Insider Picks: The Best Credit Cards for Free Flights

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Points and miles has completely changed my life and no, I’m not being dramatic.

In just the past few years, I’ve redeemed over $50,000 worth of business and first-class flights, paying only taxes and fees (usually under $200 per flight, and sometimes as low as $5!). It’s easily one of the best decisions I’ve made, and I genuinely feel like screaming from the rooftops about how powerful this is—no matter what cabin you want to fly in. Economy, premium, business, or first, it’s all possible with points and miles.

In this article, I’m sharing some of the best credit cards for free flights and hotels. This isn’t an exhaustive list of every single option out there (there are tons!), but rather a curated list of cards I actually recommend based on value, strategy, and real-world use.

What Makes a Great Credit Card for Free Travel

I’m so glad you asked!

For me, it comes down to three core things:

1. A Strong Welcome Bonus
   The number of points/miles you earn after meeting a specific minimum spend within the first few months. The key? Hitting the bonus without spending more than you normally would
2. Ongoing Points Earning Potential
   You want every dollar you spend to earn 2–5x points in relevant categories like dining, travel, groceries, or shopping
3. Transferability to Travel Partners
   If a card doesn’t allow you to transfer points to airlines or hotels, it’s significantly less valuable for using your points and miles

Of course, it’s also nice to have extra perks like lounge access, travel insurance, and statement credits but those are bonuses and not the actual key to getting you those free flights.

The Best Travel Credit Cards for Free Flights

All of the cards below have strong transfer partners, so we won’t go too deep into that here. Just know that each one lets you move your points to top airline and hotel programs for maximum value.

If you’re hoping to use your points with a specific airline or hotel, I recommend doing a quick Google search like “[Card Name] transfer partners” before applying to make sure it aligns with your travel goals.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The great thing about the first two cards in this list is that you can get both of them unlike the Chase Sapphire Preferred® and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® where you can only have one or the other so it’s honestly a no brainer to get both.

Here’s how to use it effectively:
Once you’ve earned the welcome bonus, use this card for any purchases that don’t earn bonus points elsewhere. Things like online shopping, subscriptions, or irregular spend. That way, you’re ensuring that every dollar you spend (minus rent—we’ll get to that below) earns at least 2x miles.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

This is the non-premium version of the Venture X Rewards card with the same welcome bonus and the same 2x earning rate on all spend. That means you can essentially double up on welcome bonuses by opening both cards.

Unlike Chase, Capital One allows you to hold both the Venture Rewards Credit Card and Venture X Rewards Card at the same time with no issues. Since both earn 2x on all purchases, it’s totally up to you which one you use for your general, non-bonus spending.

American Express^® Gold Card

This is truly one of my favorite credit cards because I spend so much money on restaurants and groceries and this bad boy gets you 4x points up to $50K at restaurants annually and up to $25K at supermarkets per year.

Think about that for a moment, if you spend up to those limits then you’ll earn 300,000 points + 60,000 from the welcome bonus.

Even if you’re like um that’s way too much money to spend a year, it doesn’t matter because you know that each dollar you spend on groceries and restaurants is getting you 4 Membership Rewards.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

This card is packed with premium travel perks to help offset that annual fee but since we’re focused on points and miles here, we won’t go into all of that. If you’re a frequent traveler, though, this is likely the card you’ll want in your wallet.

Why? Because it earns 5x points on flights.

If you spend a lot on airfare each year, this card is hard to beat from a points-earning perspective.

Even if you don’t spend heavily on flights but want the card for the welcome bonus, just make sure you keep it open for at least one year. Otherwise, you risk damaging your relationship with Amex, which could hurt your ability to get future cards or bonuses.

Chase Sapphire Preferred®

This card is often called one of the best travel credit cards for beginners and I agree. I’ll be honest. I don’t use it much these days because I have other cards I prefer for daily spend (I’ll break down what’s in my wallet below).

That said, I 100% recommend opening it if you’re new to points and miles. The 60,000-point welcome bonus alone makes the $95 annual fee a no-brainer. Plus, Chase has some excellent travel transfer partners that give you serious value.

Bilt Mastercard®

But wait, Priyanka, if there is no welcome bonus why would you recommend this card?

Fair question. This is the only exception to the welcome bonus rule I outlined above and here’s why:

The Bilt Mastercard® is the only credit card on the market that lets you pay rent with no fees. I know. It’s wild.

If you’re a renter, this card is a no-brainer. You could be earning points every single month just by paying your rent.

Let’s say your rent is $3,900/month (yup, that’s what we were paying in Boston). That adds up to 46,800 points per year—just from paying rent. That’s enough for a business class flight or multiple economy flights, depending on the destination. (For example, I recently booked a one-way economy ticket from El Salvador back to Charlotte for just 10,000 points.)

Plus, Bilt frequently offers Rent Day transfer bonuses, which let you get even more value when you move your points to travel partners.

How I recommend opening these cards

The order in which you open these cards is ultimately up to you because ideally, you’ll open all of them over time.

That said, here are two key caveats to keep in mind:

1. Chase’s 5/24 rule: If you’ve opened 5 or more personal cards (from any bank) in the past 24 months, you likely won’t get approved for Chase cards. So if you’re under or near that limit, open the Chase Sapphire Preferred® first
2. Amex strategy tip: There’s no hard rule, but it’s often a good idea to open the American Express^® Gold Card before the The Platinum Card if you want to prioritize the lower annual fee card first or are concerned about preserving welcome bonus eligibility down the line

Suggested Opening Order

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® – Start here to stay under 5/24
• Bilt Mastercard® – Get rewarded for paying your rent
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card– Add lounge access and 2x earning
• American Express^® Gold Card– Strong everyday earning on food
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card– Circle back for another 2x card and bonus
• The Platinum Card– Finish with the highest annual fee and premium perks

Of course, you can open them in any order that fits your goals and lifestyle.

If you have questions, check out the FAQ section of this post or feel free to email me at priyanka [at] champagneflight.com.

And if you found this post helpful, I’d love it if you used my affiliate links when applying for any of these cards. It helps support this site and lets me keep creating free, in-depth resources for you!

What’s in my wallet currently

My current strategy is to maximize my everyday spending by using the right cards for the right categories. If I come across a great new offer, I’ll open that card to earn the welcome bonus but these are the ones I actually use day to day.

Cards I Use Regularly

• The Platinum Card – 5x points on flights
• American Express^® Gold Card– 4x points on groceries and restaurants
• Chase Ink Business Preferred – 3x on travel (business card, which is why it’s not listed above)
• Bilt Mastercard®– 1x on rent
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – 2x on everything else (shopping, parking, gas, etc.)

Cards I Have but Rarely Use:

• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card – Opened for the welcome bonus, but I prefer using my Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® – I earn better points with the Amex Gold and Ink Business Preferred

FAQ

Q: Do all of my credit cards need to be from the same bank?
A: Nope! While it can be simpler to manage points in one ecosystem, it’s totally fine to spread them out. I have cards with Capital One, Chase, and American Express and it works great. In fact, many travel programs are transfer partners with multiple banks. For example, if you’re booking a flight with Aeroplan, you could transfer points from Amex and Chase to top off your balance.

Q: Should I open all of these cards at once?
A: Absolutely not! That would be chaotic unless you spend a lot every month. The smart move is to open one card at a time, hit the welcome bonus, then move on to the next once you’re confident you can meet the minimum spend.

Q: Can I open and close cards?
A: That’s called credit card churning, and I don’t really recommend it. Opening and closing cards too quickly can impact your credit score and relationship with the bank. All the cards I’ve listed are designed to be worth keeping long-term. If you do plan to close one, try to hold it for at least a year first.

Q: How do I make sure I reach the welcome bonus?
A: When you first open a card, put all of your spend on it, even if another card might earn more points. Once you’ve hit the welcome bonus, then you can start optimizing by category.

Q: Should I wait to use my points until I’ve earned a ton?
A: Nope! Use your points whenever it makes sense for you. There’s no magic number. Sometimes using 10,000 points for a one-way flight is the best value and other times, it’s saving up for business class. There’s no wrong answer.

Q: Will this hurt my credit score?
A: If done responsibly, it shouldn’t. You may see a small dip initially, but it’s usually temporary. For reference, I have 7 credit cards and my credit score is still 800+.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.