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 price range however it ranges up your journey expertise, offering free upgrades, lounge entry, and far, far more.

Whether or not you wish to be on the street for longer, take extra journeys, or just get monetary savings in your subsequent trip, factors and miles can get you there.

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

Whereas annual charges are normally value it for frequent vacationers (you may get far more worth out of a card than its annual price), in the event you’re new to journey hacking or don’t journey, chances are you’ll wish to get a no-fee card first.

And there are so much of no-fee playing cards on the market. Which one do you decide?

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

Undoubtedly my favourite no-fee journey card, the Bilt Mastercard lets you earn factors while 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 provides 2x factors spent on journey and 3x factors on eating out.

You may 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 strategy 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 accomplice (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 completely a no brainer for renters who like to journey. To be taught extra, read my full Bilt Review. It’s the card I take advantage of probably the most proper now (particularly on hire days).

Sign up for the Bilt card!
 

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. In case you’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 by way of 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 motels.

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 motels and rental vehicles booked by way of Capital One Journey
• Journey accident and automobile rental insurance coverage
• No international transaction charges

Click here to sign up for the VentureOne!
 

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 by way of Chase Final Rewards. The cardboard additionally provides journey protections like rental automobile insurance coverage and journey cancellation/delay. Nevertheless, it does cost international transaction charges, so that you don’t wish to use it whereas touring overseas, solely to e book journey prematurely.

If 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 by way of Chase Final Rewards
• 3% money again on eating places and drugstores

Sign Up for the Freedom Unlimited!
 
One other comparable possibility is the Chase Freedom Flex. Freedom Flex provides 5% money again on quarterly rotating bonus classes, 5% money again on journey bought by way of Chase Final Rewards, 3% on eating places, and 1% again on all different spending.
Sign Up for the Chase Freedom Flex here!
 

CARDS WITH LOW FEES

If the playing cards above are a little bit too primary in your journey hacking wants and also you need one thing extra intermediate, right here’s a fast checklist 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 by way of the Chase journey portal), journey protections, and a $50 annual lodge credit score while you e book and prepay by way of Chase Final Rewards.

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

Chase Ink Plus Business Preferred ($95 annual price) – In case you’re a enterprise proprietor, this card provides 3x factors per greenback on the primary $150,000 spent every year on transport, web, telephone, journey, and internet advertising, and free playing cards for workers.
 

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

No-fee playing cards are a terrific place to start out in an effort to start to work in the 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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