The Best No-Fee Travel Credit Cards

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

One of many best methods to economize touring is by
travel hacking. Utilizing bank cards (responsibly) to gather factors and miles basically transforms your on a regular basis spending into free flights, free resort 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, way more.

Whether or not you need to be on the street 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 (typically enormous ones).

Whereas annual charges are often price it for frequent vacationers (you will get way more worth out of a card than its annual price), if you happen to’re new to journey hacking or don’t journey, chances are you’ll 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 record of one of the best no-fee journey bank cards so you can begin incomes factors towards free journey as we speak:
 

1. The Bilt Rewards Mastercard

Surely my favourite no-fee journey card, the Bilt Mastercard allows you to earn factors if you pay your hire (in addition to on on a regular basis purchases). The cardboard is primarily geared towards vacationers and restaurant-goers because it presents 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 may 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 method to get AA factors with out having an AA card.

Bilt additionally integrates with point.me, a useful 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 associate (it’s the one card that does)
• Hire 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 completely a no brainer for renters who like to journey. To be taught extra, read my full Bilt Review. It’s the card I exploit essentially the most proper now (particularly on hire 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 searching for a no-fee card, VentureOne is a wonderful possibility. You’ll earn 1.25x factors on all purchases in addition to 5x factors on journey booked via 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 resorts.

With this card, you’ll get:

• 40,000 factors if you spend $1,000 inside 3 months of account opening
• 1.25x factors on all purchases
• 5x factors on resorts and rental automobiles booked via Capital One Journey
• Journey accident and automotive rental insurance coverage
• No international transaction charges

3. Chase Freedom Limitless

The Chase Freedom Unlimited is a superb no-fee card that provides 1.5% money again on all purchases, 3% again on eating places and drugstores, and 5% money again on journey bought via Chase Final Rewards. The cardboard additionally presents journey protections like rental automotive 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 e-book journey prematurely.

Whenever you join this card, you’ll get:

• Earn a further 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 via Chase Final Rewards
• 3% money again on eating places and drugstores

CARDS WITH LOW FEES

If the playing cards above are a bit of too fundamental on your journey hacking wants and also you need one thing extra intermediate, right here’s a fast record of journey bank cards with inexpensive 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 via the Chase journey portal), journey protections, and a $50 annual resort credit score if you e-book and prepay via Chase Final Rewards.

Capital One Venture ($95 annual price) – 2x factors on all purchases, 5x factors on resorts/rental automobiles 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 presents 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 constructions and journey advantages, if you happen to’re new to the factors and miles recreation, the thought of forking out for an annual price may put you off from journey playing cards completely. However if you happen to like to journey (or need to journey extra), not amassing factors and miles is the biggest mistake you could make.

No-fee playing cards are an excellent place to start out to be able to start to work in direction of free flights and resort stays as we speak, 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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