It’s becoming increasingly common these days for cards to charge annual fees of $450 (or more). In many ways, premium is the new normal. To convince customers to spend hundreds of dollars a year, most of these cards offer some sort of annual travel statement credit, but they are certainly not all the same. Some range from automatic and easy to use to much more restrictive, with strict guidelines you must follow to redeem those travel credits.
At TPG we want to provide you with information that supports your decision-making. That’s why we created this chart to help you easily maneuver between some of the most popular travel credit cards that offer easy-to-use travel credits.
Card | Sign-up bonus/welcome offer | Travel credit | Annual contribution |
---|---|---|---|
Chase Sapphire Reserve | Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months of account opening. | Annual travel credit of $300 | $550 |
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® | Earn 70,000 AAdvantage miles after you spend $7,000 in the first three months of account opening. | Up to $120 in Lyft credits
Up to $120 in statement credits for Grubhub purchases Up to $120 in credits on Avis or Budget car rentals |
$595 (see rates and fees) |
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card | Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of your card membership. | Up to $300 dining statement credits at restaurants worldwide
Up to $100 credit toward luxury properties on select stays of two nights or longer at Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis hotels Enrollment required for certain benefits. |
$650 (see rates and fees) |
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | Earn 180,000 Hilton Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of your card membership. Terms and conditions apply | Up to $200 annual airline credit
Up to $400 annual Hilton Resort Statement credit valid at participating resorts Up to $100 property credit for qualifying stays of two or more nights at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad hotels Enrollment required for certain benefits. |
$550 (see rates and fees) |
The Platinum Card® from American Express | Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases with the card in the first six months of your card membership. | Annual credit of up to $200 for airline incidentals
Up to $200 per year Uber Cash ($15 per month and a $20 bonus in December) $189 Clear Plus Credit Enrollment required for certain benefits. |
$695 (see rates and fees) |
Capital One Venture | Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in the first three months of account opening | $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel | $395 (see rates and fees) |
The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card was independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been verified or provided by the card issuer.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Annual travel credit: Annual travel credit of $300.
Notable benefits: The Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the most popular all-around credit cards and has even won TPG’s best premium travel card three years in a row. Despite the $550 annual fee, the $300 annual travel credit is incredibly compelling in getting people to sign up. This credit is also by far the easiest to use, as Chase automatically applies this credit to your first $300 in annual travel purchases, with eligible costs ranging from flights and hotels to less obvious things like parking, tolls, ride sharing and even some food delivery services. Keep in mind that you must spend the $300 travel credit before you start earning 3 points per dollar of travel spend.
Finally, the Sapphire Reserve rounds out with 3 points per dollar on travel and dining, a Priority Pass Select membership, access to a premium concierge service, and a host of other benefits.
Related: Chase Sapphire Reserve Review
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
Annual travel credit: Up to $120 in Lyft credits, up to $120 in statement credits for Grubhub purchases, and up to $120 in statement credits for Avis or Budget car rentals.
Notable benefits: In July 2023, the AAdvantage Executive credit underwent major changes, including the addition of several statement credits and increased earning potential. Yet there were also negative changes, such as an increase in the card’s annual fee and a limit of 10 authorized users, which cost $175 for up to three people and $175 for each authorized user thereafter. Despite these changes, the AAdvantage Executive still stands out thanks to its complimentary membership to the Admirals Club.
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Related: The latest changes to credit card benefits you need to know
The AAdvantage Executive offers a fantastic rewards rate, with 4 miles per dollar on purchases on American Airlines and 10 miles per dollar on hotels or cars booked through aa.com/hotels and aa.com/cars.
Related: AAdvantage Executive Review
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card
Annual travel credit: Up to $300 dining review credits at restaurants worldwide and up to $100 luxury property credits for two nights or more at St. Regis or Ritz-Carlton hotels.
Notable benefits: While the €300 annual credit is useful, it’s worth noting that it is split into monthly credits of €25 rather than one lump sum. However, apart from this, there are not many restrictions when using this card.
In addition to these credits, the card offers automatic Marriott Platinum Elite status and a valuable annual free night certificate worth up to 50,000 points at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program (select hotels have resort fees).
Related: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant review
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Annual travel credit: Up to $200 annual airline credit, up to $400 annual Hilton resort statement credit valid at participating resorts, and up to $100 real estate credit for two nights or more at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad hotels.
Notable benefits: The premium Hilton Aspire recently underwent a refresh, which brought some changes to statement credit, and is currently offering a welcome bonus of 180,000 Hilton points (worth $1,080 based on TPG’s valuations) after spending $6,000 in the first six months. The Aspire offers up to $200 credit (up to $50 quarterly) on eligible flight purchases made directly with an airline or through amextravel.com. The card also offers up to $400 (up to $200 semiannually) in credits on qualifying purchases at Hilton resorts, which may be combined with a $100 property credit for qualifying stays of two or more nights at Waldorf Astoria- and Conrad Hotels.
Aspire cardholders will also enjoy a complimentary weekend night certificate at account opening and on their account anniversary each year, automatic Hilton Diamond elite status at the highest level, and as much as 14 points per dollar on eligible Hilton purchases.
Related: Hilton Honors Aspire review
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Annual travel credit: Up to $200 annual airline incidental fee credit, up to $200 annual Uber Cash ($15 per month, which becomes a $20 bonus in December), and $189 Clear Plus credit.
Notable benefits: The Amex Platinum airline credit is getting a lot of attention, but there’s a mystery as to how exactly to activate it. Here is the information Amex provides regarding the $200 airline credit: “Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in credits per calendar year when incidentals, such as checked bags and inflight refreshments, are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card.” Amex has closed the loophole for purchasing gift cards, severely limiting the ways to use this benefit. What reportedly triggers the airline credit includes (but is not limited to) checked baggage fees, change fees, airline lounge day passes, seat assignment fees, and other in-flight purchases.
If you’ve decided to apply for or keep your Platinum Card open even after these changes (plus the $695 annual fee (see rates and fees)), you can look forward to the following benefits: Up to $200 in annual Uber Cash ($15 per year per month with a $20 bonus in December), up to $100 in annual Saks Fifth Avenue credits ($50 every six months), up to $189 statement credit for a Clear Plus membership, Marriott and Hilton Gold elite status, access to Amex’s growing collection of Centurion lounges, access to Delta Sky Clubs when traveling on same-day Delta flights and a host of other benefits. Registration is required for certain benefits.
Related: Amex Platinum Review
Capital One Venture
Annual travel credit: $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel.
Notable benefits: The Capital One Venture X is a phenomenal card that disrupted the travel credit card industry several years ago. The Venture However, cardholders will also receive 10,000 bonus miles on the anniversary date of the card’s opening, with the card shining on lounge access.
Related: Capital One Venture X Review
Cardholders can add four authorized users and both the primary cardholder at no charge And authorized users – in addition to up to two guests – receive free access to the Capital One lounge. In addition, all guests traveling with the primary cardholder or an authorized user also have access to more than 1,400 Priority Pass lounges worldwide.
Related: Best Travel Credit Cards
In short
For a long time, it’s been easy to ignore the annual fee for premium cards, in part because of multiple annual statement credits that easily offset your upfront costs. However, recent changes and restrictions in how these credits can be used may impact the value you get from these high annual fee cards. It’s important to plan how you’ll use these credits before opening a card to ensure you can recoup your annual fee.
For rates and reimbursements for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, click here.
For Hilton Honors Aspire Card rates and fees, click here.
For Amex Platinum rates and fees, click here.
For Venture X rates and fees, click here.