AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Offers for The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card are not available through this site. All information has been independently collected by AwardWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers.
All information about Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by AwardWallet
$200 hotel credit offered with The Platinum Card® from American Express applies to prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings made via Amex Travel. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
At first glance, credit card fees north of $400 might not make sense to a lot of points and miles fans. Why would you pay $400+ per year for a card that's likely to earn fewer points per dollar on daily spending than low- or no-annual-fee cards from the same rewards family? It’s not until you look past the simple points-per-dollar equation that the value of a premium travel rewards card comes into focus.
Premium travel cards offer a host of benefits beyond category bonuses and the number of points earned. Standard perks include lounge access, elite status, and best-in-class travel insurance. Depending on the card, cardholders also can look forward to travel and airline credits, free nights or companion passes, and more. All of these perks not only help offset the cost of holding the card but can enhance the way you travel, providing added luxury and security.
What Makes a Travel-Focused Rewards Card ‘Premium’?
To make the cut as a premium travel rewards card, the card needs to provide a combination of several perks. These should include lounge access, noteworthy travel and rental car insurance, some form of elite status, Global Entry/TSA application fee credit, and typically a high annual fee. Premium cards that offer transferrable points usually also have a travel portal that offers high-end hotel benefits like space-available upgrades and resort credits. And lastly, they also offer some form of high-ticket perk like the fourth night free on the Citi Prestige® Card.
Related: 21 Credit Card Benefits Every Traveler Should Know About
In this post, we’ve focused on the following cards we think fit the premium description, splitting them into three tables. One covers cards earning flexible or transferable points, and the remaining two cover premium co-branded airline and hotel credit cards that earn miles in a single program.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- Citi Prestige® Card: No longer accepting applications
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®: Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first 3 months of account opening.
- United Club℠ Infinite Card: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card: No longer accepting applications
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Earn 150,000 Bonus Points after you use your new Card to make $4,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, enjoy a free Weekend Night Reward within your first year and every year after renewal.
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Earn two 85K Free Night Awards after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card in your first 6 months. Each award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Card Members could enjoy a value of up to $1,200 when redeeming each reward. Certain hotels have resort fees. Offer ends 11/1/2023.
Premium Rewards Credit Cards Earning Flexible Points
The most popular premium cards on the market, these four travel cards earn transferable points. They're not tied to a particular hotel or airline program but rather offer their own points currency. They all offer lounge access in some form, a range of options travel insurance and purchase protection, travel credits, and Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit.
| Benefits | The Platinum Card® from American Express | Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Citi Prestige® Card | Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $695 (Rates & Fees) | $550 | $495 | $395 |
| Authorized User Fee | $195 for each additional Platinum Card for Authorized Users (Rates & Fees) | $75 | $75 | $0 for up to 4 authorized users |
| Weclome Offer | 80,000 Membership Rewards® points | 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points | Not accepting new applicants | 75,000 Capital One miles |
| Travel Credit | • $200 Airline incidental credit (with a pre-selected, preferred airline) • $200 pre-paid hotel credit (The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay) | $300 Travel credit | $250 Airline credit (includes airfare) | $300 annual travel credit for bookings made with Capital One Travel |
| Category Bonus | 5X points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) and 5X points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com | Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | • 5x points on air travel and at restaurants • 3x points at hotels and on cruise line purchases • 1x on all other purchases | • 2x miles per dollar on all eligible purchases • 5x miles per dollar on flights when booking via Capital One Travel • 10x miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booking via Capital One Travel |
| Priority Pass | 2 guests | 2 guests or immediate family | 2 guests or immediate family | Unlimited guests (subject to space limitations at each lounge) |
| Other Lounges | • Centurion Lounges • Delta SkyClub (when traveling same day on Delta) • Select Lufthansa Lounges • Airspace & Escape Lounges • Plaza Premium Lounges (Guest policy varies) | • Chase Sapphire Lounges • Chase Sapphire Terrace | N/A | Capital One Lounges |
| Elite Status | Hilton Honors & Marriott Gold • Avis Preferred® • Hertz Gold Plus Rewards® • National Emerald Club Executive | National Emerald Club Executive | • National Emerald Club Executive • Sixt Platinum | Hertz President's Circle (through December 31, 2024) |
| Global Entry/TSA PreCheck Credit | • Every 4 years for Global Entry, • Every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck | Every 4 years | Every 5 years | Every 4 years |
| Trip Delay | • 6 hours • $500 | • 6 hours • $500 | As of 09/22/19 Citi no longer offers this benefit | • 6 hours • $500 |
| Baggage Delay | N/A | 6 hours $500 | As of 09/22/19 Citi no longer offers this benefit | N/A |
| Auto Rental CDW | Secondary up to $75K | Primary up to $75K | As of 09/22/19 Citi no longer offers this benefit | Primary up to $75k |
| Additional Perks & Benefits | • Up to $200 annual Uber Cash • Up to $189 CLEAR Plus membership fee reimbursement | 1.5¢ per point redemption through Chase Travel Portal | Free night on hotel bookings of 4 nights booked through ThankYou.com— up to twice per year. | • Access to Capital One Premier Collection of luxury hotels with perks including free breakfast and resort credits. • Use miles at 1¢ apiece to offset recent travel purchases made with your card. |
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Premium Rewards Credit Cards Earning Airline Miles
Unfortunately, many of our favorite frequent flyer programs don’t offer a top-tier rewards card. Only the big three legacy carriers have premium credit card options.
| Benefits | Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® | United Club℠ Infinite Card | Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $595 | $525 | $550 (Rates & Fees) |
| Authorized User Fee | $175 for the first three authorized users, then $175 each | $0 | $175 (Rates & Fees) |
| Welcome Offer | Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles | Earn 80,000 bonus miles | Earn 60,000 bonus miles |
| Bonus Earnings Toward Elite Status | 10,000 Loyalty Points after spending $40,000 per qualification year | Earn 500 PQP for every $12,000 spent (up to 4,000 PQP / $96,000 spent in a calendar year) | 15,000 MQMs for every $30,000 you spend in a calendar year, up to $120,000. Effective 1/1/24, the Status Boost benefit and MQD benefit will no longer be available, and there will be a new way to earn toward Medallion Status with the Delta cards - Learn more. |
| Category Bonus | • 10x at aa.com/hotels and aa.com/cars • 4x on American flights (plus, after you've spent $150,000 on eligible purchases, earn 5x on AA purchases through the end of that calendar year) • 1x on all other purchases | • 4x miles on United purchases • 2x miles on dining • 2x miles on all other travel • 1x on all other purchase | • 3x on Delta purchases • 1x on everything else |
| Lounge Access | • Admirals Club (+ 2 guests or immediate family) (AU cardholders also get access via their own membership) | • United Club (+ 2 guests or 1 adult and dependent children under 21 years of age) • Star Alliance Lounges when traveling same-day on Star Alliance ticket | • Delta Sky Club® & international partner lounges when traveling on a same-day Delta-marketed/operated flight • 2X one-time guest passes for complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club • The Centurion Lounge - When flying a same-day Delta-marketed/operated flight paid for with a U.S.-issued American Express rewards Card (Starting 2/1/25, Reserve Card members get 10 Delta Sky Club visits yearly. Spend $75,000+ on the card between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24 for unlimited visits, and each calendar year thereafter - Learn more.) |
| Elite Status | N/A | • Avis President’s Club membership • IHG Rewards Platinum Elite status | N/A |
| Free Checked Bags | • Free first checked bag for cardholder and up to 8 companions • Adding your AAdvantage number to the reservation triggers the benefit | • 2 each for you and a companion on the same ticket • Ticket must be purchased using this card to qualify for the benefit | • 1 each for you and up to 8 companions on the same ticket • Adding your SkyMiles number to the reservation triggers the benefit |
| Companion Flight Ticket | N/A | N/A | • Domestic First Class, Delta Comfort+® or Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card • Valid within the Continental U.S. • Pay just taxes and fees |
| In-Flight Benefits | • 25% off in-flight purchases on AA domestic flights, which comes as a statement credit • Applies to food and beverage purchases only, not Wi-Fi | • 25% back (as a statement credit) on food, beverage and Wi-Fi purchases on board United- and United Express-operated flights | • 20% discount on pre-purchased meals and in-flight purchases of food, alcoholic beverages and audio headsets • Comes as a statement credit • Does not apply to WiFi purchases |
| Global Entry/TSA PreCheck Credit | Every 4 years | Every 4 years | Every 4 years |
| Trip Delay | • 6 hours • $500 | • 12 hours • $500 | • 6 hours • $500 |
| Baggage Delay | N/A | • 6 hours • $100 day up to 3 days | N/A |
| Auto Rental CDW | Secondary in the U.S., primary outside the U.S. for up to $75K | Primary coverage up to retail value of vehicle | Secondary up to $75K |
| Additional Perks & Benefits | • Priority check-in, airport screening, and early boarding • Up to $120 in annual credits with Avis and Budget • Up to $120 in annual Lyft credits • Up to $120 in annual Grubhub credits | • 10% fewer miles required for economy saver award bookings on United / United Express flights within the Continental U.S. and Canada • Close-in award fees waived • Complimentary Premier Upgrades on award tickets • $70 discount on CLEAR membership | • Priority boarding |
NOTE: A significant and important differentiator to know about with the Delta Reserve is that it only provides access to a Delta Sky Club when traveling on Delta that same day. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
(Starting 2/1/25, Reserve Card members get 10 Delta Sky Club visits yearly. Spend $75,000+ on the card between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24 for unlimited visits, and each calendar year thereafter – Learn more.)
The primary difference between the airline cards and those listed in the flexible points table is that you should only get a premium co-branded airline card if you regularly fly that airline. Paying a yearly annual fee of $550 (Rates & Fees) for the Delta Reserve with all its Delta perks wouldn't be as valuable if you rarely fly with the airline.
Premium Rewards Credit Cards Earning Hotel Points
There are three co-branded hotel cards that we would consider premium rewards cards: the Hilton Aspire, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, and the Ritz-Carlton Card (which is unfortunately not open to new applicants but is available if you change from another Marriott credit card).
| Benefits | The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card | Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $450 | $450 | $650 (Rates & Fees) |
| Authorized User Fee | $0 | $0 | $0 (Rates & Fees) |
| Welcome Offer | No longer open to applications. | Earn 150,000 Bonus Points after you use your new Card to make $4,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, enjoy a free Weekend Night Reward within your first year and every year after renewal. | Earn two 85K Free Night Awards after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the Card in your first 6 months. Each award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Card Members could enjoy a value of up to $1,200 when redeeming each reward. Certain hotels have resort fees. Offer ends 11/1/2023. |
| Category Bonus | • 6x at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy • 3x on dining, car rentals, and airline purchases 2x on all other purchases | • 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio • 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly through select rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants • 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card | • 6X points on purchases at Marriott Properties • 3X points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery • 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines • 2X points on all other eligible purchases |
| Annual Free Night Rewards | Annual free night award worth up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points | Annual free night reward on your account anniversary, valid at nearly any property | Annual free night award worth up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points |
| Lounge Access | Priority Pass Select (+ unlimited guests, and Authorized Users also get a membership) | Priority Pass Select (+ up to 2 guests) | Priority Pass Select (+ up to 2 guests) |
| Elite Status | • Automatic Gold Elite status • Spend $75K on your card in a calendar year for Platinum Elite status. | Hilton Honors Diamond Elite | Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite |
| Travel Credits | • $300 airline incidental credit (based on a calendar year) • $100 hotel credit on paid Ritz-Carlton stays of two nights or more | • $250 Airline incidental fee statement credit • $250 Hilton resort statement credit • $100 Waldorf Astoria and Conrad credit when booking Aspire Card package | $100 hotel credit on paid Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis stays of two nights or more |
| Global Entry/TSA PreCheck Credit | Every 4 years | N/A | Every 4 years after applying for Global Entry or every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck |
| Trip Delay | • 6 hours • $500 per trip | • 6 hours • $500 per trip • 2 claims per 12-month period | • 6 hours • $500 per trip • 2 claims per 12-month period |
| Additional Perks & Benefits | • 3 Club Level upgrades each year on paid stays of up to seven nights • 15 Elite Night Credits annually | Second free night reward after $60K spend per calendar year | • Up to $300 dining credit each calendar year (available as up to $25 monthly) • 25 Elite Night Credits annually |
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Final Thoughts
What’s the best premium travel rewards card? That depends on a number of factors. Before pulling the trigger on a premium rewards card, think about where you live and how you travel. If you’re considering the Amex Platinum, is there a Centurion Lounge at your local airport? Will you max out the Uber credits? Do you want trip delay and baggage insurance coverage? Or do you need protection for baggage delays, which this card doesn't offer — meaning another card is better for you?
Each card offers some unique value points while typically falling short in another area. First, determine how you would use the card and whether it will provide enough value to warrant paying the annual fee. If the numbers stack up, you may have a winner.
If you have any questions about the cards or benefits listed, please get in touch in the comments below, and we’ll do our best to answer.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (Rates & Fees), and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
The Citi Prestige $250 airfare credit is now a more general travel credit (one of the very few positive changes to this card). Perhaps it’s time to update the chart?
Thanks for this comprehensive overview! But please do consider updating your chart to reflect the major Citi Prestige changes. Thanks! 🙂
How does the FoundersCard and Crystal Visa Infinite card compare to these premium cards?
FoundersCard isn’t a credit card, so its a bit of a different value proposition — The Crystal Infinite Visa is a solid card, but a challenge for most to get, so we’ve not included it in this comparison.
I join the others in praise of the CSR cc. Love it!
Chase really came out swinging with the CSR. Good product with a great initial bonus.
I like the CSR a lot, plan on keeping long term. Will probably grab an amex plat at some point too, but don’t think I’ll keep long term
Thanks, this is a good reference list.
Earning 3x on the top two categories I spend in, and the lowest net AF; for me, just cant beat the CSR.
Thanks for the detailed comparison. The ritz carlton card looks competitive if you don’t fly enough on a single airline to get silver status.
Amex platinum for me also with the HH gold status.
Delta just informed me that the 2019 MQD qualification waiver for Diamond’s with the credit card will require $250K in spend instead of $25K!
Yeah quite the bombshell – https://awardwallet.com/blog/10x-increase-delta-diamond-mqd-waiver-spending-requirement-250k-instead-25k/
I got a 70K bonus with the Delta platinum Amex card with a $175 annual fee. But I got $100 statement credit by making a purchase on Delta’s website.
The AMEX Platinum is a keeper for me. They used to have a more premium trip insurance, that I am grandfathered in to, that you pay $27 for per trip. I believe those benefits are the best out there and have come in handy many times. They also used to offer a travel medical insurance, that I’m also grandfathered in to, that you pay $13.00 a month for. The coverage on that is great and covers anything your primary insurance won’t pay when you travel.
I have to go along with a lot of others here. I’ve been really happy with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card overall.
We booked our trip to Europe many months ago before we were able to apply for the Chase Reserve card (because of the 24 mo./5 rule). We booked the other half of our trip on the Reserve Card. When I called the Reserve card about travel insurance I was advised only the part we charged with the card would be covered, thus excluding free evacuation, trip cancellation reimbursement, and other perks. We then paid for travel insurance through another company. Was Chase correct when they told us we would not be covered for the whole trip as stated under the Preferred Card? If not, do we have any recourse for the trip insurance we paid for?
Sam, each benefit has different requirements. Without knowing exactly how you purchased components of your trip (such as the common-carrier costs – e.g. airline) I can’t say for sure. The Sapphire Reserve does not require 100% of the trip to be purchased on it to be covered for benefits. Give the guide to benefits a review: https://www.chasebenefits.com/sapphirereserve
I need one premium rewards CC: the CSR.
If only you could take the greatest benefits of each card and create a truly “best” credit card.
I spent a decade swearing I’d never have a card with an annual fee, but the Chase Sapphire Reserve has changed that. But I’d be careful about recommending it to others unless they’d be meticulous about understanding and taking advantage, there are too many stories of mistakes being made or redemptions at terrible values.
Agree with Steve, the premium cards have better signup bonuses and they come with extra benefits but you need to have an exit strategy when the costs eventually outweigh the benefits. They are not for everyone.
The Delta AmEx just changed annual spend from $25K to $250K to maintain Diamond Status in 2019
Yes, they did! 🙁 https://awardwallet.com/blog/10x-increase-delta-diamond-mqd-waiver-spending-requirement-250k-instead-25k/
What about the new BoA card? I believe there is a new US Bank card as well?
They’re nowhere in the same league as these. While they have “premium” in their name, and they do have some excellent benefits, adding them into the mix here would require adding the Sapphire Preferred, and that is a separate category of card product.
For Chase delay, http://www.chasebenefits.com/sapphirereserve document states 6hrs not 3hrs.
You’re right, sorry about that. The Prestige is 3 hours and the Sapphire Reserve is 6 hours; swapped the columns.
As a reminder… there’s NO authorized user fee to add any credit card (that supports it) into your digital wallet to be used on Pay, Samsung Pay, etc.
While that means that you won’t be able to carry around a physical card, you won’t NEED one at any location that accepts contactless payments.
I think in the end, there is definitely a card out there for everyone if you look close enough.
I think, over a few years, I will rotate through all of the premiums. Thank you for the info all in one place. It looks like a bookmarking of this page is in order!
thanks for the comparison!!! Great stuff!!
I think you switched around the trip delay and baggage delay between CSR and Prestige.
We did; fixed it now though. Thanks!
Please check the informationon the Citi/AA Advantage Card. I think only spending on the Barclay card makes you eligible for EQM’s. It was a rude surprise for me this year because I was using the Citicard instead of Barclay and no EQM’s were showing up in my AA profile.
Laura, the Citi Executive card (https://www.aa.com/citiexecutive) provides a mechanism to earn EQMs (up to 10k/year). Other Citi/AA cards do not.
Some great comparisons contained within this article, always find information of this source useful as a quick reference guide.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve has mega travel insurance benefits beyond trip and baggage delay like free evacuation in case of illness or injury, trip cancellation reimbursement, etc. Since you didn’t mention these I’m wondering if they’ve discontinued them. That’s the main reason I switched to this card from AmEx Platinum.
These benefits definitely exist — frankly, the insurance benefits on the Sapphire Reserve and the Ritz Card are too much to fit in one place: https://awardwallet.com/blog/best-credit-cards-for-free-travel-insurance/
Those are some exceptional benefits. I know some cards have towing and price protection, but this is something you just don’t see. Thanks!