Have you ever felt that pang of jealousy scrolling past Instagram photos of business and first-class flights? Or maybe you’re just looking for ways to save money when you travel. Either way, I’m here to show you how to earn points and miles and use them strategically. I haven’t paid for a flight in years and have gotten over $100K worth of flights all with points. So, where do you start? With a list of the best travel credit cards for beginners to help you maximize your points from day one.
Disclaimer: I am not a financial expert and this is not financial advice. This is based on my own experiences and research.
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First, Some Basics
The easiest and most effective way to earn points and miles is by using a travel credit card that allows you to earn reward points for your everyday spending.
There are two main ways you are going to accumulate points.
- Credit Card Welcome Offer: This is a one-time bonus that is offered to you upon account opening. It is an amount of bonus miles that you earn after hitting a minimum spend in a certain amount of time. For example, 60,000 miles for spending $4,00 in 3 months. This is the fastest way to earn a large number of points.
- Bonus Categories: Many travel credit cards offer multipliers on specific purchases. For example, some cards give 3x points at restaurants or 5x on flights booked directly with airlines. This means you can earn extra bonus points just by using the right card for the right purchases.
Frequently Asked Questions
💳 Do I need to open a credit card?
Yes! A travel credit card is the easiest and fastest way to earn points and miles. While there are other ways to earn (like shopping portals and dining programs), credit cards offer the biggest rewards with the least effort.
📊 Do I need good credit to get approved?
Most travel credit cards require a good to excellent credit score (typically 700+), but some beginner-friendly options are available for lower scores.
📉 Will this hurt my credit score?
Opening a credit card won’t majorly impact your score as long as you use it responsibly. In fact, using a credit card and paying it off on time can improve your score over time.
💰 I don’t want to go into debt.
And you shouldn’t! The key to earning points and miles without financial risk is to always pay off your balance in full each month. Never spend more than you can afford just to earn points.
😰 Is this complicated?
It can be but the good news is that I’m here to make it easy for you and we are starting with the basics.
What to Look for in a Beginner Travel Credit Card
Let’s discuss what makes a travel rewards credit card beginner-friendly.
- Low Annual Fee – I’m not going to recommend anything with a crazy high annual fee
- Ease of Earning & Redeeming Rewards – You want a credit card that allows you to earn points easily through bonus categories and allows you to transfer to travel partners so that you can redeem them easily
- Flexible Rewards Program – Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, and Capital One miles are best for beginners.
- Valuable Welcome Bonus – You want a credit card that is going to give you a welcome bonus in exchange for hitting a minimum spend. For example, 60,000 points for spending $4,000 in 3 months.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees – Easy to accumulate points while you travel too
- Good Travel Protections – Trip delay insurance, car rental coverage, and lost luggage reimbursement.
- Additional perks – This is not mandatory to find a good travel credit card however, a good choice includes some additional travel perks like an annual travel credit to help offset the annual fee
The Best Travel Credit Cards for Beginners
Let’s get into the best options for travel credit cards for beginners.
1. Overall Best Travel Card for Beginners: Chase Sapphire Preferred®
This was my very first travel credit card and I still have it in my wallet. It’s just an overall great credit card that allows you to earn rewards points without a crazy annual fee and the sign-up bonus has a reasonable spend.
Why it’s great:
- Sign-up bonus: 60,000 points after spending $4K in 3 months
- Earning: 3x points on dining, 5x points on travel purchased through the Chase Travel Portal, 2x on other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Simple 1:1 transfer to airlines & hotels
- Annual Fee: $95 (worth it for the bonus alone)
- Extra perks: Travel insurance, no foreign transaction fees, rental car coverage
Who should get it? Ideal for beginners who want a flexible, all-in-one travel rewards card.
2. Best No-Annual-Fee Travel Card: Capital One VentureOne®
The great thing about the Capital One VentureOne is that it’s a no annual fee credit card. So if you’re really new to points and miles and you want to earn some points without an annual fee, this is a good option. The downside is the sign up bonus and earning rate are not very high. Still, it’s a place to start.
Why it’s great:
- Sign-up bonus: 20,000 miles after spending $500 in 3 months
- Earning: 1.25x miles on every dollar you spend, 5x points on travel booked through the CapitalOne Travel portal
- Redemption: Simple 1:1 transfer to airlines & hotels
- Annual Fee: $0
- Extra perks: No foreign transaction fees
Who should get it? Best for beginners who want a simple card that will earn them 2x on every dollar spent without an annual fee.
3. Best Travel Card for Restaurant Goers: American Express Gold Card
A majority of my monthly spend is either on groceries or restaurants and that’s why having the AmEx Gold in my wallet is so helpful for accumulating points quickly
Why it’s great:
- Sign-up bonus: 90,000 points after spending $6,000 in 6 months through my targeted offer
- Earning: 4x on dining and groceries, 3x on flights booked through the AmEx travel portal, 1x on other purchases
- Redemption: Transfer points to top airlines & hotels
- Annual Fee: $325 (but easy to offset with dining perks)
- Extra perks: Resy credits ($100), Dunkin Credit ($84), Dining Credit ($120), Uber credits ($120)
- Who should get it? Foodies who dine out often and want to maximize their rewards.
4. Best Premium Credit Card: VentureX
This is a staple in my wallet because it’s such a great premium credit card with an easy to justify annual fee and racks up points/miles easily.
Why it’s great:
- Sign-up bonus: 75,000 points after spending $4,000 in 3 months
- Earning: 10X miles on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel, 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel, 2X miles on all other purchases
- Annual Fee: $395 (but includes $300 annual travel credit and a 10,000 miles bonus on your anniversary every calendar year)
- Extra perks: Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®, complimentary Priority Pass™ membership, Capital One lounge access (some of my favorite lounges!)
5. Best Flat-Rate Travel Card: Capital One Venture Rewards®
This is the non premium credit card and it’s similar to the Capital One VentureX just without the extra benefits. It’s a simple way to earn miles without tracking bonus categories.
Why it’s great:
- Sign-up bonus: 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in 3 months
- Earning: 5X miles on travel booked through Capital One Travel, 2X miles on all other purchases
- Redemption: Simple 1:1 transfer to airlines & hotels
- Annual Fee: $95
- Extra perks: No foreign transaction fees
- Who should get it? Beginners who want a flat-rate card with no complicated earning structure.
Which Travel Credit Card Should You Choose?
So what’s the best travel credit card? Well, it depends on your travel goals and what extra benefits you might want in a travel credit card.
If you’re just starting out, start with one credit card and then you can choose to get more from this list.
✅ Want a balanced, flexible travel card? → Chase Sapphire Preferred
✅ Prefer no annual fee? → Capital One VentureOne
✅ Want premium perks & lounge access? → Capital One Venture X
✅ Spend a lot at restaurants? → Amex Gold
✅ Want a simple 2x points on all spending? → Capital One Venture Rewards
How to Use Your First Travel Credit Card Wisely
- Hit the sign-up bonus: Don’t overspend, but use everyday expenses to reach the requirement.
- Pay in full each month: We aren’t going into debt to earn points/miles
- Use the right card for the right purchases: Maximize bonus categories (e.g., dining, travel).
- Check for transfer partners: A majority of the time transferring points to travel partners will give you better value than using the credit card travel portal.
Final Thoughts & Next Steps
Getting a travel credit card is the first step toward free flights and luxury travel. The best credit card for you will depend on your spending habits and what perks you are looking for in a credit card. If you want personalized guidance on picking your credit cards, book a coaching session with me, and I’ll help you build a personalized points strategy!
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