Popular travel hacking credit cards we don’t have

While there are recommended ways to optimize your travel hacking, we are firm believers that there isn’t one right way to travel hack. Where you live, individual travel goals, personal spending habits, and preferred hotel and airline providers are just some of the factors that go into determining how to make travel hacking work for you.

If you’ve done research on travel hacking, you will find that there are many lists of the most popular travel hacking credit cards. And there is merit to those lists. For example, pretty much every travel hacking site we’ve encountered recommends the Chase Sapphire as one of the best starter cards. That’s a card that we started our travel hacking journey with and recommend to anyone else who’s interested in getting into the points and miles game.

When you’ve been travel hacking for a while, there are a number of cards that will compete for your attention (and money). We strive to be as transparent as possible when it comes to our points and miles journey. As experienced travel hackers, we want to share the popular travel hacking credit cards that we don’t have and why.

Capital One Venture X

The Capital One Venture X card earns 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, which is more than our every day Freedom Unlimited earns (1.5x). Hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One portal earn 10 miles per dollar while flights earn 5 miles per dollar. Cardholders also receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel.

For some people, this card is worth it for the complimentary lounge access alone. If you regularly fly in or out of Dallas Fort Worth, Dulles, or Denver, the Capital One lounges may make this a must-have in your wallets.

Our home airport is O’Hare, which does not have a Capital One lounge. The $395 annual fee is pretty steep when there would likely be years we wouldn’t visit one of the airports with a Capital One Lounge.

While the 2 miles per dollar would be nice, it’s not a substantial enough difference to our 1.5x card to justify the $395 annual fee for us.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa

It’s no secret that we’re United Airlines people. This card is worth mentioning, however, because it is a major player in many travel hackers’ wallets thanks to the Companion Pass. The Companion Pass allows you to bring one person free of charge when you purchase or redeem points for a flight. Two for one flights? Huge savings right there.

And if you like Southwest, this card may be worth exploring. As United people, this card doesn’t make sense for us. We last flew Southwest between two of the Hawaiian islands in January 2023. Prior to that, our last Southwest flight was in July 2019. It doesn’t make sense for the way we travel – and that’s okay! We find flights that work for us. But the way we travel likely isn’t the way you travel, so the Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa may make sense for you.

Citi Premier

With 3 points per dollar earned at restaurants, gas stations, and supermarkets, this card can be a big earner. For frequent travelers, the 3x for flights and hotels also is a draw with the relatively low $95 fee. There are different cards in our wallet that earn similar (or greater) points, so that’s not enough of a draw for us to open a Citi card.

We’ve never looked into this card, mainly because its transfer partners aren’t providers we typically travel with. But, based on your travel aspirations, it could be a fit!

Conclusion

Our opinion is that there isn’t one list of travel hacking credit cards that is right for everyone. Your individual spending and travel aspirations will dictate the cards that make the most sense for you. For us, we stick primarily to Chase for earning our points and are fairly loyal to one airline and hotel chain. We’ll deviate when it makes sense, but the way we choose to travel definitely informs the cards we hold and continue to open.

Wondering what card is right for you? Email us (points.postcards@gmail.com) or drop a note in the comments.