Best Card for Travel points?

[TheFate]

I've been trying to narrow down the searches on a travel card that I can rack up points towards future vaca's and was wondering which card is best in your opinion? As I know choices may vary from person to person

[H14]

The AMEX Starwood Preferred Guest card, or the Chase Sapphire Preferred [optionally combined with Freedom] are excellent options, if you favor cards with transfer partners. 

[CreditPacMan]

The Arrival+ from Barclay's sounds like a good travel option too. 

[coldnmn]

NewGuys guide to travel cards may help. Link below.

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Guide-to-travel-cards/m-p/2918668

[takeshi74]

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@TheFate wrote:

I've been trying to narrow down the searches on a travel card that I can rack up points towards future vaca's and was wondering which card is best in your opinion? As I know choices may vary from person to person

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If you know that then you should provide us with info to help narrow down the options for you.  What are your major spend categories?  How do you intend to redeem travel rewards and with which companies?  Give us something to work with.  Generally speaking travel cards are better suited to higher amounts of spend.,  If your spend is lower then a cash back card may actually be better suited to you.

You can't just on what others determine to be best.  I use the CSP but that's because I live in a United hub city and 99% of my air travel is on United.  As a result, MR points aren't very useful to me.  If that doesn't apply to you then what I think of as best may not be relevant to you.

[mongstradamus]

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@takeshi74 wrote:

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@TheFate wrote:

I've been trying to narrow down the searches on a travel card that I can rack up points towards future vaca's and was wondering which card is best in your opinion? As I know choices may vary from person to person

---

If you know that then you should provide us with info to help narrow down the options for you.  What are your major spend categories?  How do you intend to redeem travel rewards and with which companies?  Give us something to work with.  Generally speaking travel cards are better suited to higher amounts of spend.,  If your spend is lower then a cash back card may actually be better suited to you.

You can't just on what others determine to be best.  I use the CSP but that's because I live in a United hub city and 99% of my air travel is on United.  As a result, MR points aren't very useful to me.  If that doesn't apply to you then what I think of as best may not be relevant to you.

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+1 , what you need to look at it what airline you want to fly and see if its one of the partners that MR or UR have. My case isn't the same as everybody else because i have access to JFK, LGA, and EWR, which basically has almost every airline out there.  

[Open123]

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@TheFate wrote:

I've been trying to narrow down the searches on a travel card that I can rack up points towards future vaca's and was wondering which card is best in your opinion? As I know choices may vary from person to person

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For cash redemptions, it's pretty simple:  (1) if you don't spend abroad and less than $40k per year, the Fid amex; (2) need the no-forex fee feature, Arrival or Venture, depending on your level of spending.  That's it.

For travel rewards, it gets more complex and depends on your air & hotel preferences, along with your location.  Start with considering cards in the UR, MR and SPG programs, and work from there.  

[mongstradamus]

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@Open123 wrote:

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@TheFate wrote:

I've been trying to narrow down the searches on a travel card that I can rack up points towards future vaca's and was wondering which card is best in your opinion? As I know choices may vary from person to person

---

For cash redemptions, it's pretty simple:  (1) if you don't spend abroad and less than $40k per year, the Fid amex; (2) need the no-forex fee feature, Arrival or Venture, depending on your level of spending.  That's it.

For travel rewards, it gets more complex and depends on your air & hotel preferences, along with your location.  Start with considering cards in the UR, MR and SPG programs, and work from there.  

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The one thing i would add about cash redemptions. I think if you can get arrival+ the 40k signup bonus is worth it since af for first year is waived. Then drop it before AF is charged the next year. 

[Open123]

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@mongstradamus wrote:

The one thing i would add about cash redemptions. I think if you can get arrival+ the 40k signup bonus is worth it since af for first year is waived. Then drop it before AF is charged the next year. 

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Right, glad you clarified that point.  Absolutely get all the sign-up bonuses first!  Then, pare as necessary.

[nachoslibres]

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@takeshi74 wrote:

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@TheFate wrote:

I've been trying to narrow down the searches on a travel card that I can rack up points towards future vaca's and was wondering which card is best in your opinion? As I know choices may vary from person to person

---

If you know that then you should provide us with info to help narrow down the options for you.  What are your major spend categories?  How do you intend to redeem travel rewards and with which companies?  Give us something to work with.  Generally speaking travel cards are better suited to higher amounts of spend.,  If your spend is lower then a cash back card may actually be better suited to you.

You can't just on what others determine to be best.  I use the CSP but that's because I live in a United hub city and 99% of my air travel is on United.  As a result, MR points aren't very useful to me.  If that doesn't apply to you then what I think of as best may not be relevant to you.

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^^ This.  There are way too many "travel point" cards to name off the ones that are best for you without knowing your annual spend and the categories that spend is in, plus what you want to redeem your points or rewards with.

I use my Ink Bold and Freedom, which are part of Chase's Ultimate Rewards system, for any bonused spending, and use my Arrival + for every thing else but that's not to say that this is the best combination for you, especially since I'm paying $184 a year in AF's.