The best international travel credit cards in 2024

The Venture X’s top features include a generous welcome bonus, travel benefits and solid rewards rates. This includes 10 Capital One miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, access to airport lounges in the US and abroad, a $300 annual Capital One Travel credit, and top-notch travel insurance.

The card’s $395 annual fee is lower than those of competing premium travel rewards cards — the Sapphire Reserve charges $550 and Amex Platinum charges $695. Plus, the Venture X’s annual $300 travel credit and 10,000-mile anniversary bonus provide enough value to offset the entire annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the more expensive travel credit cards with an annual fee of $550. While that may seem steep, it also offers the industry’s most flexible travel credit — up to $300 each year that can help offset your out-of-pocket costs for holding the card.

You’ll get other valuable perks with the Sapphire Reserve, including airport lounge access and excellent travel and purchase protections. Plus, you can transfer the Chase Ultimate Rewards? points you earn to over a dozen airline and hotel partners, giving you a ton of flexibility in redeeming your rewards.

If expensive annual fees don’t really cut it for you, the Chase Sapphire Preferred may be a better option. Charging a comparatively low $95 per year, the Sapphire Preferred still allows you to earn valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points. It also comes with up to $50 in annual credit toward hotels booked through Chase Travel?, potentially offsetting more than half the annual fee. While this card doesn’t offer airport lounge access, you’ll receive generous travel protections, including primary car rental insurance, trip delay insurance and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.

Lounge access at an airport can make or break your travel experience, and the Amex Platinum (terms apply, see rates and fees) is the best option for getting into a lounge. American Express’ Global Lounge Collection includes more than 1,400 lounges worldwide from various networks:

• Priority Pass lounges
• Delta Sky Clubs
• American Express Centurion Lounges
• Escape Lounges — The Centurion? Studio Partner
• Plaza Premium Lounges
• Lufthansa Senator lounges

The card’s $695 annual fee is the highest of the cards on our list, but between its substantial welcome bonus and hundreds of dollars in statement credits, the Amex Platinum can pay for itself if the perks fit your regular spending and lifestyle. Just note that American Express cards aren’t as widely accepted in some countries, so if you’re traveling abroad, it’s best to bring a backup card.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey comes with a decent welcome bonus, a $50 annual credit toward airline purchases of $50 or more, and a good range of travel protections. But where this $95-annual-fee card really shines is in its earning rates, especially on travel. Card holders earn 5x points on hotel spending, 4x points on airline purchases, 3x points on dining and other travel, and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. Wells Fargo also has transfer partners you can use with this card (though not as many as Chase or Amex), which can help you get more value from your points.

With a hefty welcome bonus plus a broad range of bonus categories that straddle travel and everyday expenses, the Citi Strata Premier is an earning powerhouse. An annual $100 discount on a stay of $500 or more booked through Citi Travel (not including taxes and fees) can offset the $95 annual fee. Plus, you’ll get travel protections that include secondary car rental insurance, trip cancellation/interruption insurance and trip delay insurance — features that were lacking on the card’s predecessor, the (now-retired) Citi Premier? Card * The information for the Citi Premier? Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. .

American Airlines flies to more than 60 countries, making it a viable choice for international travelers. Our top American Airlines credit card is the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card, and for a $595 annual fee, you’ll get premium benefits. That includes an Admirals Club airport lounge membership, which can cost up to $850, and a free first checked bag for the card holder and up to eight companions on domestic American Airlines flights.

You can redeem American Airlines AAdvantage miles for award flights on AA and its partners, including British Airways and Japan Airlines. Along with a huge welcome bonus, the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card Citi AAdvantage Executive Card offers strong miles earning rates on American Airlines purchases.

With more than 120 international destinations, United Airlines is another great option for travel abroad. The United Club Infinite is the best United credit card for international travel, in part because it offers card holders a United Club airport lounge membership (which costs up to $650 normally). Card holders also receive two free checked bags for themselves and a companion on United flights and a broad range of travel and purchase protections. Plus, you can earn 25 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) for every $500 you spend on the card, up to a maximum of 10,000 PQPs per calendar year, giving you a boost toward United MileagePlus elite status. If you’d make use of these perks, the $525 annual fee could be worthwhile.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has over 6,000 properties in more than 100 countries, and includes popular brands such as Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Kimpton. For those who prefer IHG hotels, the IHG One Rewards Premier offers benefits that easily outweigh its $99 annual fee. These include an anniversary free night certificate valid for stays up to 40,000 points, a fourth night free on award stays of four or more nights, and good travel and purchase protections.

Card holders also receive IHG One Rewards Platinum elite status, which entitles them to benefits such as room upgrades, early check-in and late checkout.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card earns its place among top hotel credit cards. The card offers an annual free night certificate valid at Category 1 to 4 Hyatt hotels that can be worth hundreds of dollars. You’ll also enjoy World of Hyatt Discoverist status as long as you hold the card and receive 5 elite night credits each year toward the next level of status. Plus, you can earn 2 elite night credits for every $5,000 you spend on the card.

World of Hyatt points are valuable in part because the program’s award chart is reasonably priced compared to many other chains. On the downside, Hyatt has a much smaller footprint than most major chains, so it may be harder to find hotels where you’re traveling.

The Choice Privileges Select Mastercard rings in at $95 per year, but paying the annual fee can be well worth it for Choice Hotels loyalists. The card offers valuable benefits, including 30,000 bonus points each account anniversary, cell phone protection, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, and Choice Privileges Platinum elite status.

This Wells Fargo credit card is an especially good deal for budget-minded travelers. Award nights start at just 8,000 points, and Choice operates nearly 7,500 properties worldwide across over 20 brands, including Radisson, Cambria, Comfort and Quality Inn. You can even redeem points for all-inclusive resorts and vacation rentals.

The Wyndham Earner Plus charges a modest $75 annual fee, but you’ll get perks you might expect from a pricier card. Card holders receive 7,500 bonus points each anniversary year (enough for a night at lower-tier Wyndham hotels), enjoy Wyndham Rewards Platinum elite status and get a 10% discount on award bookings.

Wyndham has locations in over 95 countries. On top of that, Wyndham’s partnership with vacation rental booking platform Vacasa means you can book a vacation home for as few as 15,000 Wyndham points per bedroom, per night, making Wyndham Rewards ideal for families or larger groups.

The Venture X Business, like the personal version of the card, offers premium travel benefits such as airport lounge access, a $300 annual Capital One Travel credit and stellar travel insurance. The card’s $395 annual fee may seem high, but it’s reasonable if you maximize its benefits.

The welcome offer is a massive 150,000 miles after spending $30,000 in the first three months of account opening. If you’re able to pull off the also massive minimum spending requirement, those miles can get you far thanks to Capital One’s flexible redemption options, including transfers to hotel and airline partners. But if your business doesn’t spend that much, consider a different business credit card with a lower bonus and spending requirement.