Credit cards offer many advantages over other payment methods when used responsibly, especially for travel. These are some of our favorites!
Most credit cards offer fraud protection, help track purchases, and offer special perks depending on the card you use.
There are countless options for credit cards and we have cycled through several since getting married. The major features we look for in our primary travel cards are:
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Travel Insurance
- Extra Perks
Our travel credit card is the Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR), which I believe is the best travel card currently available. Many overlook this card due to the $550 annual fee but I think it’s well worth the cost once you take a look at the perks.
To start with, each year it offers a $300 travel credit which helps to offset over half of the annual fee. It also provides a $100 statement credit every 4 years that can be used to cover the cost of TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry.
Insurance is one of the primary reasons we opened the CSR. It offers a wide range of travel insurance and consumer protection including:
- Travel Insurance – Covers up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for non-refundable travel expenses if your travel is cut short by sickness, severe weather, or other covered situation.
- Rental Car Insurance – Covers theft or damage up to $75,000. This means you can avoid paying for the expensive insurance policies offered by rental car companies.
- Trip Delay Insurance – Covers expenses if a flight is delayed more than 6 hours for costs such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per ticket.
- Medical Emergencies – Emergency evacuation and emergency transportation up to $100,000. (hope we don’t ever need this!)
The CSR also includes some fun perks such as a Priority Pass membership, which provides access to over 900 airport lounges where you can enjoy free food and quiet areas while waiting for your flight.
If you would like to check out all of the perks offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can use this link or the button below to check out the current offers!
Other credit cards that we use:
- Delta SkyMiles Gold Card by American Express – This card offers a free checked bag for each member of the party checking in for a flight.
- Hilton Honors American Express Card – 7X points for Hilton hotel purchases and no foreign transaction fees.
Disclaimer: If you decide to to open one of the credit cards using a link above, we may receive a small referral bonus at no additional cost to you.
Leave a reply