The Best No-Fee Travel Credit Cards

Posted: 3/16/23 | March sixteenth, 2023

One of many best methods to save cash touring is by
travel hacking. Utilizing bank cards (responsibly) to gather factors and miles primarily transforms your on a regular basis spending into free flights, free lodge stays, and different superior journey perks.

Not solely does this stretch your journey finances however it ranges up your journey expertise, offering free upgrades, lounge entry, and far, rather more.

Whether or not you need to be on the highway for longer, take extra journeys, or just lower your expenses in your subsequent trip, factors and miles can get you there.

Nevertheless, many of the best travel credit cards have annual charges (generally big ones).

Whereas annual charges are often value it for frequent vacationers (you may get rather more worth out of a card than its annual price), should you’re new to journey hacking or don’t journey, you might need to get a no-fee card first.

And there are loads of no-fee playing cards on the market. Which one do you choose?

Right here is my checklist of the very best no-fee journey bank cards so you can begin incomes factors towards free journey right now:
 

1. The Bilt Rewards Mastercard

Definitely my favourite no-fee journey card, the Bilt Mastercard lets you earn factors while you pay your lease (in addition to on on a regular basis purchases). The cardboard is primarily geared towards vacationers and restaurant-goers because it gives 2x factors spent on journey and 3x factors on eating out.

You’ll be able to switch factors 1:1 to journey companions, together with American Airways, United, Emirates, Hawaiian, Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Hyatt, and IHG. The truth that you possibly can switch Bilt factors to American Airways actually units this card aside; no different card’s factors are transferable to American, so amassing Bilt factors is the one approach to get AA factors with out having an AA card.

Bilt additionally integrates with point.me, a helpful search and reserving engine for award flights.

With the Bilt card, you get:

• 1x factors on rental funds
• 2x factors on journey
• 3x factors on eating
• American Airways as a switch companion (it’s the one card that does)
• Lease Day advantages: month-to-month giveaways and challenges in addition to 6x factors on eating, 4x factors on journey, and 2x on all different spending on the first of the month
• Journey safety together with journey cancellation and delay
• No international transaction charges

The Bilt card is totally a no brainer for renters who like to journey. To study extra, read my full Bilt Review. It’s the card I take advantage of essentially the most proper now (particularly on lease days).

2. Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit score Card

The playing cards in Capital One’s Enterprise lineup are all incredible. Whereas the Enterprise and Enterprise X are extra well-known, they arrive with annual charges. For those who’re in search of a no-fee card, VentureOne is a superb choice. You’ll earn 1.25x factors on all purchases in addition to 5x factors on journey booked by the Capital One journey portal. Identical to the opposite Enterprise playing cards, the factors you earn with the VentureOne card can then be transferred to Capital One’s 15+ switch companions to redeem for flights and lodges.

With this card, you’ll get:

• 40,000 factors while you spend $1,000 inside 3 months of account opening
• 1.25x factors on all purchases
• 5x factors on lodges and rental vehicles booked by Capital One Journey
• Journey accident and automobile rental insurance coverage
• No international transaction charges

3. Chase Freedom Limitless

The Chase Freedom Unlimited is a good no-fee card that gives 1.5% money again on all purchases, 3% again on eating places and drugstores, and 5% money again on journey bought by Chase Final Rewards. The cardboard additionally gives journey protections like rental automobile insurance coverage and journey cancellation/delay. Nevertheless, it does cost international transaction charges, so that you don’t need to use it whereas touring overseas, solely to guide journey upfront.

Once you join this card, you’ll get:

• Earn an extra 1.5% on all purchases within the first yr (as much as $20,000)
• 1.5% money again on all purchases
• 5% money again on journey bought by Chase Final Rewards
• 3% money again on eating places and drugstores

CARDS WITH LOW FEES

If the playing cards above are a bit too fundamental in your journey hacking wants and also you need one thing extra intermediate, right here’s a fast checklist of journey bank cards with reasonably priced charges:

Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95 annual price) – 3x factors on eating, on-line grocery buy, and choose streaming companies, 2x factors on journey (5x when booked by the Chase journey portal), journey protections, and a $50 annual lodge credit score while you guide and prepay by Chase Final Rewards.

Capital One Venture ($95 annual price) – 2x factors on all purchases, 5x factors on lodges/rental vehicles booked on Capital One journey, $100 World Entry/TSA pre-check credit score, 2 airport lounge visits per yr.

Chase Ink Plus Business Preferred ($95 annual price) – For those who’re a enterprise proprietor, this card gives 3x factors per greenback on the primary $150,000 spent annually on transport, web, telephone, journey, and internet marketing, and free playing cards for workers.
 

Whereas fee-based playing cards have higher incomes buildings and journey advantages, should you’re new to the factors and miles sport, the concept of forking out for an annual price may put you off from journey playing cards solely. However should you like to journey (or need to journey extra), not accumulating factors and miles is the biggest mistake you could make.

No-fee playing cards are an amazing place to begin so as to start to work in direction of free flights and lodge stays right now, with out having to consider whether or not you’re getting sufficient worth out of the cardboard to justify the annual price.

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