The 5 Best Travel Credit Cards for Beginners (From Someone Who’s Earned $100K in Free Flights)

I get it. You’ve seen all those people on your social media feed using points and miles to fly for (almost) free and you’re tired of yelling at your phone going “HOWWW!?”.

Because you’re reading this post it means you’re serious about finding the right travel credit cards to accumulate points to do so. The great news (especially if you are US based) is that there are a ton of great travel rewards credit cards on the market. The bad news? All of those options can lead to some decision fatigue and thinking “where do I even start?”

That’s where I come in! Unlike a lot of points and miles experts who are constantly shoving the newest and shiniest card in your face (and let’s be honest, down your throat), I have narrowed down the best beginner travel credit cards to just five options to help you get started.

As a bonus, I am going to recommend a 2-card earning system (called the Champagne Duo) so you aren’t opening and closing tons of cards.

I’ve spent years mastering how to use points and miles to fly in business class and have gotten over $100K in (almost) free flights. I’ve tried countless cards and I am confident that the ones I am including in this post are the best cards to get started.

How I Chose These Travel Credit Cards

Before we jump into the list, here’s what I looked for when choosing the best credit cards for travel:

• High-value welcome bonuses (think 60,000+ points minimum)
• Transferable points you can actually use across airlines and hotels (not just one loyalty program)
• Bonus categories that match everyday spending like groceries, dining, and travel
• Perks that are easy to use (or at least ones that are worth tracking)
• No foreign transaction fess + other travel benefits
• Beginner-friendly terms and systems

These are the exact factors I use when I open new cards myself, and they’ve helped me earn over $100,000 in (almost) free travel.

My Favorite Travel Rewards Credit Cards

Let’s go through the five credit cards I recommend the most often.

It’s up to you to decide what works best for you and your spending habits. We’ll discuss parameters you can use to evaluate if a card is right for you or not further down the post.

American Express® Gold Card

This is one of the two credit cards I use the most because it offers you 4x points on dining and groceries.

A majority of my monthly spend is either on groceries or restaurants (what can I say, I”m a foodie who happened to marry another foodie) and that’s why having the American Express® Gold Card in my wallet is so helpful because I earn points quickly.

I won’t lie. I spend an absurd amount of money on this card buttt I justify it because I get so many points for it and it was money I was going to spend anyways .

Why this card is great:

• Sign-up bonus: Up to 100,000 points after spending $6,000 in 6 months. You’ll find out your exact bonus once you apply.
• Earning: 4x on dining on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year then 1x points for the rest of the year, 4x on groceries at U.S. Supermarkets on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year and then 1x points for the rest of the year, 3x on flights booked through the AmEx travel portal,  2X points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases via Amex Travel, 1x on other purchases
• Annual Fee: $325 (but easy to offset with dining perks). 
• Extra perks: Resy credits ($100), Dunkin Credit ($84), Dining Credit ($120), Uber credits ($120)
• Something to consider: While this annual fee is at $325 and I think it’s pretty easy to justify, this card does not have lounge access. So if you decide to open this card, I recommend pairing it with one that does have lounge access

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

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. 

It’s also a great alternative to the American Express Gold Card because it earns 3x on dining so if you’re someone who spends a ton on restaurants and you prefer a Chase card, this could be a better option.

I used the welcome bonus to get my very first business class flight to Europe. Ah, memories.

Why it’s great:

• Sign-up bonus: 75,000  points after spending $5K 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
• Something to consider: No lounge access but for an annual fee of only $95, it makes it easy to just open up another card that does have lounge access.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

This is the non premium credit card version of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card just without the extra benefits.  It’s a simple way to earn miles without tracking bonus categories because it offers you 2x points on all purchases. 

Also, you can open both the Capital One Venture X and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card just FYI if you want to double up on sign up bonuses. 

That’s exactly what I did and I had 150,000 miles just from the welcome bonuses alone to spend on travel.

Why it’s great:

• Sign-up bonus: 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in 3 months
• Earning: 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 2 miles per dollar on all other purchases
• Redemption: Simple 1:1 transfer to airlines & hotels 
• Annual Fee: $95
• Extra perks: No foreign transaction fees
• Something to consider: No lounge access but for an annual fee of only $95, it makes it easy to just open up another card that does have lounge access

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

This is my favorite premium credit card and in addition to the American Express Gold Card, is the card I use the most often because I love that it’s so easy to use and that the annual fee is so easy to justify.

Plus, I think it’s the best premium card for lounge access.

Why it’s great:

• Annual Fee: $395
• Lounge Access: Capital One Lounges + Priority Pass
• Earning: 2x miles on all purchases (plus 5x on flights and 10x on hotels/rentals through Capital One Travel)
• Welcome Bonus: 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
• Top Perks: $300 annual travel credit (Capital One Travel) + 10,000 bonus miles on your account anniversary

The Platinum Card® from American Express

The annual fee on this card has increased to a whopping $895 so technically I wouldn’t normally recommend this card for beginners BUT there are exceptions especially if you travel often or if you have a Centurion Lounge at your home airport.

I will let you evaluate the perks and decide for yourself if you think it’s worth it. One of the top things I hear from those who are just starting out is that they don’t want to have to track a bunch of credits to justify the annual fee. If that’s you, then this card isn’t for you.

However, if you are willing to track the perks/it’s money you would have spent anyways, then you will get a ton of value from this card. 

My husband has this card and we think it’s worth it because of:

• the very high welcome bonus
• the new $400 Resy credit, $300 digital entertainment credit, and $200 Uber Cash. Just with those three perks alone we can justify the annual fee and that’s not event taking into account the rest of the benefits
• It earns 5x on flights so while we put a majority of our spend on the two cards I outline in the Champagne Duo section, we do use this card to purchase flights

Why it’s great:

• Annual Fee: $895
• Lounge Access: Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club (when flying Delta), Lufthansa Lounges (select airports when flying Lufthansa), Escape Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and Priority Pass
• Can you bring guests into the lounges? For Centurion Lounges guest access is $50 pp aged 18 and older unless you spend $75K per year in which case you’ll get 2 guests per visit, no guests for Delta Sky Clubs or Lufthansa, two guests per visit for Priority Pass, Escape Lounges, and Plaza Premium
• Earning: 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel up to $500,000 per calendar year + 5x on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
• Welcome Bonus: As high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in the first 6 months
• Top Perks: $200 Airline Fee Credit, $400 Resy Credit, $600 Hotel Credit, $209 Clear Plus Credit, $300 Digital Entertainment Credit, $200 Uber Cash, and more

What I Wouldn’t Recommend (Yet)

Before we go into the 2-credit card system I use and recommend, I want to quickly go over a few cards that you might have seen but that I don’t think are great for beginners. I’m not saying you shouldn’t ever open them…just not yet.

These cards sound exciting (and honestly, they are in the right situations), but I want to make sure you’re starting off with cards that keep things simple and flexible.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The annual fee for this card has gone up to $795 and it has some great perks, however, it can feel stressful to get the most out of this card and having to track all the perks to make it worth it. If you had to choose one card with a high annual fee, I think the Amex Platinum Card is easier to justify.

If you’re just getting into points and miles, I recommend starting with the Chase Sapphire Preferred (which has a much lower fee) and then opening this card later on if it makes sense for your lifestyle.

Co-Branded Airline Cards (Delta, United, American, etc.)

These were some of the first cards I opened and honestly… I kind of wish I hadn’t.

Before understanding how points and miles work, it felt like I just opened up a bunch of cards with zero strategy.

The problem with airline-specific cards is that the points you earn can only be used on that airline (or their partners), and they’re usually not transferable, which makes them a lot less flexible than something like AmEx, Chase, or Capital One points.

That’s not to say they’re bad. In fact, if you have the right strategy they can be incredibly valuable. For example, I flew to Japan in business class RT but thats’ because I knew exactly what I wanted to use my American Airlines points.

I just don’t recommend them for your first credit card. Once you figure out your favorite airline or have a specific redemption in mind, then it can make sense. Otherwise, you can feel a little boxed in.

What to Consider When Opening a Travel Rewards Credit Card

So how do you even know if a card is the right one for you? Let’s go over some of the important considerations that help you earn points fast.

It’s easy to get distracted by all the shiny offers out there (don’t worry, I’ve been guilty of it too) but here are the things I personally consider when I open a new card that you should as well.

Are the Points Transferrable?

This is the first step in evaluating a credit card especially as a beginner because transferable points are the most valuable and flexible points you can earn.

So what are transferable points? They are points that can be transferred to travel partners. 

Skip credit cards that are cobranded such as cards that earn you United miles or American Airlines miles. I’m not saying don’t ever open them but you shouldn’t if you’re just starting out and looking for your first 1-2 cards. 

It took me a while to learn this and I focused on airline cards for way too long. There’s nothing wrong about this strategy but we are all about keeping points and miles simple here and transferrable points = simple.

What took me years and years to learn, I’m hoping to make so much more efficient for you.

The most common transferrable points (and the ones I focus on a lot here at Champagne Flight HQ) are:

• American Express Membership Rewards Points
• Capital One Miles
• Chase Ultimate Rewards

So, first step, does the credit card you are looking to open earn you any of these three transferrable types of points/miles? If so, proceed to step 2!

Welcome Bonus

This is the number of points that are given to you for spending a certain amount in a predetermined time period (ex. 60,000 points for spending $4,000 in 3 months).

Welcome bonuses are the sexiest part of travel rewards credit card and the good news is that a lot of cards offer some pretty great bonuses.

So with that being said, I would first take a look at the welcome bonus for two components:

1. Is it more than 60,000 points? If it’s less, don’t open it. There are plenty of cards with 60K+ sign up bonuses that are going to give you much more value
2. Can you hit the minimum spend? Is it realistic? I tell this story all the time that it’s almost embarrassing but one time I opened up a credit card because I was enticed by the sign up bonus (I told you it’s sexy) and I overspent to hit the requirement and had to beg my family to put purchases on the card. Super stressful and made my parents doubt that I was an actual adult. Oops.

Bonus Categories

Next thing to consider when looking at a credit card is what are the bonus categories, meaning does it offer point multipliers for spending in a certain category.

I am obsessed with bonus categories and you will be too once you really understand them.

The right bonus category for you is based on you and your spending habits. But let’s say you loveee online shopping (I’m not judging!) then you should consider if a credit card can earn you more points on online shopping.

For example, the Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card offers you 2x on all of your purchases so it would be a way for you to earn a little extra on that shopping addiction (ehm…habit) of yours.

There are cards that earn you 4x on dining and groceries, 5x on flights, etc.

I just want you to make sure you are considering these categories when evaluating a credit card and ensure it matches your spending habits.

Is the Annual Fee Worth It?

This is a joint evaluation technique because you can’t look at the annual fee without also looking at the perks the credit card comes with to decide if the annual fee is worth it or not.

When I first started out, I avoided cards with an annual fee because it seemed a little scary to have to pay just to have a credit card.

However, I quickly learned that a lot of the best travel rewards credit cards do have an annual fee and they are very much worth it.

So if you’re feeling a little nervous, don’t worry. Let’s walk through an example.

One of my favorite travel cards, the Venture X Rewards has an annual fee of $395 BUT you get:

• $300 annual travel credit
• $120 for Global Entry of TSA PreCheck
• $10,000 miles on your card opening anniversary
• Priority Pass + access to the Capital One Lounges

So in that first year, assuming you don’t already have Global Entry, you get $420 just in the perks and that’s not even considering the lounge access and 10,000 miles on your anniversary. 

I like to value lounge access at about $50 per visit because if I were eating and drinking at an airport, I’m going to spend more than that most likely. 

So if you’re traveling 5 times a year? $50*5=$250. 

And those 10,000 free miles? Virgin Atlantic constantly has flight deals in economy to Europe for under 10,000 miles. 

So yeah, that annual fee is more than worth it. 

That’s an example of how I think through and evaluate an annual fee. You’ll need to do it for yourself because everyone is different and there may be perks a card includes that you don’t care for.

Transfer Partners (Optional)

This is an optional step because you might not yet know much about transfer partners and that’s okay. However, if there are any partners or alliances you want to be able to fly, just ensure that the card you’re opening has them as a transfer partner.

For example, I use the following transfer partners a lot:

• Avianca 
• Air Canada
• AirFrance/KLM
• Virgin Atlantic

So I make sure that any credit cards I open have one or more of these partners.

Again, no worries if you don’t know this yet. The cards I’ve recommended in this post have some fantastic transfer partners. 

What is a 2-credit card system?

I always recommend you have one premium credit card that gets you lounge access because lounge access is truly a game changer and then one credit card that you open to focus on maximizing a category bonus.

Of course, you can open more than two credit cards, especially if you are looking to earn more welcome bonuses but if you’re just staring out, this is my recommended approach.

Btw if you want help doing this, I have an easy and free quiz that gives you a personalized 2-card system.

My 2-Credit Card System (The Champagne Duo)

I have opened multiple credit cards over the years (definitely every single card in this article) but even though I have more than two credit cards, I put 95% of my spend on just two.

So for the two credit card system I recommend one premium that gives you lounge access and one that optimizes a bonus category.

Easy.

For my premium credit card, I have the Capital One Venture X. 

Here are my personal reasons for using this card as part of the 2-card system. 

• It gives me 2x on all my purchases so no matter what, I know I am getting double the points
• I don’t have to keep track of a bunch of credits to justify the annual fee. Once a year, I just go into the portal and book a hotel with that $300 travel credit and that’s it
• The Capital One Lounges are some of my favorite lounges ever and even though my home airport doesn’t have one, I still love it when I transit through an airport that does
• The annual fee is the lowest of all of the other premium credit cards out there

The second card I have is the American Express Gold Card. I have this card to optimize the two categories I spend the most money on: groceries and restaurants. The card offers 4x on dining on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year and 4x on groceries at U.S. Supermarkets on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year and then 1x points for the rest of the year. 

So with these two cards I basically just put the groceries and restaurants on the American Express Gold Card and then everything else on the Capital One Venture X.

It’s simple and easy to remember and I earn thousands of points a year.

Through these two cards, I also have all of the travel perks I want such as lounge access through priority pass, travel insurance, etc

Good Credit Card Habits

I’m not a financial advisor and this is not financial advice.

However, I am a girl who has been using credit cards for awhileee sooo I feel somewhat qualified to speak on this.

Think of me as your big sister who wants to see you fly in business class without putting yourself into debt. 

If you aren’t responsible with money and have trouble paying your credit card bills, please for the love of god, do not open up more credit cards. Instead, focus on getting your financial wellbeing in check first.

These are a few good credit card habits I want to ensure you are following:

Pay off your statement balance in full every month

Like I said we aren’t going into debt just to use points and miles.

Interest rates on travel rewards credit cards are pretty high so please ensure you are paying your balance in full every month so you do not pay any interest.

That’s just like taking your money and lighting it on fire.

Do not over spend

I have been 100% guilty of this. I’ve been so excited to get points that I have spent wayyy more than I normally would and felt really stressed because of it.

Do not be me. Be smarter please.

I want this hobby to feel freeing, not shackling and spending more than you can afford is an easy way to make this suddenly not fun at all.

Don’t open and close a bunch of cards 

That is called credit card churning and I do not recommend it, especially as a beginner. The cards I recommend in this article are meant to be a part of your everyday life and for you to keep for the long term.

How to Start Using Your Points (The Smart Way)

Okay, so hopefully by now you’ve picked your first 1-2 cards.

Now it’s time to talk about what everyone really wants to know:
How do I actually use these points to book free flights?

The next post in this series will walk you through the most important piece of that puzzle: how and when to transfer your points to airlines.

This is where a lot of beginners waste value or get stuck. But don’t worry, I’ll break it down so you can avoid the most common mistakes and get the most out of every point you earn.

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.

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