Editor’s Note: This is a recurring post, updated regularly with new information and offers.
It’s becoming increasingly common these days to see cards charging annual fees in the $450 (or more) range. In many ways, premium is the new normal.
Most of these cards offer some sort of annual travel statement credit to convince customers to shell out hundreds of dollars a year, but they’re certainly not all created equal. Some will range from automatic and easy to use to more restrictive, requiring you to follow strict guidelines to redeem those travel credits.
At TPG, we want to arm you with information that empowers your decision-making. So, we’ve created this chart to help you easily navigate between some of the most popular travel credit cards that offer easy-to-use travel credits:
| card | Welcome bonus | Travel credit | Annual fee |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening. | $300 annual travel credit | $550 |
| Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® | Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 in the first three months of account opening. | Up to $120 in Lyft Credits
Up to $120 in statement credit on Grubhub purchases Up to $120 in statement credit on Avis or Budget car rentals |
$595 (see rates and fees) |
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card | Earn 95,000 points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your card in the first six months of card membership. | Up to $300 in dining statement credits at restaurants worldwide (up to $25 per month per calendar year)
Up to $100 in luxury property credit on select stays of two nights or more at Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis hotels Registration is required for select benefits. |
$650 (see rates and fees) |
| Hilton American Express honors the Aspire Card | Earn 175,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Conditions apply | Up to $200 in annual airline credit
Up to $400 annual Hilton resort statement credit is valid at participating resorts Up to $100 in property credit on stays of two or more nights at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad hotels Up to $189 in credit per year for Clear Plus membership (excluding taxes and fees) Registration is required for select benefits. |
$550 (see rates and fees) |
| Platinum Card® from American Express | Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership. | Up to $200 annual credit for airline incidental fees
Up to $200 in hotel credit (minimum two-night stay) at Prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or Hotel Collection properties Up to $200 in annual Uber Cash ($15 a month and a $20 bonus in December) $189 Clear Plus Credit Registration is required for select benefits. |
$695 (see rates and fees) |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening | $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel | $395 (see rates and fees) |
Information for the Hilton Aspire Amex Card has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Travel Credit: $300 annual travel credit
Special Benefits: The Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the most popular travel rewards credit cards. Despite its $550 annual fee, the $300 annual travel credit is incredibly convincing to encourage people to sign up.
Finally, the Sapphire Reserve rounds out with 3 points per dollar on travel and dining, Priority Pass Select membership, access to premium concierge service, and many other benefits.
Related: Chase Sapphire Reserve Review
Apply at: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard
Travel Credits: Up to $120 in Lyft credit, up to $120 in statement credit on Grubhub purchases, and up to $120 in statement credit on Avis or Budget car rentals.
Special Benefits: The Citi/AAdvantage Executive Card has several statement credits and impressive earning rates. That’s thanks to his complimentary Admirals Club membership.
AAdvantage Executive offers amazing reward rates with 4 miles per dollar on American Airlines purchases and 10 miles per dollar on hotels or cars booked through the AA Travel Portal.
You can also add authorized users, which costs $175 for up to three individuals and $175 for each authorized user thereafter.
Related: Citi/AAdvantage Executive Review
Apply at: Citi / AAdvantage Executive
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card
Travel Credits: Up to $300 in dining statement credit at restaurants worldwide and up to $100 in luxury property credit for two or more nights at St. Regis or Ritz-Carlton hotels.
Special Benefits: In addition to these credits, the card offers automatic Marriott Platinum Elite status and an annual free night certificate worth up to 50,000 points at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program (some hotels have a resort fee).
Related: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Review
Apply at: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
Hilton American Express honors the Aspire Card
Travel Credits: Up to $200 in annual airline credit, up to $400 in annual Hilton resort statement credit valid at participating resorts, up to $100 in property credit for two or more nights at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad hotels, and up to $189 per year in credit membership for Clear Plus (excluding taxes and fees).
Special Benefits: Premium Hilton Aspire offers a valuable statement credit to offset its annual fee. Aspire Card members will also enjoy automatic top-tier Hilton Diamond Elite status and a free weekend night certificate worth 14 points per dollar on eligible Hilton purchases upon account opening and each year on their account anniversary.
Learn more: Hilton Honors Aspire
American Express Platinum Card
Travel Credits: Up to $200 in annual airline contingency fee statement credits, up to $200 in annual Uber Cash ($15 per month, which becomes a $20 bonus in December), $189 in Clear Plus credits and up to $200 in hotel credits. You must have downloaded the latest version of the Uber app and your eligible American Express Platinum Card must be the payment method in your Uber account.
Special Benefits: Amex Platinum’s higher annual fee can be offset by taking advantage of complimentary Marriott and Hilton Gold Elite status, access to the Amex Global Lounge Collection, and a whole host of other benefits. Registration is required for select benefits.
Related: Amex Platinum Review
Apply at: Amex Platinum
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Travel Credit: $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel.
Special Benefits: The Capital One Venture X is an extraordinary card that disrupted the travel credit card industry several years ago. Venture X earns 10 miles per dollar on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel, and unlimited 2 miles per dollar on everything else. Cardholders are also awarded 10,000 bonus miles on the anniversary date of card opening, however, where the card shines is in lounge access.
Cardholders can add up to four authorized users (see Rates and Fees) at no charge, and both the main cardholder And Authorized users (see rates and fees) — plus up to two guests — receive free Capital One Lounge access. Plus, all guests traveling with a principal cardholder or authorized user (see rates and fees) can also access more than 1,300 Priority Pass lounges worldwide.
Related: Capital One Venture X review
Apply at: Capital One Venture X Awards
Bottom line
For a long time, it’s been easy to brush off the annual fees attached to premium cards, in part because of the multiple annual statement credits that easily offset your upfront costs. However, recent changes and restrictions on how these credits can be used may affect the value you get from these high annual fee cards. Planning how you will use these credits before opening the card is important to ensure you can cover your annual fee.
For Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card rates and fees, click here.
For Hilton Honors Aspire Card rates and fees, click here.
For Amex Platinum rates and fees, click here.