My Favorite Travel Credit Cards ​​​
If you've ever wondered how I book Luxury hotels and premium airfare using points, it all starts with the right credit cards
Having the right credit cards in your wallet and the right strategies will help you yield maximum rewards ​
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FLEXIBLE PREMIUM TRAVEL CARDS
Premium Credit Cards that earn valuable points and provide even stronger value with transfer partners. AMEX Membership Reward Points can be transferred to hotels & airlines providing you with an added bonus in value. I have transferred my AMEX points to Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways to buy free business and first class seats
AMEX Platinum
- Welcome Offer: As high as 175,000 Membership Reward Points (offer varies)
- THE luxury travel card offering premium travel perks, lifestyle credits, and included premium warranty and insurance protections
- 5x points on Travel (Flights, Hotels, & Rental Cars) but 1X points on everything else.
- Pair this card with the AMEX Gold to help you earn more points with 4X Dining and Supermarkets.
- High Annual Fee that can easily be offset by valuable benefits. See full review.
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PRO TIP - Sign Up for the ​ Morgan Stanley AMEX Platinum to enjoy the same card with ZERO ANNUAL FEE!
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Welcome Offer: As high as 50,000 Bilt Points + $500 Bilt Cash (offer varies)
- This card earns 2x points on ALL purchases meaning this is one of the best daily spending cards on the market
- Earn points on RENT or Mortgage
- The BILT Ecosystem is easily becoming one of my favorite reward programs with great transfer partners and earning potential
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HOTEL LOYALIST TRAVEL CARDS
For those who want to earn valuable hotel points, a hotel cobranded credit card is a great secondary card to have in your wallet. These cards often provide great value with added perks during stays and even free night certificates. Maximizing these cards allows me to travel and vacation every year for free.
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Hilton Hotel Loyalists: Hilton Amex Aspire (One of my FAVORITE cards)
Welcome Offer: As high as 175,000 Hilton Honors Points
- Earns Hilton Honors Points and not AMEX Membership Rewards Points
- Comes with a Free Night Certificate that can easily get you in to hotels that are over $1,000+ in value
- Spending will get you up to an additional 2 more bonus Hilton Free Night Certificates
- Great Perks and Benefits that will easily offset the Annual Fee. See full review.
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​Marriott Loyalists: AMEX Bonvoy Brilliant
Welcome Offer: As high as 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points
- Earns Marriott Bonvoy Points and not AMEX Membership Rewards points
- Amazing perks like Platinum Elite Status, Free Upgrades, Free night Certificates, and a $300 Dining Credit which can easily offset the Annual Fee
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AIRLINE LOYALIST TRAVEL CARDS
​Airline Credit Cards are some of the weaker cards to hold because they lock you in to their Eco-System and typically offer the worse redemption values for flights. You are better off transferring points from a BILT card or AMEX card for flights. However, Airline cards are great to have because they come with valuable perks like free bags as well as bonuses for earning miles when flying.
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I have held an American Airlines, Southwest, Alaska, and United Card with the last two being the only current ones I hold. This is dependent on your home airport as many airports have preferred airlines and hubs.
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United Quest Card:
Welcome Offer: As high as 100,000 United Points
- Annual Fee is offset with free bags and $200 Travel Credit each year. I do a yearly ski trip to Colorado each year and that one flight alone with my family and luggage offsets the annual fee.
- See Full Review
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ATMOS Reward Ascent Visa Card (Alaska & Hawaiian)
Welcome Offer as high as 100,000 points
- Low Annual Fee that can easily be offset with one flight a year with the yearly Companion Fare
- A great card to earn ATMOS Points which are some of the BEST airline points for redemptions. Not as valuable anymore because BILT is a transfer partner with Alaska/ATMOS. Regardless it is a no brainer low annual card to hold in your wallet especially to earn a large welcome bonus. See full review.
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Disclosure: Some links on this page are referral links. If you apply through my links, I may earn a commission or points—at no extra cost to you. I only recommend cards I genuinely use and love.
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