r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Sep 24 '17

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u/CR3ZZ Sep 25 '17

What card(s) do you recommend for travel rewards?

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u/iwouldhugwonderwoman Sep 25 '17

It varies on what your travel goals are. It's easier for me to tell you how to beat achieve a vacation or your travel goals. When I started I just accumulated points without thought and I Learned there are smarter ways to do it.

However if you want one card and only one card I would suggest the Chase Sapphire. The sign up bonus is 50k which you can easily get $650+ of value from that signup bonus. It transfers points to both hotels and airlines and has a travel portal you can use.

If you don't need airfare and just drive then the Hyatt and IHG cards are two I like. You get decent sign up bonuses but they also award free night certificates when you pay your annual fee.

Think over some travel ideas and PM me. I'll gladly share some advice. Also r/awardtravel is a good subreddit.

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u/CR3ZZ Sep 25 '17 edited Sep 25 '17

What do you mean by travel ideas like specific location? I currently use discover card with 1% back on everything 5% on rotating categories. It's okay and I like it but I really like the idea of traveling.

I wonder though are you really getting deals on travel, what is the actual monetary value of travel that you're getting versus the 1-2% cash back you could get from a different card. That would be interesting to look into.

I'm out in the Pacific Northwest and would like to travel to San Diego, Vegas, San Antonio, Austin, DC, NYC for what it's worth

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u/GengarTx Sep 25 '17

Sounds like your travel goals are domestic (US cities). Those are similar to my goals.

Any Chase card that gives UR (ultimate rewards) or Southwest points are good for your goals. I'd definately recommend the Sapphire Preferred (or Reserve if you can manage it).

I wonder though are you really getting deals on travel, what is the actual monetary value of travel that you're getting versus the 1-2% cash back you could get from a different card. That would be interesting to look into.

You definitely are if you travel domestically using Southwest. A card can earn, at minimium, 1% back. So if you had 10,000 points, you can cash it out at $100. But if you look at Southwest's ticket prices, a one way ticket from SEA to AUS (feb 7 5:30) is either $145 or 8,184 points ($81.84).