topic Re: Best OVERALL travel card? in Credit Cards

Best OVERALL travel card?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 10:40:54 GMT

What do you guys think about the overall BEST travel card for everyday spend?

I don't mean just by miles/dollar rewards, but also with travel perk too. Annual fees don't matter to me, but let's keep it below $450 just to make it whitin my budget range.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 11:24:03 GMT

What kind of travel perks apply to you?

Some cards offer TSA Pre or Global Entry application fee reimbursement.

But if someone already has one or both, doesn't care to wait in line, or doesn't plan on traveling internationally, then those perks won't do that person any good.

Some cards limit your flight credit reimbursement to just one selected airline per year.

You really just have to research your needs in a travel card and see what is applicable to your situation.

Also, there's no point in paying an annual fee if a similar card delivers just as much without a fee.

Just compare cards and do the math based on where you plan on traveling.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 12:53:05 GMT

Living around a city where the airport is small, and the lines are 10 minutes max, TSA pre-check wouldn't be a useful perk to me. Although it might be a useful feature if I'm traveling internationally? Correct? I don't know a whole lot about international traveling, as I've never done it, but plan to do so in the future.

Overall, I don't like the idea of a card being tied to a particular or "partner" airline. I'd like the flexibility of using my card at any airline I choose, whether it's Jet Blue, Delta, American Airlines, etc. I'd also like to be able to get perks at staying at hotels, but those don't really have to be "partner" either, and I actually prefer MORE flexibility with hotels rather than flights. It does seem like, however, that many cards provide benefits at luxury hotels only rather than ones for the average Joe.

I believe any card with travel perks has an annual fee though.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 14:05:42 GMT

As with most things in the credit world, there is no single universal "best" for all situations.

It sounds like you want something with points that transfer to hotels as well as airlines and still give perks but don't want to pay for Amex Platinum or Citi Thankyou Prestige.

With those limitations, the only cards that come to mind are Chase Sapphire Preferred and Citi Thankyou Premier, or you could forego perks and get a "redeemable against travel purchases" card like Barclays Arrival or Arrival+, CapitalOne Venture or Venture One, or Bank of America Travel Rewards.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Closingracer99 — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 14:06:13 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Living around a city where the airport is small, and the lines are 10 minutes max, TSA pre-check wouldn't be a useful perk to me. Although it might be a useful feature if I'm traveling internationally? Correct? I don't know a whole lot about international traveling, as I've never done it, but plan to do so in the future.

Overall, I don't like the idea of a card being tied to a particular or "partner" airline. I'd like the flexibility of using my card at any airline I choose, whether it's Jet Blue, Delta, American Airlines, etc. I'd also like to be able to get perks at staying at hotels, but those don't really have to be "partner" either, and I actually prefer MORE flexibility with hotels rather than flights. It does seem like, however, that many cards provide benefits at luxury hotels only rather than ones for the average Joe.

I believe any card with travel perks has an annual fee though.

Orbitz than? It has no AF and the card is decent if you rather look for a deal over which hotel/airline you want to use... No travel perks but is a 10% CB card when you use Orbitz and 2% everywhere else and has no FTF as well.... IF you want perks you should see what airlines and hotels you prefer generally and choose the card that matches with the partners. Citi, Chase and Amex have good cards but they all partner with certain airlines and hotels. Other than those you also have the Capital One Venture which isn't that great IMHO and Bank of America along with Discover both have travel cards but I am not sure what they offer.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Closingracer99 — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 14:07:26 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
As with most things in the credit world, there is no single universal "best" for all situations.

It sounds like you want something with points that transfer to hotels as well as airlines and still give perks but don't want to pay for Amex Platinum or Citi Thankyou Prestige.

With those limitations, the only cards that come to mind are Chase Sapphire Preferred and Citi Thankyou Premier, or you could forego perks and get a "redeemable against travel purchases" card like Barclays Arrival or Arrival+, CapitalOne Venture or Venture One, or Bank of America Travel Rewards.

Meh barclay's and Capital one offerings are pretty Meh specially the Capital one offerings.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 14:14:31 GMT

Does the Orbitz card even have an EMV chip?

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Closingracer99 — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 14:18:35 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Does the Orbitz card even have an EMV chip?

IDK since I don't have any interest in the card...

Oh its not a 10%CB but 10% in rewards.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

redpat — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 14:21:50 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Living around a city where the airport is small, and the lines are 10 minutes max, TSA pre-check wouldn't be a useful perk to me. Although it might be a useful feature if I'm traveling internationally? Correct? I don't know a whole lot about international traveling, as I've never done it, but plan to do so in the future.

Overall, I don't like the idea of a card being tied to a particular or "partner" airline. I'd like the flexibility of using my card at any airline I choose, whether it's Jet Blue, Delta, American Airlines, etc. I'd also like to be able to get perks at staying at hotels, but those don't really have to be "partner" either, and I actually prefer MORE flexibility with hotels rather than flights. It does seem like, however, that many cards provide benefits at luxury hotels only rather than ones for the average Joe.

I believe any card with travel perks has an annual fee though.

You are correct about the AF but you get what you pay for. Amex plat gives you SPG (it would be a HR if Marriot gold after merger) and Hilton gold status, along with FHR (fine hotel & resorts) and Hotel Collection benefits, rental car status, airport lounges (delta, centurion and priorty pass) to name a few for a net cost of $250 after a $200 airline credit. I would mention Prestige but it's getting the s*%* kicked out of in July 2017 with benefits being nerfed.

So in the long run I think you can get well over $250 on travel benefits and not be stuck with one Hotel Chain, Car Rental Chain or Airline.

At the end of the day if you go cheap you get nothing also. Plus you don't need the swipes for points and you still get all the benefits.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 14:30:28 GMT

I thought about PC'ing my Double Cash to a Citi Prestige, but don't like what I've been hearing about the card having weaker benefits starting in July 2017.

It would be an easier change, no hard pull... The problem is I just product changed from a TYP to a DC in May.

I really like what the AMEX Gold PR is offering ($100 airline fee credit, hotel credits, free night, and roadside assistance) but I also am worried about the whole NPSL thing... Don't want to use my card for the third time and have it declined because AMEX doesn't trust me to spend $1,000 a month on it. Plus I've heard man of their hotel partners are premium hotels.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

redpat — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 14:31:05 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I thought about PC'ing my Double Cash to a Citi Prestige, but don't like what I've been hearing about the card having weaker benefits starting in July 2017.

It would be an easier change, no hard pull... The problem is I just product changed from a TYP to a DC in May.

Don't PC you would miss out on the sign-up bonus of 40k. I know it went down 10k but still $532 in airline credit or being able to tranfer points is still worth the HP.

Also, if you are going to use the 4th free many times then prestige in the long run would be better as that benefit is changing a little but not much.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 14:31:10 GMT

@redpat wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Living around a city where the airport is small, and the lines are 10 minutes max, TSA pre-check wouldn't be a useful perk to me. Although it might be a useful feature if I'm traveling internationally? Correct? I don't know a whole lot about international traveling, as I've never done it, but plan to do so in the future.

Overall, I don't like the idea of a card being tied to a particular or "partner" airline. I'd like the flexibility of using my card at any airline I choose, whether it's Jet Blue, Delta, American Airlines, etc. I'd also like to be able to get perks at staying at hotels, but those don't really have to be "partner" either, and I actually prefer MORE flexibility with hotels rather than flights. It does seem like, however, that many cards provide benefits at luxury hotels only rather than ones for the average Joe.

I believe any card with travel perks has an annual fee though.
You are correct about the AF but you get what you pay for. Amex plat gives you SPG (it would be a HR if Marriot gold after merger) and Hilton gold status, along with FHR (fine hotel & resorts) and Hotel Collection benefits, rental car status, airport lounges (delta, centurion and priorty pass) to name a few for a net cost of $250 after a $200 airline credit. I would mention Prestige but it's getting the s*%* kicked out of in July 2017 with benefits being nerfed.

So in the long run I think you can get well over $250 on travel benefits and not be stuck with one Hotel Chain, Car Rental Chain or Airline.

At the end of the day if you go cheap you get nothing also. Plus you don't need the swipes for points and you still get all the benefits.

I don't mind paying an annual fee at all to get a card that will provide thousands of $$$ in benefits every year.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 14:37:01 GMT

@redpat wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
I thought about PC'ing my Double Cash to a Citi Prestige, but don't like what I've been hearing about the card having weaker benefits starting in July 2017.

It would be an easier change, no hard pull... The problem is I just product changed from a TYP to a DC in May.
Don't PC you would miss out on the sign-up bonus of 40k. I know it went down 10k but still $532 in airline credit or being able to tranfer points is still worth the HP.

Also, if you are going to use the 4th free many times then prestige in the long run would be better as that benefit is changing a little but not much.

I see what you're saying about the sign up bonus.

My idea to PC the DC to the Prestige was to save a hard pull, and also because I want to get rid of the DC anyways in favor of putting my everyday spend on my credit union credit card (although I'm not sure yet, since 2% back compared to 1.5 points per dollar [equal to 1.5 cents] might be difficult to give up).

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 15:48:38 GMT

I personally love my cities prestige, got it on 4/30/16 and I've already got my $250 airline rebate, $500 sign up bonus AND $424 4th night hotel rebate well worth the $450 AF to me.. I don't really use hotel lounges so the changes coming next year doesn't really bother me

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

takeshi74 — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 15:53:01 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
What do you guys think about the overall BEST travel card for everyday spend?

I don't mean just by miles/dollar rewards, but also with travel perk too. Annual fees don't matter to me, but let's keep it below $450 just to make it whitin my budget range.

What I think does't matter. Best is always highly subjective regardless of topic. You need to be very clear regarding your requirements if you want feedback. As with any topic, you can't get it all so you need to sort out your specific needs/wants and prioritze them to find the best fit for you.

Are the travel perks more important than the rewards? What specific travel perks are you looking for? Keep in mind that things like flight benefits (boarding prorirty, checked, bags, airline club access, etc) tend to come with airline speciifc cards. As for rewards, where is your major spend going and what sort of volume do you have? Most programs will require large amounts of spend to be run through them. Those with lower amounts of spend are generally better served with cash back cards. For most rewards programs you need to look at the redemption options and crunch the numbers for your spend all the way from earning points to redeeming them to determine the value you can get per point which will also help you to compare against cash back.

There's a lot more careful analysis involved then just asking everyone what their favorites are. For me, as an example, it takes several cards. I travel mostly on United. The UMPE gives e flight benefits that I find very useful. However, most of my earning is done with Ultimate Rewards cards since they cover more of my high spend categories. UR is a United partner so points transfer 1:1 and I can get better point value with UR than I can with programs like Membership Rewards, Thank You etc.

If you want help we can certainly help but you need to provide a lot more information and realize that one card on it's own isn't likely to maximize rewards and benefits so tell us which is more important to you.

@Anonymous wrote:
Annual fees don't matter to me, but let's keep it below $450 just to make it whitin my budget range.

Consider total cost/benefit, not just AF on its own. That sad, generally cards with such AF's are for those that can leverage the premium travel benefits. You need to look to see if you can make use of them. If you're looking for best value then such cards are probably not a good fit for you.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 16:10:37 GMT

The idea is to use the card for the benefits, so the amount of rewards points doesn't matter as much, as it won't be a general spend card.

Any card where the benefits will outweigh the annual fee is worth it.

Me personally? I've said the card needs more favorable hotel perks over airline perks. I also like the idea of an extra night free, hotel room upgrades, a good concierge service, good, English speaking customer service, a solid design (not that it matters that much), and of course any kind of airline benefit is nice but it's not at the top of the priority list. I didn't try to generalize too much, because I don't know of EVERY travel card out there, and some can provide benefits I've never heard of before.

Edit: Add in no FTF, but I think most travel cards with an annual fee don't have those anymore anyways. Chip and PIN is always nice too, but chip and signature is fine. I wish the card would have an EMV chip, so no cards that don't have one.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

redpat — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 16:09:27 GMT

@takeshi74 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
What do you guys think about the overall BEST travel card for everyday spend?

I don't mean just by miles/dollar rewards, but also with travel perk too. Annual fees don't matter to me, but let's keep it below $450 just to make it whitin my budget range.
What I think does't matter. Best is always highly subjective regardless of topic. You need to be very clear regarding your requirements if you want feedback. As with any topic, you can't get it all so you need to sort out your specific needs/wants and prioritze them to find the best fit for you.

Are the travel perks more important than the rewards? What specific travel perks are you looking for? Keep in mind that things like flight benefits (boarding prorirty, checked, bags, airline club access, etc) tend to come with airline speciifc cards. As for rewards, where is your major spend going and what sort of volume do you have? Most programs will require large amounts of spend to be run through them. Those with lower amounts of spend are generally better served with cash back cards. For most rewards programs you need to look at the redemption options and crunch the numbers for your spend all the way from earning points to redeeming them to determine the value you can get per point which will also help you to compare against cash back.

There's a lot more careful analysis involved then just asking everyone what their favorites are. For me, as an example, it takes several cards. I travel mostly on United. The UMPE gives e flight benefits that I find very useful. However, most of my earning is done with Ultimate Rewards cards since they cover more of my high spend categories. UR is a United partner so points transfer 1:1 and I can get better point value with UR than I can with programs like Membership Rewards, Thank You etc.

If you want help we can certainly help but you need to provide a lot more information and realize that one card on it's own isn't likely to maximize rewards and benefits so tell us which is more important to you.

@Anonymous wrote:
Annual fees don't matter to me, but let's keep it below $450 just to make it whitin my budget range.
Consider total cost/benefit, not just AF on its own. That sad, generally cards with such AF's are for those that can leverage the premium travel benefits. You need to look to see if you can make use of them. If you're looking for best value then such cards are probably not a good fit for you.

Not true. Amex plat and Citi prestige give you huge benefits without spend and airline lounge access, other than United of course. Also, these two cards can give you more hotel perks than most hotel cards themselves without having to be with one chain. Fourth night free, lounge access and car rental status are not premium travel benefits anymore, lol!

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 16:12:03 GMT

Okay... So let's say I make $35,000 a year.

If I had to pick between Citi Prestige, AMEX Platinum, and Amex PRG, which card would provide the most hotel AND airline benefits over the course of the year for someone who travels at least once and not more than twice within the borders of the USA.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 16:36:18 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Okay... So let's say I make $35,000 a year.

If I had to pick between Citi Prestige, AMEX Platinum, and Amex PRG, which card would provide the most hotel AND airline benefits over the course of the year for someone who travels at least once and not more than twice within the borders of the USA.

For those restrictions, I would say that PRG is probably your best bet. Prestige and Platinum are a little more beneficial if you travel internationally, or frequently within the country.

Re: Best OVERALL travel card?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 17:11:03 GMT

Wouldn't AMEX frown upon the fact that I only use the card fpr redeeming airline credits and hotel perks, but don't use it for any other spend throughout the year?