The 5 easiest travel credits to redeem

Many premium credit cards offer travel credits to offset the high annual fees associated with them.

However, these credits aren’t all the same. Some are simple and easy to use, while others are highly restrictive and come with strict requirements.

Here’s our list of the ones that are easiest for you to maximize.

General travel credits

Chase Sapphire Reserve

The easiest travel credit to redeem is the $300 annual travel credit on the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

This credit is simple because it automatically kicks in on the first $300 you spend on travel each account anniversary year. You don’t have to book through a travel portal or meet any minimum spending requirement to earn the credit.

Plus, Chase broadly defines what qualifies as a travel purchase. So, flights, hotel stays, parking garages, Uber rides and tolls are all included.

(Note that you won’t earn bonus Chase Ultimate Rewards points on purchases before you hit the $300 credit.)

This annual travel credit wipes out more than half of the Sapphire Reserve’s $550 annual fee, lowering the effective annual fee to just $250.

To learn more, check out our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business

The premium Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and its business sibling, the Capital One Venture X Business, both offer a $300 annual travel credit.

This credit isn’t as flexible as the Sapphire Reserve’s credit since you must book travel through the Capital One Travel portal to receive it. You can book flights, hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars through the portal.

Both cards charge a $395 annual fee, so when you factor in this annual credit, you’ll effectively pay $95 for either card, which is great value for a premium card.

To learn more, check out our full reviews of the Venture X and the Venture X Business.

Related: 6 things to do when you get the Capital One Venture X

Airline credits

The Platinum Card from American Express and The Business Platinum Card from American Express

Both The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express offer an up to $200 statement credit for airline incidental fees each calendar year (enrollment required).

You can use this credit on anything from baggage and seat selection fees to inflight Wi-Fi and drinks. However, data points show United Airlines TravelBank cash and Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines gift card purchases can trigger the credit, too.

This $200 credit helps offset the $695 annual fee on both of these cards (see rates and fees for the Amex Platinum and the Business Platinum).

To learn more, read our full reviews of the Amex Platinum and the Business Platinum.

United Quest Card

With the United Quest℠ Card, you’ll receive $200 in United TravelBank cash upon account opening and on each account anniversary.

The credit is automatically deposited into your United account and can be used to purchase tickets on United for yourself and others.

This credit effectively lowers this card’s annual fee from $350 to $150.

To learn more, check out our full review of the United Quest Card.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card offers up to $50 in quarterly statement credits on flights booked directly with an airline or through American Express Travel.

Data points show that you can also use the credit on seat upgrades, award taxes and fees, and United TravelBank cash purchases.

This card charges $550 each year, so this credit effectively brings down the annual fee to a more manageable $350.

To learn more, read our full review of the Hilton Aspire.

The information for the Hilton Amex Aspire card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

Southwest’s top-tier Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers an annual credit of $75 that can be applied to Southwest flight bookings.

The card charges a $149 annual fee, so this credit effectively wipes out half of the annual fee.

To learn more, check out our full review of the Southwest Priority.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card (see rates and fees) offers a $50 annual statement credit when you make an airline purchase of at least $50.

(Note that you must use the credit all at once.)

The Autograph Journey charges a $95 annual fee, so this one credit offsets over half of the annual fee.

To learn more, read our full review of the Autograph Journey.

Related: The best credit cards with airline fee credits

Hotel credits

Amex Platinum

Each calendar year you hold the Amex Platinum, you’ll receive a one-time credit of up to $200 on prepaid reservations with the issuer’s two hotel programs: American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection.

(Keep in mind you must stay at least two nights when you book a property in The Hotel Collection.)

Delta cards

Six of the seven Delta American Express cards offer annual statement credits when you book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays (the airline’s hotel portal).

Here’s what these cards offer:

To learn more, check out our guide to Delta cards.

United cards

United’s top three cards offer annual credits for hotel stays booked directly through Renowned Hotels and Resorts, the airline’s luxury hotel portal.

• United Quest Card: Up to $150
• United Club℠ Card and United Club℠ Business Card: Up to $200

These credits can be used on one booking; they’re not broken up into quarterly or biannual credits. Plus, you’ll receive elitelike perks such as complimentary breakfast and a property credit when you book through the portal.

Additionally, United’s mid-tier cards, the United℠ Explorer Card and the United℠ Business Card, offer hotel credits of up to $50 each for your first two prepaid reservations made each anniversary year through United Hotels, the airline’s standard hotel booking portal.

The information for the United Club Business Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

The $95 annual fee Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card comes with a $50 annual hotel credit, which offsets its annual fee by more than half.

This benefit is more restrictive than the travel credit on its higher-annual-fee sibling, the Sapphire Reserve. To use this credit, you must book an eligible stay through the Chase Travel℠ portal.

To learn more, read our full review of the Sapphire Preferred.

Hilton credits

Three American Express cards offer a quarterly statement credit for Hilton purchases:

• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: Up to $50
• Amex Business Platinum: Up to $50*
• The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Up to $60

This credit can be used for more than just stays. Data points show that, even if you aren’t staying at the property, purchases at Hilton restaurants, bars and gift stores can often trigger the credit.

*Enrollment is required; terms apply. 

Related: Which credit card should you use for Hilton stays?

Ride-hailing credits

The following cards offer credits for ride-hailing services:

**Your Amex Gold or Amex Plat must first be added to your Uber account and you can redeem your Uber Cash with any Amex Card.
***Enrollment required.
^Yearly enrollment is required.

Related: Frequent Uber or Lyft user? These are the best credit cards for you

Clear credits

The following cards offer a $199 credit each calendar year toward Clear Plus, a popular expedited security membership program (subject to auto-renewal):

• Amex Platinum
• Amex Business Platinum
• American Express® Green Card
• Hilton Aspire

The information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom line

This list is important for frequent travelers looking for easy value from a credit card and those who currently hold one of the cards.

Remember to enroll in the benefits when required and to use your monthly, quarterly and biannual credits to maximize the value you get from your card’s annual fee.

Related: Are premium credit cards worth the annual fee?

For rates and fees for the Amex Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum, click here.