The 6 best Chase travel credit cards of 2024

If you’re looking for a travel credit card, one of the top card issuers to consider is Chase. The best Chase credit cards offer valuable travel perks and earn flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards® points. For brand loyalists, Chase also issues co-branded credit cards for airlines and hotels such as Marriott and United.

To help you choose the best Chase travel credit card for your situation, CNBC Select analyzed travel cards issued by Chase, weighing each card’s perks and costs (see our methodology for more information on how we choose the best Chase travel credit cards).

Who’s this for? The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a reasonable annual fee, a versatile rewards program and a generous welcome bonus. This makes it a beginner-friendly option if you’re looking for your first travel card.

Standout benefits: The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns Ultimate Rewards points. You can redeem them for one cent each for things like cash back or gift cards. If you use Ultimate Rewards points to pay for travel you book through Chase Travel℠, the value bumps up to 1.25 cents per point. You can also transfer Chase points at a 1:1 ratio to over a dozen partner travel programs, including United MileagePlus, Southwest Rapid Rewards and World of Hyatt.

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Who’s this for? The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is great if you’re a business owner who wants to earn flexible travel rewards thanks to its generous bonus spending categories.

Standout benefits: The Ink Business Preferred earns 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 in combined purchases you spend each account anniversary year on shipping, advertising (social media and search engines), travel and internet, cable and phone services. That’s a large number of useful bonus categories for businesses that can help you amass a hoard of Chase Ultimate Rewards points quickly.

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Who’s this for? The Chase Sapphire Reserve is ideal if you have a strong credit score and want premium perks like airport lounge access and built-in travel protections.

Standout benefits: With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’ll get an up to $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card. This credit automatically applies to eligible travel purchases, from airfare and lodging to public transit and parking fees, so it’s incredibly easy to use. You can also enroll for unlimited access to 1,300+ Priority Pass™ airport lounges.

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Who’s this for? The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is a perfect fit if you frequent IHG hotels because of its brand-specific perks. However, it also provides enough value that even the occasional guest can benefit from having this hotel credit card.

Standout hotel benefits: For every account anniversary, you’ll receive a free night award valid at IHG hotels that cost up to 40,000 points. You can also top off this award if the night costs more than 40,000 points. If you want to book a room that costs 55,000 points, you could still use your award and pay the 15,000-point difference. This benefit alone can be valuable enough to justify paying the card’s annual fee.

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Who’s this for? If you love Southwest’s consumer-friendly policies such as free checked bags and no change or cancellation fees, you’ll appreciate the additional perks that come with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card.

Standout benefits: Having the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card makes earning the Southwest Companion Pass easier because the points you earn (including the welcome bonus) count toward qualifying and you get a 10,000 qualifying-point boost every year. The Companion Pass is incredibly valuable because it allows you to bring a guest on any Southwest flight for the cost of taxes and fees.

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It can be easy to justify paying the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card’s annual fee if you consider the value of the points you’ll earn and its ongoing benefits.

Rewards

• 5X points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
• 5X points per dollar on Lyft rides through Mar. 31, 2025
• 3X points per dollar on dining
• 3X points per dollar on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
• 3X points per dollar on select streaming services
• 2X points per dollar on all other travel purchases
• 1X points per dollar on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee

$95

Notable perks

Many of the Sapphire Preferred’s benefits offer a fixed value that in total, more than offsets its annual fee. These perks include:

• Up to $50 in annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel℠
• 10% points boost every card anniversary
• Complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership for at least one year when you activate by Dec. 31, 2024 (normally costs $9.99 a month or $96 for an annual plan)

This card also has an extensive list of insurance benefits. Eligible purchases qualify for:

• Trip delay reimbursement
• Primary rental car collision coverage
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Baggage delay insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Roadside dispatch
• Travel accident insurance
• Travel and emergency assistance services
• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty protection

You’ll also have a range of redemption options for the rewards you earn. You can use Chase points to receive cash back at a rate of one cent per point and to pay for travel you book through Chase Travel℠ at a rate of 1.25 cents per point. If you want to unlock further value, the Sapphire Preferred also allows you to transfer Chase points to airline and hotel loyalty programs such as Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, Air Canada Aeroplan, IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy and more.

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The Chase Freedom Unlimited is a great card to pair with other Chase cards because it earns a minimum of 1.5% cash back on all purchases and has no annual fee.

Rewards

• 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Travel
• 5% back on Lyft rides (through March 2025)
• 3% back at drugstores
• 3% back on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services)
• 1.5% back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on all purchases up to $20,000 spent in the first year.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

When you open a new Freedom Unlimited account, you’ll receive a 0% intro APR for the first 15 months from account opening on new purchases and balance transfers. After that, a variable 20.49% to 29.24% APR applies. The intro balance transfer fee is 3% of the amount of each transfer with a $5 minimum (applies to transfers you make in the first 60 days of opening the account). Once the intro balance transfer fee expires, the fee increases to 5% of the amount you transfer or $5, whichever is greater.

You can also take advantage of the following built-in coverages:

• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty protection
• Rental car collision insurance (secondary in the U.S.)
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Travel and emergency assistance services

The Freedom Unlimited is a cash-back card, but if you have another Chase card that allows points transfers, you can move your rewards to that card and transfer them. That makes this card a great partner with cards like:

Having the option to convert your rewards into airline miles or hotel points, gives you a wider range of options to maximize the value you receive.

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The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a versatile business card with an unusually generous intro bonus offer.

Rewards

• 5X points on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025)
• 3X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases in these categories each account anniversary year: shipping, advertising (with select social media sites and search engines), travel, internet, cable and phone services
• 1X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.

Annual fee

$95

Notable perks

There is no additional fee for adding employee cards and there are no foreign transaction fees. You and the employees you add to your account can take advantage of a range of insurance benefits, including:

• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Roadside dispatch
• Rental car insurance (primary when renting for business purposes)
• Travel and emergency assistance services
• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty protection
• Cell phone protection

The Ink Business Preferred earns Ultimate Rewards points, which you can redeem for cash back, travel gift cards and more. These points are worth one cent each for redemptions like cash back or gift cards. The value increases by 25% (1.25 cents per point) if you use your points to book and pay for travel through Chase Travel℠. With this card, you also have the option to transfer points to any Chase travel partner at a 1:1 ratio. These partners include Marriott Bonvoy, Emirates Skywards, Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) and more.

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The Chase Sapphire Reserve has everything you should look for in a luxury travel card including generous statement credit benefits, airport lounge access and a robust list of shopping and travel protections.

Rewards

• 10X total points per dollar on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠*
• 10X points per dollar on Lyft purchases through March 2025
• 10X total points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 (earn a maximum of 50,000 total points through March 2025)
• 5X total points per dollar on flights purchased through Chase Travel℠*
• 3X points per dollar on other travel*
• 3X points per dollar on dining
• 1X points per dollar on all other purchases

*After the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually

Welcome bonus

Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee

$550

Notable perks

The Sapphire Reserve has a significant $550 annual fee, but it also has lots of benefits that provide more than enough value to make the annual fee worth it. You can take advantage of:

• Up to $300 in annual travel credits
• Unlimited Priority Pass lounge access for you and up to two guests (normally costs $469 for free visits with a $35 guest fee)
• Up to $100 in Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus fee credit once every four years
• Two years of complimentary Lyft Pink All Access membership (worth $199 a year) when activated by Dec. 31, 2024
• At least one year of complimentary DashPass membership when activated by Dec. 31, 2024
• $5 in DoorDash credit each month through Dec. 31, 2024

If you’re fed up with paying extra to insure a trip or receive additional warranty coverage for big purchases, the Sapphire Reserve provides many of these benefits automatically. Eligible purchases are covered by:

• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty protection
• Return protection
• Primary rental car collision coverage
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Trip interruption/cancellation insurance
• Travel accident insurance
• Baggage delay protection
• Travel accident insurance
• Emergency medical and dental insurance
• Travel and emergency assistance services

The Sapphire Reserve gives you access to the same travel partners as other Chase cards, but it comes with an increased redemption value when you use points to pay for travel booked through Chase Travel℠. With these redemptions, your points are worth 50% more or 1.5 cents per point. Of course, it’s always possible you can receive a higher value per point by transferring your rewards to programs such as Air Canada Aeroplan or Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) and booking costly flights.

This card has no foreign transaction fees.

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The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card will make your next IHG stay more rewarding and comfortable because of its bonus points on IHG purchases and IHG Platinum elite status perk.

Rewards

• 10X points at IHG hotels and resorts
• 5X points on travel
• 5X points at gas stations
• 5X points at restaurants
• 3X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 140,000 points after spending $3,000 on the card in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee

$99

Notable perks

If you value IHG One status, you’ll appreciate the automatic Platinum status you’ll receive just for having the card. You also have a path to earning IHG Diamond status after spending $40,000 on the card in a calendar year. On top of that, every year you keep the card you’ll receive a free night award valid for rooms that cost up to 40,000 points, and you can top off the award with extra points to book a more expensive room.

By having this card, you can indirectly boost the value of your IHG points because of its fourth-night free benefit. When you use points to book an IHG stay of at least four consecutive nights, the fourth night is free. There is no limit to how often you can use this benefit, so the savings can be massive.

The card also comes with statement credit offers and other perks, including:

• A 20% discount on IHG points purchases
• Up to $50 in United TravelBank Cash each year ($25 deposit twice per year)
• Up to $100 every four years in application fee credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS
• Earn a $100 statement credit and 10,000 IHG points after spending $20,000 on your card in a calendar year

It also has no foreign transaction fees and insurance benefits such as purchase protection and trip cancellation/interruption coverage.

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The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card can help you fast-track your journey to earning Southwest A-List elite status.

Rewards

• 3X points on Southwest purchases
• 2X points on hotel and rental cars booked through Southwest
• 2X points on local transit
• 2X points on internet, cable and phone services
• 1X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee

$149

Notable perks

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card has the highest annual fee of any Southwest consumer credit card but has the most valuable benefits. Every year, you’ll receive a $75 Southwest travel credit and 7,500 bonus points (worth roughly $97). If you can fully utilize both offers, you’ll more than offset this card’s annual fee.

Having a Southwest card is one of the best ways to fast-track your way to earning a Southwest Companion Pass. The points you earn from spending with this card and from its welcome offer both qualify toward earning a Companion Pass. You also receive a 10,000 qualifying-point boost every calendar year.

Earning Southwest status is also easier with this card. You will earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) for every $5,000 you spend annually, and there is no limit on the number of TQPs you can earn. You can also take advantage of 25% back on inflight purchases and four upgraded boardings every year (when available).

This card comes with travel and purchase protections such as roadside dispatch, rental car damage waiver, purchase protection, extended warranty protection, lost luggage reimbursement, baggage delay insurance and travel accident insurance.

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Chase has several additional application restrictions, some of which are card-specific. The first rule typically applies to any Chase credit card you apply for and is known as the Chase 5/24 rule. The way it works is that you’re unlikely to be approved for a Chase card if you’ve opened five or more cards from any bank in the past 24 months.

There are also specific restrictions for these cards:

IHG One Rewards credit cards

You aren’t eligible for a personal IHG One Rewards card if you currently have any personal IHG One Rewards card. You also aren’t eligible for a personal IHG One Rewards card if you’ve earned an intro bonus offer from any personal IHG One Rewards card in the previous 24 months.

The same limitation applies to the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card. You aren’t eligible for an IHG One Rewards business card if you currently have and IHG One Rewards business card or if you’ve earned an intro bonus from and IHG One Rewards business card in the previous 24 months.

That said, if you open an IHG business card, you can still qualify for a personal IHG card and vice versa.

Southwest credit card application rules

Chase currently issues three personal Southwest credit cards and two Southwest business credit cards. You can have one personal Southwest card and one business Southwest card at a time. However, you aren’t eligible for a new personal Southwest card if you currently have a personal Southwest card or have earned a new card member intro bonus from a Southwest personal card in the previous 24 months. The same rule applies to Southwest business cards, you aren’t eligible for a Southwest business card if you currently have one or have earned a Southwest business card intro bonus in the previous 24 months.

Marriott Bonvoy credit card application rules

Both Chase and American Express issue Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit cards. These hotel credit cards have complicated restrictions and waiting periods based on what cards you have, have had and when you earned previous Marriott Bonvoy card welcome bonuses. This makes it important to carefully review each card’s specific terms before applying because even having an Amex Marriott card could impact whether you’re eligible for a new cardmember bonus

Chase Sapphire credit card application rules

If you want to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the rules are more restrictive compared to other Chase cards. If you currently have or have had any Sapphire card in the last 48 months, you aren’t eligible for any version of the Sapphire card.

It is possible to call and product change between the cards if you already have an account. So you could upgrade to the Sapphire Reserve to take advantage of its increased perks or downgrade to the Sapphire Preferred if you want to pay a smaller annual fee.

World of Hyatt credit card application rules

You won’t qualify for the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card or World of Hyatt Credit Card if you currently have that card or have earned a welcome bonus from that card in the past 24 months. However, having a personal Hyatt card won’t restrict you from opening a Hyatt Business card and vice versa.

United credit card application rules

Chase and United Airlines have partnered to issue several personal and business credit cards. The additional application guidelines are the same for all Chase United credit cards. For most United cards (personal or business), you aren’t eligible for a specific card product if you currently have that exact card or have earned an intro bonus from that card in the past 24 months.

One exception is the United Club℠ Infinite Card, which you won’t qualify for if you currently have any United Club card or if you have earned an intro bonus from any United Club card in the previous 24 months.

Chase travel credit cards rank among the top credit cards for all sorts of travel. It issues several co-branded airline and hotel credit cards. Chase Ultimate Rewards points are also some of the most valuable and useful travel points you can earn.

However, you typically need a higher credit score to qualify for the best Chase travel cards. As valuable as the rewards may be, the miles and points you earn can be complicated to redeem to maximum value.

Pros of Chase travel credit cards

• The miles and points you earn can be used to book high-value travel like business-class tickets or luxury hotels
• Some premium Chase cards offer luxury perks like airport lounge access or automatic elite status
• Many of these cards have exceptionally valuable welcome bonuses, with the best offers worth more than $1,000

Cons of Chase travel credit cards$

• Redeeming travel rewards for the highest value can sometimes be a complicated endeavor
• Most of these travel cards have annual fees and the cards with the best perks have the highest annual fees
• To qualify for the best Chase travel card, you’ll typically need a higher good to excellent credit score

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best Chase travel credit cards.

To determine which Chase travel credit cards offer the best value, CNBC Select analyzed Chase’s travel card offerings based on a range of features. We considered rewards (e.g., cash back, points and miles), annual fees, welcome bonuses, introductory and standard APR and balance transfer fees and foreign transaction fees. We also considered additional perks (e.g., ongoing travel or merchant statement credits), cardholder protections (e.g., purchase protection, $0 liability protection and travel insurance), the application process when available (e.g., is there a credit pull or required credit score) and how easy it is to redeem points (e.g., are rewards are tied to a specific brand; if transferable, to how many/which partners, can you redeem for straight cash back). 
 
We also considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.  

When choosing the best Chase travel cards, we focused on relevant features, such as cards that are widely accepted internationally and provide consumers with bonus rewards on travel spending. We prioritized additional perks that may be useful when traveling, such as travel protections and elite status benefits. 

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