What are the best travel rewards credit cards?

Nina Pineda Image
Monday, August 9, 2021
What are the best travel rewards credit cards?
Using the right rewards credit card can help you save a lot of money and earn plenty of perks.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- If you're flying off for a long delayed vacation or staying home, using the right rewards credit card can help you save a lot of money and earn plenty of perks.

But before you apply, think first about your travel spending habits. Do you spend more on airlines, hotels or dining?

And the three most important words when it comes to credit cards are "sign up bonuses" - cards that give generously just for signing up.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers the best sign-up bonuses in the biz, paying you 100,000 points, which are redeemable for a free thousand-dollar account credit or $1250 if you spend it on travel.

And Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 60,000 sign up bonus points, which are worth $900, plus an additional $300 each year toward travel.

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7 On Your Side has what you need to know before you pack your bags and go!

And there are also great perks like rental car insurance, trip cancellation and lost baggage coverage - plus TSA Pre-Check to speed you through airport lines.

If you're traveling, you'll be dining out.

So how about the Capitol One Savor, offering an eye-catching 4 percent back on dining and entertainment, including tourist attractions, theme parks, concerts, even sporting events.

There's also a $300 sign-up bonus.

Also check out Bank of America's Travel Rewards card. There's no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee, which usually amounts to 3% percent.

So here are the big takeaways:

-Always be mindful of what a card's annual fee is. If it's too high, it will eat into your rewards.

-Try to get your annual fee waived before your one-year anniversary. If you have a stellar payment history or are a big spender, you have a good chance. And if that doesn't work, ask for the Retention Department.

-And ask for a statement credit or bonus points. Remember, if you don't ask you'll never receive.

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