5 Travel Cards to Check Out Instead of the Amex Platinum Card

The Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the most popular travel cards. It has all kinds of benefits, including over $1,500 in annual spending credits, although some of those credits can be hard to use. Terms apply. And it also has a sky-high price tag, with a $695 annual fee (see rates and fees).

Even for frequent travelers, this American Express card isn’t always the best choice. If you don’t think it’s a good fit for you, one of the travel rewards cards on this list could be a better choice.

1. Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is another premium travel card, but it’s easier to get your money’s worth from it. For starters, it has a $550 annual fee, nearly $150 less than what you’d pay for The Platinum Card® from American Express.

It also has a $300 annual travel credit. That applies to travel purchases you make with your Chase card. If you spend at least $300 on travel every year, you’ll have no trouble using the credit. This benefit alone brings the true cost of the card down to $250. And it also has plenty of other valuable travel perks, including airport lounge access and bonus points on travel spending.

2. American Express® Gold Card

If you like American Express and its travel rewards program, consider the American Express® Gold Card. It’s much more affordable than the Amex Platinum Card, with a $250 annual fee (see rates and fees). It also has spending credits, including up to $120 in Uber Cash every year and up to $120 in annual dining credits with participating partners. Select enrollment required, terms apply.

In my opinion, what sets this card apart is its rewards rate. It earns:

• 4X points per $1 at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the United States
• 4X points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year
• 3X points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines and on amextravel.com
• Terms apply.

3. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Maybe you don’t want to spend $250 or more on a credit card. Luckily, not every travel card costs that much. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of my favorites in the under-$100 range. It has a $95 annual fee, to be exact. And it offers $50 in annual hotel savings on bookings made through Chase Travel, which takes care of more than half the annual fee.

It’s worth mentioning that this card has a new, limited-time welcome offer. You can earn 75,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 on purchases with it in the first 3 months. Those points are worth a whopping $937.50 toward Chase Travel bookings. Or, you could transfer them to Chase’s airline and hotel partners.

4. Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

If you’re a budget traveler, you may want to try the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card. It has no annual fee, which sets it apart from most travel cards.

Since there’s no annual fee, you won’t get as many perks. This isn’t the card for you if you want airport lounge access. But it works well if you’re looking for a straightforward way to earn travel rewards, without spending anything extra for a credit card.

This card earns an unlimited 1.5 points per $1 on purchases. It also has a welcome offer of 25,000 points, and you only need to make $1,000 of purchases in the first 90 days to earn it.

5. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The card that’s currently at the top of my wallet is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. For a $395 annual fee (see rates and fees), you get many of the same perks as cards that cost hundreds of dollars more: Airport lounge access, a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, and a big welcome offer.

While this card doesn’t have many bonus categories, it earns a base rate of 2X miles per $1 on purchases. That’s twice as much as what most travel cards earn.

This credit card also offers a $300 annual credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel and 10,000 bonus miles every year starting on your first account anniversary. With just those two benefits, this Capital One card effectively pays for itself.

Finding the right travel card

There are lots of travel rewards cards available, all with their own unique lineup of perks. It’s always smart to compare your options before you apply for one. See which one has the most benefits you’ll actually use and an annual fee you can afford.

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