Summer is almost here and with summer comes road trips. Road trips are nice for many people because they can travel without paying (or using points) for airfare. This post highlights the best credit cards for road trips with an emphasis on gas, dining, and hotel expenses. There is a secondary emphasis on entertainment, concerts, and other tourist attractions.
Transferrable Points
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Sign-Up Bonus: 50,000 Ultimate Rewards (UR) points for $4,000 spend in the first three months
Earning: 3x UR points on Travel and Dining; one point on all other purchases
Perks: $300 Annual General Travel credit, Primary Car Rental Insurance, Trip Cancellation / Interruption Insurance, Priority Pass Airport Lounges, Pre-TSA / Global Entry Fee Waiver, Lyft Pink membership, Door Dash Dash Pass, $60 Door Dash Credit
Annual Fee: $550 (NOT waived the first year)
Chase’s premium card tops this list for road trips because of its earning structure and perks. The Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3x Ultimate Rewards (UR) points on general travel and dining. However, the only knock against the Sapphire Reserve is that it not include gas purchases in its general travel category. The category does include hotels, toll road fees, local commuter transit, and car rentals. Furthermore, the Reserve earns UR points, which can be transferred to one of three hotel partners (Hyatt, IHG, or Marriott).
The Reserve also offers a $300 general travel credit that can be used for hotel purchases, local commuter transit, and tolls. Plus, Chase partnered with SBE to offer additional benefits to Reserve cardholders. Those who love SBE hotels will be able to justify the Reserve’s annual fee by staying just one or two nights.
The Reserve also offers primary car rental insurance for those who want to rent a car. This is nice because you don’t have to accept the car rental agency’s insurance plan when you use your Reserve to pay.
American Express Green Card
Sign-Up Bonus: 30,000 Membership Rewards (MR) points for $3,000 spend in the first three months
Earning: 3x MR points on Travel and Dining; one point on all other purchases
Perks: $100 LoungeBuddy Credit; $100 CLEAR Credit; Extended Warranty
Annual Fee: $150 (NOT waived the first year)
The American Express Green Card does not have the perks of the Sapphire Reserve. But it has the earning power. The Green Card earns 3x Membership Rewards (MR) points on general travel and dining. However, it does not earn 3x on gas purchases. The category does include hotels, toll road fees, local commuter transit, and car rentals. Nonetheless, the Green Card is a solid alternative to the Sapphire Reserve for road trips and all sorts of travel.
Citi Premier
Sign-Up Bonus: 50,000 Ultimate Rewards (UR) points for $4,000 spend in the first three months
Earning: 3x TY points on General Travel (including Gas); 2x TY points on Entertainment and Dining; one point on all other purchases
Perks: None
Annual Fee: $95 (NOT waived the first year)
The Citi Premier makes the list because of its earning structure. It earns 3x Thank You (TY) points on general travel and 2x points on entertainment and dining. Citi includes gas stations, airfare, hotels, travel agencies, tolls, railways, and public transportation in their general travel category.
Unfortunately, Citi cards no longer have any great perks that can make a road trip that much better. Citi cards were stripped of their perks on September 22, 2019.
American Express Blue Business Plus
Sign-Up Bonus: None
Earning: 2x Membership Rewards (MR) points on the first $50,000 in purchases per year; one point thereafter
Perks: None
Annual Fee: $0
American Express does not check the category boxes very well with just one card. However, the Blue Business Plus offers 2x points on everything up to the $50,000 annual limit. This can include road trip related purchases, such as gas, hotels, tolls, and dining.
MR-point lovers can compensate by using a wallet full of Amex cards for different categories and perks. But that’s a subject for another post.
Co-Branded
American Express Hilton Surpass
Sign-Up Bonus: 125,000 Hilton Honors (HH) points for $2,000 spend in three months
Earning: 12x points on Hilton Purchases; 6x points on Dining, Gas, and Groceries; 3x points on Everything Else
Perks: Hilton Honors Gold Status, Free Breakfast, Free Night (after spending $15,000 on the card), Secondary Car Rental Insurance, the chance to earn Hilton Diamond Status (after spending $40,000 on the card)
Annual Fee: $95 (NOT waived the first year)
The American Express Hilton Surpass Card offers some excellent perks for a modest annual fee, most notably Hilton Gold Status. The value of Hilton Gold lies in an 80% points bonus for Hilton purchases, complimentary breakfast, and complimentary room upgrades (up to an Executive level room). The additional value of a room upgrade for even one night is oftentimes more than $95. This makes the Surpass a potential “long-term keeper” card for some people.
The Surpass is also a great earner for road trip expenses. It has bonus categories in gas, dining, and (Hilton) hotels. These categories (as well as Gold Status) can be nice for staying at a Hilton branded hotel to rest for a night or several.
Chase World of Hyatt Card
Sign-Up Bonus: 25,000 Hyatt points $3,000 spend in three months; another 25,000 points after $6,000 total spend within six months
Earning: 4x points on Hyatt Purchases; 2x points on Dining, Airline Tickets (purchased directly from the airline), Local Transit and Commuting, and Gym Memberships
Perks: Hyatt Discoverist Status, Annual Free Night, Complimentary Room Upgrades (to best room available of the same type booked)
Annual Fee: $95 (NOT waived the first year)
The Chase World of Hyatt Card is one of my favorite hotel cards because it offers so much value for an affordable annual fee. It could be considered a “long-term keeper card” for many travelers because of the free night and Hyatt Discoverist Status.
The free night is nice because most Hyatt hotel rooms cost more than $95 per night. That means you can receive significant value if you use the night wisely. Furthermore, Discoverist Status offers a 10% bonus on Hyatt purchases, late checkout, and premium wi-fi. And that’s not to mention the room upgrades that really give Discoverist Status its value.
This card is a nice earner for road trips as it has bonus categories in dining, local commuter transit, and (Hyatt) hotels. You can also use Discoverist Status and your free night to save a few hundred dollars.
Final Draw
Road trips can be great opportunities to earn points for future trips. Gas, restaurants, hotels, and entertainment are some of the most common bonus categories seen on points and miles cards. Therefore, there are a plethora of opportunities for earning points quickly. Take advantage of the rewards and the roads today!
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