Disclaimer: If you choose to apply for a card using one of my referral links below, I may be compensated in the form of rewards points. Terms apply to the offers below. Opinions and recommendations are mine alone. I always advocate responsible credit card use. You should always pay your balance in full and on time, otherwise the rewards benefits will cost you more than they’re worth.
If you work remotely, you likely travel at least a few times per year to meet with your team or clients in person, plus a few times per year for pleasure. As a remote worker, I love it when I get the opportunity to travel.
Traveling with premium perks and earning points for free (or nearly free) personal vacations has been a hobby of mine since 2016. These cards are a few of my favorites that bring some great benefits for frequent travelers, and they’ve stood the test of time in my own wallet.
For each card listed below, I’ve bolded my favorite benefits.
American Express Green Card
First, the Amex Green card is my favorite all-around travel card, because it gives me bonus points on all of the travel and transit categories that other cards miss! Also, I like that this card doesn’t have a huge annual fee. At $150/year, you can easily justify that with the annual CLEAR membership credit while you zip right through airport security.
Membership Rewards Points Earning:
- Travel: Earn 3x points on all eligible travel purchases including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, vacation rentals, travel purchases on third party travel websites
- Transit: Earn 3x points on all eligible transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
- Restaurants: Earn 3x points on restaurants worldwide
Additional Benefits:
- $189 annual CLEAR membership credit
- $100 annual LoungeBuddy Credit
- Rental Car Loss and Damage Insurance, Plus Premium Car Rental Protection
- Baggage and Trip Delay Insurance
Referral Link: 40,000 Membership Rewards points after you make $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months. Terms Apply.
Capital One Venture Card
The Capital One Venture card is my absolute favorite when it comes to earning on all of my regular spending that doesn’t fit into one of the typical bonus categories. It’s also a card that doesn’t break the bank with a modest annual fee of $95. I also love that it is easy to redeem on any direct purchases that are categorized as travel! Want to redeem credit card points for a less-than-typical redemption such as a cruise or Airbnb? This is the perfect card for that!
Capital One Venture Earning:
- 5x miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x miles per dollar on all other purchases
Benefits and Cardholder Perks:
- $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- 2 complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges
- Automatic Hertz Five Star status
- Redeem points on purchases categorized as travel with a statement credit – this is a super easy way to redeem points!
Referral Link: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. Terms Apply.
American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card
After holding this card for a couple years, I can’t imagine living without it. At a $550 annual fee, it is definitely a premium travel card. However, it has made my airline experience so much more pleasant and since my home airport is a Delta hub, this card is a must-have. The miles earning is mediocre, but the benefits attached to this card are next-level.
SkyMiles earning:
- Earn 3x points per dollar spend on Delta
- Earn 1x point per dollar on all other spending
Benefits and Card Holder Perks:
- Complementary Delta Sky Lounge Access (Other options to gain access without this card include earning medallion status PLUS paying $695/year for a membership)
- Two one-time Delta Sky Lounge Guest Passes annually
- Annual Companion Certificate on a domestic round-trip ticket (Like a buy one, get one free deal!)
- TakeOff 15 (New benefit, makes award flights cost 15% less miles)
- Complementary Access to The Centurion Lounge
- Enjoy a Status Boost (For each $30k spent on the card per year, you earn 15k MQMs—this REALLY helps earning/retaining Medallion status)
- MQD Waiver (Helps earn Medallion status after spending $25k in purchases each calendar year)
- Free credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- First Checked Bag Free
- Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding
- Higher Upgrade Priority & Access to Complimentary Upgrades (Higher priority within your Medallion Level, and access to upgrades if you don’t have Medallion Status yet!)
- 20% back on in-flight purchases
- Rental Car Loss and Damage Insurance, Plus Premium Car Rental Protection
- Baggage and Trip Delay Insurance
- Plus…many more purchase protections!
Referral Link: 50,000 Delta SkyMiles Bonus points after you make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months. Terms Apply.
Hilton American Express Aspire Card
The Hilton Amex Aspire is another premium card that has earned it’s place in my wallet with several valuable annual perks. The $450 annual fee is easily off-set by Diamond Status perks, the annual reward night certificate, and resort statement credits.
Hilton Honors Points Earning:
- Earn 14 points per dollar spent at Hilton portfolio properties
- Earn 7 points per dollar spent on flights, car rentals, and US restaurants
- Earn 3 points per dollar spent on all other card spending
Benefits and Card Holder Perks:
- Automatic Hilton Honors Diamond Status (Thus alone brings some great perks when you stay at Hilton properties, including free breakfast and room upgrades)
- 1 Reward Night Certificate annually, and an opportunity to earn a 2nd reward night if you spend $60,000 on the card in a calendar year (These certificates can be used at most resorts—I redeemed one certificate for a $500/night resort in Florida!)
- $250 annually in Hilton resort statement credits for dining, activities, spa treatments, and even room rates & taxes (read the fine print on this one, but it can really enhance your stay when those services are billed to the room and paid on this card)
- $250 annual Airline Fee Credits (this can’t be used toward airline tickets, but will work for the taxes & fees portion, baggage fees, and any in-flight purchases)
- $100 Hilton on-property credit (specifically can be used on 2+ night stays at a Waldorf Austoria or Conrad property for incidentals)
- Priority Pass membership
- Travel protections including trip delay reimbursement and trip cancellation/interruption insurance
Referral Link: Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus points after you make $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. Terms Apply.
American Express Platinum Card
The American Express Platinum card is perfect for those who enjoy premium travel perks and don’t mind a hefty annual fee of $695 in exchange. If you will use all the perks, then it’s totally worth it. If not, then maybe skip this one.
Amex Platinum Earning:
- Earn 5x points per dollar spend on travel booked through amextravel.com
- Earn 5x points on flights purchased directly from airlines
- Earn 1x point per dollar on all other spending
Benefits and Cardholder Perks:
- Complimentary access to The American Express Global Lounge Collection (Includes Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges, Delta Sky Club Lounges, Priority Pass, and more)
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit ($20/mo on Audible, Espn+, Hulu, SirusXM, and more)
- $200 hotel credit on Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts
- $200 Airline Fee Credit for incidentals on an airline of your choice
- Walmart+ Monthly Membership Credit
- $200 Uber Cash ($15/mo for Uber eats or rides when you connect your card to your Uber account)
- $300 Equinox Credit & SoulCycle at-home bike
- Automatic Hilton Honors Gold Status & Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status
- $189 annual CLEAR Plus membership credit
- Free credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Plus additional purchase protection, experience concierge service, and shopping benefits
Referral Link: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 6 months of card membership. Terms Apply.
Capital One VentureX Card
The Capital One VentureX is very similar to the Venture card in many ways, but has a few extra premium perks in exchange for a higher annual fee of $395. If you want airline-agnostic lounge access and don’t want the Amex Platinum, this card is another great option.
Capital One VentureX Earning:
- 10x miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5x on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x miles per dollar on all other purchases all day, every day
Benefits and Cardholder Perks:
- $300 Annual Travel Credit for bookings through Capital One Travel
- 10,000 miles annual anniversary bonus ($100 value)
- $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Unlimited complimentary access to Capital One Lounges
- $100 experience credit on hotel stays booked through the Capital One Travel Premier Collection
- Free Priority Pass Membership
- Automatic Hertz President’s Circle status
- Auto rental collision coverage & rental car insurance
- Redeem points on purchases categorized as travel with a statement credit – this is a super easy way to redeem points!
Referral Link: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. Terms Apply.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is awesome if you like a straightforward approach to points earning and redemptions. This is a premium card at a $550 annual fee with premium benefits, but it really shines in the earning categories.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Earning:
- Earn 5x points on flights booked through Chase travel portal
- Earn 10x points on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase travel portal
- Earn 10x points on Lyft rides through March 2025
- Earn 3x on all other travel categories worldwide
- Earn 3x points on all dining worldwide
- Earn 1x points on all other purchase categories
Benefits and Cardholder Perks:
- $300 annual travel statement credit on travel category purchases
- $100 credit every 4 years for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
- Complimentary access to DashPass from DoorDash and Caviar
- $15 monthly credit from Instacart+
Referral Link: Earn 60,000 bonus points with Chase Sapphire Reserve after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Terms Apply.
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