Advertiser Disclosure
The credit card, banking, and other financial offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us – for example, when you click a link, are approved for a product, or open an account. This compensation may influence how and where offers appear on the site, including the order in which they appear on category pages. It does not influence our evaluations, ratings, or opinions, which are ours alone. We do not include every bank, credit card company, or offer available in the marketplace.
A clear verdict on each bank, card, app, and service, with the costs, the catches, and who it fits. Know whether to sign up before you do.
Open the Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard® if you’ll use its yearly upgrade, lounge pass, and companion coupon. Bought with points, the upgrade and lounge pass alone would take at least 4,000 a year. If you won’t use them, the no-fee Amtrak Guest Rewards Mastercard still earns points on every Amtrak fare.
Open the Princess® Rewards Visa® Card before your next Princess cruise. Spending $1,000 in the first 90 days earns 20,000 bonus points, worth $200 in onboard credit. After that, it pays just 1 point per $1 on dining and gas, while some no-annual-fee cards pay 3, with points worth a cent either way.
Open the Holland America Line Rewards Visa® Card if you have a Holland America cruise coming up, since its 20,000-point bonus is worth a $200 onboard credit once you spend $1,000 in 90 days. For everyday use, pick a no-annual-fee general travel card instead, because this card pays just 1 point per $1 outside Holland America.
Carry the Best Western Rewards® Visa Signature® Card only if you already stay at Best Western several times a year. The no-fee card’s points and Gold status pay off at Best Western hotels, so if you split your stays among chains, pick a general travel card whose points work at any hotel.
Open the Priceline VIP Rewards™ Visa® Card if you book most of your hotels, rental cars, and flights on Priceline. It earns 5 points per dollar on those bookings, worth 5% back, with no annual fee. If you book direct or use other booking sites, skip it, since everything outside Priceline earns just 1 or 2 points per dollar.
Get Navy Federal’s Flagship Premier Visa Signature® Card if you’re a member who spends at least $100 a year with airlines. Its $100 airline credit covers the $95 annual fee, and the card earns 4 points per dollar on travel and 3 on dining. If you rarely travel, a no-fee card nets you more than this one does.
Get the Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card if you pay for five or more Wyndham hotel nights a year. Those nights earn a 15,000-point bonus, and each card anniversary adds another. Spend one bonus on a stay that would cost more than $95 in cash, and it covers the annual fee.
Open the IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card if you or your employees stay at IHG hotels for work, since automatic Platinum status and a yearly free night can outweigh its $200 fee. If you stay only a few nights a year, the personal IHG Premier card gives you the same free night for $150 instead of $200.
Open the World of Hyatt® Business Credit Card if your employees stay at Hyatt for work. Two Hyatt charges of $50 or more a year cut its $199 fee to an effective $99, and you can give five employees elite status. If you’re the only one staying, pick the personal World of Hyatt card for its yearly free night.
Get the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card if you stay at IHG hotels and will use the free night it gives you each year, good at hotels costing up to 50,000 points. Use it on a room that would cost more than $150 in cash, and that night alone covers the annual fee.
End of content
End of content
