There are so many great rewards credit cards out there, it can be overwhelming to decide which one is right for you and what fits your travel needs. So, after a ton of research, these are my favorite and the best travel credit cards for beginners and the best travel card for international travel. In this post I will share with you my process of elimination for choosing the best one to meet your needs while leveraging all the perks!

This Post is all about The Best Travel Credit Cards for Beginners and International Travel

First, let’s figure out what kind of traveler you are.

Are you traveling mostly for work? Are you traveling for pleasure? 

If you travel mostly for work and your work allows you to hold your own credit card and redeem the awards for those cards, then you should really be leveraging all that money spent to work for you. You’ll want to make sure the credit card(s) you choose are geared towards higher point rewards on travel related expenses, i.e. hotels, airfare and dining out.

If you travel for pleasure, then you’ll want to make sure the card you choose is a bit more well-rounded and your point rewards are based on every type of spend. That way you’re still earning points ever when you’re not traveling, like basic grocery store runs.

Are you traveling regionally or all over the world?

I ask this because there are several cards out there which have a higher annual fee, but the perks are geared towards travel. For example, some cards include bonus offers and perks such as Global Entry fee credits and Priority Pass lounge access. So if you’re traveling far and wide, those are amenities that can seriously save you time and money in the long run. These things might not be as important to you if you’re only traveling regionally, and then you’d want to opt for a lesser priced annual fee or none at all.

Are you loyal to a specific airlines or hotel group?

Let’s say you’ll only fly Delta and you go out of your way to choose travel plans so that you’re only flying that airline. You should probably consider having a Delta Credit Card. A Delta card will help you earn more points which equals greater rewards (i.e. free travel!).

If you are more of a loyalist when it comes to hotels, the same idea applies.

The Bottom Line

I think everyone should have two types of cards in their wallet. A hotel or airline affiliated credit card, and a general credit card in which you can point transfer from your hotel or airline affiliated credit card. You want these two cards to be able to “link” if needed to really help leverage the maximum reward value.

What’s In My Wallet?

This is my favorite question to answer, probably because I spent countless hours researching exactly what would work best for our family.

Best Travel Card for International Travel

First, we have the Chase Sapphire Preferred. We chose this card for several reasons, but mostly because it had a low annual fee ($95), strong bonus options, flexible redemption options and travel perks. You earn 2x for everything travel related and dining, 3x on groceries and 1x on everything else, so points quickly accumulate.

You can transfer points 1:1 to multiple partners, including Marriott & Hyatt and it includes the following travel related perks:

• Travel Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotels
• Primary rental car insurance: meaning, don’t spring for the extra coverage when you pick the car up, because you’re already taken care of
• Trip delay protection: may reimburse up to $500 per ticket for delays of 12 hours or more, or overnight
• Baggage delay protection: may reimburse up to $100 per day for up to five days when baggage is delayed more than six hours

Second, we have the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless where we earned 75,000 bonus points for signing up after a spend of $3,000. It has a low annual fee ($95), but you earn one free night every year on your sign up anniversary which well makes up for the annual fee. You also earn 6x points on Marriott stays and 2x points on everything else. For as much as we both travel for work, this card was the perfect fit! Since signing up with this card back in 2013 and Marriott’s merger with Starwood and Ritz Carlton, we have stayed at some of the nicest hotels – – free. Yes, free.

Best Travel Credit Card for Beginners

Third, I have the Chase Freedom Unlimited, which has no annual fee and 3% cash back the first year and 1.5% cash back every year after that. Best of all, it’s another Chase card, so all the cards I have in my wallet I can access via one platform online to monitor the spending and payments. Super easy!

With these three cards, travel has been made easier. I no longer worry about the “what if’s” such as travel delays, lost luggage, etc. because I know we are protected. Additionally, we find that we actually use  the perks like free hotel stays, free flights, free rental cars. All these things add up significantly and if you’re like me and you love to travel, you definitely want to be taking advantage of these opportunities!

Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions! This Post was all about The Best Travel Credit Cards for Beginners and International Travel

XO,

M

This Post was all about The Best Travel Credit Cards for Beginners and International Travel

Best Travel Credit Card for Beginners

Best Travel Card for International Travel

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