Since it was first released, the Chase Sapphire Reserve has been a nearly perfect travel card, combining a generous 3x bonus travel category that included just about anything travel-related you could think of with the best on-the-go protections on the planet.
That is, until recently.
In late June, the card was “refreshed and relaunched,” with a rogues’ gallery of random coupons accompanying a massive $795 annual fee. Confusingly, at the same time that the annual fee on this supposed “travel” card started flirting with $800/year, it also lost the all-inclusive travel category that had previously made it such a no-brainer. Now, the card earns 4x on flights and hotels, but just 1x on any other kind of travel.
That got us thinking…is there a new favorite for “all-around” travel card? A set-it-and-forget-it stalwart that bonuses most things you might spend on during travel with protections that make you feel secure that you’ll be covered if something goes awry?
Nick and Greg took a stab at this very question a couple of weeks ago on an episode of Frequent Miler on the Air. This post aims to tackle the same question. We’ll cover the credit cards that they discussed, add a couple of others into the mix, and discuss the pros and cons of each option. It isn’t meant to be a definitive list, but rather astarting point for folks looking for a one-card solution. It’s also worth noting that, for many folks (including me), the best path is a combination of multiple cards.
Best “All-Around” Travel Credit Cards
American Express Green
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $424 1st Yr Value EstimateClick to learn about first year value estimates 40K points ⓘFriend-ReferralThis is a friend-referral offer. A member of the Frequent Miler community may earn a referral bonus if you are approved for this offer 40K after $3K spend in first 6 months. Terms apply. See Rates & Fees$150 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Recent better offer: 60K after $3K spend in first 6 months + 20% off travel and transit purchases for first 6 months. [Expired 8/21/23] FM Mini Review: This card is worth considering as your go-to travel card, but only if you value its CLEAR credit. Also note that Amex cards continue to have limited acceptance in many international destinations. Click here for our complete card review Earning rate: ✦ 3X on travel & transit (including flights, hotels, taxis, and rideshares) ✦ 3X dining ✦ 1X points on other purchases. Terms apply. See Card Info: Amex Pay Over Time Card issued by American Express. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: $209 CLEAR® credit annually Terms Apply. |
- 3x travel and transit category includes: Airfare, hotels, tours, campgrounds, car rentals, cruises, vacation rentals, 3rd party travel sites, trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways (up to $150K spend/year)
- Insurance: Secondary car rental, 12-hour trip delay, baggage insurance.
The Amex Green now, somewhat oddly, has one of the most expansive 3x travel categories around. It breaks out “travel” and “transit” for some reason, but both are 3x, so there’s really no difference. The usual suspects are included, along with pretty much everything else that you can think of: campgrounds, cruises, ferries, rideshare, parking, tours, etc. It would be hard NOT to get 3x when using this card for travel expenses.
It’s not quite travel nirvana, though, as the travel protections are fairly mediocre. Rental car insurance is secondary; trip delay kicks in after 12 hours and has a relatively small $300 maximum (although there’s another $500-$1250 if your bags are lost).
- Pros: Incredibly broad travel category that makes it easy to get 3x on almost anything related to travel.
- Cons: Travel protections are somewhat lackluster.
US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa (no longer available new)
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $-400 1st Yr Value EstimateClick to learn about first year value estimates Not accepting applications This card is not currently available.$400 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. FM Mini Review: With points worth 1.5 cents each towards travel, this card offers an excellent signup bonus. For ongoing use, this card is a winner for those who spend a lot on mobile payments (at 3X, rewards are worth 4.5%) Click here for our complete card review Earning rate: 5x prepaid hotel & car rental through Altitude Rewards Center ✦ 3X travel and mobile wallet payments Card Info: Visa Infinite issued by US Bank. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: $325 in travel/dining credits per membership year ✦ Points worth 1.5 cents each towards travel ✦ Real Time Mobile Rewards (redeem points at full value at time of purchase) ✦ Priority Pass Select airport lounge access (8 per year) ✦ Primary car rental coverage ✦ No foreign transaction fees ✦ Free authorized user cards |
- 3x travel category includes: airlines, hotels, car rental companies, taxis, limousines, passenger trains, and cruise line companies.
- Missing: Ferries, parking.
- Insurance: Primary car rental, 6-hour trip delay, $10K emergency evacuation, but no luggage delay or medical/dental.
Even though it’s no longer available new, the US Bank Altitude Reserve card deserves mention, as it’s a common sight in the wallets of many pointers and milers.
The Altitude Reserve has a broad 3x travel category that includes taxis, trains, and cruises. Additionally, its other 3x category is “mobile wallet payments,” which includes all payments made with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. This feature can turn almost any purchase into a 3x bonus, provided you can pay using a mobile wallet.
The travel protections are good overall, with primary rental car insurance, 6-hour trip delay protection, and a $10K emergency evacuation benefit. The only things missing are luggage delay and medical/dental.
There are still two big problems. The first is that the card is no longer available new, so if you’re not already on the wagon, you’re not getting a ride anytime soon. Worse for current cardholders, US Bank has announced a major devaluation of points redemptions starting in December of this year. Points earned will go from being worth 1.5 cents each towards travel purchases, all the way down to 1 cent. That effectively reduces the 3x travel and mobile wallet categories from being worth 4.5% towards travel to being worth 3%.
US Bank says that it will be adding the ability to transfer to travel partners soon. If it does that well, this card could regain much of its luster.
- Pros: Earning 3x anywhere that takes mobile wallets is tough to beat, especially when combined with a fairly broad travel category. Travel protections are very good.
- Cons: No longer available new. Travel redemptions are about to be devalued by 33%.
Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $450 1st Yr Value Estimate$300 airline incidental fee credit valued at $210, $150 lifestyles conveniences credit valued at $120 Click to learn about first year value estimates 75K points Non-AffiliateThis is NOT an affiliate offer. We always present the best offer even when it means less revenue for Frequent Miler 75K (worth up to $750) after $5K spend in 90 days$550 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. FM Mini Review: With $100K+ invested with BOA / Merrill Edge or Merrill Lynch, you would earn 3.5X travel & dining and 2.62X everywhere else. With the 20% discount on flights booked via the BOA Travel Center, this card effectively earns 4.375% on travel & dining and 3.28% back everywhere else when used toward flights for those with Platinum Honors status. Earning rate: ✦ 2X travel and dining ✦ 1.5X everywhere else Base: 1.5% Travel: 2% Flights: 2% Hotels: 2% Dine: 2% Card Info: Visa Infinite issued by Bank of America. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: $300 annual airline incidentals fee reimbursement ✦ $150 lifestyle conveniences reimbursement (streaming services, food delivery, fitness subscriptions and rideshare services) ✦ $100 Airport Security Statement Credit towards TSA Pre✓ ® or Global Entry Application fee, every four years ✦ Up to four Priority Pass Select accounts ✦ Up to 75% bonus for Preferred Rewards banking customers ✦ 20% discount when redeeming points for domestic or international airfare in any cabin class through Bank of America Travel Center or concierge |
- 2x travel category includes: airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, trailer parks, motor home and recreational vehicle rentals, campgrounds, car rental agencies, truck and trailer rental, cruise lines, travel agencies, tour operators and real estate agents, operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, boat rentals, parking lots and garages, tolls and bridge fees, tourist attractions and exhibits like art galleries, amusement parks, carnivals, circuses, aquariums, zoos and the like.
- 2x category can become up to 3.5x if qualified for Preferred Honors
- Insurance: Primary car rental, 6-hour trip delay, trip cancellation, baggage delay, lost luggage, $100K emergency evacuation.
This is a card that we probably don’t talk about enough. It has an attractive welcome offer, $450 worth of relatively-useful credits, and one of the best Priority Pass subscriptions out there. There’s effectively nothing you could do while traveling that isn’t part of the bonus category, and the travel protections are top-notch.
However, you might have noticed that the travel category bonus is 2x, not 3x. Points earned have a 25% uplift when booking travel through BoA, so theoretically, that can get boosted up to 2.5x as a result. Still, more siesta than fiesta.
The fun really starts if you can get Bank of America Platinum Honors, which requires you to have at least $100K in cash and/or investment deposits on hand with BOA/Merrill. Once you have it, you get a 75% earning boost on the credit card, taking that 2x category to 3.5x, or 4.375% if you use the points for travel on the portal.
- Pros: Near top-of-class travel protections. One of the best Priority Pass memberships is offered with a credit card. Excellent returns if you have Platinum Honors with Bank of America. Probably the most complete travel category around.
- Cons: Only earns a 2x bonus unless you have $100K with BOA/Merrill. Greater than 1 cent per point redemptions are limited to the (often overpriced) BoA travel portal. Although the credits are easy-ish to use, they still require some effort.
Bank of America Premium Rewards
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $531 1st Yr Value Estimate$100 airline incidental fee credit valued at $90 Click to learn about first year value estimates 60K points Non-AffiliateThis is NOT an affiliate offer. 60K points (worth up to $600) after $4K spend in 90 days$95 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. FM Mini Review: This card has best-in-class earnings for those with $100K+ invested with BOA. With that level of investment, you would earn 3.5X travel & dining and 2.62X everywhere else. Earning rate: ✦ 2X travel and dining ✦ 1.5X everywhere else Base: 1.5% Travel: 2% Flights: 2% Hotels: 2% Dine: 2% Card Info: Visa Signature issued by Bank of America. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: ✦ $100 annual airline incidentals fee reimbursement ✦ $100 Airport Security Statement Credit towards TSA Pre✓ ® or Global Entry Application fee, every four years ✦ Up to 75% bonus for Preferred Rewards banking customers |
- 2x travel category includes: airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, trailer parks, motor home and recreational vehicle rentals, campgrounds, car rental agencies, truck and trailer rental, cruise lines, travel agencies, tour operators and real estate agents, operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, boat rentals, parking lots and garages, tolls and bridge fees, tourist attractions and exhibits like art galleries, amusement parks, carnivals, circuses, aquariums, zoos and the like.
- 2x category can become up to 3.5x if qualified for Preferred Honors
- Insurance: Secondary car rental, 12-hour trip delay, trip cancellation, baggage delay, lost luggage, and emergency evacuation.
This is the lower-cost sibling to the Premium Rewards Elite and has the exact same earnings structure for the bargain price of only $95/year.
However, you also lose the 25% uplift when booking travel through the portal (so points are only worth 1 cent each), the Priority Pass for you and four friends, and have somewhat degraded travel protections.
- Pros: Excellent returns if you have Platinum Honors with Bank of America. Probably the most complete travel category around.
- Cons: Only earns a 2x bonus unless you have $100K with BOA/Merrill. Points are only worth 1 cent each. Travel protections are good for a $95 card, but don’t provide what some other cards on this list do.
Capital One Venture X
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $950 1st Yr Value Estimate$300 travel credit valued at $265 Click to learn about first year value estimates 75K Miles ⓘFriend-ReferralThis is a friend-referral offer. A member of the Frequent Miler community may earn a referral bonus if you are approved for this offer 75k miles after $4k spend within first 3 months. $395 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Recent better offer: Expired 3/14/22: 100K after $10K spend in 6 months + $200 credit for vacation rental spend in first year FM Mini Review: This card offers annual rebates that easily mitigate the fee for those who travel often. Authorized users are free and also get access to perks like Priority Pass, Capital One Lounges and more. The card earns 2 "miles" per dollar on most purchases just like the Capital One Venture Rewards card, which are worth exactly 1 cent each toward travel. This makes the return on most spend similar to a 2% cash back card (though in this case you must redeem your miles to offset travel in order to get 1 cent per mile). One huge advantage over cash back: Capital One allows transfering their "miles" to airline miles & hotel points. Click here for our complete card review Earning rate: 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel ✦ 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals booked via Capital One travel. ✦ 2X miles everywhere else. Card Info: Visa Infinite issued by Capital One. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: $300 annual credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel ✦ 10,000 bonus miles each year starting at first anniversary ✦ Up to $120 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® ✦ Capital One Lounge access ✦ Priority Pass membership (lounges only) after enrollment ✦ Cell phone insurance ✦ Trip insurance ✦ Primary CDW coverage ✦ Redeem miles for travel at value of 1 cent per mile ✦ Convert "miles" to airline miles & hotel points |
- 2x everywhere.
- Insurance: Primary car rental, 6-hour trip delay, trip cancellation, baggage delay, lost luggage, travel accident.
What the heck is this card doing here!?! It doesn’t even have bonus categories (outside of booking travel through the Capital One Portal. However, it still earns the same multiplier as the previous BOA cards, but with the additional value of the points being transferable to airline and hotel partners (and you don’t have to park $100K with C1)
The card comes with a $300 annual rebate on travel purchased through Capital One Travel, as well as a 10,000-mile bonus every year on your cardholder anniversary. That’s enough for me to consider mine fee-neutral, and you get all of the lounge access and travel protections thrown in.
Is it sexy? Not in the least. But it’s functional. This would probably be my preferred choice from the list if I didn’t have Platinum Honors with Bank of America.
- Pros: A Visa card that earns 2x transferable points everywhere with no foreign transaction fees. Factoring in the $300 travel credit and 10,000-mile anniversary bonus, effectively a low- or no-fee card. Excellent travel protections, including primary rental car insurance.
- Cons: A notch below the protections offered by Chase’s best cards or the Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite. No bonus categories.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
 ⓘ $717 1st Yr Value Estimate$50 airline credit valued at $40 Click to learn about first year value estimates 60K points Non-AffiliateThis is NOT an affiliate offer. 60K after $4,000 spend in first 3 months.$95 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. Earning rate: 5X hotels ✦ 4X airlines ✦ 3X restaurants & other travel ✦ 1X everywhere else Card Info: Visa Signature issued by Wells Fargo. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: $50 annual statement credit with $50 minimum airline purchase ✦ Trip cancellation / interruption protection ✦ Cell phone protection ($25 deductible, $1000 max per claim) ✦ Transfer points to select airline & hotel programs |
- 5x at hotels, 4x when booking direct with airlines
- 3x travel category includes: Timeshares, vehicle/auto rental, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, and campgrounds.
- 3x dining
- Insurance: Secondary car rental, travel accident, lost baggage, trip cancellation, but no trip delay.
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey has some terrific travel categories for a $95 card, most notably 5x at hotels. The broader 3x travel category covers most things that you’d like to see; it’s not quite the equal of Bank of America, but there’s not a lot that’s going to fall through the cracks.
The biggest downside of Wells Fargo is that, currently, its portfolio of transfer partners is by far the most limited of all of the major issuers. In addition, car rental insurance is secondary, and there’s no coverage for trip or bag delay.
- Pros: Great 3x travel category, especially when factoring in 5x on hotels. Points earned are transferable, but…
- Cons: …Wells Fargo has an extremely limited portfolio of transfer partners, which can limit the utility of the points when compared to other issuers. Average-to-mediocre travel protections.
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Wells Fargo Autograph
Card Offer and Details 
ⓘ $263 1st Yr Value EstimateClick to learn about first year value estimates20K points Non-AffiliateThis is NOT an affiliate offer.20K after $1,000 spend in first 3 months.No Annual FeeInformation about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy.Earning rate: 3X travel & transit, gas, phone plans (wireless and landline) and streaming servicesCard Info: Visa Signature issued by Wells Fargo. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees.Noteworthy perks: Cell phone protection ($25 deductible, $600 max per claim) ✦ Transfer points to select airline & hotel programs- 3x travel category includes: Airlines, hotel/motel, timeshare, or vehicle/auto rental, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, and campgrounds. Transit: passenger railway, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, parking lots and garages.
- Insurance: Secondary car rental, no other travel protections.
The no-annual-fee counterpart to the Autograph Journey has the same terrific travel categories and adds a transit category, but loses the elevated earnings on hotels and airlines. The travel protections are also fairly dismal, with only secondary car rental insurance on offer.
- Pros: Great 3x travel category. Points earned are transferable, but…
- Cons: …Wells Fargo has an extremely limited portfolio of transfer partners. No travel protections outside of secondary car rental insurance.
What are we missing?
There are many people for whom the best answer for travel spending is a combination of multiple cards…and that combination may change according to situation, travel habits, and other factors.
I’m currently on a multiple-country, four-week international trip. I paid for flights and a couple of hotel charges with my Sapphire Reserve and am splitting all other expenses between my Citi Strata Premier and Citi Strata Elite in order to use credits and take advantage of Citi’s terrific returns on portal bookings, good 3x categories, and 1.5x ThankYou Points everywhere with no foreign transaction fees. But that mix might look different for me next time.
Many folks don’t want to mess around with switching between credit cards at home, let alone while travelling. If that’s you, this post is hopefully a good place to start in figuring out which credit card would be best, given your priorities.
Are there other cards that turn travel into copious rewards and provide good protections, but that we don’t have listed above? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll add it!
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Tim, Thank You………………..for breathing life back into this Website!!!
I feel like Amex needs to be heavily discounted as an option on this list since international acceptance is spotty. Even if you have the Green, you have to have a backup MC or Visa while traveling abroad.
And I personally don’t think it’s worth $150 when the insurance and perks are so lackluster. I would take the no-fee Autograph any day for an all-around travel card that I can reliably use on vacation (while booking flights on a card with travel protections). It even worked to purchase JR Shinkansen tickets online when CSR failed because Chase doesn’t support 3D Secure for some reason.
Indeed. Amex’ entire card line-up looks like it’s on injured reserve. The Platinum is a coupon-clipping lounge-access-only card that gets virtually no spend from me. The EDP and BBP need to be uncapped 2X with no foreign transaction fees . . . or it is Capital One Venture / Spark Miles for me.
Maybe I just had bad luck and I REALLY like the card, but Capital One made it a COMPLETE pain in the ass to use my card while traveling abroad, insisting not only on 2FA but also that it MUST be via text message (not email).
Problem is, when I am gone for over a week, I use a local SIM card in my phone. That left me with the choice of (1) activating my USA SIM card and being hit with a $10 charge from Verizon OR (2) using a different card.
…it wasn’t a tough choice and my VentureX was confined to the room safe for the rest of my trip.
Other items can use WhatsApp for 2FA, why Cap1 cannot is just a PIA.
Can you use something like a Google Voice number?
I haven’t had problems with Capital One because I have an international phone plan. It is Citi that drives me crazy because they are one of the few banks that still asks for a travel notification and then promptly ignores it and declines either the first or second transaction I make internationally. And often the notification doesn’t come until 5-10 minutes later, long after I have left the store. I have gotten where I try to use my Premier card for a couple of small purchases as soon as I arrive so I can validate it and be able to use it for bigger purchases later in the trip.
Can confirm they accept Google voice.
Tim, I thought this was a good analysis of these cards, one clarification I would add to the Altitude Reserve card, those travel related bonus categories are only when charged in the US. I somehow missed or forgot that and found out the hard way.
For me, a good travel card should help you earn the most mile, have great transfer partners to help you enjoy those miles, and add value to the places you travel to.
The Amex Gold Card does all three. The earnings of 4x on groceries and restaurants is huge for us, it is our biggest spending each month earning thousands of points and 3x on airline purchases is respectable.
The transfer partners selection is very nice, especially with both Hilton and Marriott, you can reserve a room almost anywhere in the world (although we prefer Hyatt).
The “coupon” credits can help with Uber transfers from the airport / train station, any city you travel to will have a Resy restaurant to enjoy a good meal while using the Resy credit, pick up a sandwich or appetizer from a GrubHub restaurant near us, and the Dunkin credit can help you enjoy a morning coffee while traveling.
The Amex Gold helps you earn and burn for travel, along with Ubering and dining when you do.
And as for the annual fee of $325, after using the $100 Resy, $100 Uber, $100 Grub hub (I think the Uber eats and Grub hub menus are usually 10% to 15% higher), you now have a card with a $25 annual fee….. if you use the DD credit, it may pay you to carry it.
3x on foreign purchases for Atmos Visa infinite is worth an analysis for those who travel a lot… outside of the US.
Yep, this card will now be my go-to for all international trips. So nice to not have to worry about what a purchase codes as while on vacation.
Would love to see a comparison just of the travel insurance/protection as I think that is likely to outweigh the ±1%
Here you go.
That link is missing the Citi Strata Elite and the BofA cards, including the new Atmos Summit. Feels ripe for an update…
I think the easy answer here is the Strata Premier. Sure its 3x travel category isn’t as wide as those above, but what it does have is 3x on restaurants, gas, and grocery as well. Three things people spend a lot of money on every day and while on vacation. Plus I would personally argue TYP has the best suite of transfer partners as well.
For now, I will stick with CSR, but I see myself downgrading my Amex Gold to Amex Green and shifting away from CSR. I am a heavy travel person and CSR was my go to card. I am so disappointed by the changes.
I am also exhausted by the coupons. Instacart and DoorDash is a f/t job. My orders aren’t delivered and/or ice cream is melted. Maybe Instacart will improve with the new CEO. The old one was horrible.
This post is next to useless. It is basically a shilling for credit cards, no analysis or anything.
We all wait for your article that does provide analysis. Until then, as Tim noted, this survey list of travel cards will raise awareness and lead readers to assess which might be the best for their own circumstances.
Hmmm…sorry you didn’t appreciate the analysis, but there is some for each card, as well as listed pros and cons. What questions did you have that weren’t answered?
In terms of “shilling” for credit cards, there’s not a single card listed in this post that we have an affiliate link for, so we can’t make a dime off of any of them. But maybe you meant something different by “shilling?”
Ink Preferred? Tim you expecting a nerf of that card and don’t want to update the post in the future?
I do expect a nerf, but that wasn’t why it was left out. I was only including personal cards, primarily because most business cards’ travel protections don’t cover personal travel within the US (or whatever your country of residence is).
That said, everyone wants to see the CIBP and CSP in here, so I’ll add them. We always give the people what they want. 😉
I understand that this is a business card and hence does not feature in the original article. On the other hand, since we are talking about it …
I find myself using it a lot for overseas hotel expenses, where I am more likely to book non-chain hotels (Chase and Citi travel portals are not beating direct-with-hotel for me). Also, trains and car services … All of which is to wonder:
What do you mean when you say “I do expect a nerf”? I seem to have missed the start of this conversation.
I think he means remove benefits… or at least complicate them… such as Bonvoy, CSR… and well, almost everyone.
I think transfer partners and Travel insurance are personal important considerations – the Chase UA Quest is actually probably one of the best branded cards for insurance and annual card benefits (SFO is our closest major Int’l Transit HuB)
We personally value UR over MR (we have kinda of hit a wall with large MR earnings ( empty-nesters in our 50s and i have a fraction of the business spend I had pre-C19 so ABP/NLL is one of the few/ only paths for 6 figure MR SUBs thats still an option and jr seems like Rakuten has really slowed the earning and multipliers.
The Quest is a great card for protections if you’re ok with earning UA miles!
In the Branded card realm for $250 (next renewal $350) – in 2023 we only had CIP/Quest/USB AR/VenX and Amex Plats) and the Quest kinda of shocked me as it matched many of the important Ultra-prem protections (plus a rarity 4 x $50 roadside -gas/tire change/lock out – but haven’t used roadside in years) – actually used insurance on our month in the EU last fall.
But now we have a multitude of choices CSR/CSP/CIP/USB AR/VenX and in Sept we will PC a Bonvoy to a RC. Will likely stick with CSR/RC for most important travel bookings. The CIP can be fine if its truly a business trip – IIRC that is part of the T&Cs
The Autograph Journey doesn’t get 3x on Transit, only the Autograph does.
You’re correct. Most, including Greg and Nick on their podcast a few weeks ago, assume the travel/transit categories are interchangeable between the no-fee Autograph and Autograph Journey when they’re not.
I see the “teaser” subject line, but i don’t see a final set of recommendations.
Did I miss the answer ?
There isn’t a definitive answer, Tim just listed several cards that are good travel cards. I think CSP and Citi strata premier could also be included on this list.
He does mention the venture X would probably be his choice if he didn’t have 100k parked with BofA. So I guess it’s the Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite for Tim. For me it’s the venture X however it really depends on the individual.
Ivan’s correct, this isn’t meant to provide an answer, but give some ideas. I don’t only use one card for travel, but break it up over 2-3. But not everyone wants to do that (which was part of the appeal of the old CSR). If I were going to pick JUST one card, I’d probably do the Venture X for the combination of net no-annual-fee, everywhere 2x, good insurance and travel benefits, and transferability.
While 2X everywhere does sound nice on paper, the fact that C1 lacks domestic partners and has no path to 1cpp cash-out (it’s nice to have this option) makes it less desirable than other transferable currencies.
For me it’s the venture X. The card pays for itself without any silly coupons and provides priority pass and cap one lounge access.
Most of my spend will be chasing subs so I won’t need to pay for flights and hotels. After I cancel my amex platinum next year the X will be my only premium card.