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If you’re looking into signing up for a travel credit card and you want to start earning points and miles to use toward future travel, then you’ve likely started poking around the internet and examining your options. The first thing you probably noticed? Just how many options are out there. There are a ton of travel credit cards!
But which are the best to apply for as someone new to building their credit? Whether you have no credit or bad credit, or you simply don’t want to spend a lot of time applying for credit cards just to risk rejection, here are some of the easiest travel credit cards to apply for.
1. Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card
The information related to Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card has been collected by Johnny Jet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
Relatively new in terms of travel credit cards, the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card is a nice pick for those with decent credit who want a seamless user experience. You’ll need a score of 700 or higher to qualify.
So long as you have that good credit score, the Wells Fargo Propel Card is very easy to obtain. In the past, you would need a Wells Fargo banking history in order to qualify. Not anymore. Now, qualifying is simple.
The benefits are very straightforward, another perk for newbies. Cardholders earn 3x points on travel, dining, gas, and streaming services. Then, you’re able to redeem your points for either air travel or cash back, for even more flexibility. And, better yet, there’s no annual fee (See Rates & Fees).
Related: Best Miles Credit Cards
2. Amex EveryDay Credit Card from American Express
The information for the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
If you’ve been looking through your points and miles-earning options, you’ll likely see that a lot of the best travel credit cards are from American Express. However, sometimes, if you don’t have a history of credit with American Express, it can be difficult to score one of their higher-end cards.
Work your way up the American Express pipeline with this credit card suited to beginners: the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card. You get 2x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1x). You also get a 20 percent points bonus on purchases if you use the card 20 times or more in a billing cycle.
You’ll earn Amex Membership Rewards points, which can be transferred to 19 different airline frequent flyer programs and three hotel loyalty programs. The Amex EveryDay credit card has no annual fee (See Rates & Fees).
Related: Best Credit Cards for Grocery Purchases
3. Chase Freedom Unlimited
Similarly, if, instead of going the Amex route, you want to eventually work your way into Chase’s travel rewards cards, you’ll want to start with this beginner card: Chase Freedom Unlimited®.
Cardholders earn unlimited:
- 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- 3% cash back on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- 3% cash back on drugstore purchases
- 1.5% cash back on all other purchases
There is no limit to how much cash back can be earned and no annual fee to worry about.
New Chase Freedom Unlimited® cardholders can earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything they buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) – worth up to $300 cash back! That means new cardholders can enjoy:
- 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® (Chase’s premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards, and more)
- 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases
- 4.5% on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery service)
- 3% on all other purchases
New cardholders earn this extra 1.5% cash back on up to $20,000 spent in the first year.
Once you have the Freedom Unlimited card and build up your Chase credit for a while, you can easily add on the Chase Sapphire or Chase Ink cards (some of the best Chase business credit cards) to your wallet. Then, you’ll then be able to convert your Freedom Unlimited cash back into Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which are highly valuable for use with a range of travel partners.
Related: Best Cash Back Credit Cards
4. Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students
The information for the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
If you really need to build up some credit and doubt your ability to qualify for any of the above cards, try out the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students (if you’re a student, of course). You earn basic travel rewards (1.5 points for every dollar spent). Redeem those points for a statement credit to pay for flights, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, rental cars, or baggage fees. You get a range of perks geared toward those with limited credit with this Bank of America card.
There’s no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and no point expiration. A fixed payment due date and banking alerts help you stay on top of when your payments are due, if this is something new to you. And, if you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of card membership, you’ll receive 25,000 bonus points.
Related: Best Credit Cards for Students
5. The LATAM Visa Secured Card
The information for the LATAM Visa® Secured has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
If you really want a co-branded travel credit card, and your credit score is too poor to get you in with your first airline of choice, try the LATAM Visa® Secured. It allows you to build up your credit while earning points for future travel. You’ll earn one point for every dollar spent, with no cap on the number of points you can earn and a 5,000-point bonus after your first card use. The annual fee is just $25 per year, with the fee waived the first year.
Unfortunately, with a secured card, you do have to send a cashier’s check or money order in with your application. Then you’ll receive a credit line that’s the same as that deposit amount. If you remain in good standing for a year, you can look into moving on to one of LATAM’s higher-end credit cards.
Don’t think you would use your LATAM Pass points that you earn from this credit card? Think again. LATAM is a oneworld member. This means you can use your points to book flights with any other oneworld alliance airline, such as American Airlines or British Airways.
Related: Best Visa Credit Cards
Summary of the Easiest Travel Credit Cards To Apply For
As you can see, these cards are not only easy to apply for, they also come with a variety of benefits. Depending on your credit score and what your goals are, you can find a variety of options. And if you don’t like the options you have, you can always start with a no annual fee credit card and work your way up until you can get the premium travel card of your choice.
Related Articles:
- Credit Score Needed for the Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards
- Getting Started With Travel Rewards, Miles, & Points
- What Credit Cards Have No Foreign Transaction Fees?
- Best Credit Card to Build Credit Score?
For rates and fees of The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, please click here.
