Summer travel season is here, which means now’s the time to land a new top travel card — if you haven’t already.
If you aren’t hip to the travel card game, you should know that the right one can help you save hundreds of dollars a year pretty easily. And right now, a few top picks can net you $750 or more in year one, all by landing a great welcome bonus offer and using a few perks.
Want to learn more? Here are three great travel cards that can help you save in 2026 and beyond.
1. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Best for flexible rewards at a reasonable cost
For pretty much anyone getting serious about travel rewards for the first time, I’d start here.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) has long been one of our favorite travel cards at Motley Fool Money. That’s not because it’s particularly flashy, either. It just delivers simple value without requiring you to jump through a ton of hoops.
For a $95 annual fee, you’ll get:
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries
- 2X points on all other travel purchases
- 1X points on all other purchases
- An annual $50 hotel credit, applied automatically when you book a hotel through Chase Travel
The welcome bonus is great, too: Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s a bonus worth at least $750 in Chase Travel℠ value, and potentially even more with Chase’s valuable Points Boost program.
The bonus is the biggest value-add in year one, no doubt. But for an easy $50 credit and strong earning rates in the long run, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great choice.
2. Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Best for a strong blend of perks and earning rates
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a popular workhorse travel card. But its sibling, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees), is perfect if you want reward and perks that can really move the needle.
In exchange for a $795 annual fee, you’ll unlock more than $3,000 in annual value, including:
- $500 for bookings at “The Edit” hotel collection ($250 twice a year)
- A $300 annual travel credit
- Up to $120 every four years to cover the cost of a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fee
- $120 in Lyft credits
- Access to more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide
If you’re already spending heavily on travel, the math can work in your favor pretty quickly.
The current welcome bonus is fantastic, too. Earn 150,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s the highest public offer ever seen on the card.
Also note that you can now earn one bonus per Sapphire card as long as you’ve never earned a bonus on that specific card before. So holding the Chase Sapphire Preferred doesn’t automatically disqualify you from the Chase Sapphire Reserve bonus.
3. American Express Platinum Card®: Best for jetsetters who want luxury perks
The American Express Platinum Card® is in a similar lane as the Chase Sapphire Reserve — a top luxury card with thousands of dollars in annual perks. But if you’re really serious about travel, I still see it as the travel card king.
Yes, it has an $895 annual fee (see rates and fees). But in exchange, you’ll unlock more than $3,500 in annual value. Some great perks, to just name a few:
- $600 in annual hotel credits for prepaid bookings through Amex Travel at Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection (THC requires a min. two-night stay)
- A $209 annual CLEAR+ credit
- $200 a year in airline fee credits
- $200 in annual Uber Cash
- $120 in annual Uber One credits
- Access to more than 1,550 airport lounges worldwide
- Terms apply; enrollment may be required
For frequent travelers who can use a good chunk of the perks, your net value on the Platinum Card® should easily exceed $1,000 a year. It’s probably best suited for people flying 10+ times a year, not your occasional budget travelers.
The welcome bonus offer can be just as strong, too. Apply and find out if you are eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Terms apply.
You can’t really go wrong with any of these three cards. But if you’re dead-set on saving as much on travel as possible, the Platinum Card® is still my top pick.