What are the best travel credit cards?

Want to save on flights, transportation, shopping & dining, as you consider relocating? These travel credit cards will help you save on travel…

Editorial Team

By Editorial Team

woman holding a credit card to make a payment on her laptop

As the world begins to open up again you may be wondering how to save on flights and other transportation, not to mention shopping and dining, as you consider relocating. Blueground short-term rental apartments are ideal for digital nomads since our guests can opt to book for as little as a month or for a whole year or even longer.

Our apartments in key cities worldwide come furnished and include all of the same amenities you would expect to find in a hotel, with all of the privacy of your own apartment.

A Blueground apartment is a smart alternative to subletting or staying in hotels that will save you money, time, and frustration and leave you free to enjoy life in a new city, however long you plan to stay.

Along the same lines, here are some of the best travel credit cards that help frequent travelers earn rewards and save money.

 

The Top Choice for Rewards Points

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card is ideal for digital nomads because you can earn double points on all dining and travel purchases (and one point per $1 for all other purchases) as well as up to 80,000 bonus points within the first three months of signing up.

Thanks to a special partnership with Lyft, cardholders also earn quintuple points for rides through March 2022.

If you redeem rewards for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal you’re also eligible for a 25% value bonus, making this card an even better value for point lovers.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card also offers an impressive host of travel protection benefits.

Cardholders are automatically eligible for primary rental car insurance, trip delay, and cancellation coverage, and can even be reimbursed for essential purchases if their baggage is delayed in transit.

The Best No-Fee Card

If you want to earn travel rewards without paying an annual fee, check out the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, which gives you 1.25 airline miles for every dollar you spend.

In addition, new cardholders can earn up to 20,000 bonus miles within the first three months. You won’t pay any foreign transaction fees with the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, which is unusual for a card with no annual fee.

The card also offers digital nomads perks like travel accident insurance (as long as the card is used to book the trip) and up to a $3,000 reimbursement if your luggage is lost or stolen.

In addition to its travel benefits, the card lets you redeem your points at Amazon.com during times when you’re not traveling and offers extended warranties on purchases, either double the manufacturer’s warranty or an extra year for warranties under three years total.

person holding credit card implying online payment with white laptop

The Perfect Card for Airline Miles

Not to be confused with the no-fee version above, the Capital One Venture Rewards Card offers 2 airline miles for every dollar you spend across all categories.

The difference is that this card charges a $95 annual fee, although that should more than pay for itself once you redeem the rewards you rack up.

There’s also a sign-up bonus that lets new cardholders earn up to 60,000 on purchases made during the first three months after opening an account.

Another exciting benefit for frequent travelers is that Capital One will refund you the application-fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (up to $100).

As with the no-fee version of the card,  you also benefit from extended warranties and can redeem your points for purchases on Amazon.com.

 

A Helpful Card for Newcomers to the US or Recent Graduates

The travel credit cards mentioned above are great for career professionals with established credit histories, but some people may not qualify. That doesn’t mean that you can’t earn travel rewards, however.

The Discover it Secured Credit Card lets you build your credit history or nudge your score up while offering some of the same benefits as other travel-reward credit cards. The difference between a standard credit card and a secured credit card is that you will have to pay a security deposit when you open the card, in this case, $200.

The Discover it Secured Credit Card offers 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants up to a limit of $1,000 per year.

Best of all, at the end of your first year as a cardholder Discover will double your cash back.

Another benefit of the card is that Discover will monitor your usage and spending and may offer you an unsecured line of credit after a minimum of eight months of on-time payments.

furnished apartment in beacon hill living room with marble table and mounted TV over the fireplace

Each of these credit cards will help you make the most of your life on the road. One of the best ways to feel at home in a new city is living in a short-term rental apartment, rather than a hotel or a sublet.

Blueground has furnished, fully serviced apartments in 20+ cities in Asia, the US, Europe, and the Middle East: find your next home away from home today.

Editorial Team

Editorial Team

The Blueground editorial team covers the best things to see, do, and experience in our cities around the world.