Our Travel Perks Credit Cards
Most luxury travel benefits are earned, not purchased. And you don’t have to spend a lot to get a lot.
The biggest open secret to our travel lifestyle is that we use just a few credit cards to help us travel like millionaires without breaking the bank.
Always Be Changing has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products, so please be aware that some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Always Be Changing and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers if you follow the links on our website and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on our site. Also be aware that our site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions expressed on this website are ours alone, and not those of the companies listed above. Additionally, the content on this website has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the companies listed above. However, we may be compensated by the companies listed above through their affiliate programs. Read our full advertising disclosure here.
We know how to spend money to save money.
If you’ve seen any our family’s travel videos, you’ve probably noticed that we often travel in luxury. But here’s the thing—we don’t pay nearly as much as it may seem. Through a combination of brand loyalty and smart credit card choices, we’re able to experience the world at a level typically reserved for those with much heftier budgets than our own. From free flights, hotel stays, and upgrades to thousands of dollars in expense reimbursements, having the right credit card can provide a lot more for so much less.
We’ve never purchased a first-class or business class ticket.
In fact, the first time any of us flew first or business class was about 5 years ago. But over the past 2 years, our entire family has gotten a bit too comfortable with the fortune of constant upgrades. Our kids regularly fly in lie-flat pods that most travelers will never experience. It’s a lifestyle of richness for which we’re very grateful. And leveraging the full power of our favorite credit cards helps make it happen.
Our Favorite Credit Cards for Travel Perks
Of course, terms and restrictions apply to the benefits we list. Select a card for details.
card_name
Current Offer:
bonus_miles_full
Annual Fee:
annual_fees
Intro APR:
intro_apr_rate,intro_apr_duration
Regular APR:
reg_apr,reg_apr_type
Why We Love It:*
We’ve been American Express Platinum Card holders for about 15 years now and, despite the hefty annual fee, we’ve never found justification to get rid of it. Centurion® are some of the best airport lounges in North America and you can enjoy them in numerous cities around the world (along with the rest of the American Express Global Lounge Collection). That benefit alone (free wifi, food, alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverages, and a more upscale environment to wait for your flights) can easily offset the annual fee if you travel regularly, but it only gets better from there. With statement credits for things like CLEAR®, Uber Cash, airline fees (luggage, change fees, in-flight food and wifi, etc.) for your selected airline, certain hotel bookings, streaming services, and more, you can easily make a nifty profit just by being a cardholder.
Beyond statement credits, you have special access to VIP events and 24x7 access to the 1-800 concierge number on the back of the card. We’ve used that resource to book travel, secure upscale restaurant reservations (more than once at places that told me directly that they had no availability), and address any other account needs you have.
When all is said and done, we’ve just learned to see the annual fee not as an expense, but as an investment. And it’s paid off every year we’ve been cardholders.
*Enrollment required for these benefits
card_name
Current Offer:
bonus_miles_full
Annual Fee:
annual_fees
Intro APR:
intro_apr_rate,intro_apr_duration
Regular APR:
reg_apr,reg_apr_type
Why We Love It:
This is a great card for United Airlines loyalists like us. As much as we love our American Express cards and benefits, there have been times that Centurion® lounges were either unavailable or inconvenient for our gates (even in our home airport—Denver International—the Centurion® lounge is a train ride away from the primary United concourse). That alone compelled us to add this card to our wallets. And while Chase offers multiple United cards, this is the only one that includes United Club access, making it worth the annual fee for our family. Note that Chase has offered a Club card for business in the past, but since that’s not an option currently, we chose this card and simply use it exclusively for business spending.
In addition to club access, this card helps us ramp up our PQP (premier qualifying points) in the MileagePlus program each year, making it easier and faster to maintain our Premier 1K status with the airline. And because the bulk of our travel is overseas, there’s always the issue of many vendors not accepting American Express. This card fills that gap for us nicely (especially because this card carries no foreign transaction fees). It also comes with flight perks like your first checked bag free and priority boarding (for those whose MileagePlus status doesn’t already cover these).
This card is a great opportunity to collect United points because we earn 4x points on United spending and 2x on all other travel, restaurant and delivery spending. And because it card covers up to $100 credit on Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fees, our expedited security screening services are completely free since CLEAR® is covered by our American Express card.
card_name
Current Offer:
bonus_miles_full
Annual Fee:
annual_fees
Intro APR:
intro_apr_rate,intro_apr_duration
Regular APR:
reg_apr,reg_apr_type
Why We Love It:*
Since the bulk of our spending is on the business side, we’ve switched from this card to the Business Platinum Card, but if your needs cover primarily personal spending, this might be the better option. Just like the Business Platinum Card, the annual fee on this one is one of the largest in the industry, but we cannot stress enough how much value you get in return. If you travel often and can make good use of the American Express Global Lounge Collection (which includes access to the Centurion® Lounge), the savings in free wifi, free food (that’s actually good), and free alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverages may very well offset the annual fee. But when you add statement credits for things like CLEAR®, Uber Cash, airline fees, certain hotel bookings, streaming services, and more, you can easily make a profit by being a cardholder. Add in all of the other incredible membership benefits and there’s not much contest between these cards and others.
You’ll get the same perks that come with the Business Platinum Card, like special access to VIP events and 24x7 access to the 1-800 concierge number on the back of the card. We’ve used that resource to book travel, secure upscale restaurant reservations (more than once at places that told me directly that they had no availability), and address any other account needs you have.
Like with the Business Platinum Card, we’ve just learned to see the annual fee not as an expense, but as an investment. And it’s paid off every year we’ve been cardholders.
*Enrollment required for these benefits
card_name
Current Offer:
bonus_miles_full
Annual Fee:
annual_fees
Intro APR:
intro_apr_rate,intro_apr_duration
Regular APR:
reg_apr,reg_apr_type
Why We Love It*
Since we rely primarily on our American Express Business Platinum Card for business spending, we employ the American Express Gold card for most of our personal spending. This card earns us 4x Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., but we earn the same 4x points at U.S. supermarkets, including online purchases from Whole Foods (through Amazon) and Amazon Fresh. These points build up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then drop to 1x. We also get 3x Membership Rewards® Points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, both of which are ultra-valuable. Transferring points to a partner airline can often get you awards tickets for fewer points than the airlines themselves charge.
Key Benefits:*
$120 in dining credits, $10 per month, the Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
$120 Uber Cash: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
No foreign transaction fees makes this a particularly good card for dining out while abroad
Enrollment in American Express Preferred Access, which offers premium seating at concerts, sporting events, etc.
*Enrollment required for these benefits
card_name
Current Offer:
bonus_miles_full
Annual Fee:
annual_fees
Intro APR:
intro_apr_rate,intro_apr_duration
Regular APR:
reg_apr,reg_apr_type
The Chase Sapphire Preferred packs in a lot of value for such a low annual fee. By earning flexible Ultimate Reward points, you can save up for great awards flights. For maximum value, you’ll want to redeem points through the Chase Travel portal because they’re, they’re worth 1.25 cents per point. That means that the 60,000 bonus points alone are worth $750 when redeemed for travel. Alternatively, you can transfer points at a 1-for-1 to United Airlines, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Korean Airlines, Southwest Airlines, or Virgin Atlantic.
Chase Sapphire Preferred is currently earning card holders 5x points on travel booked through Chase Travel℠, 3x points on dining (including eligible delivery services), 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs), 3x points on streaming services, and 2x points on all other travel spending.
Key Benefits:
$50 annual credit on Ultimate Rewards Hotels
DoorDash discounts through a free DashPass subscription
Car rental insurance and travel accident insurance
No foreign transaction fees makes this a particularly good card for dining out while abroad
card_name
Current Offer:
bonus_miles_full
Annual Fee:
annual_fees
Intro APR:
intro_apr_rate,intro_apr_duration
Regular APR:
reg_apr,reg_apr_type
With a no-hassles annual travel credit of $300, you can almost cover this card’s annual fee just by leaving home, but the annual award of 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 in free travel) that you get on each card anniversary literally pushes you into the realm of profit even after the first year. As for the first year itself, the current bonus offer can be hugely valuable even before you meet the minimum spend because once that threshold is reached, you can retroactively cover travel spend from the previous 90 days when you book through Capital One Rewards. You can also transfer points at a 2:1.5 ratio to multiple airlines, giving you the flexibility to book the ideal award flights.
Key Benefits:
Up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel
10,000 mile anniversary bonus
10x miles on hotels and cars booked through Capital One Travel
5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
2x miles on all other purchases
Free Priority Pass membership for unlimited visits to 1,300+ lounges around the world
No foreign transaction fees
Always Be Changing has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products, so please be aware that some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Always Be Changing and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers if you follow the links on our website and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on our site. Also be aware that our site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions expressed on this website are ours alone, and not those of the companies listed above. Additionally, the content on this website has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the companies listed above. However, we may be compensated by the companies listed above through their affiliate programs. Read our full advertising disclosure here. For rates and fees for American Express cards mentioned in this post, please see the following links: The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (See Rates and Fees; terms apply); The Platinum Card® from American Express (See Rates and Fees; terms apply); American Express® Gold Card (See Rates and Fees; terms apply)