Best travel rewards credit cards for beginners in 2024

If you’re interested in starting to earn points or miles and enjoying a range of redemption options, there are plenty of travel rewards credit cards to choose from, each with its own benefits. Many of them come with travel perks and protections, offer lucrative welcome bonuses to help you get started, provide access to their respective card issuer’s travel portals and let you maximize your rewards by transferring them to various airline and hotel partners. And while many of the top rewards cards have an annual fee, it’s often easy to get your money’s worth considering all the benefits they come with.

Below, CNBC Select details the best beginner travel rewards credit cards to help you get started with earning points and miles, which can be redeemed for flights, hotels, car rentals and other travel-related activities. (See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best travel rewards cards for beginners.)

Who’s this for? The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a great choice for those just starting with points and miles because of its wide range of travel benefits and redemption opportunities — and for a modest $95 annual fee.

Standout benefits: Perks include a $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, a 10% points boost on your card anniversary, auto rental collision damage waivers, baggage delay insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance and special discounts on purchases made through DoorDash, and Instacart+. You’ll also never have to worry about paying foreign transaction fees for using the card outside the U.S.

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Who’s this for? If bonus categories confuse you and you want a more straightforward earning structure, look no further than the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which gives you 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, as well as 5X miles per dollar whenever you book rental cars or hotels through Capital One Travel.

Standout benefits: This card offers a statement credit of up to $100 to cover Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® membership. There are no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees) and cardholders receive MasterRental Insurance*, Travel Assistance Services* and access to additional perks through Capital One Dining and Capital One Entertainment.

*Benefit available to accounts approved for the World Elite Mastercard product, subject to terms, conditions, and exclusions in the World Elite Mastercard Guide to Benefits. See Account Terms or Application Terms for more details. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply.

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Who’s this for? Anyone interested in a generous welcome bonus and an easy way to pick up points should consider signing up for the Citi Premier® Card, which is currently offering 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 within the first three months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.

Standout benefits: There are no transaction fees for using the card outside the U.S. You’ll also receive a $100 annual hotel savings benefit, which can be used when booking a single hotel stay of at least $500 through the Citi travel portal.

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Who’s this for? If you’re someone whose budget consists mainly of travel, dining and grocery expenses, the American Express® Gold Card might be an ideal choice.

Standout benefits: The Amex Gold Card provides a range of travel and dining benefits including up to $120 worth of Uber Cash each year ($10 per month) to put toward rides in the U.S. and dining via Uber Eats (you must add your Amex Gold Card as a payment method in the Uber app to enroll) and up to $120 worth of annual dining credits ($10 each month) when you use the card to pay for dining through participating partners like Grubhub, Milk Bar, The Cheesecake Factory and certain Shake Shack restaurants (enrollment required).

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Who’s this for? If you prefer to earn cash-back rewards rather than saving up points and miles to use for future travels, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® might be a good card to go with, especially since there’s no minimum amount required to redeem your points.

Standout benefits: Cardholders have access to travel benefits and protections such as auto rental collision damage waivers, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, travel and emergency assistance, purchase protection and extended warranty protection.

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Who’s this for? It’s never too early to start getting involved with travel rewards programs and applying for the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students is a great way to get started. It’s very beginner-friendly thanks to a straightforward points-earning structure — you’ll earn an unlimited 1.5 points for every dollar you spend.

Standout benefits: The card has no foreign transaction fees or annual fees. Additional benefits include a generous 0% intro APR for purchases for your first 15 billing cycles and for balance transfers made within the first 60 days of account opening (after, 18.24% – 28.24% variable), and complimentary monthly access to your updated FICO® Score via Bank of America’s Mobile Banking app or Online Banking features.

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Who’s this for? If your credit isn’t perfect, the Credit One Bank Wander® Card is likely one of your best options for travel spending. It earns 5X points on eligible travel, restaurants and gas purchases. In addition, you’ll earn a stunning 10X points on eligible hotels and rental cars booked through the Credit One Bank travel partner site (5X when you book and 5X when you complete the travel) and all other purchases earn 1X points.

Standout benefits: The card has no foreign transaction fees, so it’s a good option for your next overseas trip. Cardholders also enjoy automatic account reviews for credit line increase opportunities.

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Who’s this for? The Discover it Miles is an easy-to-use travel credit card with a unique welcome offer. Discover will match all the miles new cardmembers earn in their first year, meaning you’re effectively earning 3X miles everywhere for a year. For example, if you earn 30,000 miles in your first 12 months of having the card, you’ll get another 30,000 miles on top of that, and there’s no limit to how many bonus miles you can earn with this offer.

Standout benefits: Cardholders receive an intro 0% APR for 15 months on purchases and eligible balance transfers, after that a variable 17.24% to 28.24% APR applies. Eligible balance transfers qualify for an intro transfer fee of 3% of the amount of each transfer, after that the standard balance transfer fee is 5% of the the amount transferred. This card also has no foreign transaction fees.

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Who’s this for? The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card has an exceptional number of 3X-point bonus categories, including restaurants, travel, gas, transit, phone plans and popular streaming services. All other purchases earn 1X points. When you include this card’s intro bonus, that’s a lot of points you could potentially earn.

Standout benefits: The Wells Fargo Autograph Card has a 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases for new card members, after that a variable 20.24%, 25.24% or 29.99% APR applies. It also has no foreign transaction fees, cell phone coverage, roadside assistance, travel and emergency assistance and rental car damage and theft coverage (secondary).

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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers valuable travel perks and protections for a reasonable annual fee. Beyond the generous welcome bonus, you’ll be well on your way to free (or nearly free) travel in no time, as the card lets you earn elevated rewards in various useful bonus spend categories.

Rewards

• 5X points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
• 5X points per dollar on Lyft rides through Mar. 31, 2025
• 5X points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 through March 31, 2025 (max of 25,000 total points)
• 3X points per dollar on dining
• 3X points per dollar on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).
• 3X points per dollar on select streaming services.
• 2X points per dollar on all other travel purchases
• 1X points per dollar on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee

$95

Notable perks

Cardholders receive a 10% bonus every account anniversary year based on the points they’ve earned that year. To help offset the card’s annual fee, there’s an annual Chase Travel hotel credit of up to $50, which applies to hotels you book through the Chase travel site.

The Sapphire Preferred also stands out because of the exceptionally long list of insurance protections you’ll get. These coverages include:

How to redeem rewards

The biggest reason to have this card is its travel rewards. Points are worth 1.25 cents apiece when you redeem them through Chase Travel^SM so you’ll have at least $750 in travel rewards to start with after earning the 60,000-point welcome bonus. However, you can get more value when transferring your points to one of Chase’s many hotel and airline partners, such as Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, United Airlines MileagePlus, Air Canada Aeroplan, Marriott Bonvoy, IHG One Rewards and World of Hyatt. Rewards experts generally value Chase points at 2 cents each when transferred to travel partners

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The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns versatile rewards with valuable redemption options and offers convenient benefits for travelers.

Rewards

• 5X miles per dollar on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 2X miles per dollar on every other purchase

Welcome bonus

Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee

$95 (see rates and fees)

Notable perks

Cardholders can earn an application fee credit of up to $100 to cover a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® membership. This card also has no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees) and extended warranty protection*, Travel Assistance Services*, Purchase Assurance*, MasterRental Insurance*, Master RoadAssist®*, and Trip Cancellation/Interruption Coverage*

*Benefit available to accounts approved for the World Elite Mastercard product, subject to terms, conditions, and exclusions in the World Elite Mastercard Guide to Benefits. See Account Terms or Application Terms for more details. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply.

How to redeem rewards

Redeeming the miles is as easy as it is to earn them. First, you can redeem them at a fixed value of one cent per point to offset recent travel purchases or cash them in toward flights, hotels, rental cars and other travel activities through Capital One Travel. Or, to stretch the value of your miles, you can transfer them to a variety of airline and hotel partners, such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Etihad Guest, Accor Live Limitless and more.

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The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card earns transferrable miles, which is an amazing benefit to find attached to a no-annual-fee card.

Rewards

• 5X miles per dollar on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 1.25X miles on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 20,000 bonus miles once you spend $500 on purchases within three months from account opening

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

The VentureOne Rewards card has no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees), auto rental collision damage insurance, purchase protection and extended warranty protection.

Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details.

How to redeem rewards

The miles you earn with this card can be transferred to Capital One’s roster of airline and hotel partners, allowing you to potentially book expensive flights and hotel stays for fewer miles. Alternatively, you can use miles to offset recent travel purchases or toward booking flights, hotels, rental cars and other travel activities through Capital One Travel at a rate of one cent per mile.

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The Citi Premier® Card is one of the best options for earning Citi ThankYou points, which are incredibly valuable travel points.

Rewards

• 3X points at restaurants
• 3X points at supermarkets
• 3X points at gas stations
• 3X points on air travel
• 3X points at hotels
• 1X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.

Annual fee

$95

Notable perks

In addition to this card’s generous spending categories and large intro bonus, you’ll receive $100 off one hotel stay of at least $500 you book through the Citi travel portal each year. The card also has no foreign transaction fees, so you can use it abroad with no added fees.

How to redeem rewards

The points you earn with the Citi Premier Card can be redeemed for travel, gift cards or cash-back rewards through thankyou.com, online shopping via Amazon or PayPal and statement credits when shopping with eligible retail partners. Points are generally worth up to 1 cent per point on these types of redemptions, meaning 60,000 points would be worth $600.

However, you can also transfer your ThankYou points to one of Citi’s airline or hotel partners, such as Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, JetBlue TrueBlue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards. As with the other programs, you could easily double the value of your points by taking this route.

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The American Express® Gold Card offers a stellar return for several popular spending categories, as well as statement credits that can almost entirely offset its annual fee (see rates and fees). Plus, the Amex Membership Rewards points you earn with this card are incredibly valuable.

Rewards

• 4X points per dollar spent at restaurants (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.)
• 4X points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X)
• 3X points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
• 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first six months of card membership.

Annual fee

$250 (see rates and fees)

Notable perks

The Amex Gold allows cardholders to receive up to $240 in annual credits for dining ($10 a month) and Uber Cash ($10 a month). Anyone who maximizes these perks can easily justify this card’s annual fee (see rates and fees).

This card has a variety of build-in insurance coverages*, including:

• Baggage insurance (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.)
• Extended warranty (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.)
• Purchase protection (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.)
• Trip delay insurance (Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.)
• Car rental loss and damage insurance (secondary) (Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.)

* Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

Cardholders also receive access to special perks when booking stays through The Hotel Collection; Preferred Seating and exclusive access to shows, concerts and sporting events through American Express Experiences; and additional limited-time perks with SiriusXM, Panera Bread and the Entertainment® app. Terms apply.

How to redeem rewards

Membership Rewards® points can be redeemed through a variety of things, including gift cards, statement credits, travel and more, but you’ll generally only get between 0.5 cents and 1 cent in value per point this way. To get around 2 cents per point or more, you can transfer your points to American Express’ various airline and hotel loyalty program partners, such as Delta SkyMiles, British Airways Executive Club, Etihad Guest, Emirates Skywards, Avianca LifeMiles, JetBlue TrueBlue, Choice Privileges, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and more.

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The Chase Freedom Unlimited is a no-annual-fee cash-back card with generous rewards on everyday spending.

Rewards

• 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Travel
• 5% back on Lyft rides (through March 2025)
• 3% back at drugstores
• 3% back on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services)
• 1.5% on all other purchases.

Welcome bonus

Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy, on up to $20,000 spent in the first year.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

Cardholders can take advantage of a 0% intro APR for the first 15 months from account opening on new purchases and balance transfers (after, 20.49% – 29.24% variable APR). There’s an intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, on transfers made within 60 days of account opening. After that, it’s either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

The card also offers three free months of DoorDash DashPass, which comes with reduced fees (activate by Dec. 31, 2024).

How to redeem rewards

Rewards earned with this card can be redeemed for cash back, travel, gift cards and more. However, as you’re starting in the world of points and miles, you should save your rewards until you have another Chase-Ultimate Rewards-earning card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, since you’ll be able to convert the cash back into transferrable Ultimate Rewards points®, which opens up a world of redemption opportunities with the issuer’s 14 airline and hotel partners.

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The Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students stands out for its generous return on everyday purchases, which compares favorably to many standard non-student travel cards.

Rewards

• 1.5X points on all purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 25,000 points after spending $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

New card members receive an intro 0% APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases and eligible balance transfers, after that a variable 18.24% to 28.24% APR applies. There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of the amount of each transaction made within 60 days of account opening. The standard balance transfer fee is 4% of the amount of each transaction.

The card also has no foreign transaction fees.

How to redeem rewards

Although the rewards earned with this card can’t be transferred to airlines or hotels, they can be redeemed in a variety of ways, including toward any flights, hotels, cruises, rental cars, vacation packages, baggage fees and dining (including takeout) you’ve used the card to pay for. Points have a fixed rate of one cent per point.

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If you’re credit needs some work and you want to earn rewards while you rebuild it, you’ll have a tough time finding a better option than the Credit One Bank Wander Card.

Rewards

• 10X points on eligible hotels and rental cars you book through the Credit One Bank travel partner site
• 5X points on eligible travel, dining and gas purchases
• 1X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

None

Annual fee

$95

Notable perks

This card has no foreign transaction fees and offers travel accident insurance.

How to redeem rewards

The points you earn are worth one cent each which means you’ll get 5% to 10% back on lots of common travel purchases. You can redeem the points for cash back, gift cards and more.

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The Discover it Miles card packs a lot of value into a no-annual-fee travel card and offers a unique welcome bonus.

Rewards

• 1.5X miles per dollar on every purchase

Welcome bonus

Discover will match the miles you earn during the first year with no limit on how much you can earn.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

The Discover it Miles card has no foreign transaction fees and new cardholders can take advantage of an introductory 0% APR offer for 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers, then a 17.24% to 28.24% variable APR (3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% balance transfer fee on future transfers, see terms).

How to redeem rewards

The miles you earn with the Discover it Miles card function like cash-back rewards. You can redeem them for statement credits, bank deposits or use them to offset travel purchases. These miles are worth one cent each regardless of how you redeem them.

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The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is loaded with valuable features and generous bonus spending categories, especially for a credit card with no annual fee.

Rewards

• 3X points at restaurants
• 3X points on travel
• 3X points at gas stations
• 3X points on popular streaming services
• 3X points on transit
• 3X points on phone plans
• 1X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

Cardholders enjoy cell phone protection when they pay their monthly cell phone bill with the card. This coverage has a $25 deductible and covers up to $600 per claim, with a maximum of two claims per year.

The card has a handful of travel protections that could be useful such as rental car theft and damage coverage (secondary), roadside dispatch and travel and emergency assistance. Plus, the card has no foreign transaction fees making it useful when overseas.

How to redeem rewards

You can redeem Wells Fargo points for travel, gift cards, statement credits and more at a value of one cent per point. However, with the Wells Fargo Autograph Card, you also have the option to transfer points to any of Wells Fargo’s travel partners, including British Airways, Iberia, Air France/KLM and Choice Hotels.

Being able to transfer points is an amazing perk for a no-annual-fee travel credit card and can dramatically boost the value of the rewards you earn. For example, you could redeem 34,000 points for $340 in cash rewards or you could transfer 34,000 points to Iberia and book a one-way off-peak business class award from several U.S. cities to Spain, a flight that could cost several thousand dollars.

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Keep in mind that card issuers usually require you to have good credit or excellent credit (scores above 670). Therefore, it’s key to check your credit score before applying for your first travel rewards card.

Also, credit card issuers will be looking closely at the number of cards you currently have or have recently applied for. Chase in particular is known for its strict 5/24 rule, which prevents anyone who has applied for five cards within the last 24 months from being approved for a new one with them, so be aware that you may be rejected for that reason.

Finally, it’s a good idea to do the math and make sure you’ll be able to use enough of your desired card’s included benefits to rationalize paying its annual fee, especially if it’s a steep one. As always, keep an eye on your budget to ensure you can hit any minimum-spending requirements responsibly and stay on top of your credit score to get a more realistic idea of where you’ll stand in terms of approval.

With a little planning and thoughtful spending — especially if your chosen credit card earns extra rewards points for certain categories of expenses such as dining, travel, grocery shopping or gas purchases — you could be well on your way toward enjoying a well-deserved vacation with most or all of your flights, hotels or car rentals covered by flexible, transferable points and miles thanks to travel rewards credit cards.

Alternatively, if you’re a stickler for status and prefer to only fly with certain airlines or stay at specific hotel chains, it might be worth adding an airline credit card or hotel credit card. Instead of providing transferable rewards points for you to redeem with several travel partners, this kind of card would let you rack up rewards through the brand’s loyalty program, climb the status ladder and have access to special perks such as late check-out, early check-in, complimentary breakfast or room upgrades.

Just remember that rewards credit cards often require good or excellent credit (scores above 670), so check your credit score before applying for one of these cards.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best beginner travel rewards credit cards.

To determine which travel rewards cards offer the best value for beginners, CNBC Select analyzed over 250 major credit cards issued through FDIC-insured banks and NCUA-insured credit unions that are widely available in the U.S.  

We compared each card on a range of features, including rewards (e.g., cash back, points and miles), annual fees, welcome bonuses, introductory and standard APR and balance transfer fees and foreign transaction fees. We also considered additional perks (e.g., ongoing travel or merchant statement credits), cardholder protections (e.g., purchase protection, $0 liability protection and travel insurance), the application process when available (e.g., is there a credit pull or required credit score) and how easy it is to redeem points (e.g., are rewards are tied to a specific brand; if transferable, to how many/which partners, can you redeem for straight cashback). 
 
We also considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.  

For the cards that offered a rewards program, we considered consumer spending data forecasts from location intelligence firm Esri to determine where U.S. consumers are spending the most money, like on dining and travel. We used this to help determine what bonus categories are most useful for consumers. Since the value of a point or mile varies based on what they can be redeemed for, we also considered things like transferability and the ability to redeem for cash-back. 

When choosing the best travel cards, we focused on relevant features, like cards that charge no foreign transaction fees, are widely accepted internationally and provide consumers with bonus rewards on travel spending. We prioritized cards that offered the strongest returns on travel purchases, but also considered additional perks that may be useful when traveling, such as travel protections, baggage allowances, airport lounge access and elite status benefits. 

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Information about the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/ benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.