Best Credit Cards for Wedding Expenses

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Tying the knot comes with a hefty price tag.

But as any points and miles enthusiast will tell you, every large expense comes with a silver lining.

By charging your wedding expenses to a travel rewards credit card, you could enjoy a points and miles-funded honeymoon. Whether it’s an award flight to French Polynesia or a point-funded stay at a waterfront hotel in the Maldives, charging your wedding costs to a credit card can pay off big-time.

However, to pull this off and avoid some of the common pitfalls along the way, you’ll need the right strategy.

Let’s look at how best to plan your wedding credit card strategy and the best credit cards for wedding expenses.

The Importance of Choosing the Right Credit Card for Weddings

Charging your wedding expenses to a credit card allows you to earn thousands of points or cash back, while easily meeting welcome bonus spending requirements. In some cases, charging wedding expenses to your card could enable you to reach minimum spending thresholds for companion vouchers or elite status with airline and hotel loyalty programs.

Choosing the right credit card for weddings consists of analyzing your planned expenses, considering how you want to redeem your points and picking a card with a value that will outlive the wedding itself. The last piece of the puzzle is ensuring you can offset any annual fees through frequent usage and perk utilization.

Of course, it could be the case that you’re not the one paying for the wedding, or at least not all of it. Often, parents of the bride or groom may cover a substantial portion of the cost. If that’s the case, you could invite them to apply for a certain card you already hold, allowing you to benefit from a referral bonus. Alternatively, you could add them as an authorized user on your account, enabling their spending to earn you points.

Top Credit Cards for Wedding Expenses

Here’s an overview of the best credit cards for wedding expenses.

We’ve organized our selection to reflect the different strategies you may employ when earning points on wedding expenses.

For example, if your travel goals revolve around flights with specific carriers or stays with a certain hotel chain, charging your wedding expenses to an airline or hotel card could be the best way to go.

Alternatively, if you want maximum redemption flexibility, using a general travel rewards credit card will be a better strategy. Some of the best travel credit cards with no annual fee make for great wedding cards.

Likewise, depending on how your largest wedding expenses code (in other words, whether the reception venue is considered a hotel, dining or other type of purchase), it may make sense to use a card that earns bonus points on a specific spending category, such as dining or hotels.

Following are some of the best credit cards we have found for wedding expenses.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® can support you before, during and after your wedding. This makes it one of the best credit cards for weddings.

If your reception venue happens to code as a hotel purchase, you’re in luck. You’ll receive a $300 statement credit for travel purchases, which includes hotel expenses. After that, you’ll earn 8X points on hotels booked through Chase Travel℠, as well as 4X points on direct bookings with hotels.

After the wedding, you’ll be able to earn 8X points on your honeymoon flights purchased as travel through Chase Travel℠ (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually) or4X points on flights booked directly with the airline. You’ll also enjoy complimentary Priority Pass Select™ membership to kickstart your honeymoon the right way, as well as a statement credit reimbursement for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus application fees, every four years.

You can offset the annual fee of $795 through earnings and perks.

Pros

• 8X points on everything booked through Chase Travel℠ (applies after the first $300 is spent on annual travel purchases)
• 3X points on dining worldwide
• 4X points on flights and hotels booked direct (applies after the first $300 is spent on annual travel purchases)
• Statement credit reimbursement for a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus application fee, every four years
• $300 annual statement credit for travel purchases
• Complimentary DashPass (through Dec. 31, 2027)
• Monthly DoorDash credit of up to $25 in promos with a $5 monthly restaurant promo and two $10 non-restaurant DoorDash promos through (Dec. 31, 2027)
• No foreign transaction fees
• Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership

Cons

• High annual fee

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

For an annual fee of $95, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can support you as both a fiancé and later as a newlywed.

As with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’re in luck if your wedding venue codes as a hotel purchase.

The Sapphire Preferred offers $50 worth of statement credits per account anniversary year toward hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel℠. After this, you can earn 5X points on travel purchases made through Chase Travel℠ or 2X points on all other travel purchases, including hotel stays.

That means you’ll also be able to earn 2X points on your honeymoon flights and hotel stays—unless you use your hard-earned points to pay for them, that is.

Once you’re in the swing of married life, you’ll benefit from 3X points on dining; including eligible takeout, delivery services and dining out; 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs) and 3X points on certain streaming service purchases.

With up to 14 airline and hotel transfer partners, the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers significant value for wedding expenses and newlywed life.

Pros

• 5X points on travel purchases made through the Chase Travel℠, (excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 annual hotel credit)
• 3X points on dining, including eligible takeout, delivery services and dining out
• 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs)
• 3X points on certain streaming services
• 2X on other travel purchases
• 1X points on all other purchases
• $50 worth of statement credits per account anniversary year for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel℠
• No foreign transaction fees
• Points boost every account anniversary year equivalent to 10% of your total spending the previous year

Cons

• Limited bonus categories

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is the perfect card for those smaller, cumulative wedding expenses.

Whether it’s paying the photographer, the florist or the hair stylist, the VentureOne Rewards card earns 1.25X miles on every purchase.

That makes it perfect for earning miles on purchases that fall outside of typical bonus spending categories.

Capital One has up to 15+ hotel and airline transfer partners, making it perfect for travel redemptions toward your honeymoon. If you opt to book any hotel stays through Capital One Travel, you’ll earn 5X miles on your purchases.

For a $0 annual fee, this card is a hidden gem for wedding expenses and travel redemptions.

Pros

• 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One’s travel booking site
• 1.25X miles on every purchase
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• Limited bonus spending categories

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

For an annual fee of $95, you could increase your returns on non-bonus category expenses using the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

You’ll earn 2X miles on all eligible purchases, giving you a lucrative return on some of those trickier wedding expenses.

You can transfer your miles to one of Capital One’s 15+ hotel and airline transfer partners. You could also book your honeymoon hotel stay through Capital One’s travel booking site, earning you 5X miles per dollar spent.

The card also comes with a statement credit to help with the cost of Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, perfect for if you’re flying for your honeymoon and want to go through security quicker.

And once you begin newlywed life, you can continue using the card for non-bonus category expenses, such as bill payments.

These benefits will enable you to continue offsetting the annual fee year after year.

Pros

• 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One’s travel booking site
• 2X miles on all eligible purchases
• No foreign transaction fees
• Statement credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee, every four years
• Hertz Five Star Status

Cons

• 5X miles is available on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One’s travel website only.

Citi Strata Premier® Card

The Citi Strata Premier® Card is a well-rounded travel rewards card with a reasonable annual fee of $95.

If your wedding venue codes as a hotel or restaurant purchase, you’ll be able to charge the expenses to your Premier Card and earn 3X points per dollar.

If you book your honeymoon hotel stay of $500 or more through thankyou.com, you’ll receive a $100 discount. You’ll also earn 3X points on your honeymoon flights.

And once you’re settling into married life, getting 3X points on restaurant, supermarket, gas and EV charging station purchases will help to earn you Citi ThankYou points on everyday purchases. You can transfer your points to up to 18 different hotel and airline partners, giving you excellent redemption flexibility.

These diverse point earning opportunities will enable you to keep offsetting the annual fee well after your wedding.

Pros

• 10X points on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
• 3X points on air travel and other hotel purchases, restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations and EV Charging Stations
• 1X points on all other purchases
• $100 discount when you book a hotel stay of $500 or more through CitiTravel.com
• No foreign transaction fees
• Access to World Elite Mastercard benefits

Cons

• Limited in the way of additional cardholder perks

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

If you already hold a Southwest business credit card, applying for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card and using it for wedding expenses is a solid approach for earning the coveted Southwest Companion Pass.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card typically has a welcome bonus in the range of 40,000 to 80,000 Rapid Rewards points. If you manage to earn the welcome bonus at its peak value and combine it with the welcome bonus on a Southwest business card, you’ll be very close to the 135,000 points needed for the Southwest Companion Pass.

Charging wedding expenses on your Southwest card would be the perfect opportunity to take advantage of organically high expenditure.

The Companion Pass enables you to fly a companion with you for as little as $5.60 in taxes and fees, for an unlimited number of uses, for the remainder of the year you earn it plus the next calendar year. So if you have a January wedding, your Companion Pass will serve you until December of the following year. That means you’ll have many opportunities to use it after you score your spouse a honeymoon airfare of just $5.60 to Hawaii.

For an annual fee of $229, this card could be the perfect opportunity to unlock a range of perks, including the Companion Pass.

Pros

• 4X points on Southwest purchases, including flights, in-flight purchases and Southwest gift cards
• 2X points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and restaurants
• Boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points per year
• 25% back on in-flight Southwest purchases, issued as a statement credit
• 2,500 Tier Qualifying Points (TQP) toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent in purchases annually

Cons

• Only suitable for frequent flyers with Southwest Airlines

United Club℠ Card

If your wedding venue codes as travel—and you happen to be a frequent flyer with United Airlines—United Club℠ Card could be the perfect option.

You’ll earn 2X miles on all other travel purchases, which will cover your hotel-coded wedding reception venue.

On top of this, you’ll earn 5X miles on purchases with United, as well as complimentary United Club membership, making it ideal for your honeymoon flights.

You’ll also receive complimentary Platinum Elite status with IHG One Rewards. This makes it perfect for honeymoon stays at IHG hotels. Additionally, you’ll receive an annual up to $200 statement credit for hotel stays booked directly with Renowned Hotels and Resorts. This gives you options when it comes to booking your honeymoon.

If you fly with United to your honeymoon destination, you and your spouse can take advantage of free first and second checked bags, offering savings of up to $360 per round-trip.

While the $695 annual fee is steep, the perks can easily offset this fee if you use them to their max.

Pros

• 5X miles on prepaid hotel stays booked directly through Renowned Hotels and Resorts
• 5X miles on United purchases
• 2X miles on all other travel purchases
• 2X miles on dining, including eligible delivery services
• 1X miles on all other purchases
• Complimentary United Club membership with the ability to bring up to one guest and dependents under 18 with you
• Opportunity to earn United Club All Access membership when you have United Premier Gold status or charge $50,000 to your card within a calendar year—giving you Star Alliance lounge access and allowing you to bring up to two adult guests into United Clubs or one adult guest plus any dependents under 18 years old. If you earn United Club All Access membership and add an authorized user, you’ll receive four one-time United Club passes. To use the passes, the authorized user must be traveling with you.
• Free first and second checked bags for you and up to one companion—savings of up to $360 per round-trip
• Access to expanded award availability
• 10,000-mile award flight discount after you charge $20,000 to your card within a calendar year (valid for 12 months from the date of issuance), with the opportunity to earn a second 10,000-mile discount after spending another $20,000 within the same calendar year
• $200 annual statement credit for hotel stays booked directly with Renowned Hotels and Resorts
• Up to $150 in annual statement credits toward rideshare purchases, issued in $12 monthly increments each time you pay for a rideshare service, with a bonus of $18 in December of each year
• Up to $100 in annual United TravelBank Cash for purchases with Budget and Avis, issued in $50 increments per eligible rental car booking (minimum rental period of two days)
• Up to $240 in annual Instacart credits, issued in two $10 monthly credits, when you make at least a single purchase of $10 or more per month
• $200 annual statement credit for purchases with JetSuiteX (JSX)
• Complimentary Instacart+ membership through Dec. 31, 2027 or for a minimum one-year term, whichever is longer (after that, you’ll automatically be billed at $99 per year or the current rate)
• 25% discount, given as a statement credit, for in-flight purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi onboard United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks
• A statement credit for a Global Entry, Nexus or TSA PreCheck application fee, every four years, when charged to your card through an eligible enrollment provider
• If the primary cardmember has MileagePlus Premier status and is traveling on an award ticket, they’re eligible for complimentary premier upgrades on select United- and United Express-operated flights, subject to availability (up to one companion that is traveling on the same reservation can also qualify for an upgrade).
• No foreign transaction fees
• Premier Access® travel services including preferential priority check-in, security screening, boarding and baggage handling privileges (subject to availability)
• Complimentary Avis President’s Club® membership
• Complimentary IHG® One Rewards Platinum Elite status
• 10% discount for United Economy saver award flights on United or United Express, within the United States and Canada

Cons

• High annual fee
• No companion certificates, as offered by premium co-branded cards with other airlines

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

If your wedding reception venue is at a property within the Hilton portfolio, you could earn up to 12X points on the expenses (assuming it codes accordingly) using the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (see rates and fees).

This could be the perfect card for Hilton loyalists. And you don’t stop earning points after you’ve tied the knot. You can earn 12X points on your honeymoon hotel stay while enjoying complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status.

You’ll also enjoy an up to $200 annual statement credit, issued in quarterly up to $50 credits, for direct purchases with Hilton, as well as a free night reward after charging $15,000 in purchases to your card within a calendar year.

After entering into married life, you’ll earn 6X points at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery, U.S gas and grocery shopping at U.S. supermarkets.

Offsetting the annual fee of $150 should pose little challenge for Hilton loyalists. Plus, the card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 after that (special offer, apply by 7/29/26), making it even easier to find a lot of value in the card.

Pros

• 12X points on eligible purchases made directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio
• 6X points on U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery
• 6X points on grocery shopping at U.S. supermarkets
• 6X points on gas purchases at U.S. gas stations
• 4X points on U.S. online retail purchases
• 3X points on all other eligible purchases
• 1X points on all other purchases
• Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status
• Complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status
• No foreign transaction fees
• Up to $200 annual statement credit, given in quarterly up to $50 credits, for direct purchases with Hilton
• Free night reward after charging $15,000 in purchases to your card within a calendar year

Cons

• Free night reward requires reaching a minimum spend.

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card is the perfect option for covering those pesky non-bonus category wedding expenses.

It earns a simple 2X points on all spending (see rates and fees), on up to $50,000 per calendar year (1X points thereafter).

So, no matter how your wedding expenses code, you can guarantee yourself a lucrative rate of return on your spending—all for a $0 annual fee (see rates and fees).

Pros

• 2X points on all spending on up to $50,000 per calendar year (1X points thereafter)

Cons

• Limited range of additional cardholder perks

Citi Double Cash® Card

The Citi Double Cash® Card has your back where other cards don’t.

You’ll earn unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases: 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay. This makes it perfect for non-bonus category wedding expenses.

On top of this, you’ll earn your rewards in the form of Citi ThankYou points. This enables you to redeem your rewards either in the form of cash back or to transfer them to a limited range of transfer partners, including JetBlue TrueBlue, Wyndham Rewards and Choice Privileges.

But the real benefit of the Citi Double Cash Card is the ability to pair it with the Citi Strata Premier Card. By doing this, you’ll be able to transfer your ThankYou points to Citi’s full list of transfer partners.

With a $0 annual fee, the Citi Double Cash Card makes it easy to make those non-bonus category purchases go further.

Pros

• 2% cash back on all purchases: 1% when you buy and 1% when you pay
• Transfer partners include JetBlue TrueBlue, Wyndham Rewards and Choice Privileges.

Cons

• Transfer partners are limited and transfer ratios are less than 1:1.

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

For those wedding expenses that don’t fall into typical bonus spending categories, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® could save the day.

This card earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases, in addition to 3% on drugstore and dining purchases (including eligible delivery and takeout services) and 5% on travel purchases made through Chase Travel℠.

And, with a bit of points and miles hacking, you can turn that 1.5% cash back into transferable points.

While the Chase Freedom Unlimited technically earns Ultimate Rewards points, they’re not fully transferable—instead, you’re limited to cashback redemptions or booking through the portal.

However, if you also hold a Chase Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you can transfer your Freedom Unlimited earnings to one of the aforementioned card accounts. From there, you can use your earnings for transfers with all of Chase’s 14 airline and hotel partners.

That could turn those annoying non-bonus category wedding expenses into hugely lucrative point earnings.

For a $0 annual fee, the Freedom Unlimited is a great card to have ready for the wedding.

Pros

• 5% on travel purchases made through Chase Travel℠
• 3% on drugstore and dining purchases, including eligible delivery and takeout services
• 1.5% on all other eligible purchases
• Partner benefits with DoorDash and Lyft

Cons

• Foreign transaction fee of 3%

Key Features to Look for in Wedding Credit Cards

When choosing the best credit card for wedding expenses, there are some key features to consider. These include:

• Bonus categories that are relevant for wedding-related purchases
• Value of the rewards currency
• Annual fees
• Foreign transaction fees

You’ll need to decide how you want your earnings to work for you. Specifically, do you want a card that will earn you points with a specific airline or hotel? Or do you want to stay flexible with a general travel rewards credit card? And if so, are you looking to earn points or simply cash back?

Let’s dive into each of these considerations for the best wedding credit card in a little more depth.

Earning Bonus Points and Miles

The average cost of a wedding in the United States totals close to $33,000. While this price tag could be a significant blow to your finances, receiving a return through credit card points or miles can help mellow its impact. It’s also a way of making your money go further.

Think of it this way. If you charge $33,000 to a debit card, that’s simply money that you’ll never see again. However, if you charge the same amount to a credit card, you could use the points you earn to cover your honeymoon hotel stay or flight. While you can’t avoid the upfront cost in either scenario, receiving thousands of points or miles in return is the far better option.

Your ability to earn points and miles depends on what credit card you hold, purchase category limitations and how the purchases you make are coded at the point of sale. The latter is known as the merchant category code (MCC). The MCC, as well as card issuer definitions of purchase categories, are two key factors to consider when selecting the best credit card for wedding expenses.

For example, let’s say you hold a credit card that earns 2X points on restaurants. If your wedding reception is at a restaurant inside a hotel, you might think that you’ll be on your way to earning 2X points on every dollar spent there. However, two problems can arise.

First, many card issuers, such as Amex, exclude restaurants that are found within another establishment from their definition of restaurants. Second, even if your card issuer does include these venues in their definition, hotel restaurant purchases may be coded as hotel purchases meaning you’ll be unable to earn the 2X points.

For this reason, it’s crucial to do the following:

• Find out how the vendor codes their transactions. You should ask your prospective vendor how your purchases will code (what the MCC is). It’s also a good idea to check for yourself by making a small transaction with an existing credit card. That way, there’ll be fewer surprises down the line.
• Ensure the vendor accepts credit card payment. Applying for a credit card specific to your wedding expenses only to find out that the vendor doesn’t accept card payment would be a real annoyance. Ensure your prospective vendor accepts credit card payment and find out if they charge a processing fee. In some cases, you may be able to negotiate this fee. If not, you’ll need to calculate the degree to which the fee reduces your earnings potential.
• Plan your wedding before you apply for credit cards. If you have a rough idea of the venue, as well as other vendors you’re going to use for your wedding, you’ll be better positioned to select a credit card.

The above strategy doesn’t only apply to paying for the wedding venue. As you probably already know, there are many other wedding expenses to pay for. According to data collected by The Knot, here’s how much additional wedding expenses added up to on average in 2026:

Given that these additional expenses fall into multiple purchase categories, a good strategy is to utilize at least two types of credit cards to pay for your wedding expenses.

First, you should find a credit card that earns a lucrative rewards rate on non-bonus category spending. This way, you won’t need to worry about the MCC when paying for the majority of your wedding expenses.

Second, you should open a separate credit card to cover the cost of your reception venue.

According to The Knot, the average cost of a reception venue is currently around $12,900.

If you can confirm how your prospective venue codes their transactions, you’ll be able to select a credit card that rewards this purchase category. For example, if your venue codes their transactions as hotel purchases, you may consider applying for a card that rewards either travel or purchases with that specific hotel chain. That could easily turn your $12,900 spent on your wedding venue into triple the number of points.

Alternatively, if your venue codes their transactions as dining purchases, a dining credit card would be a solid choice.

By applying this strategy, you’ll maximize point-earning on the largest expenses, while not losing out on earning rewards on non-bonus category purchases. Although the latter purchases may be individually smaller, their cumulative effect can add up to huge rewards.

Airline Rewards and Travel Benefits

Using your wedding expenses to earn airline rewards and travel benefits is a solid strategy. How you go about doing this is another question.

Depending on how your vendor codes their transactions, you could charge the wedding venue expenses to a credit card that earns on hotel, dining or travel purchases.

In turn, you could earn enough points to cover the cost of your honeymoon hotel stay or the flight to get you there. Charging wedding expenses to your card is an easy way to earn the welcome bonus—which can earn you thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of points on premium travel rewards credit cards.

Depending on your wider travel goals, you could either charge this spending on a brand-specific hotel or airline card, unlocking higher earning rates and exclusive perks with the participating hotel or airline, or you could charge the expenses to a general travel rewards credit card.

Likewise, regardless of the type of credit card you have, you can double-dip on point earning by taking advantage of airline and hotel dining rewards programs.

You can link any credit card to any hotel or dining rewards program, which enables you to earn hotel points or airline miles every time you make a purchase at a participating restaurant. That means you’ll earn the standard bonus category rate for dining purchases on your card, in addition to extra points or miles, allowing you to stack your point-earnings. This could be especially lucrative if your wedding reception venue happens to be an eligible partner restaurant.

Annual Fees and Card Benefits

Assessing the cost of annual fees begins with putting the annual fee in the wider context of the card. Specifically, you need to calculate the return value you receive from the card’s perks and earning rates. This enables you to see how much you can offset the annual fee every year.

For example, if a card has an annual fee of $500 to hold, but has statement credits and perks with a cumulative annual value of $1,000, you’d be able to offset the annual fee every year by at least $500. The only catch is that you need to use these perks and statement credits to offset the annual fee, otherwise you’re not receiving a return value.

Another factor to consider is how the value of a card changes year after year.

For instance, if a $400 annual fee-incurring card has a welcome bonus of 80,000 points, which works out to a value of $800 when redeemed for travel purchases (assuming a value of 1 cent per point), the welcome bonus alone would offset the annual fee by $400. However, you need to ensure you can continue to offset the annual fee in subsequent years, without the help of a welcome bonus.

Therefore, you’d need to receive at least $400 in return value through spending and perks to offset the annual fee in subsequent years.

For this reason, it’s crucial to select cards for wedding expenses whose value will outlive the wedding period.

Canceling credit cards isn’t the best idea. So you need to select a card that will serve you in everyday life, and which aligns with your spending habits and travel goals beyond the wedding and honeymoon.

Beyond the Big Day: Credit Cards for Honeymoon Bliss and Newlywed Life

Your ability to earn and redeem points doesn’t stop after you say “I do.”

With a honeymoon to fund and day-to-day newlywed life expenses on the horizon, a solid credit card strategy is crucial for maximizing your point-earning.

Let’s take a look at the best credit card strategy for maximizing point-earning during your honeymoon as well as during married life thereafter.

Best Credit Cards for the Honeymoon

If you play your (credit) cards right, your wedding expenditure alone could fund your entire honeymoon. This is what the best credit card for honeymoons is capable of doing.

By charging your wedding expenses to a travel rewards credit card with a highly flexible points currency, you’ll be in a position to redeem these rewards for travel purchases. Some of the best credit cards for international travel are also the best cards for honeymoons. For instance, you could earn Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou points, American Express Membership Rewards or Capital One Miles.

You can then either redeem these points for travel purchases through your card issuer’s travel portal, or transfer them to a participating hotel or airline loyalty program. Point transfers often have the best potential for sweet-spot redemptions, making your points go further.

Knowing which rewards currency is best to earn is a case of planning your honeymoon in advance. Knowing where you want to go, which airlines operate this route, which hotels you may be staying in and the cost of flights and hotels is crucial.

This is because not all card issuers have the same transfer partners and some offer better transfer ratios than others. Generally speaking, you’ll want to avoid any transfers utilizing a ratio of less than 1:1. Likewise, certain card issuers require a minimum number of points per transfer and may apply fees to certain transfer partners.

For example, if you transfer Membership Rewards points to Delta Air Lines or JetBlue, American Express will charge a fee of $0.0006 per point (up to a maximum of $99) to offset excise taxes.

In contrast, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to JetBlue as well as other domestic airlines, such as Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, for free. So if you’re planning a honeymoon within the U.S. or in Latin America, for instance, you might be best-advised to focus on Chase cards.

Alternatively, instead of using your wedding expenditure to fund your honeymoon through accumulated points, you may want to use these rewards for other redemptions related to married life. In this case, you might be better off opening a travel rewards card specifically to earn points on your honeymoon expenditure, rather than redeeming points to fund it.

If you pursue this strategy, you’re first going to need to decide whether you want a general travel rewards credit card, a hotel credit card or an airline credit card.

One way to answer this question is to consider the expenses of your honeymoon. If flights to the Maldives are going to be your biggest expense, an airline credit card could earn you the best return on this spending while unlocking extra perks, such as free checked bags, priority boarding and elite status. Alternatively, if the waterfront hotel is going to take the biggest chunk out of your budget, a hotel credit card could enable you to maximize your point-earning.

If you do end up choosing a hotel or airline credit card, just ensure that you’ll be able to continue to utilize the card’s benefits and offset its annual fee through frequent usage. Otherwise, the card will end up costing you more in the long-run than you receive in perks.

If you want to remain flexible while earning points on travel-related expenses, a premium travel rewards credit card will likely be the best option for earning on honeymoon expenses. That way, you can earn points on general travel purchases such as flights and hotel stays, in addition to enjoying luxury travel perks, including complimentary lounge access or Global Entry application fee statement credits.

Best Credit Cards for Newlyweds

Deciding the best credit cards for newlyweds depends highly on the credit card strategy you want to pursue.

Generally speaking, the cards that are best for covering wedding expenses are also well-suited to covering the costs of married life. This is because many of these cards earn a competitive rate of points or cash back on non-bonus category spending, keeping things flexible.

This can be especially useful when it comes to paying the inevitable bills that come along with married life, as they often fall outside of typical bonus spending categories.

Alternatively, if your newlywed life involves a significant amount of spending on grocery and dining purchases, a card that earns bonus points or cash back on these purchases will be a solid choice.

Ultimately, the best credit cards for newlyweds are those which earn you the greatest return on your spending and that can best fund your travel goals. If offsetting the upfront cost of day-to-day expenses is your main goal, then a simple cashback credit card could do the job. However, if earning points on everyday expenses that you can redeem toward travel purchases is your main priority, then a travel rewards credit card with a flexible rewards currency will be your best bet.

Transforming Your Wedding Plans with the Right Credit Cards for Wedding Expenses

By forming a solid credit card strategy, you can make your spending go further. The best cards for wedding expenses can help you do this.

You’ll need to consider what your wedding expenses are, how they code and who’s paying for them, among other factors. You’ll also need to find a balance between cards that are best for covering wedding expenses and those that will best support you in your newlywed life.

If you’re successful, you could enjoy point-funded honeymoon flights and hotel stays, starting your newlywed life off in style.