6 of the best credit cards for booking your summer vacation

Summer vacations are here, but don’t worry if you still haven’t booked your summer getaway. There’s still plenty of time to put an amazing trip together, whether you’re heading abroad or staying close to home.

But before you hit “book,” remember that having the right travel credit cards in your wallet can go a long way to significantly reduce the cost of a trip, especially if you’re traveling in a group. At the very least, the right travel credit card can make your trip more enjoyable with perks and benefits you wouldn’t otherwise have.

Let’s take a look at some of the best credit card options available that will help you book an amazing summer vacation this year.

The best credit cards to use for your summer vacation

These are CNN Underscored’s picks for the best cards for planning a summer vacation.

Each card has a unique value proposition that makes it worth considering for your summer travel, but they all have one thing in common. None of these cards charge foreign transaction fees, so you can spend on them abroad without paying a 3-5% fee on every purchase. This benefit alone could save you hundreds of dollars on a long trip.

Related: The 10 best credit cards of 2023

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Best welcome offer and travel protections

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has been a longtime favorite of all kinds of travelers, from beginners to road warriors. It offers a compelling suite of perks like bonus points, hotel credits, travel insurances and more with a very affordable annual fee of $95.

The card earns five points per dollar spent on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal. It also earns three points per dollar spent on dining, select streaming services and online grocery purchases; two points per dollar spent on travel not booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal; and one point per dollar spent on all other purchases, allowing you to rack up valuable Ultimate Rewards points with ease.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 within the first three months of having the card, and Ultimate Rewards points are great to have because they’re so versatile. This offer is ending soon, so act quickly.

These points transfer at a one-to-one ratio to many airline partners, including United, British Airways, Air Canada and more. One of their best uses is transferring at a one-to-one ratio to World of Hyatt to take advantage of the program’s favorable redemption rates, especially at some of its all-inclusive properties where you can redeem for a free stay.

If you don’t want to transfer your points, you can redeem them at a value of 1.25 cents apiece for travel booked through the Chase travel portal, adding another layer of flexibility to your trip planning.

Another perk that makes this card a great option for summer travel is the long list of insurance benefits that come with it. The Sapphire Preferred offers trip cancellation insurance — if your trip is canceled or cut short by illness, severe weather or other situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip. Additionally, it comes with trip delay reimbursement, so if your trip is delayed by more than 12 hours, you’re covered for unreimbursed expenses such as meals and lodging up to $500 per ticket.

And if you plan on renting a car as part of your summer trip, the card includes rental loss and damage insurance. Simply charge an eligible car rental to your Sapphire Preferred and it will be covered up to the cash value of the car if it’s damaged or stolen. This means you do not have to claim damage to your personal auto insurance or pay extra for a damage waiver from the rental company.

Learn more and apply now for the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Read CNN Underscored’s full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: Best hotel card

If you already have your heart set on a specific destination and need a place to stay, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card is worth a look, especially if you’re already a frequent guest at Hilton hotels.

Right now the Hilton Surpass Card from Amex is offering a welcome bonus of 170,000 Honors points, which you’ll get after spending $3,000 in the first six months of holding the card (offer ends 1/17/2024). The card costs $150 annually (see rates and fees).

The card comes with other valuable perks, including Hilton Honors Gold status, up to $200 in Hilton credits and National Car Rental executive status. While Hilton Gold status entitles you to perks like bonus points and room upgrades when available, one of the most valuable perks is a daily food and beverage credit, which can add up in value quickly. Plus, as a benefit of the Hilton Surpass, you can earn a free night certificate each year after spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year. The included Free Night Reward can be redeemed at any Hilton property so long as there’s a standard reward night available.

Hilton no longer has an award chart, meaning award rates aren’t fixed and fluctuate based on the property and time of year, so the welcome bonus likely won’t be enough to get you an entire week of accommodation (especially if you’re traveling somewhere popular over the summer). That being said, it should go a long way toward shaving a significant amount off the out-of-pocket cost.

Learn more and apply now for the Hilton Honors Surpass card.
Read CNN Underscored’s full review of the Hilton Honors Surpass card.

The Platinum Card® from American Express: Best for travel perks

The Platinum Card® from American Express has a long list of benefits that could prove useful when planning your summer vacation. There are loads of credits that come with the card, making it easy to save on your summer travel even when you factor in the card’s $695 annual fee (see rates and fees).

Perhaps one of the most noteworthy elements of this card is its welcome bonus. The Amex Platinum currently comes with a welcome bonus of 80,000 American Express Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of holding the card.

You can transfer Membership Rewards points to a variety of different travel partners, including Air Canada, Delta Air Lines and others. This makes Amex points useful for booking some of the best first- and business-class seats in the sky with little out-of-pocket cost.

The card also comes with an annual $200 hotel credit on select prepaid hotel bookings with American Express Travel (Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay), allowing you to save on your family’s — or friend group’s — hotel stay. Additionally, it comes with an annual $200 airline fee credit, which will save you on incidental fees like checked baggage with one airline. (You’ll need the extra luggage space for all that summer gear!) Plus, the Amex Platinum also provides access to some of the world’s best airport lounges.

But its benefits extend beyond travel as well. The Amex Platinum also comes with $240 in digital entertainment credits, where you’ll get up to $20 back each month when you pay for eligible purchases like Peacock, The New York Times, Audible and more. Take your favorite reading material — and listening material — with you on your trip.

Finally, the Amex Platinum’s $200 in Uber Cash credits could prove to be extremely useful for ordering Uber Eats delivery straight to your hotel room. The Uber Cash credit comes in $15 increments each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. Just remember that enrollment is required for each of these card benefits before utilizing them.

Learn more and apply now for the Amex Platinum.
Read CNN Underscored’s full review of the Amex Platinum.

British Airways Visa Signature® Card: Best for booking domestic flights

British Airways is one of the world’s largest airlines, connecting the world via its mega hub in London Heathrow (LHR). However, its loyalty program — British Airways Executive Club — issues an award currency called “Avios,” which can be redeemed for flights on all of its airline partners, including American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

In fact, redeeming Avios for domestic flights in the US is one of the best ways to use British Airways Avios. Flights up to 651 miles cost 7,500 Avios and flights up to 1,151 miles cost 9,000 Avios each way, with longer flights charging more Avios. In many cases, this is cheaper than what American Airlines charges for award tickets with its AAdvantage loyalty program.

If you have domestic travel coming up this summer, you might consider opening the British Airways Visa Signature Card to beef up your Avios balance. The card is currently offering 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

If you have a lot of spending coming up, you can also earn a British Airways Travel Together ticket after you spend $30,000 on the British Airways Visa Signature Card in a single calendar year. This lets you book two British Airways-operated award tickets from the US for the Avios price of one, owing just the price of taxes and fees for the second passenger. Alternatively, you can use the Travel Together ticket for a 50% discount on the Avios required for an award ticket if you’re traveling solo.

Learn more and apply now for the British Airways Visa Signature Card.

American Express® Gold Card: Best for earning points on restaurants and groceries

From happy hour with friends to backyard barbecues, there’s no doubt that it’s easy to spend money on food over the summer. So if you’re looking for a new card that earns bonus rewards on groceries and dining, look no further than the Amex Gold.

This card has a $250 annual fee (see rates and fees), but makes up for it with strong bonus earnings on food purchases and airfare. Plus, the card provides a $10 monthly Uber Cash credit and a $10 monthly dining statement credit that can be used at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. These credits alone almost entirely offset the annual fee.

The Amex Gold earns bonus points on the following categories:

Like the Amex Platinum, the Amex Gold earns American Express Membership Rewards points which can be transferred to various hotel and airline partners or redeemed via Amex Travel for flights and hotels. Travel website The Points Guy values Membership Rewards points at 2 cents per point, effectively giving you an 8% return on dining and groceries with the Amex Gold.

The card has a solid welcome offer too. Right now, the Amex Gold is offering new card members 60,000 bonus points when you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of opening the account. This is more than enough points for a handful of domestic trips or even a round-trip flight to Europe.

Learn more and apply now for the Amex Gold.
Read CNN Underscored’s full review of the Amex Gold.

Capital One Venture X: Most flexible rewards

One of the newer travel rewards cards on the market, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is great for those who are looking for a card that comes loaded with perks, credits and a fantastic sign-up bonus.

First, let’s talk about that sign-up bonus. The Capital One Venture X is currently offering 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases with the card within the first three months of opening your account.

This card has an annual fee of $395, but right off the bat you get almost all of that value back due to the $300 credit for travel purchases made through the Capital One Travel portal. Plus, you’ll get other perks, including a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus each year you renew your card membership, up to $100 in statement credits if you enroll in Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, primary car rental insurance, trip delay and cancellation insurance, access to Capital One’s new airport lounges and Priority Pass lounges and more.

This card’s versatility — and that of the Capital One miles it earns — is what makes it great for a wide range of travelers looking to plan a getaway this summer.

First, there’s the annual travel credit, which automatically takes $300 off your travel purchases made through Capital One Travel. Whether that’s a flight — or two — a car rental at your destination or a hotel stay, it’ll come right off your statement.

Then, there are so many options for redeeming Capital One miles, and having 75,000 of them is a great position to be in. Capital One has steadily improved the utility of its currency over the past several years, and you can now transfer your miles to a number of airline and hotel partners, mostly at a one-to-one ratio, allowing you to get outsize value for your miles if you’re able to score a great redemption.

Alternatively, you can redeem your miles at a flat rate of 1 cent apiece against the cost of travel purchases made on the card. For example, if you purchased a flight for $250, you could use 25,000 miles to essentially wipe the charge off your statement. This allows for flexibility and ease of use, and it can come in handy for any person trying to put together a summer trip for this year.

Click here for rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Surpass card.
Click here for rates and fees of the American Express Platinum card.
Click here for rates and fees of the American Express Gold card.

Looking for a travel credit card? Find out which cards CNN Underscored chose as our best travel credit cards currently available.

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