The Point Calculator's top picks for the 6 best credit cards for travel and dining are:
- Citi Premier® Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- American Express® Gold Card
- American Express® Green Card
- Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card
- Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Citi Premier® Card
The Citi Premier Card is one of the best credit cards for earning rewards on travel and dining purchases. It earns 3 ThankYou Rewards Points per $1 spent spent on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, air travel, and hotel purchases. Points can be redeemed for travel or be transferred to Citi's airline and hotel partners which include JetBlue Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Emirates.
- Earn 3X points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
- Earn 3X points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel, and Hotels
- Earn 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Annual $100 Hotel Savings Benefit
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
If you're looking for a premium travel card that offers a great return across travel and dining purchases, the best option will be the Chase Sapphire Reserve. It earns 3 Ultimate Rewards Points per $1 spent on both travel and dining purchases along with a long list of benefits including Priority Pass, $300 in annual travel credits, and up to $100 towards a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application. Points can be redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards at a value of 1.5 cents per point or you can transfer points to Chase's airline and hotel partners which includes United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Hyatt.
- 3X per $1 spent on travel after earning your $300 travel credit
- 3X per $1 spent on dining
- 1X per $1 spent on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as a reimbursement for travel purchases charged to the account
- 50% point value boost when you redeem points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,000+ airport lounges worldwide after enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select
- Up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®
American Express® Gold Card
The American Express Gold Card is a top-rated rewards credit card that is great for earning rewards. It earns 4 Membership Rewards Points per $1 spent on U.S. supermarket purchases and at restaurants worldwide as well as 3 Membership Rewards Points per $1 spent on airfare purchased directly with an airline. Points earned can be redeemed towards airfare at a value of 1 cent per point or be transferred to AMEX's airline and hotel partners which consist of Delta Airlines, JetBlue Airways, and Marriott International. The AMEX Gold Card also comes with $120 in annual Uber credits and $120 in annual dining credits.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points on Restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery, plus, earn 4X points for Uber Eats purchases too.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point on all other purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
- $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Boxed, and participating Shake Shack locations. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
American Express® Green Card
If you want to earn Membership Rewards Points on travel and dining purchases, the American Express Green Card is going to be the best option. It earns 3 points per $1 spent on travel, transit, and dining and comes with $100 in annual CLEAR credits and $100 in annual LoungeBuddy credits.
Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card
The Wells Fargo Propel AMEX Card earns 3 Go Far Rewards Points on dining, streaming services, gas station, rideshares, transit, and travel purchases. Points can be redeemed for 1 cents each towards travel or 1.5 cents each towards travel if you have the no annual fee Wells Fargo Visa Signature Card.
- Earn 3X points per $1 spent eating out and ordering in
- Earn 3X points per $1 spent on popular streaming services
- Earn 3X points per $1 spent on gas station, rideshares, and transit
- Earn 3X points per $1 spent on travel including flights, hotels, homestays, and car rentals
- Earn 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- $0 annual fee and no foreign currency conversion fee
- Great card for building up points that can put towards travel
- Pair it with the Wells Fargo Visa Signature Card to get even more value on airfare redemptions
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
If you want to earn bonus rewards with Costco while also earning rewards on travel and dining, look no farther than the Costco Anywhere Visa Card. It earns 4% back on gas purchases (for the first $7,000 per year), 3% back on restaurant and travel purchases, and 2% back on Costco purchases. The card has no annual fee outside of needing Costco membership and no foreign transaction fee which makes it a great option for international spending.
- 4% cash back on eligible gas for the first $7,000 per year and then 1% thereafter
- 3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel purchases
- 2% cash back on all other purchases from Costco and Costco.com
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
- Discover one of Citi’s best cash back rewards cards designed exclusively for Costco members
- No annual fee with your paid Costco membership and enjoy no foreign transaction fees on purchases
- Receive an annual credit card reward certificate, which is redeemable for cash or merchandise at U.S. Costco warehouses, including Puerto Rico
More Info
If you're looking for more options or more details on top travel credit cards including current sign up bonuses, rates, and fees, you can check out the list of current available offers. Do note that offers are not available for every credit card covered on this site.
Best Cards By Spend Calculator
The Best Cards By Spend Calculator will give you an idea of which credit cards will offer you the most rewards based on your spend. Results will be sorted by net return which is the average value of the rewards earned, plus annual credits, and minus annual fees.
Results will consist of top-rated credit cards. Business credit cards will not appear in this list.
