Best no annual fee travel credit card

[Anonymous]

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@wasCB14 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@longtimelurker wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I use nerdwallet and they always recommend BA travel and Disco It miles. Both 1.5%

CO Venture One is lower 1.25% but still free.

Or no AF version of airlines cards like AA mile up

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As far as I remember,  there is nothing "travel" about Disco IT Miles, after year 1 it is just a 1.5% cashback card.   Free 2% (with no FTF) cards would be better.  Also QuickSilver is in the 1.5% group and has some advantages.

Not sure nerdwallet is unimpacted by its advertizers

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Nerwallet might be impacted by its advertizers. Methinks Disco It miles and BA travels are used to 'erase' travel expenses. You can't use what you've earned to book like Chase Freedom Flex(or Unlimited, SP, I love that Chase travel portal, got a free Florida trip out of that 200 dollar SUB. So no AF Chase FF or U is also good choices, and if you pair with AF SP,  you can boost those points more. Does BA have travel portal?), but after you charge travel expenses with those cards, later you can erase travel expenses(methinks Disco at BA included dining too) with credit you earned. CO has the same function, 'eraser', although it has separate travel portal to book just like Chase(5% for both cards). 

Just what I've learned reading articles from Nerdwallet etc., as a cc novice 😅 

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With Discover you can redeem for general cash back (without a reduction in value).

"1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase

There’s no limit to how many Miles you can earn. Then redeem for cash, or as a statement credit towards a travel purchase."

But if you want a travel card, Discover is kind of a weird choice. It's not as widely accepted as V/MC*, nor does it have the Amex perks that can make up for lower acceptance.

*Outside of possibly China and Japan, but that's YMMV.

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absolutely, on all your points. Plus Disco ditched travel protection I hear. For example secondary car collision insurance(CO has it, all cards including secured plat and Savor One, which I have. Problem is CO pulls from all 3 credit bureaus I hear when you apply, Chase possibly 2).  

[notmyrealname23]

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@Roadgeek395 wrote:

I'm looking for the best no annual fee travel credit card. Getaway by FNBO has 3x points on travel. Are there any better travel cards with no AF?

Thanks!

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What exactly does "better" mean in this scenario? More benefits? Bigger SUB? Highest possible cashback on travel expenses? Highest possible cashback on ALL expenses? Are you strictly looking for ability to get cash back or is having a transferable points currency that could turn into a hotel or flight redemption that would have maximum potential impact important to you? Are you looking to have "one card to rule them all" or do you not care about carrying multiple cards?

I could easily argue that a 2% on all expenses cashback card with a SUB, no international transaction fee, travel and rental car insurance beats a card that's 3% on travel, 1% on everything else for a lot of people whose expenses aren't predominantly travel...

[Roadgeek395]

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@notmyrealname23 wrote:

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@Roadgeek395 wrote:

I'm looking for the best no annual fee travel credit card. Getaway by FNBO has 3x points on travel. Are there any better travel cards with no AF?

Thanks!

---

What exactly does "better" mean in this scenario? More benefits? Bigger SUB? Highest possible cashback on travel expenses? Highest possible cashback on ALL expenses? Are you strictly looking for ability to get cash back or is having a transferable points currency that could turn into a hotel or flight redemption that would have maximum potential impact important to you? Are you looking to have "one card to rule them all" or do you not care about carrying multiple cards?

I could easily argue that a 2% on all expenses cashback card with a SUB, no international transaction fee, travel and rental car insurance beats a card that's 3% on travel, 1% on everything else for a lot of people whose expenses aren't predominantly travel...

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What I meant by "better" simply means is there any other card that offers more cash back or points on travel purchases. A SUB would definitely sweetened the deal as well.

This past summer I took a new job that requires a lot of travel and I'm trying to maximize the rewards for all the hotel stays. I don't mind having multiple cards and I don't necessarily need a card with transfer partners. 

I applied for the NFCU Flagship but was denied. So the two cards I'm primarily looking at now are the PenFed Pathfinder and the FNBO Getaway. 

Another card I'm considering is the citi premiere card, I really don't wanna pay the AF but I think it would pair nicely with my citi double cash 

[ChargedUp]

For no AF and international travel? AODFCU Signature Visa... 3% on EVERYTHING and no FTF. Simple, tidy and no guessing at what qualifies.

Second to that I'd say the FNBO Getaway MC - 3% travel/dining/gas, no FTF.

Honorable mention: Chase Sapphire Preferred. If you're going to be renting cars, the PRIMARY rental car coverage will easily overcome the $95 AF on its own. 5X UR's on travel booked through the Chase portal, $50 annual hotel credit for hotel stays booked through the Chase portal, no FTF,  10% anniversay points boost, you're not stuck to a particular hotel chain and a hefty 60K UR SUB/$4K spend when using this  link that will give more details at Chase's website. The list of other travel bennies are here ...

Otherwise, you could pick a hotel chain and look into their respective affinity credit card. The majors all seem to have a lower tier, no-AF card. If you have the option of sticking with a particular hotel group every time, it might be the way to go.

[notmyrealname23]

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@Roadgeek395 wrote:

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@notmyrealname23 wrote:

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@Roadgeek395 wrote:

I'm looking for the best no annual fee travel credit card. Getaway by FNBO has 3x points on travel. Are there any better travel cards with no AF?

Thanks!

---

What exactly does "better" mean in this scenario? More benefits? Bigger SUB? Highest possible cashback on travel expenses? Highest possible cashback on ALL expenses? Are you strictly looking for ability to get cash back or is having a transferable points currency that could turn into a hotel or flight redemption that would have maximum potential impact important to you? Are you looking to have "one card to rule them all" or do you not care about carrying multiple cards?

I could easily argue that a 2% on all expenses cashback card with a SUB, no international transaction fee, travel and rental car insurance beats a card that's 3% on travel, 1% on everything else for a lot of people whose expenses aren't predominantly travel...

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What I meant by "better" simply means is there any other card that offers more cash back or points on travel purchases. A SUB would definitely sweetened the deal as well.

This past summer I took a new job that requires a lot of travel and I'm trying to maximize the rewards for all the hotel stays. I don't mind having multiple cards and I don't necessarily need a card with transfer partners. 

I applied for the NFCU Flagship but was denied. So the two cards I'm primarily looking at now are the PenFed Pathfinder and the FNBO Getaway. 

Another card I'm considering is the citi premiere card, I really don't wanna pay the AF but I think it would pair nicely with my citi double cash 

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So are you being reimbursed for travel expenses? And how much are you looking at? Does your work have a preferred vendor for hotels or airlines?

I cheerfully pay thousands of dollars of annual fees because I make all the AF money back on things I would be buying anyways during travel- stuff like Uber, CLEAR, hotel rooms, flights I would buy anyway. I would guess I am at well over 10% effective rebate on expenses when you throw in SUBs, upgrade bonuses, multipliers, card gimmes. Not looking at an end in sight.

To give you an example of why an AF might make sense:

the no AF Hilton card is 5x supermarkets/gas/dining and 7x Hilton stays. Comes with Hilton Silver.

The $95 Hilton surpass is 6x supermarkets/gas/dining and 12x Hilton stays. Comes with 10 priority pass lounge visits and a free night with $15,000 in spend.

Assuming a value of .5 cents per point, the $95 card is more valuable in terms of Hilton points generated once you hit a little under $4000 in Hilton spend (numbers end up being different if you spend in different categories). You'll need to do some math to figure out the break even point.

Other cards are similar; there are incentives to spend more on the card that make annual fee cards more lucrative. 

So if you're spending Other People's Money to travel... it may well be worth a $95 fee on a card to get a card that is more lucrative in return. It may even be worth a $695 fee. If the cobrand card offers you $200-300 in hotel rooms or airplane flights for $95 in cash in an annual fee, it might be worth it... so don't sleep on that Citi Premier. Do the math.

[longtimelurker]

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@wasCB14 wrote:

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With Discover you can redeem for general cash back (without a reduction in value).

"1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase

There’s no limit to how many Miles you can earn. Then redeem for cash, or as a statement credit towards a travel purchase."

But if you want a travel card, Discover is kind of a weird choice. It's not as widely accepted as V/MC*, nor does it have the Amex perks that can make up for lower acceptance.

*Outside of possibly China and Japan, but that's YMMV.

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Right, when the Discover IT Miles first came out, I thought there must be a mistake.   If you give me 1.5%(3 first year) for cash back for EVERYTHING, why on earth bother with a separate mechanism that gives you the same rate but only for travel.  Having discovered that was indeed how it works, my wife and I each got one for 3% in consecutive years.   Guess it allows it to count as a travel card, for no go reason!  (Hey, it's got "Miles" in the name!   Yes, it's got "It" too!)

[Roadgeek395]

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@notmyrealname23 wrote:

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@Roadgeek395 wrote:

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@notmyrealname23 wrote:

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@Roadgeek395 wrote:

I'm looking for the best no annual fee travel credit card. Getaway by FNBO has 3x points on travel. Are there any better travel cards with no AF?

Thanks!

---

What exactly does "better" mean in this scenario? More benefits? Bigger SUB? Highest possible cashback on travel expenses? Highest possible cashback on ALL expenses? Are you strictly looking for ability to get cash back or is having a transferable points currency that could turn into a hotel or flight redemption that would have maximum potential impact important to you? Are you looking to have "one card to rule them all" or do you not care about carrying multiple cards?

I could easily argue that a 2% on all expenses cashback card with a SUB, no international transaction fee, travel and rental car insurance beats a card that's 3% on travel, 1% on everything else for a lot of people whose expenses aren't predominantly travel...

---

What I meant by "better" simply means is there any other card that offers more cash back or points on travel purchases. A SUB would definitely sweetened the deal as well.

This past summer I took a new job that requires a lot of travel and I'm trying to maximize the rewards for all the hotel stays. I don't mind having multiple cards and I don't necessarily need a card with transfer partners. 

I applied for the NFCU Flagship but was denied. So the two cards I'm primarily looking at now are the PenFed Pathfinder and the FNBO Getaway. 

Another card I'm considering is the citi premiere card, I really don't wanna pay the AF but I think it would pair nicely with my citi double cash 

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So are you being reimbursed for travel expenses? And how much are you looking at? Does your work have a preferred vendor for hotels or airlines?

I cheerfully pay thousands of dollars of annual fees because I make all the AF money back on things I would be buying anyways during travel- stuff like Uber, CLEAR, hotel rooms, flights I would buy anyway. I would guess I am at well over 10% effective rebate on expenses when you throw in SUBs, upgrade bonuses, multipliers, card gimmes. Not looking at an end in sight.

To give you an example of why an AF might make sense:

the no AF Hilton card is 5x supermarkets/gas/dining and 7x Hilton stays. Comes with Hilton Silver.

The $95 Hilton surpass is 6x supermarkets/gas/dining and 12x Hilton stays. Comes with 10 priority pass lounge visits and a free night with $15,000 in spend.

Assuming a value of .5 cents per point, the $95 card is more valuable in terms of Hilton points generated once you hit a little under $4000 in Hilton spend (numbers end up being different if you spend in different categories). You'll need to do some math to figure out the break even point.

Other cards are similar; there are incentives to spend more on the card that make annual fee cards more lucrative. 

So if you're spending Other People's Money to travel... it may well be worth a $95 fee on a card to get a card that is more lucrative in return. It may even be worth a $695 fee. If the cobrand card offers you $200-300 in hotel rooms or airplane flights for $95 in cash in an annual fee, it might be worth it... so don't sleep on that Citi Premier. Do the math.

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Yes I get reimbursed for all of the travel expenses. About $1200 every three weeks. We almost exclusively stay at Best Western.

[Anonymous]

12 Best Cash Back Credit Cards of March 2022 

'The study found that domestic travelers who spend less than $8,600 per year on travel earn more rewards with a cash-back card than a travel rewards card, especially if they hold the card a long time.

A big exception: Americans who travel overseas an average of at least once per year are often better off with a travel rewards credit card because of higher point values and no foreign transaction fees.'

[notmyrealname23]

The Best Western credit cards might make sense:

https://www.card.fnbo.com/landing/bestwestern/index.html

You should do some math to figure out if the one with the annual fee beats the one without one. Combine with a card that's good on gas and general travel like your FNBO Getaway one, maybe a dining card for eating on the road, and you may be fine...

[longtimelurker]

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@Anonymous wrote:

12 Best Cash Back Credit Cards of March 2022 

'The study found that domestic travelers who spend less than $8,600 per year on travel earn more rewards with a cash-back card than a travel rewards card, especially if they hold the card a long time.

A big exception: Americans who travel overseas an average of at least once per year are often better off with a travel rewards credit card because of higher point values and no foreign transaction fees.'

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The study quoted was done in 2016, and there have been a lot of changes since then!   Also, it's not quite clear from the wording,

but 

Domestic travelers, unless they spend more than $8,600 on travel each year for five years, would actually be better off using a cash-back credit card, assuming average spending levels on other expenses as compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

suggests that they were asking something very few people here would do, use one card for everything.    Then it's not surprising: lots of non-travel spend at a lower rate than a flat cash-back, would take a lot of travel spend to overcome.

Plus 60% in the sample hadn't flown in the previous year, so not a travel heavy bunch!

Also, mixed marks for nerdwallet:  Title is

12 Best Cash Back Credit Cards of March 2022

But the table is correctly headed

Best Cash Back Credit Cards From Our Partners