But to truly maximize your points, you'll need at least one
premium annual fee card from Chase's lineup.
However, military credit card holders also have access to a wide range of other
premium annual fee cards that offer ample bonuses on groceries, gas and travel, provided they have the credit scores to qualify.
Not exact matches
The American Express Platinum
card has one of the highest
annual fees of any consumer credit or charge
card — $ 550 — but as Amex's flagship product, this
premium credit
card offers a tremendous amount of value to offset that
fee.
It does have a few
premium perks like the $ 100 travel credit and $ 75 Hotel Collection credits that add value to the
card and offset the
annual fee when used.
But, if you want to have the 1:1 transfer option and other
premium travel benefits, spring for a flexible rewards
card with an
annual fee, especially since most are waived for the first year.
If you don't want to pay a
premium for having a rewards credit
card, it's best to look for a credit
card without an
annual fee and an
annual percentage rate that's on the lower end of the spectrum.
This list doesn't include my overall top picks, such as
premium cards with higher
annual fees.
As we discussed above, you must have at least 1
premium Ultimate Rewards
card to convert the cash - back you earn from
cards with no
annual fee to points that can be transferred to airline and hotel partners.
If you have one of the
premium Ultimate Rewards
cards (i.e. one with an
annual fee), this 5 % cash - back can become 5X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar.
The
card's biggest downside is the
annual fee, which comes to $ 450, but frequent business travelers should see if the various
premium benefits could justify the
annual fee.
The
card comes with a 10 %
annual points
premium, $ 300
annual travel credit, and $ 100 hotel credit — all features which more than make up for the
annual fee.
The
premium perks are also in line with other
cards that have a higher effective
annual fee.
In contrast to American Express, Chase's Ultimate Rewards (UR) program differentiates between the
premium cards and those with no
annual fee.
Among
premium travel
cards, check out Chase Sapphire Reserve ($ 450
annual fee), with an initial bonus of 50,000 points (worth $ 750 in travel bookings through Chase) if you spend $ 4,000 in the first three months, and American Express's Platinum
card ($ 550
annual fee), which offers 60,000 points (worth $ 600 in certain travel redemptions) if you spend $ 5,000 in the first three months.
If you think lounge access is worth it, get the
premium card but be prepared to absorb a hefty
annual fee.
Bottom Line: If you travel frequently and value lounge access you will benefit greatly from having the one of the
premium airline branded credit
cards that charge a $ 450
annual fee.
That's because the
annual fee you pay for any of these
premium cards will be less than a one - year lounge membership in either the Delta Sky Club, American Airlines Admiral's Club or the United Club.
The time to think about downgrading a
premium credit
card is when your
annual fee is due and you don't feel that the benefits you're getting from the
card are worth it anymore.
With that said, we're not comparing apples to apples here as there are some
premium cards on this list with hefty benefits and equally hefty
annual fees.
Most of the credit
cards that offer more generous cash back rewards programs are
premium cards that come with
annual fees.
The most obvious difference is the cost of owning the
card; the
premium card will cost you $ 100 more every year ($ 149
annual fee vs $ 49
annual fee).
For example, there is no
annual fee, so you don't have to worry about paying a
premium just to carry the
card in your wallet.
United / United Mileage Plus Explorer Visa: The $ 95
annual fee for this
card falls in between the regular and
premium annual fees for the Virgin America
cards, but in addition to a free checked bag (which is offered by the Virgin America
card), you'll get 2 free one - time United lounge access passes per year and priority boarding.
With no
annual fee and 24/7 concierge service, this
card delivers a very cost - effective package of benefits even when compared against
premium cards at companies like American Express and Chase.
Like most
premium credit
cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve ® has a high
annual fee of $ 450.
This
premium credit
card has a hefty
annual fee of $ 450 per year.
The Ritz - Carlton Rewards ® Credit
Card is a premium credit card, which comes with a hefty annual fee of $ 395 a y
Card is a
premium credit
card, which comes with a hefty annual fee of $ 395 a y
card, which comes with a hefty
annual fee of $ 395 a year.
The
card comes with a 10 %
annual points
premium, $ 300
annual travel credit, and $ 100 hotel credit — all features which more than make up for the
annual fee.
Most credit
cards are not going to offer you free golf or plane tickets because the
annual fee is significantly lower than the
premium travel
cards that do.
Typically, these type of
premium travel reward
cards have an
annual fee of $ 400 - $ 450.
Keep in mind though we're talking
premium cards here that give you extra for the
annual fee (not one that charges you a
fee and doen't give anything back).
Other travel benefits of this
premium card include a $ 200
annual airline
fee credit, $ 75 hotel credit,
fee credit for Global Entry program or TSA PreCheck, complimentary Hilton Honors and Starwood Preferred Guest Gold Status, and complimentary Wifi at more than 1,000,000 hotspots worldwide with Boingo.
It does require adding one of the
premium cards like Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Ink (which do have
annual fees, but huge bonuses).
After reducing or eliminating nonessential spending from your budget — think gym memberships, streaming subscriptions and dining out — your next target may well be your credit
cards, particularly
premium rewards
cards that carry high
annual fees.
Current bonus: 25,000 bonus Starpoints after you use your new
card to make $ 3,000 in purchases within the first three months Earning rates: 2 points per dollar spent at SPG hotels; 1 point per dollar spent everywhere else Other benefits: No foreign transaction
fees; 2 stays and 5 nights toward SPG elite status every year; free in - room
premium internet; Boingo Wi - Fi
Annual fee: $ 95 (waived for the first year)
The
premium Sapphire Reserve
card, with its hefty $ 450
annual fee, has a bonus that can go as high as 100,000 points after spending $ 4,000 in three months.
There are a number of travel credit
cards that offer
premium rewards, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve
Card ($ 450
annual fee), the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier
Card ($ 99
annual fee) and the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit
Card from American Express ($ 95
annual fee after the first year).
The Chase Sapphire Reserve ® is essentially a hybrid between a rewards
card, with its focus on generous returns, and a
premium credit
card, with its hefty
annual fee and host of travel perks.
The Premier Rewards Gold
card from American Express is a
premium Membership Rewards
card and one of the best travel rewards
cards for a seasoned traveler, but it probably won't appeal as much to the general public due to a high
annual fee.
The Premier Rewards Gold
card comes with a long list of
premium benefits that help justify the high
annual fee.
With the major fanfare of Chase's Sapphire Reserve and its 100,000 - point sign - up bonus, we think it's the perfect time to find out which
premium travel
card is really worth paying the high
annual fee and adding the most value to your wallet.
Once you start veering into
premium card territory, you're going to see more
annual fees.
The Harley - Davidson Mastercard is a
premium rewards
card that does not charge an
annual fee.
This is a
premium credit
card with a ton of perks, including a $ 200
annual airline
fee credit, Centurion Lounge access and Delta Sky Club access when flying Delta, Gold status with Starwood and Hilton, 5x points on airfare and more, so those benefits come with a significant, recently increased
annual fee of $ 550.
Like many
premium cards, the SimplyCash Preferred comes with an
annual fee of $ 99, but it doesn't have a minimum income requirement like many similar higher - end
cards.
While the rewards can't compare to a
premium airline
card with an
annual fee, the Blue Delta SkyMiles
card is your best option for earning airline miles without having to pay an
annual fee.
The Sapphire Reserve, on the other hand, is a
premium travel rewards
card that comes with a lot of perks and a hefty
annual fee.
They range from the no -
fee Freedom
cards to the
premium Sapphire Reserve with its $ 450
annual fee.
But the
premium bank chequing accounts often come with extra benefits like free money orders,
annual fee waivers on
premium credit
cards, discounts on safe deposit box rentals etc. that Manulife One doesn't currently offer.
Chase Sapphire Reserve is a
premium travel credit
card with a staggering $ 450
annual fee.