Travel rewards credit cards entice new cardholders with flashy welcome offers and waived annual fees during the first year. They can also help you beat rising travel costs due to inflation.
However, many premium rewards cards on the market also offer ongoing travel benefits. These perks include not only things such as airport lounge access and Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee reimbursements but also annual statement credits toward travel purchases. These can be especially useful for things like stays at boutique hotels that aren’t part of a major loyalty program or even when using ride-hailing apps to get from your hotel back to the airport.
Credit card travel credits can vary from a flat $300 per year for a wide variety of travel purchases — as you get with the Chase Sapphire Reserve — to up to $200 specifically for non-ticket airline incidentals on your selected carrier with The Platinum Card® from American Express per calendar year (enrollment is required).
In this guide, we’ll walk through which credit cards have annual travel credits and how flexible they are for hotels, flights and everything in between.
Overview of credit cards with annual travel credits
There are multiple credit cards with annual travel credits. These credits can help to offset portions of a trip where you must pay cash.
However, the rules for using these credits can vary by card. Let’s take a look at the amount of credit you can receive on each card and its welcome bonus before digging into the details of what you can and can’t use these credits for each year.
| Card | Annual travel credit | Welcome offer/sign-up bonus | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Express® Gold Card | Up to $120 in Uber Cash for U.S. services (up to $10 credit each month) per calendar year. The card must be added in the Uber app to receive Uber Cash benefit. Enrollment is required for select benefits. | 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your card within the first six months of card membership. Terms apply. | $250 (see rates and fees). |
| Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card | Up to $100 in annual statement credit for airline incidental fees. | 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first 90 days from account opening. | $95. |
| Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite credit card |
Up to $300 in annual statement credit for airline incidental fees. | 75,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first 90 days from account opening. | $550. |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | Up to $200 in statement credits for incidentals on one selected airline per calendar year. Enrollment is required for select benefits. | Earn 120,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. | $695 (see rates and fees). |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | Up to $300 in statement credits for flights, hotels, or rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel portal. | 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | $395. (see rates and fees). |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | Up to $300 for general travel. | 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | $550. |
| Citi Prestige® Card | Up to $250 for general travel. | No longer available to new applicants. | $495. |
| Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | Up to $250 on Hilton purchases and up to $250 on airline incidentals per calendar year. Enrollment is required for select benefits. | 150,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. Terms apply. | $450 (see rates and fees). |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | Up to $200 in statement credits for airline incidentals and up to $200 in Uber Cash for U.S. services per calendar year. Enrollment is required for select benefits. | 80,000 points after you spend $6,000 in the first six months of card membership (possibly higher through the CardMatch tool). Terms apply. | $695 (see rates and fees). |
| Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card | Up to $300 in statement credits for airline incidentals. | No longer available to new applicants. | $450. |
| U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite® Card | Up to $325 for general travel. | 50,000 points after you spend $4,500 in the first 90 days of account opening. | $400. |
The information for the Premium Rewards Elite, Citi Prestige, Hilton Aspire, Ritz-Carlton and U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
American Express® Gold Card
Annual travel credit: Up to $120 in Uber Cash each calendar year — up to $10 monthly delivered in the form of Uber Cash that can be used on U.S. Uber rides and Uber Eats purchases, making the credits exceptionally versatile. Enrollment is required.
Current welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your card within the first six months (though some folks might be eligible for a higher targeted offer via the CardMatch tool; offers are subject to change at any time).
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Annual fee: $250 (see rates and fees).
Other benefits: Amex Gold cardholders earn 4 points per dollar at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or on Amex Travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases. This card earns Membership Rewards points, which you can transfer to a total of 21 airline and hotel partners. Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly (up to $120 annual dining credit) when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment is required.
Review: American Express Gold review
Official application link: American Express Gold Card with a 60,000-point welcome bonus after spending $4,000 in purchases within six months from account opening.
Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card
Annual travel credit: Up to $100 in statement credits for airline incidentals like checked bags, seat selection or upgrades each year.
Current sign-up bonus: Receive 60,000 bonus points after you make at least $4,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
Annual fee: $95.
Other benefits: The Bank of America Premium Rewards card has a solid rate of return. Cardholders earn 2 points per dollar on travel and dining and 1.5 points per dollar on everything else.
You can boost your earnings from 25% to 75%, depending on how much you have in deposits with Bank of America and Merrill through the Preferred Rewards program. Points can be redeemed for statement credits, gift cards and purchases through the Bank of America Travel Center or as a deposit to a Bank of America account at a rate of 1 cent apiece. The card waives foreign exchange fees and will reimburse cardholders for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee once every four years (up to $100).
Review: Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card review
Official application link: Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card with a 60,000-point welcome bonus after spending $4,000 in purchases within 90 days from account opening.
Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card
Annual travel credit: Up to $300 in statement credits for airline incidentals like checked bags, seat selection or upgrades each year.
Current sign-up bonus: Receive 75,000 bonus points after you make at least $5,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
Annual fee: $550.
Other benefits: The Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite card mirrors the earning rates on the Premium Rewards card: 2 points per dollar on travel and dining and 1.5 points per dollar on everything else.
If you’re a Preferred Rewards member, you can earn an additional 25% to 75% bonus points on purchases, depending on how much you have in deposits with Bank of America and Merrill. Points can be redeemed for statement credits, gift cards and purchases through the Bank of America Travel Center or as a deposit to a Bank of America account at a rate of 1 cent apiece. Cardholders also receive a 20% discount when paying for airfare with points through the Travel Center. Up to $100 in reimbursement for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees is available once every four years.
Review: Another new premium travel card just hit the market — but is it any good?
Public application link: Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit Card with a 75,000-point welcome bonus after spending $5,000 in purchases within 90 days of account opening.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Annual travel credit: Up to $200 in statement credits on airline incidental fees charged by the carrier on one select airline each calendar year.
Current welcome offer: Earn 120,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership.
Annual fee: $695 (see rates and fees).
Other benefits: The Amex Business Platinum offers similar benefits as the personal version and some great additional ones.
The card offers more than $1,200 in annual credits to cardholders for business and travel expenses with companies like Dell, Adobe and Clear. Cardholders can earn 1.5 points per dollar on eligible purchases in select business categories and eligible purchases of $5,000 or more on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year. Cardholders also receive a 35% rebate when redeeming points for airfare booked through Amex Travel (up to 1 million points per calendar year) on their selected qualifying airline or for business— or first class tickets on any airline. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Review: Amex Business Platinum review
Official application link: The Business Platinum Card from American Express with a 120,000-point welcome bonus after spending $15,000 in purchases within three months from account opening.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Annual travel credit: Up to $300 in statement credits for flights, hotels, or rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel portal.
Current sign-up bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Annual fee: $395 (see rates and fees).
Other benefits: The Capital One Venture X is a premium credit card that has garnered attention in the points and miles world. Cardholders earn 10 miles per dollar on hotel and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar on all other eligible purchases. Capital One miles transfer to 18 airline and hotel loyalty programs, such as Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club and Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles.
Other benefits of the Venture X include unlimited access to Capital One and Priority Pass lounges, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck statement credit, the ability to add four authorized users for free (and share those lounge benefits), 10,000 bonus miles as an anniversary bonus every year and more.
Review: Capital One Venture X review
Official application link: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card with a 75,000-mile welcome bonus after spending $4,000 in purchases within three months from account opening.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Annual travel credit: $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for a broad range of travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year. This credit will apply automatically to the first $300 spent on travel, and purchases covered by this credit don’t qualify for bonus points-earning rates. After exhausting the $300 travel credit, you can earn 10 points per dollar on hotels and car rentals booked with the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, 5 points per dollar on flights booked using the portal and 3 points per dollar on all non-portal travel purchases.
Current sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening.
Annual fee: $550.
Other benefits: The Chase Sapphire Reserve is widely considered to be one of the best all-around travel rewards credit cards, thanks to its slate of chart-topping benefits. In addition to that annual travel statement credit, cardholders earn unlimited 3 points per dollar on travel and dining worldwide. Ultimate Rewards points transfer to 11 airline partners, including Southwest and Air Canada, and three hotel partners, including Hyatt, IHG, and Marriott. Points may also be redeemed directly through the Chase travel portal for 1.5 cents apiece. Cardholders can access Priority Pass lounges and be reimbursed up to $100 once every four years for a Nexus, Global Entry, or TSA PreCheck application fee.
Review: Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card review
Official application link: Chase Sapphire Reserve with a 60,000-point welcome bonus after spending $4,000 in purchases within three months from account opening.
Citi Prestige® Card
Annual travel credit: Up to $250 worth of annual travel statement credits each calendar year toward travel purchases, including airline tickets, hotel stays, car rentals, commuter transportation, subways, taxis, train tickets, etc. This credit applies automatically.
Current sign-up bonus: The card is no longer available to new applicants.
Annual fee: $495.
Other benefits: If you’re a Citi Prestige cardholder, you earn an incredible 5 points per dollar at restaurants, on air travel and with travel agencies. Cardholders earn 3 points per dollar at hotels and on cruise lines and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. Citi ThankYou points transfer to 17 airline and hotel partner programs, including Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Wyndham Rewards.
Cardholders can enter Priority Pass lounges and receive the fourth night free on up to two hotel stays per year when booking through the Citi concierge or online at ThankYou.com. You won’t pay foreign transaction fees with this card. You can receive Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee reimbursement once every five years. Unfortunately, this card is no longer available to new applicants.
Review: Citi Prestige Card review
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Annual travel credit: Up to $250 in statement credits each year of card membership for eligible purchases at participating Hilton Resorts, plus up to $250 back each year for airline incidentals, such as checked bags and seat selection.
Current welcome offer: Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $4,000 in purchases on the card within the first three months of card membership.
Annual fee: $450 (see rates and fees).
Other benefits: The Hilton Honors Aspire earns a whopping 14 points per dollar on Hilton purchases; 7 points per dollar on flights booked through Amex Travel or directly with airlines, on car rentals and at U.S. restaurants; and 3 points per dollar on everything else. It comes with automatic top-tier Hilton Honors Diamond status, an annual free weekend night award and Priority Pass Select lounge access. Cardholders also get up to $100 in credits for qualifying charges at participating Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts when booking two-night-minimum stays via hiltonhonorsaspirecard.com. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Review: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card review
Public application link: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card with a 150,000-point welcome bonus after spending $4,000 in purchases within three months of account opening.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Annual travel credit: Up to $200 back on airline incidental fees with your preferred airline each year. Unfortunately, airfare itself does not count per the terms. Cardholders can also score up to $200 in annual Uber Cash (for U.S. services).
Current welcome offer: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in the first six months (though some folks might be eligible for a higher targeted offer via the CardMatch tool; offers are subject to change at any time).
Annual fee: $695 (see rates and fees).
Other benefits: The Amex Platinum Card has plenty of perks to justify its high annual fee. Earn 5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with an airline or through American Express Travel and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year). This card earns Membership Rewards points, which you can transfer to a total of 21 airline and hotel partners. There’s also up to $200 in annual credits for certain hotel bookings, up to $200 in annual Uber credits, reimbursement for your annual Clear membership fee, plus a statement credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee once every 4.5 years. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
The card gets you into Centurion Lounges and offers Priority Pass lounge access, plus Delta Sky Club access when you’re on a same-day Delta flight. At hotels, enjoy value-added benefits when booking stays through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts plus Gold status with Hilton Honors and Gold Elite status with Marriott. Through Amex’s International Airline Program, cardholders can get discounts on premium economy, business- and first-class tickets on 25 airlines. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Review: The Platinum Card from American Express review
Official application link: The Platinum Card from American Express with an 80,000-point welcome bonus after spending $6,000 in purchases within six months from account opening.
Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card
Annual travel credit: Up to $300 in credits for airline lounge day passes or membership, airline seat upgrades, airline baggage fees, inflight Wi-Fi/entertainment or inflight meals. You will need to secure message Chase to manually request these credits.
Current welcome offer: Not available to new applicants, though you can change to this card from another of Chase’s Marriott credit cards.
Annual fee: $450.
Other benefits: The Ritz-Carlton Card offers more to travelers than just the $300 in annual travel credits. This includes an annual free night award worth up to 50,000 points, a Priority Pass Select membership and Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy. Cardholders also can be reimbursed for their application fees for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck and a $100 hotel credit toward dining, spa treatments or other hotel recreational activities on paid stays of two nights or longer at Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis properties.
Related: The secret to getting the discontinued Ritz-Carlton credit card — and 4 reasons you need it
U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite® Card
Annual travel credit: Up to $325 in statement credits per cardmember year for purchases made directly with airlines, hotels, car rental companies, taxis, limousines, passenger trains and cruise lines. It can also be applied to restaurant (both take-out and delivery), fast-food and bar purchases.
Current sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,500 within 90 days of account opening.
Annual fee: $400.
Other benefits: U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa cardholders earn 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotel bookings made through the Altitude Rewards Center, 3 points per dollar on travel and mobile wallet purchases and 1 point per dollar on everything else. Cardholders can redeem points for 1.5 cents apiece on airfare, hotels and car rentals booked through the Altitude Rewards Center, as well as lower values for other purchases. If used mostly for travel, your rate of return is a considerable 4.5%. Cardholders enjoy a 12-month Priority Pass Select membership for airport lounge access, reimbursement for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every four years and waived foreign transaction fees.
Review: U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card review
Public application link: U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card with a 50,000-point welcome bonus after spending $4,500 in purchases within 90 days of account opening.
Bottom line
Whether you prefer a travel rewards card that earns transferable points, a cobranded hotel card, or a card that earns fixed-value points, some phenomenal options offer annual travel statement credits. Picking one of them will ensure you continue to get value from your credit card long after you’ve earned its welcome bonus and paid its annual fee.
Travel credits are one of the most compelling reasons to continue carrying a specific credit card. You can use these credits for free flights, hotel nights and other travel purchases year after year, which can help you beat inflation and high travel costs.
Additional reporting by Danyal Ahmed, Ryan Smith, Stella Shon, Chris Dong, and Madison Blancaflor.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Aspire card, click here.
Featured photo of Glacier National Park by Clint Henderson/The Points Guy.
