I recently built a tool that shows which card I use for each type of purchase. After that, people started asking me a different question. They wanted to know how I decide whether a card is worth getting in the first place as a full time traveler or nomad. That is what this post is about.
Before I consider applying for any travel credit card, I usually look for answers to my 9 main questions about the card:
- Is the card free of foreign transaction fees?
- Does it offer the ability to lock/unlock the card through the app for added security against fraud?
- Does the card offer expedited shipping for a replacement card to an overseas location if lost or stolen overseas?
- Does it provide complimentary access to airport lounges worldwide?
- Does it provide trip cancellation/interruption insurance coverage?
- Does it offer an auto rental collision damage waiver?
- Does it include baggage delay insurance coverage?
- Does it cover lost luggage insurance?
- Does it have trip delay insurance coverage?
Of course, there are other benefits I usually look for in addition to the ones listed above, but those are the main ones. If a card does not offer any of these, I never consider getting it as my main travel card, unless I plan to use it for non-travel purchases or as a backup card. (Note: no foreign transaction fees and a lock/unlock feature are a must for any card I carry.)
Is there a credit card that offers these 9 benefits without charging an annual fee?
Unfortunately, there is none.
If a card offers all 9 of these benefits, it most likely has an annual fee.
This is true, but if I have to pay an annual fee to get these 9 benefits, I will try to find out if the card offers additional benefits that will help cover the annual fee. What do I mean by that? Well, if the value of the card’s benefits exceeds the cost of the annual fee, and if I will actually use those benefits, then it is worth paying the annual fee to have a reliable travel card.
Everything below is based on my own personal experience and is not financial, legal, or tax advice.
My Preferred Cards with Annual Fees
Below are the top four cards that satisfy my basic travel credit card requirements. Keep in mind they have an annual fee. Some full-time travelers, including me, have all of them, but you can read more about each card to decide which one fits your needs.
American Express Platinum (This is NOT an affiliated link)
I use this card for booking flights and renting cars. I get airport lounge access worldwide through this card. When I book flights directly through airline websites, I earn 5X points, which is one of the main reasons I use this card for airfare. Even though I only earn 1X point on rental cars, I still use this card because I have found American Express to be more reliable when it comes to rental car insurance claims, which gives me peace of mind. To get the coverage, you have to be the primary driver on the rental agreement, pay for the rental with the card, and decline the collision damage waiver at the counter. Read the guide to benefits for your card and call American Express before you rent to confirm what is covered in the country you are renting in, since terms and exclusions do change.
The rental benefit on this card is called Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance, and it is secondary coverage rather than primary coverage. Secondary means it pays after any other insurance that applies to the rental, so someone who still owns a car would have to run the claim through their personal auto policy first. I do not own a car anymore and I no longer carry a personal auto policy, so there is usually nothing for the American Express coverage to sit behind in my situation. That is why the secondary label does not bother me the way it might bother someone who still has a car. The one thing this benefit does not cover is liability, meaning damage I cause to other people or their property. For rentals in the United States, I carry a non-owner car insurance policy, which gives me liability coverage without owning a vehicle. That policy does not follow me overseas, though. In most countries I have rented in, basic third party liability is built into the rental rate because the country requires it, so it is already handled by the time I pick up the car. When it is not included, or when I cannot tell from the rental agreement, I sort it out before I drive off rather than assume I am covered. This is one area where I read the fine print every time, because the rules change from country to country and the consequences of guessing wrong are expensive.
I transfer the Membership Rewards points I earn from this card to partner airlines to book flights. Occasionally, American Express offers transfer bonuses to select airline partners, so I watch for those deals before transferring my points. If you want to learn more about how I use points and miles to book award flights, check out my post on how I book award flights using points and miles.
One of the customer service benefits I value most about this card is that if your card is ever lost, stolen, or compromised while you are overseas, American Express will ship a replacement card to almost any location worldwide using expedited delivery at no charge. For a full-time traveler who is rarely near a U.S. mailing address, this is an invaluable benefit that alone justifies keeping this card in your wallet.
One thing worth mentioning if you already have a Charles Schwab brokerage account is that you might be better off getting the Amex Platinum for Charles Schwab version instead of the standard Platinum. It has the same core benefits, but it adds an Annual Schwab Appreciation Bonus, which is a statement credit based on your qualifying Schwab holdings. You get $100 back if your holdings are at least $250,000, $200 back if they are at least $1,000,000, and $1,000 back if they are at least $10,000,000. If you already keep a meaningful amount of your portfolio at Schwab, this can help offset the annual fee in a way the standard Platinum cannot.
Chase Sapphire Preferred (This is NOT an affiliated link)
Unfortunately, in June 2025, Chase announced changes to the Sapphire Reserve that reduced the earning rate on general travel purchases from 3X points to 1X point and increased the annual fee to $795. The Chase Sapphire Reserve used to be my preferred travel card, and I mainly used it for dining and Airbnb bookings to earn 3x points.
Because of these changes, I decided to downgrade to the Chase Sapphire Preferred, since it still earns 3x points on dining and, as of June 15, 2026, 3x points on Airbnb bookings.
The Sapphire Preferred does not include complimentary airport lounge access, but that does not bother me because I already receive that benefit through the American Express Platinum.
For years, I transferred the Chase Ultimate Rewards points I earned to Hyatt because it often provided some of the best hotel redemption value. Chase was one of the few issuers that allowed point transfers to Hyatt, which made the Sapphire Preferred especially valuable for Hyatt stays.
However, Chase reduced the transfer ratio to Hyatt from 1:1 to 4:3 effective June 15, 2026, for new cardholders and October 1, 2026, for existing cardholders. This means every 10,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points will now convert to 7,500 Hyatt points. I want to be clear that this change does not apply to the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Because Hyatt has been my primary transfer partner, this change reduces the value of the Sapphire Preferred for me, and Hyatt may no longer be my preferred redemption option going forward. Even so, I still plan to keep the card because Chase Ultimate Rewards points remain flexible. I can still transfer points to airline partners such as Air Canada Aeroplan and United MileagePlus to book award flights whenever a good redemption opportunity comes up. If you want to learn more about how I use points and miles to book award flights, check out my post on how I book award flights using points and miles.
I also want to mention something that happened to me personally that speaks to the value of holding a premium Chase card. When my Chase Sapphire Reserve was compromised while I was traveling in Vietnam, I called Chase and they shipped a replacement card directly to me in Hanoi using expedited delivery. The card arrived in about five days and there was no charge for the service. I was not near any U.S. address, I was in the middle of a long trip through Southeast Asia, and Chase made the problem disappear quickly and painlessly. That experience stayed with me and is one of the reasons I continue to recommend keeping at least one premium card in your wallet at all times when traveling full time overseas.
One benefit worth calling out is that the auto rental collision damage waiver on this card is primary coverage, not secondary. That means you can file with Chase directly instead of going through your own auto policy first, which is a real difference from the American Express Platinum I mentioned above. If you still own a car and carry a personal auto policy, this card may be the better one to put your rentals on, since a claim would not have to touch your own insurance. To get the coverage, you have to be the primary driver on the rental agreement, pay for the rental with the card, and decline the collision damage waiver at the counter. This benefit does not include liability coverage, so that is still something to sort out separately. Read the guide to benefits for your card and call Chase before you rent to confirm what is covered in the country you are renting in, since terms and exclusions do change.
Citi Strata Premier Card (This is NOT an affiliated link)
This card does NOT offer complimentary access to airport lounges. I use this card for purchases at supermarkets, gas stations, Airbnb stays, and hotel bookings, since all of these earn 3X points. In July 2025, American Airlines was added as a transfer partner, which is perfect if you want to use points to fly with them. American Airlines often has excellent redemption deals for flights to Japan, especially if your home base in the US is near Dallas, TX.
Note: If you do not want to get the Amex Platinum or Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Citi Strata Premier can be a good alternative, since it offers 3x points on travel, dining, grocery, and gas stations worldwide.
Chase IHG Premier Card (This is NOT an affiliated link)
I also like this card because IHG has a lot of hotel options in Southeast Asia, which is where I travel the most. The card gives Platinum Elite status just for having it, so I usually get room upgrades when checking in. Another big benefit is the 4th night free when redeeming points, which helps my points go further.
IHG sometimes runs 100% bonus promotions when buying points, and I try to keep an eye out for those offers so I can grab them before they end. If you travel full-time or spend a lot of time in Southeast Asia, this card can be very useful. The IHG Premier Card does not include complimentary airport lounge access, but that does not bother me because I already receive that benefit through the American Express Platinum.
For a detailed breakdown of exactly how I use IHG points to get maximum value as a full-time traveler, including how I build elite status on a budget, when I buy points, and how I stack bonuses for the best deals, read my post: How I Get Insane Value From IHG Points as a Full-Time Traveler.
What if you are looking for a card with no annual fee?
Cards with no annual fee are likely to have limited or no travel benefits. However, if you don’t mind missing out on those benefits, you should still look for a card that does not charge foreign transaction fees, so you can use it overseas without worrying about extra charges.
Below are some cards that do not charge foreign transaction fees and may offer limited travel benefits. You can read more about each card to determine which one best fits your needs.
Wells Fargo Autograph Visa (This is NOT an affiliated link)
In my opinion, this card is the most underrated no-annual-fee travel card out there. It earns 3X points on travel, dining, transportation, rideshares, gas, phone plans, and popular streaming services, and it allows you to transfer points to partner airlines and hotel programs.
One of the most valuable transfer partners is Avianca LifeMiles because it occasionally offers great deals on business class award flights with partner airlines. I have found some excellent redemption opportunities on EVA Air between North America and Southeast Asia. If you use the Choice Privileges hotel program, you can also take advantage of the 1:2 transfer ratio. This is one of the few no-annual-fee cards that offers transferable points with both airline and hotel partners.
I still recommend this card even if you already have the cards mentioned above because it is always good to have a backup. The transfer partner list is smaller than what you’ll get with Amex, Chase, or Citi, but access to the LifeMiles program is a big reason why I keep this card. I usually use this card for Grab rides and Grab Food orders in Southeast Asia since they earn 3X points.
Side note: Grab Food does not code the same way everywhere. In some countries, such as Malaysia, it posts as an online grocery purchase and earns only 1x on this card, so I use the Chase Sapphire Preferred there instead. In countries where it posts as a restaurant or takeout charge, such as Indonesia, this card earns 3x and is the one I reach for.
Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature (This is NOT an affiliated link)
You can earn 2% cash back on all purchases. This card is a great option for customers who have an investment account with Fidelity. You can earn up to $100 in Reward Points when you apply for either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. This is a great benefit for a card with no annual fee.
Bank of America Travel Rewards (This is NOT an affiliated link)
This card is equipped with chip-and-PIN technology, which is useful when using the card at self-service machines outside the United States, such as gas pumps or train ticket kiosks, that require a PIN. You can earn more points with this card if you are a BofA Rewards program member.
Amex Blue Business Plus (This is NOT an affiliated link)
This one is the exception in this section, because it does charge a foreign transaction fee. I still keep it because it earns 2X Membership Rewards points on everything, with no annual fee and no bonus categories to keep track of. That makes it the card I use for U.S. purchases that do not fall into a bonus category on any of my other cards.
The card still travels with me. I use it for online purchases from U.S. merchants while I am overseas, since those do not trigger the foreign transaction fee. What I do not use it for is spending in local currency abroad.
One thing to know is that this is a business card, so the application asks for business information.
Key Consideration
I highly recommend having cards issued by different banks as a backup and keeping them in separate places. This way, if one bank’s system experiences issues, your card is lost or stolen, or fraud occurs, you have alternatives available.
Which Card to Use Once You Have Them
Everything above is about deciding which cards are worth getting in the first place. Once they are in your wallet, a second question shows up every time you pay for something, which is which of them to actually use. That one comes down to earning categories rather than benefits, so I built a separate tool for it. You pick the type of purchase and it shows you the card I reach for and the reason behind it. You can find it here: Which Credit Card to Use.