How to Choose the Best Travel Credit Card for Your Lifestyle

Whether you’re seeking R&R at a luxurious wellness-focused resort or a more active urban adventure, leveraging the right travel credit card can help reduce your travel expenses while elevating your overall experience. Yet, few travelers are using travel rewards credit card points to offset the cost.

So how do you know which cards are best to help you earn rewards that align with your travel aspirations? Use these five questions to help you navigate the maze of travel credit card options to find the one that matches your personal travel style.

Am I a travel brand loyalist or do I prefer flexibility?

There are two broad categories of travel rewards credit cards: general rewards cards and co-branded cards. 

General Travel Rewards Credit Cards

General travel rewards allow you to earn points or miles when you make purchases on the card that can then be redeemed in a number of ways, including on travel bookings. For many of these cards, travel bookings often offer the best redemption value, especially if you are able to transfer points into travel partner loyalty programs.

Higher-tier general travel credit cards come with perks and benefits for travelers, too, like trip insurance, statement credits for certain travel expenses like TSA PreCheck, and access to upgraded experiences like airport lounges. 

Co-Branded Travel Credit Cards

Co-branded travel cards are affiliated with a particular airline, hotel chain, or cruise line — and they’re very popular. In fact, data from Airlines for America, a trade organization for U.S. airlines, estimates that 1 in 4 U.S. households has an airline credit card. 

These cards let you earn points or miles that are directly tied to the brand’s loyalty program. In most cases, you’ll be redeeming your earnings toward bookings with that brand, though a few of these cards sometimes allow for other redemption choices. Besides earning free flights or free nights, hotel and airline credit cards also provide perks for loyal customers, such as expedited check-in, in-flight or on-property discounts, free upgrades, or free checked bags, in addition to other travel benefits.