Travel and dining go hand-in-hand, so you’ll want a travel rewards credit card that also earns great rewards on your restaurant meals. Here are the best:
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card – Travel and Dining Rewards: Earn 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel booking site and earn 2 points per dollar on other travel purchases. Earn 3 points per dollar on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out.
Also, earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards. (Note that you won’t earn points on the $50 that qualifies for the hotel credit.)
But that’s not all: When you redeem your points through Chase’s travel booking site, the value of your points goes up by 25%! So, 5 points becomes 6.25 points, 3 points becomes 3.75 points, etc. You alternately can choose to transfer the points you earn into the frequent flyer or hotel loyalty programs of Chase partners including United, Southwest, Hyatt, Marriott and more. (And, because Chase allows you to combine points between multiple Chase credit cards, many people choose a larger strategy of earning points on more than one Chase card and getting the extra potential value that comes when redeeming with this card.)
We’re still not done: You’ll also earn 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs), 3x points on select streaming services, and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
One more thing, kinda important — NEW CARDHOLDER BONUS OPPORTUNITY: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. (Worth $750 in travel when redeemed through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel booking site.) Annual fee on this card: $95.
American Express® Gold Card – Travel and Dining Rewards: Earn 4X POINTS At Restaurants Worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 3X POINTS On Flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. (Points can be redeemed for travel through amextravel.com or transferred into travel loyalty programs of Delta, Hilton, Marriott and more.)
But wait, there’s more: You’ll also earn 4X POINTS On Groceries at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 in purchases per year, and 1X points on other eligible purchases.
Dining Credits, Too! Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly (up to $120 per year) when you pay with this card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. (Enrollment required.) AND Add this card to your Uber account, and you’ll automatically get $10 in Uber Cash each month (for a total of up to $120 per year), that you can use on Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.
Yes, there is a New Cardholder Bonus Opportunity: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $4,000 within the first 6 months. $250 annual fee for this card, but plenty to justify it. See Rates & Fees. Terms Apply. American Express is a ProudMoney advertiser.
Citi Premier® Card – Travel and Dining Rewards: Earn 3X/3% cash back on air travel and hotels and 3X/3% at restaurants.
ALSO: Get $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, when booked through thankyou.com (once per calendar year).
But that’s not all — You’ll also earn: 3X/3% cash back at gas stations AND 3X/3% at supermarkets and 1% on any other purchases.
And… NEW CARDHOLDER WELCOME BONUS OPPORTUNITY: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Those 60,000 points have a value of at least $600 in most cases. When a bonus offer is that big, this card’s modest $95 annual fee makes sense to pay, especially when it comes with so many 3% categories that make this a useful “daily driver” credit card even beyond travel and restaurants.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® – Travel and Dining Rewards: Earn 5 points per dollar on flights and 10 points per dollar on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel booking site. You’ll also earn 3 points per dollar on other travel purchased with the card. (We’ll get to the dining rewards in a second.)
$300 Annual Travel Credit: You’ll automatically receive up to $300 in statement credits as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year. NOTE: The first $300 in travel booked with the card qualifies for the credit, but you won’t earn points on that first $300 in travel purchases. All of the points earning detailed above kicks in after you’ve spent $300 on travel with the card and enjoyed having that $300 credited back to you.
DINING REWARDS: Earn 10 points per dollar when dining at restaurants booked through the Chase Dining reservation system. Earn 3 points per dollar on other dining at restaurants, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out. Earn 1 point per dollar on all other card purchases outside of travel and dining.
NEW CARDHOLDER BONUS OPPORTUNITY: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $900 toward travel when you redeem through the Chase Ultimate Rewards booking site.
50% Higher Points Redemption Value: When you redeem your points for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards booking site, the value of those points jumps by 50%. (Each point becomes worth 1.5 cents versus 1 cent per point with most other redemptions.) So, 5 points becomes 7.5 points, 3 points becomes 4.5 points, etc.
You alternately can choose to transfer the points you earn into the frequent flyer or hotel loyalty programs of Chase partners including United, Southwest, Hyatt, Marriott and more. (And, as mentioned above, because Chase allows you to combine points between multiple Chase credit cards, many people choose a larger strategy of earning points on more than one Chase card and getting the extra potential value that comes when redeeming with this card.)
This card has a $550 annual fee, but as you can see above, a frequent traveler (especially one who dines out often) can find plenty of value to justify that fee. But wait, there’s more: You’ll enjoy airport lounge access through Priority Pass (free enrollment required), good travel insurances including trip cancellation/interruption insurance and lost luggage reimbursement, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, etc., etc., etc…
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi – Travel and Dining Rewards: Costco members earn 3% cash back on restaurant purchases worldwide AND 3% cash back on eligible travel purchases worldwide.
That’s not all: You’ll also earn 4% cash back on eligible gas worldwide, including gas at Costco, and EV charging purchases for the first $7,000 per year (1% on gas purchases beyond $7000/year), PLUS 2% cash back on all other purchases from Costco and Costco.com, and then 1% on any other purchases.
If you’re already paying to be a Costco member, it’s a no-brainer to get the Costco credit card. (There’s no annual fee for the card itself, and it’s only available to Costco members.)
Author: Adam Jusko