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Travel credit cards offer a world of opportunities, but they can be intimidating at first. High annual fees, complex purchasing structures, and strict credit needs can put them out of reach. On the other hand, the most productive credit cards for beginners balance popular rewards and perks with a dose of simplicity, making them a strategic position to start.
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Casual travelers who don’t plan to carry a balance will find a smart price in this card’s rewards rate.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers a beginner-friendly annual payment without compromising rewards redemption features or protections, making it a fantastic starter card.
Why We Like It
The main merit of this card is its participation in the Chase Ultimate Rewards® program, a favorite of everyone from beginners to complex travelers. You’ll be able to earn an impressive welcome bonus in addition to the commendation categories and even an annual issue bonus equal to 10% of your total purchases from last year.
What’s more, Ultimate Rewards® are among the most versatile when it comes to redemptions. If you want to start small, you can redeem points as cash back to cover your travel. But to level up, you can get 25% more value when you use your rewards to book trips through Chase Travel℠. You might be able to improve upon that redemption value even more by transferring your points to participating airline or hotel partners, making it a card you’ll love no matter where your travels take you.
Beyond rewards, you’ll also love that this card offers an annual hotel credit of $50 toward select stays booked with Chase Travel, has no foreign transaction fees and comes with an assortment of travel insurance and other protections.
What We Don’t Like
Ironically, the win rates for this card are not the highest of the bunch. To get the card’s highest return on travel, you should make an electronic booking through Chase Travel, which may not be your preferred electronic booking channel. Plus, maximum purchases earn just one point per dollar spent, which can be beat with many other credit cards.
Who It’s Best For
We recommend this card for anyone looking to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards without coughing up a sky-high annual fee.
It’s the granddaddy of credit cards, but it still deserves its reputation as one of the most productive on the market with solid bonus categories, strong protections, a wide diversity of domestic and foreign transfer partners, and a moderate annual payment to boot. You can’t go wrong using this first credit card.
The Chase Freedom Flex® isn’t a classic card, but it offers the best earning rates on bookings made through Chase Travel℠ for a card with no annual fee.
Why We Like It
Above all, this card excels in rotating quarterly spending categories, which yield up to 5% money back. You’ll locate other bonus categories in addition, making it a most sensible selection for almost who knows how to stay the main points straight.
Additional travel redemptions can be unlocked if paired with a premium Chase Ultimate Rewards® card. For households with multiple Chase credit cards, this can make it a particularly compelling option.
You’ll also have access to an introductory APR offer, which can be useful if you’re looking to finance your travel (or other) charges over time: 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.49% to 28.24% applies. Balance transfer fee of up to 5% (min. $5) of the amount of each transfer applies.
what we don’t like
The 5% bonus rewards come with several obstacles that can deter beginners. You’ll want to activate bonus categories quarterly and keep an eye out for a $1,500 spending limit in those categories before your win rate drops. In addition, the card charges overseas transaction fees, so it is not ideal for traveling abroad.
Who It’s Best For
Freedom Flex is great for anyone who needs to keep track of a few main bonus points and is for a card with no annual fee.
Kudos to Chase for always maintaining the applicable rotating categories in Freedom Flex. From Amazon to PayPal and Starbucks to Walmart, you’ll almost certainly find at least a quarter of each year (if not several) where all five bonus issues are found. arrive almost effortlessly. Do not activate categories in both one or both quarters.
The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card offers extremely generous travel rewards on purchases in multiple common spending categories for a quick route to amazing redemptions.
Why We Like It
Unlike most beginner cards, you don’t have to choose which spending categories are most important to you with the Strata Premier. Instead, you’ll be handsomely rewarded on expenses at home and while traveling. A strong welcome offer takes your earning potential even higher.
Like other flexible rewards cards, you’ll have several paths to redemption, depending on your preferences. Cardholders can redeem Citi ThankYou® points as a statement credit or transfer their points to partner airlines and hotels. Though there are some obscure partners, there are also some amazing sweet spots, giving beginners something to aspire to.
The card also offers a number of benefits, adding limited protections and $100 annual hotel savings when you book a stay of at least $500 (excluding taxes and fees) through CitiTravel. com. Finally, the card does not qualify foreign transactions. fee.
What we don’t like
The card’s basic rewards rate is low, and its annual hotel perks require you to spend $500 on a single hotel stay (excluding taxes and fees) through CitiTravel. com to get the $100 discount.
Who is it for?
With popular income stream categories, this card is ideal for anyone who needs to maximize their spending.
Paying to fill up at the pump is never fun, but at least you’ll earn something back for it with the Citi Strata Premier. It’s one of the few cards around that earns significant bonus points on both gas stations and supermarkets, 365 days a year. And it’s also the only card on the market that can access Citi’s full roster of valuable airline and hotel transfer partners.
Students with an established credit history deserve the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for students when they embark on the world of travel rewards.
Why we love it
The card offers a liberal welcome bonus compared to other student cards and a high, flat rewards rate on every purchase you make. That’s a winning combination for anyone in search of a beginner travel card. Cardholders also pay no annual or foreign transaction fees, making it a worthy companion for a trip or semester abroad.
An introductory APR offer is another major perk for anyone new to this card, and it extends to both new purchases and balance transfers for extra flexibility.
What we don’t like
You want smart credit to be approved, which may prevent students from accessing their first card.
Who is it for?
This card is designed for college students who want to earn travel rewards but don’t yet qualify for nonstudent cards.
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card (rates & fees) earns exceptional rates on all types of travel and doesn’t require you to book through a credit card portal to enjoy those returns.
Why we love it
This card doesn’t require you to replace your routines or behavior, making it a graceful transition for beginners looking to add a card to their portfolio. Redeeming rewards is just as easy: you can choose between Array gift cards, cashback, or transfers. to a developing list of airline and hotel partners.
Other reasons to love this card come with its $50 annual credits when you qualify for a minimum of $50 in eligible airline spending for the card. It’s a smart way to extract more price from the card. There are also no overseas transaction fees, making it a good choice for overseas travel.
What We Don’t Like
Compared to other flexible rewards cards, their list of movement partners is limited lately. However, if you’d rather redeem your rewards for cash after earning them on the go, this probably won’t be a problem.
Who It’s Best For
The Autograph Journey card is ideal for beginners who don’t need to make electronic bookings through a portal.
Wells Fargo has entered the premium card market with its highly anticipated Autograph Journey credit card, which offers accelerated points earning on airline tickets, hotels, and restaurants. It is also one of the latest cards to offer the possibility of redeeming issues through removals. to the partners.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card’s flat rewards rate make it a no-brainer for people who prioritize simplicity but still want access to airline and hotel program transfers.
Why We Like It
You don’t want to stick to bonus praise categories with this card, making it the best option for beginners who want to get your attention on other things. It also offers one of the highest welcome bonuses in the industry: earn 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months of account opening. How can you whet your appetite for travel?
Travelers will also appreciate that the Venture Rewards card offers a statement credit to cover a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fee, and it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees (rates & fees). You’ll also have multiple travel redemption options including booking through Capital One Travel, booking directly and requesting a statement credit or transferring your miles to one of Capital One’s 15-plus airline and hotel transfer partners.
What we don’t like
The biggest downfall to this card is that you’ll get less value from your rewards if you opt to redeem them for cash back instead of travel. Travel fanatics won’t consider that a hardship, but it could be a deciding factor for someone who only travels occasionally and prefers cash back.
Who is it for?
This card is best suited for people who want straightforward reward rates and flexible travel redemption options.
The Capital One Venture Rewards card is extremely low maintenance as far as travel reward cards go. It provides consistent value and flexibility when it comes to earning and redeeming points for travel and is an excellent alternative for anyone a bit leery of the high Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card annual fee (rates & fees).
The Bilt World Elite Mastercard® is a must-have for renters who want to turn their biggest monthly expense into airline miles or hotel points.
Why We Love It
This card has the particularity of allowing its holders to earn up to 100,000 bonus issues per calendar year on rent payment without additional processing fees. That alone makes the card interesting, but even if the rent costs, it’s a useful card.
The Bilt card has no annual fee (rates & fees) yet earns transferable points with a long list of popular travel partners. Alternatively, you can redeem through its travel portal, where points are worth 1.25 cents each.
You’ll enjoy some decent travel benefits, including no foreign transaction fees, trip cancellation and interruption protection, trip delay reimbursement and an auto rental collision damage waiver.
What we don’t like
You’ll need to keep this card at the top of your wallet to earn rewards—you’ll only earn points when you make at least five transactions per statement period (rewards & benefits).
Notably, this card is one of the few credit cards that does not offer a welcome to new cardholders.
Who is it for?
The Bilt Mastercard will be very attractive to contractors who need to earn rewards on their monthly rental payments.
It’s almost impossible to earn rewards on what is the biggest monthly expense for many people, which is why anyone who pays rent should have a Bilt Mastercard in their wallet. Not only will you earn points just from paying your rent (up to 100,000 points in a calendar year), you’ll do it without being charged a fee for the transaction, and Bilt points are among the most versatile travel points around. (Pro Tip: Don’t redeem Bilt points to pay rent when you can get much more value for them for travel!).
Though most travel credit cards require good or excellent credit, the Credit One Bank® Wander® American Express® Card may be available to applicants still in the process of building their credit.
Why we love it
The card offers outstanding rewards rates on flights, dining and gas purchases. Its earning rates compete head-to-head with other more premium cards, so you won’t be losing out with this as a starter card. You can earn even higher returns when booking select hotels and rental cars directly through the card travel portal.
Beginners will probably also appreciate some other essential features, such as the ability to know your own due date and keep track of your credit score. These can help you stay on the path to success.
what we don’t like
There is no welcome bonus and the card requires an annual payment although it does not offer extras such as moving partners, protections or other benefits.
Who is it for?
This card is best for people with fair credit who want to earn travel rewards while improving their credit.
The Credit One Bank Wander Card provides lucrative opportunities to earn issues in primary categories; However, its additional benefits and advantages fall short compared to other premium credit cards.
If you’re steadfast with one hotel brand, getting their co-branded card can be a shortcut to elite prestige and extra rewards. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (policies apply, see rates and fees) is helping you make the most of your stay at the Hilton Hotel.
Why We Love It
Complimentary Gold Prestige with Hilton Honors™ when you own this card can transform your stay from ordinary to extraordinary. Includes benefits such as daily food and beverage credits, room upgrades based on space available, and a free fifth night in award remains. Similarly, the card provides a complimentary upgrade to National Car Rental Executive prestige after signing up for further upgrades.
The card also provides up to $50 in credits each quarter when you pay with your card at Hilton properties, saving you cash if you’re a regular traveler.
Big spenders can enjoy a few other benefits, adding a Diamond prestige boost when you spend $40,000 or more in a calendar year and an afternoon off if you spend at least $15,000 on qualifying purchases in the same period. However, even if you don’t meet those thresholds, the card still offers respectable value.
What we don’t like
Hilton trades require a giant sum of points, so the earning rates on this card may not get you as far as you think.
Who It’s Best For
This card is ideal for travelers who fly with Hilton at most or every quarter of the year to take advantage of the credits on the card.
The Hilton Surpass is a great fit for Hilton fans who don’t want to pay a high annual fee to earn points and status with their favorite hotel chain. The card’s complimentary Hilton Gold elite status and Free Night Reward after spending $15,000 on the card in a year are nice perks and the up to $200 in credits for purchases at Hilton properties each year are more than enough to offset the card’s entire annual fee on their own.
Earning enough issues for a loose flight is a lofty goal, yet the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier* credits card makes it possible, even if a amateur just learning the ropes.
Why We Like It
Those who love the southwest probably won’t need much convincing to take a close look at this map. It offers several benefits when you fly with the airline, adding two EarlyBird registrations per year, credits worth 25% of your eligible inflight purchases, and a 10,000 bonus issue toward the airline’s coveted Companion Pass, which allows holders of the pass to bring their partner only for the charge of taxes and fees each time they fly, as long as the pass is eligible.
But really, those are the things that make this card shine. New cardholders can earn 50,000 bonus issues after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. This is in addition to the issues earned through everyday spending, which adds up quickly, and a 6,000-point birthday bonus each year after the card renews. Plus, Southwest is very beginner-friendly. The airline doesn’t play around with pricing or blackout dates, making it incredibly easy to redeem rewards for your next trip.
Why we don’t like it
Southwest has a limited address network, no first class seating, and no foreign partners, which would likely mean you won’t be able to get where you need to go.
Who It’s Best For
This card is ideal for travelers to earn airline miles, particularly for traveling in the Southwest.
Forbes Advisor considered several factors when evaluating the best travel credit cards for beginners, including:
Forbes Advisor reevaluates each credit card list at least every 12 months to determine if any cards need to be added and/or removed. However, a list could be updated sooner if significant changes are made to the mentioned cards or if a new credit card is announced that’s likely to impact the category.
To learn more about our rating and review methodology and editorial process, check out our guide on how Forbes Advisor rates credit cards.
Please note: Cards on this list may not be shown in order of their star rating. The star rating is determined solely by the editorial team.
A beginner’s credit card is any card that offers rewards and/or benefits without the higher annual fees, confusing point structures, or other specialized features that might confuse someone just starting out.
Travel cards for beginners arguably offer several redemption features, adding undeniable approaches like cashback and annual payments of less than $100 per year, rather than the premium prices associated with ultra-premium travel cards. Although those are smart features for someone new. Before you travel, you’ll still find a large collection of consistent discounts that can include travel credits, better welcome offers, and payment waivers. foreign transaction.
For those looking for a starter travel credit card, it might make the most sense to consider cards that offer flexible rewards points with many redemption options or cards that earn points that can easily be turned into cold, hard cash instead of limiting yourself to airline cards or hotel cards.
When evaluating general travel credit cards, consider the following:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® card offers many beginner benefits with a moderate annual fee of $9 and five. You get five issues per dollar on purchases through Chase Travel℠, 3 issues per dollar on meals, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excludes Walmart, Target, and Retail Clubs). wholesale), 2 issues consistent with dollars in all other purchases and 1 point consistent with dollars in other purchases. You also get valuable insurance protections for rental cars, vacation cancellations, and lost luggage. However, these benefits come with a higher APR, so beginners should avoid, as much as possible, depleting the card’s balance.
This is a giveaway between the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (Rates & Fees). These are two wonderful maps for beginners. Each card uses transferable issues that can be exchanged to many useful partners; Both cards offer maximum earnings to those eligible and have similar annual fees. The selection depends on your spending habits. Can you do better with 3X on online grocery purchases and 1X on all other purchases offered with CSP? Or does a 2X plan on all eligible purchases with Venture make more sense for you?
The travel card that I propose at most for beginners is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card. It’s simple to get an above-average exchange price when booking through the Chase Travel portal. For those who need to explore travel rewards in more depth, airline and hotel moving partners will offer a way to get an exceptional price by redeeming them for chosen points you like.
The best way to maximize your credit card is to use one that aligns with your spending patterns. That will allow you to earn more rewards more quickly without having to change your lifestyle. You’ll also want to take some time to understand your card’s rewards program so you can redeem your points for maximum value. Not all redemptions are created equally, making it worth the effort to see if you can eke out a little extra utility from the same balance.
If you love to travel, getting a travel rewards credit card probably makes sense. Since travel can be an expensive budget item, it makes sense to earn rewards on these charges—and use rewards to offset them on future trips.
To review Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® card fees and charges, please refer to this page.
Most travel credit cards require good to excellent credit scores. However, generally speaking, no annual fee travel cards are typically easier to be approved for than ultra-premium travel cards with high annual fees. The Credit One Bank® Wander® American Express® Card is marketed to people with average credit.
Forbes Advisor’s list of the top credit cards for insurance offers a variety of cards that offer other types of protection. These can be helpful in saving money, but the policies may require you to carefully adhere to the stated terms and situations. You read the regulations and limitations of your policy to ensure you are protected.
When opting for a foreign travel credit card, one that has no foreign transaction fees. You’ll also want to check that the type of card you’re using is widely accepted at your destination and that any rewards you want to redeem have features with airlines or hotels that operate in that area.