purchases per year at US supermarket. You will also earn 2% at U.S. gas stations and select department stores located in the U.S. You can see the list of department stores available at americanexpress.com/rewards-info. I also want to note that superstores, supermarkets, and warehouse clubs that sell gasoline are not considered gas stations.
Lastly, you will earn a flat rate of 1% on all other eligible purchases. Terms apply.
Other Perks:
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months
- American Express Experiences
- Pay It Plan It
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- $95 annual fee
- $250 welcome offer statement credit after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of card membership
The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express is a great card for your purchases at grocery stores, streaming services, and transit. Blue Cash Preferred will give you a nice welcome offer of $250, along with another max of $360 for U.S. Supermarket purchases (6% cash back up to $6,000). If you have higher than average grocery store spending, getting an extra $360 back per year is a nice little perk. You can also get cash back for U.S. streaming subscriptions, U.S. gas stations, and on transit that includes taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, busses, and more.
Cash Back Options:
- 6% cash back at U.S. Supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%)
- 6% Cash Back on select U.S. Streaming Subscriptions
- 3% Cash Back at U.S. Gas Stations and on transit.
- 1% on all other purchases
Citi® Double Cash Card
- $0 annual fee
- 2% cash on every purchase- 1% when you buy and another 1% when you pay for purchases
- Great Balance Transfer Offer
The Citi Double Cash Card is a great balance transfer and everyday card. Earning 2% cash back for all purchases- whether it be gas, groceries, or just whatever you need. You will get the first 1% as you purchase, and the other 1% when you pay that balance.
If you have a large purchase that you might need extra time to pay off, or maybe some debt from a last-minute expense, this could be a great option. Citi Double Cash is a great balance transfer offer. Currently offering 18 months of 0% APR. There will be a balance transfer fee.
New to Travel Hacking? Check out the BASICS Below!
- Download our FREE Ultimate GUIDEBOOK To SUPER CHEAP Travel
- Basic Travel Hacking 101
- Travel Hacking 102
- Credit Scores 101
- Knowing the Rules
- 5/24 Status
- Top Credit Card Offers
- Earning Bonuses
- Expedited Airport Screening
- Cashback Sites
Disclosure: Basic Travel Couple, LLC has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Basic Travel Couple, LLC and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.