Best Premium Travel Credit Cards Analysis

With what is beginning to look like a saturated market for premium cards the Premium Credit Card giants: Chase Sapphire Reserve, enhanced Amex Platinum, and the Ritz-Carlton Rewards seems to have met a challenging adversary. The new benefits attached on the  Enhanced Citi Prestige® leaves us with one thing that’s completely necessary and that’s to compare each of these cards and see which card stacks as the most lucrative and exciting card of 2017. Now, these cards reign supreme as the sharks of prestigious perks and benefits, instituting a competitive barrier between namely what we believe to be the top 5 Best Premium Travel Credit Cards.

Sign-Up Bonus:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve: you can reward yourself with an attractive 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Bonus when you make a spend of $4,000 or more within a given first three months of account opening, worth $750 towards airfare/hotel through a 1.5 CPP value, could be maximized further.
• Amex Platinum: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Bonus is worth $900 at a 1.5 CPP, could be maximized further.
• Citi Prestige®: Earn 75,000 bonus ThankYou points after spending $7,500 in purchases within three months of account opening. Bonus is worth approx. $950 on the premise that points are calculated at a 1.25 CPP value.
• Ritz-Carlton Rewards: Get two complimentary nights at any participating Tier 1-4 Ritz-Carlton hotel with the needed spending of $4,000 in the first three months of account opening. Bonus worth varies in respect to Ritz property redemption.
• Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite: Earn 75,000 bonus American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles after making a spend of $7,500 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.

Now, with the recent increase on the Citi Prestige® sign-up bonus, previously a measly 40,000 TY Points, you should expect the Prestige to be a top contender in this area, with the Amex Platinum tagging it’s tail with what appears to be a $50 difference. Now, some things I’d like to note is that the Ritz-Carlton’s sign-up bonus can be tremendously valuable if you stay at the right property. You can easily get $800+ in value for two free nights. Note that there’s a hefty spending requirement attached to the Citi Prestige, if you need help getting that req. down, check out this list.

Annual Fee:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve: $450 (+$75 per AU cardholder)
• Amex Platinum: $550 (+$175 for up to three AU cardholders)
• Citi Prestige®: $450 (+ $50 per AU cardholder)
• Ritz-Carlton Rewards: $450 ($0 per AU)
• Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite: $450 ($0 per AU)

At a quick glance, there’s no significant distinction between the annual fee besides the American Express Platinum standing at a $550, however, I want you all to consider just what Authorized User Cardholders typically demand; Lounge Access. Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite may have perhaps taken the lead here with no charge per Authorized user on top of full Admirals Club Access. Note that Admirals Club Access this day and age isn’t necessarily anything to glorify. On the other hand, you have the Amex Platinum with quite the hefty fee for AU limited to three cardholders. I guess this is to justify access to Centurion and Sky Clubs with the AU card.

Point Earning:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve: 3x UR points on travel and dining purchases.
• Amex Platinum:  5 Membership Reward points for every dollar spent towards airfare purchases and prepaid hotels booked directly through Amex.
• Citi Prestige®: 3 TY points per dollar spent on air travel &hotels; 2 TY points per dollar spent on dining & entertainment
• Ritz-Carlton Rewards: 5 points per dollar spent at any Ritz-Carlton, Marriott or Starwood hotel; 2 points per dollar spent on airline tickets purchased directly with the airline,car rental agencies as well as restaurants.
• Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite: 2 AAdvantage miles for every dollar spent on eligible AA purchases.

Now, it goes without saying that the Chase Sapphire Reserve reigns supreme in terms of practicality with a 3x Ultimate Rewards Points on Travel and Dining. The cards terminology of travel is very generalized making it an easy and rewarding category to lean on and dining is absolutely easy to reap. Aside from that, the Citi Prestige creeps in under the Reserve with a 3X ThankYou Points on air travel and hotels + 2X ThankYou points on Dining & Entertainment.

Travel Credit:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve: $300 travel credit annually
• Amex Platinum: $200 airline fee credit toward incidentals like baggage fees and lounge + $200 Annual Uber Credit
• Citi Prestige®: $250 airfare credit annually.
• Ritz-Carlton Rewards: $300 credit toward incidentals, limitations apply.
• Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite: N/A

When it comes to flexibility for your travel credit, I’d sway towards the Chase Sapphire Reserve with not only the larger value $300 Travel Credit, but the credit post instantly. Creeping in on the Reserve would be the Citi Prestige again with a $250 on airfare credit annually, without all the restrictions and limitations towards frequent travelers and having to manual trigger the credit.

Lounge Access:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve: Priority Pass Select – unlimited guest.
• Amex Platinum: Delta Sky Club access – guest are $29/each. Centurion Lounge – Two free guest. Airspace Lounge – two free guest or immediate. Priority Pass Select.
• Citi Prestige®: Priority Pass Select – two free guest + immediate.
• Ritz-Carlton Rewards: Priority Pass Select
• Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite: Full Admirals Club Access

The evident top contender in this category would be the Platinum card with Centurion, Delta, Airspace and Priority Pass Select access. I mean, Amex’s lounges are no joke when it comes to luxury. Second up may very well be the Citi AAdvantage Executive with full admirals club access.

Chase Sapphire Reserve: Best Premium Travel

The Chase Sapphire Reserve could perhaps be the very card to have broke the internet when it came out. Extremely well-balanced, practically and overall enjoy-ability with 3X the rewards on dining and travel, 50,000 UR Sign-up Bonus, worth $750 when redeemed for travel through Ultimate Rewards in addition to a remarkable $300 annual travel credit, 1:1 Chase travel partner ratio all for a well-worth it $450 annual fee.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Summary:

• Apply Now
• Maximum Bonus: 50,000 UR Points
• Spending Requirement: You must spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
• Annual Fee: $450, not waived for the first year
• Bonus Worth: The 50K points alone is worth $750 towards airfare/hotel.
• Expiration Date: No expiration
• Additional Advice: We recommend combining it with another Ultimate Rewards-earning card, such as the no annual fee cash-back card Chase Freedom Card. This way, you can transfer the points you earn on the Chase Freedom to your Chase Sapphire Reserve Card account and redeem them for more than 1 cent per point. Since both cards are on the Ultimate Rewards platform, you can also combine the points instead of using two different rewards platforms. That’s an immediate 25% increase on the value of your points when used for travel. 

Benefits:

• 50,000 Bonus Points when you spend $4,000 on the card within the first 3 months of account opening, worth $750 when redeemed for travel through Ultimate Rewards
• 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points on Travel AND Dining.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve℠ cardholders can redeem points for travel through Chase at a rate of 1.5 cents each. The 3 points per dollar you’re earning on travel and dining is equivalent to a 4.5% rewards rate.
• $300 annual credit for travel purchases can be used on any travel spending. (Covers 2/3’s of the $450 annual fee).
• Chase Ultimate Rewards points are transferrable to several airline and hotel loyalty programs at a usual 1:1 ratio.

Conclusion:

All of the cards listed above do have it’s fair share of suitable perks and benefits that can be justifiably put together with a pricey annual fee, however, each card has a clear-cut distinction between just how you can maximize the rewards for more lucrative propositions in your favor. Now, for a means of practicality, rewards, and travel perks, the Chase Sapphire Reserve has to be awarded the Best Premium Travel Card of 2017. I would say to get the Citi Prestige if you plan on taking advantage of the 4th free night perk and travel credit (double-dip possible) and I would say to get the American Express Platinum Card if you want luxury benefits for your travel necessities including lounges, 200 Uber Savings Annually, $200 Airline Fee Credit, etc. Lastly, be sure to check out our complete list of Credit Card Promotions for all credit card necessities you may have.