Travel can be expensive but there are so many ways to work around the costs of travel, or at least get something back for those miles you spend in the air.  As soon as I started traveling a lot as an adult, I started applying for Travel Credit Cards and it’s paid off ten-fold over the years.  I know lots of people are afraid of the burden of credit cards and yes, it can be easy to overspend, but if you can keep spending under control and use credit cards simply as a way to help you pay for travel, you’ll be shocked at the deals you can get.

Over the last 5-7 years, I’ve tried out a bunch of different travel credit cards, airline cards and bank cards alike and I’ve narrowed it down now to a few travel cards that are really worthwhile for me and for the sort of travel we do now.  So in no particular order, here are my favorite Travel Credit Cards and the perks they offer (many of those perks we use on a very regular basis and helps us cut our travel costs down significantly.)

BRITISH AIRWAYS VISA
I’ve had this card for a few years now and love it.  It has so many perks and is one of my top recommendations for a travel card.  Even if you don’t ever fly BA, this card is well worth having, especially if you have large spenditures going on the card each year.  For example, I use this card for the majority of my business expenses, which gains a lot of points each year, which is turn are used in a number of ways.  This card also has no foreign transaction fees so it’s the card Nick and I use while abroad, as well as having a chip (which is used around the world.)  

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Those are just a few of the reasons I love this card, here are even more perks that come with it:
+ No foreign transaction fees
+ Chip technology
+ Avios companion ticket each year after spending $30,000 in a calendar year (Basically buy any ticket on BA with Avios points in any cabin and get a free companion ticket, only paying for taxes and fees)
+ Avios can be redeemed for flights, hotels and rental cars almost anywhere in the world
+ BA lets you pool your points with other members of your household, letting you accrue a large amount of points quicker

How I use this card:
For me, I haven’t ever used the points I accrue on this card for long-haul flights (only Intra-Europe flights), though I’m sure that can be lucrative as well, especially on partner airlines as BA charges really high taxes and fees.  I use this card’s points for hotels and rental cars all the time.  On many of our trips at least half the nights, if not all are booked on Avios points accrued on my BA card.  I’ve also used the points for rental cars more times than I can count, which often saves you a lot of money.  I also love this card while traveling abroad, as it’s enhanced with chip technology and has no foreign transaction fees, which can come in really handy.

CHASE SAPPHIRE VISA
I recently got this card and love it already.  I signed up when they were offering a hefty sign up bonus which really boosted my points right away.  This card earns you double points when used on any travel related costs as well as offering amazing point advantages and transfer opportunities.  I’ve already used this card to book us a weekend in New Mexico in April, entirely on points.  I booked flights, hotels and rental cars with points from this card, covering us for an entire weekend.

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Those are just a few of the reasons I love this card, here are even more perks that come with it:
+ No foreign transaction fees
+ Chip Technology
+ Cool aesthetic (it’s actually metal)
+ Amazing points travel shop – Chase offers a whole website for travel booking with this card, offering you a discount on travel when you book with them or with points
+ Amazing points transfer opportunities – Among the list of companies you can transfer points to (1:1) include BA, Hyatt, Southwest and many others

How I use this card:
I use this card for business expenses, which for me, adds up to a lot of points accrued.  I also have started putting our airfares booked for this coming year on this card, to get the double points on big purchases like that.  For instance, when I just booked our airfare to Europe in the Fall, I used this card to take full advantage of the points system.  

ALASKA VISA & ALASKA BUSINESS VISA
I’ve had the Alaska cards for years, mainly because I fly Alaska a lot and they are based out of the North West, where I live.  But they are pretty great cards to have no matter where you live because of the great partners that Alaska has, including Air France, Emirates and Delta, and many more.

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Those are just a few of the reasons I love this card, here are even more perks that come with it:
+ Great points based travel options – Alaska is one of the airlines that still charges you the same amount whether you book one way or round trip and same goes for points.  This is a huge perk and their points are pretty affordable for booking travel.
+ $99 companion ticket each year – Since I have both the personal Alaska card and Business, I get a companion ticket each year on each card.  Nick also has a card, so between us we get 3 companion tickets each year, which after fees, ends up being about $106 for the companion.  Consider your flying from Portland to NYC and tickets are upwards of $400.  You get that second ticket for just $106, which can be a great value.

How I use this Card:
I used to use my personal Alaska card a lot more, but now I mostly just use the Business card for business expenses.  But I like to keep my personal one, even though I don’t really use it anymore, for the purpose of that companion ticket each year.

Travel credit cards can be incredibly useful if you really use them to your advantage.  I hear all the time of people that have never even looked into all the perks you get from travel cards they have and that’s such a waste.  When you figure out how lucrative they can be and how much of your travel can be purchased on points with no money out of your pocket, you realize it’s a pretty amazing system to be part of!