The Best Travel Credit Cards With No Annual Fee

A travel credit card allows you to swipe your way to discounted travel and vacations.

Travel credit cards allow you to earn points and miles on everyday spending, which you can then redeem for award travel, discounted airfares, hotel stays, rental cars and much more.

Many cards charge annual fees to hold them, ranging anywhere from $50 to $895 per year. While not cheap, some of these premium travel credit cards offer perks that are worth at least double the value of their annual fee.

However, not everyone wants to pay a fee.

If you’re an infrequent traveler, a points and miles beginner, or simply want to maximize rewards while minimizing costs, a travel credit card with no annual fee could be what you’re looking for.

Let’s take a look at the best credit cards with a $0 annual fee. We’ll also consider the benefits of the best $0 annual fee credit cards, the best rewards, as well as a strategy for maximizing your points with a no-annual-fee travel card.

Best $0 Annual Fee Travel Credit Cards for 2024

Here’s an overview of the best $0 annual fee travel credit cards.

Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card

The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card earns a competitive rate of 1.5X points per dollar spent on all purchases. This makes it a great card for those taking their first steps into the world of points and miles or those who want a card that can earn them points on spend categories that aren’t covered by other cards.

If you book travel through Bank of America’s Travel Center, you’ll earn 3X points per dollar spent—a highly competitive rate of return for a $0 annual fee card.

It also has no foreign transaction fees, allowing you to spend abroad with freedom and earn points while doing so.

If you’re a Preferred Rewards member, you’ll be able to earn between 25% to 75% more points on your purchases.

To become a Preferred Rewards member, you need to open a Bank of America checking account and maintain a three-month average combined balance of at least $20,000 across your Bank of America checking and/or Merrill investment accounts. The higher your combined average balance, the higher your point earning rate will be. This could allow you to earn anywhere from 1.87X points to 2.62X points on all purchases.

The main drawbacks of this card are its lack of travel and purchase protections, limited range of bonus spend categories and its limited options for point redemptions.

However, if you meet the balance requirements to become a Preferred Rewards member, you can get a high baseline rewards rate on this card and use the points earned to offset travel and dining purchases as a statement credit. In fact, one of the main benefits of the card is Bank of America’s generous definition of travel and dining, which includes the following merchants:

That makes the Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card a powerhouse when it comes to offsetting points expenditures.

Pros

• 3X points of travel purchased through the Bank of America Travel Center
• 1.5X points on all purchases.
• Preferred Rewards members will earn 25% to 75% more points on every purchase.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Ability to redeem points to offset a wide range of expenditures

Cons

• No purchase protections or travel insurances are included
• No cardholder perks
• No transfer partners

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card

The Capital One VentureOne Rewards card offers a flat rate of 1.25X miles on every purchase. On top of this, you’ll earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars when you book them via Capital One Travel’s booking site.

The combination of this high baseline rewards rate on all purchases plus the bonus category rate for travel purchases makes this card highly competitive for a $0 annual fee card. Additionally, it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and it includes rental car and travel insurance.

This makes it a lucrative card for the traveler, infrequent or occasional, rewarding everyday expenditure as well as Capital One travel purchases, all while charging nothing in foreign transaction fees.

Capital One also has over 15+ airline and hotel transfer partners, each offering strong point transfer ratios.

The only downside of this card is its lack of variety when it comes to bonus spending categories.

Pros

• 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One’s travel booking site
• 1.25X miles on all purchases
• No foreign transaction fees
• Rental car and travel insurance included

Cons

• Limited range of bonus spend categories

Chase Freedom Flex®

The Chase Freedom Flex card offers 5% cash back on quarterly rotating purchase categories up to $1,500 in combined quarterly purchases, with activation required. It also offers 5% back on travel purchases made through Chase Travel℠, as well as 3% on drugstore purchases and dining.

For a $0 annual fee, these bonus category rates are highly competitive. They also enable you to earn on non-typical spend categories, such as drugstore purchases, making this an excellent card to have in your wallet to maximize your point-earning capability.

Being a Chase card, the Freedom Flex earns Ultimate Rewards points, which are one of the most valuable point currencies you can hold. While Freedom Flex cardholders can redeem their Ultimate Rewards as cash back only, you also have the option to transfer your Ultimate Rewards to your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card account.

If you do this, you can then transfer your Ultimate Rewards to Chase’s full range of airline and hotel transfer partners, as well as redeem your points through Chase Travel℠. This is the cornerstone of a solid Chase card strategy, which can help accelerate your earnings.

The Chase Freedom Flex card also includes partner discounts on DashPass memberships, as well as a range of complimentary travel insurances.

The main downside to this card is the 3% foreign transaction fee.

Pros

• 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
• 5% cash back on combined purchases totaling up to $1,500 in bonus categories each quarter, you activate the bonus
• 3% on dining, inclusive of takeout and eligible delivery services, as well as dining at restaurants
• 3% on drugstore purchases
• 1% on all other purchases
• Receive a six-month complimentary DashPass membership, giving you unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee as well as a discounted service fee on eligible orders with DoorDash and Caviar. Thereafter, you’ll be charged at the then-current monthly rate (must activate by Dec. 31, 2027).
• Range of included travel insurances, such as trip cancellation/delay insurance

Cons

• Foreign transaction fee of 3%

Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card

If you’re looking for one of the best $0 annual fee co-branded airline credit cards, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better one than the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card (see rates and fees).

This card earns 2X miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the United States, and is free of foreign transaction fees, allowing you to earn maximum points when abroad.

You’ll also earn 2X miles on direct purchases made with Delta, as well as receive a $50 discount on flights for every 5,000 miles you redeem through Pay with Miles when you book through delta.com. You’ll save 20% when using your card on eligible in-flight purchases of food and beverages on Delta flights, issued as a statement credit.

The only feature missing from this card is additional Delta-related flight perks, such as priority boarding or a “first checked bag flies free” policy, as offered by other cards.

Pros

• 2X miles at restaurants worldwide, as well as on takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 2X miles on direct purchases with Delta.
• 1X miles on all other purchases.
• Receive a $50 discount on flights for every 5,000 miles you redeem through Pay with Miles when booking via delta.com.
• Save 20% when using your card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases of food and beverages, issued as a statement credit.
  No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• Limited range of Delta flight-related perks (no priority boarding, free first checked bag, etc.)

Hilton Honors American Express Card

If you stay at Hilton properties when you travel and are looking for a credit card with a $0 annual fee, the Hilton Honors American Express Card (see rates and fees) could be a great match for you.

It earns 7X points at hotels and resorts belonging to the Hilton portfolio, as well as 5X points on a range of everyday purchases. It also includes complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status, giving you the following perks:

• 20% Elite Status Bonus
• Two free bottles of water at check-in (at participating hotels)
• 15% off at the spa during an all-inclusive stay
• Fifth night free during reward stays
• Elite rollover nights

The card also has no foreign transaction fees, enabling you to spend and earn abroad.
The drawback of this card is that Gold status requires you to spend a minimum of $20,000 within a calendar year.

Pros

• 7X points for eligible purchases at hotels and resorts belonging to the Hilton portfolio.
• 5X points on dining at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery.
• 5X points on groceries at U.S. supermarkets.
• 5X points on gas at U.S. gas stations.
• 3X points on all other purchases.
• Complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status included
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• No free night promotions
• Hilton Honors Gold status is only available after you charge $20,000 to your card within a calendar year.

IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

If your travel plans include a stay at IHG resorts, the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card could be for you.

You’ll earn 17X points on purchases at IHG hotels and resorts, as well as 3X points on gas, phone services, internet, dining, utilities, select streaming services and at gas stations. This wide range of everyday spending categories makes it easy to earn tens of thousands of points every year with the card.

The card comes with complimentary Silver Elite status, no foreign transaction fees and a fourth night free when you book a consecutive three-night hotel stay with points at IHG properties. Likewise, you’ll get a bonus of 10,000 IHG rewards points when you charge $10,000 to your card within a calendar year.

Just as with the Hilton Honors card, the IHG One Rewards Traveler card requires you to spend a minimum of $20,000 with your card within a calendar year to reach Gold Elite status.

Pros

• Earn 17X points at IHG hotels and resorts.
• Earn 3X points on gas, dining, utilities, internet, cable, phone services and select streaming services.
• Earn 2X points on all other purchases.
• Complimentary Silver Elite status.
• Receive the fourth night for free when booking a consecutive three-night hotel stay with points at IHG properties.
• 10,000 bonus points when you spend $10,000 using your card within a calendar year
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance

Cons

• Gold Elite status requires you to spend $20,000 with your card within a calendar year.

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

If you’re looking for a $0 annual fee business card, the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card could be a great card match for you.

It offers a flat rate of 1.5% unlimited cash back on every business purchase. This enables you to help offset the cost of your business expenditure on every purchase. You can also transfer your earnings to your Chase Sapphire Preferred, Reserve or Ink Business Preferred account and then transfer them onward to any of Chase’s 14 airline and hotel partners.

You can issue employee cards for free and earn cash back on their expenditures.
The main drawback of this card is the limited range of perks and bonus spend categories, plus the foreign transaction fee of 3%.

Pros

• 1.5% unlimited cash back on every business purchase
• Free additional employee cards
• Auto rental coverage

Cons

• Foreign transaction fee of 3%
• Limited perks for the cardholder

United Gateway℠ Card

If you fly at least semi-frequently with United, you may find value in holding the United Gateway℠ Card.

United Gateway Card earns 2X miles (for a total of 7X miles) on purchases with United, including qualifying inflight purchases, as well as 2X miles on a range of everyday spend categories from local transit to gas purchases. This makes it ideal for both the frequent and infrequent traveler, giving you flexibility as to how you earn points.

When you’re abroad, you won’t have to worry about foreign transaction fees when using the United Gateway Card.

You’ll also enjoy two free checked bag certificates when you charge $10,000 to your card within a calendar year.

Unfortunately, there are no priority boarding benefits on this card.

Pros

• 2X miles (7X total miles) on purchases with United, including in-flight food, beverages and Wi-Fi; tickets; Economy Plus®; baggage service charges and other eligible purchases
• 2X miles on hotel stays prepaid through United Hotels
• 2X miles at gas stations
• 2X miles on local transit and commuting purchases, including ride share services, taxis, train tickets, tolls and mass transit
• 1X miles on all other purchases
• Receive two free checked bag certificates when you charge $10,000 to your card within a calendar year
• 25% discount, given as a statement credit, for in-flight purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and Club premium drinks
• No foreign transaction fee
• Rental car insurance
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance

Cons

• Free checked bag perk requires minimum spend
• No priority boarding

U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card offers one of the highest bonus category rates on dining purchases, coming in at 4X points per dollar spent on the first $2,000 in spending per quarter.
It also offers 2X points per dollar spent on a variety of everyday purchases, from gas and EV charging stations to grocery shopping and streaming services.

Points can be redeemed directly through U.S. Bank for discounted hotel stays, air travel and more. This card is also free of foreign transaction fees, allowing you to continue spending and earning points while abroad.

The only drawback to this card is that U.S. Bank has zero transfer partners, meaning points can only be redeemed through its portal.

Pros

• Earn 4X points on dining, takeout and restaurant delivery, on up to $2,000 per quarter (1X points thereafter).
• Earn 2X points at grocery stores, gas stations, EV charging stations and streaming services.
• Earn 1X points on all other purchases.
• Receive a $15 credit for streaming purchases such as Netflix, Apple TV+, Spotify and other providers.
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• No transfer partners

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card earns a competitive 2% cash back on all purchases.

This high baseline rewards rate makes it one of the most competitive $0 annual fee cashback cards on the market and a useful one to keep in your wallet.

You’ll also gain access to certain benefits at hotels belonging to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection.

The downsides of this card include a 3% foreign transaction fee as well as the lack of transfer partners for redemption opportunities.

Pros

• 2% cash back on all purchases.
• Access to benefits at hotels belonging to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection
• Auto rental collision damage waiver

Cons

• Foreign transaction fee of 3%
• No transfer partners for redemption opportunities

Wells Fargo Autograph® Card

The Wells Fargo Autograph® Card enables you to earn 3X points on a wide range of everyday purchases including dining, travel, streaming services, phone plans, transit and gas. This makes it a dream to earn tens of thousands of points every year on your typical daily expenses.

You can also transfer your points to Wells Fargo’s full range of hotel and airline transfer partners.

This card is free of foreign transaction fees and also grants you exclusive benefits at hotels belonging to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection.

For a $0 annual fee, this card offers solid value.

Pros

• Earn 3X points on dining, travel, gas, transit, streaming services and cell phone plans.
• Earn 1X points on all other purchases.
• Enjoy benefits at hotels belonging to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Auto rental collision damage waiver
• Cellular Telephone Protection up to $600 subject to a $25 deductible

Cons

• Limited range of transfer partners compared to other card issuers.

Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card

The Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card is a solid choice for regular guests at Wyndham hotels.

With this card, you have the potential to earn a welcome bonus that can typically cover you for up to four nights at certain Wyndham properties.

You’ll earn 5X points on purchases at Wyndham hotels and receive a 7,500-point bonus every anniversary if you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases. That 7,500-point bonus could cover another free night at certain Wyndham properties.

This card comes with complimentary Wyndham Rewards Gold status, offering perks such as free Wi-Fi, preferred room selection and late checkout. It’s also free of foreign transaction fees.

As with most $0 annual fee hotel credit cards, you can expect less than optimum point transfer ratios when transferring Wyndham Rewards to airline transfer partners.

Pros

• 5X points on Wyndham hotels.
• 5X points on gas purchases.
• 2X points of dining and grocery purchases (excluding Target and Walmart).
• 1X points on all other purchases.
• Earn a 7,500-point bonus every anniversary when you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases (enough to cover one free night at certain properties).
• Redeem 10% fewer Wyndham Rewards points for go free® awards.
• Receive complimentary Gold status, with perks such as free WiFi, preferred room selection and late checkout.
• No foreign transaction fees.

Cons

• Poor transfer rates to airline partners

How Do Travel Credit Cards With No Annual Fee Work?

Travel credit cards earn you a specific rewards currency every time you make a purchase. The rewards currency is either in the form of points or miles. For example, American Express uses Membership Rewards points while Chase uses Ultimate Rewards points.

These reward points can then be redeemed through the card issuer’s online portal for a variety of travel-related purchases, from discounted vacation bookings to flights and hotel stays.

There are three different types of travel credit cards to choose from.

General travel credit cards typically offer a mix of bonus spending categories in addition to cardholder perks. These cards earn either cash back, fixed-value points, or transferable points, the latter of which is the most valuable.

In contrast, airline travel credit cards earn you miles for direct purchases with the respective airline, as well as on everyday spending. The “miles” earned are the rewards currency of the specific airline that co-issues the card, such as United MileagePlus miles or American Airlines AAdvantage miles. Some airline cards also come with premium benefits, such as priority boarding, airline lounge access, elite status and even companion certificates.

Lastly, co-branded hotel travel credit cards function much the same as airline cards, but instead earn you points within the specific hotel’s loyalty program. Premium benefits can include elite status perks, free upgrades upon arrival, luxury experience credits and more.
Some travel credit cards charge an annual fee, while others are free to hold.

Typically, the higher the welcome bonus, points multipliers, and equivalent cash value of the combined cardholder perks, the higher the annual fee is. However, some credit cards designed for those with lower credit scores also charge an annual fee to mitigate against the (theoretically) increased risk.

The annual fee is typically charged on the anniversary of the account opening. You may also have to pay a fee to add authorized users on some premium travel credit cards, although most low- to mid-range cards offer the ability to add authorized users for free.

What Are the Benefits of $0 Annual Fee Credit Cards?

$0 annual fee credit cards could be of benefit to you, depending on your lifestyle and spending habits.
The main advantage of a $0 annual fee credit card is that there’s no cost involved in holding the card. This means that any points earned on your spending or any cardholder perks you utilize represent an immediate return on holding the card. In contrast, on an annual fee-incurring card, points earned and perks utilized will first have to offset the annual fee before they truly represent return value.

This makes $0 annual fee cards well-suited to infrequent travelers who won’t use lifestyle perks, such as airport lounge access, enough to offset the annual fee. $0 annual fee credit cards are ideal for budget-conscious individuals looking to earn a return on their spending, while maximizing cost savings.

Features To Consider When Choosing a Travel Credit Card

People getting into the world of points and miles often overlook annual fee-incurring cards. It’s understandable. After all, no one likes to pay fees.

However, when selecting travel cards, it’s important to see beyond the isolated cost of the annual fee and instead consider the degree to which the perks and earning rates offered by the card can offset its annual fee.

Here are some key features to consider when selecting the best rewards cards for beginners.

Foreign Transaction Fees

If you’re considering a travel credit card, chances are that you’re planning to go abroad at some point in the future. Using your card while abroad is a great way to continue earning points on purchases. However, if your card charges a foreign transaction fee, then you’ll pay a significant amount every time you charge a purchase to your card abroad.

For example, if you spend $3,000 on a card with a foreign transaction fee of 3% during your vacation in Europe, you’ll pay $90 in fees. This significantly reduces your return value in points and miles.

Typically, cards with annual fees opt to waive foreign transaction fees, which can be worthwhile if you’re planning on using your card abroad.

Travel Insurance

Annual fee cards often offer travel insurance. This can be anything from trip delay and cancellation insurance to emergency medical evacuation insurance.

Usually, the higher the annual fee, the wider the range of coverage and the higher the insurance limits are on travel credit cards.

In some instances, the insurance offered by your travel credit card may be sufficient for your trip, meaning you won’t have to pay for an additional insurance policy. If that’s the case, you need to factor this benefit into your consideration of the card’s annual fee.

Some of the best travel credit cards with $0 annual fees also offer travel insurance perks.

Airport Lounge Access

Airport lounges are no longer exclusive to those traveling first class or those with frequent flyer status with certain airlines. Many premium travel credit cards, as well as airline cards, offer complimentary access to specific lounge networks.

For example, a range of premium cards offer complimentary unlimited access to the Priority Pass network. This perk has an equivalent monetary value of at least $469, which goes a long way in offsetting annual fees on most premium cards, assuming you use the perk.

$0 annual fee cards tend not to come with complimentary airport lounge access, so you should factor the monetary value of this perk into your valuation of a card’s annual fee if this would be a perk you’d use.

Welcome Bonus

The welcome bonuses that come with the best travel credit cards offer some of the most lucrative opportunities for earning a return on your spending and amassing thousands of points within a short time frame. You can easily fund an entire award trip with the help of just one to two welcome bonuses in your account, making them highly valuable.

You also get the greatest return per dollar on your spending through welcome bonuses, sometimes as high as 20X points per dollar spent.

Normally, the higher the annual fee, the higher the welcome bonus will be. That said, the minimum spend requirement to earn the welcome bonus is often far higher on annual fee-incurring cards compared to their no-annual-fee equivalents.

When selecting a card,aim for the highest welcome bonus you can realistically earn while spending organically.

Bonus Spending Category Multipliers

Just like with welcome bonuses, the higher the annual fee, the higher the bonus spending category multipliers tend to be.

These bonus spending category multipliers are the way you’re going to earn points and miles on everyday purchases as well as travel-related purchases.

In some cases, it can be well worth paying a higher annual fee to unlock a greater return on your everyday spending. This way, you’ll accelerate your point earnings, particularly for big spenders.

Lifestyle and Travel Perks

Travel credit cards come with a variety of additional perks.

A popular benefit is a statement credit toward eligible travel purchases. On some premium cards, this statement credit can be as high as $300, enabling you to offset the annual fee by a significant amount.

Similarly, many cards offer a statement credit that reimburses you for the non-refundable application fees for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry. This will give you expedited security screening and shorter wait times at immigration, effectively for free.

Other perks can include elite status with hotel chains, car rental company privileges and free night awards, among many others.

Factoring the equivalent cash value of these perks into your valuation of a card’s annual fee is key to understanding whether it’s worth a spot in your wallet or not.

How to Make the Most of Your $0 Annual Fee Travel Credit Card

The strategy for making the most out of your $0 annual fee travel credit card is no different from that of any type of credit card.

It begins with responsible credit card usage. This means paying your balance in full and never accumulating interest, and not overspending to reach minimum spending requirements (in other words, treating your card like a debit card).

The best strategy also includes maximizing your point earnings.

This starts with ensuring you open the card during a time frame in which your expenditure can naturally allow you to earn the card’s welcome bonus.

With the welcome bonus behind you, the next step is ensuring you select a card with bonus category rates that suit your spending habits.

Using your card for everyday and frequent purchases ensures that you’ll earn points continually. This puts you closer to being able to use your points for travel redemptions.

Keeping your eyes and ears open for promotional offers is another key way to accumulate points.

Additionally, you should choose a card that will help you fund your specific travel goals. For example, if you always use a specific hotel chain, opening a co-branded credit card offered by that hotel would get you a lot further than opening a card with an airline you hardly ever fly with. It may sound obvious, but the closer the rewards and cardholder perks are to your lifestyle habits and travel goals, the easier it will be to earn a greater return on your spending.

In every case, familiarize yourself with your card’s terms and conditions to prevent surprises down the line.

Navigating Fee-Free Travel Rewards

If you’re a budget-conscious consumer, a points and miles beginner or an infrequent traveler, a $0 annual fee credit card may be your best bet.

But there is no single “best $0 annual fee credit card.” Rather, finding the best $0 annual fee travel card is a matter of selecting a card that matches your spending habits and travel goals. By doing so, you’ll earn points faster and be able to redeem those points for travel purchases that align with your goals.

Whether it’s an airline card like the United Gateway Card, a hotel card such as the Wyndham Rewards Earner, or an all-around travel credit card like the Capital One VentureOne Rewards card, you need to reflect on the best one for your lifestyle and goals.

If you want to break into the world of credit card rewards, points and miles, but don’t know where to start, check out the free 10xTravel course for a step-by-step guide.