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New Credit Card for Travel - Recommendations?

Posted on 8/13/25 at 10:21 am
Posted by VermilionTiger
Member since Dec 2012
38812 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 10:21 am
I’ve always used a corporate card when traveling, but now I’ll be using a personal credit card.

Any recommendations? I’d like to stray from an airline card because my flights will vary due to where I’m flying out of. It’s a small hub and flights will be picked due to time convenience. Still, mostly Delta or American, but sometimes United.

Anyway.. looking to get the best bang for my buck.

What say the Money Talk Board?
Posted by TigerTatorTots
The Safeshore
Member since Jul 2009
82037 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 10:28 am to
There is a long stickied thread with good info:

LINK

Personally, I'd avoid any one branded card if you aren't going to stick with a single carrier. I'd go with one of the "premium" level cards that gets you all the travel perks. The Cap1 Venture X is by far the best right now considering they haven't jacked up the fee like the rest of them
Posted by VermilionTiger
Member since Dec 2012
38812 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 10:33 am to


The threads being stickied at the bottom of the page throw me off

Thanks, man
Posted by thunderbird1100
GSU Eagles fan
Member since Oct 2007
71490 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 11:23 am to
I would get a duo/trio setup with a premium travel card and then a couple other cards to cover non travel expenses on the trip like restaurants and such.

Cap one venture X (Travel) and cap one savor (Restaurant) is a simple setup for those really

You'd get 10x on hotel/rental cars and 5x on flights through cap one portal with venture x and 3% back on restaurants with savor (which converts to 3x miles).

There's more complex setups with AMEX/Citi/Chase but AMEX/Chase ones will be much higher annual fees (have to determine spend/credits to see if worth it for you), but Citi isnt a bad option either, strata elite MIGHT work for you but still have to run the numbers.

There are credit card calculators out there to see what kind of travel card might work best for you. Asksebby.com has good calculators for each premium travel card you can put in expected spend and see the return.
This post was edited on 8/13/25 at 11:30 am
Posted by VermilionTiger
Member since Dec 2012
38812 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 11:42 am to
I expect to travel at list 10-15 times a year. Short trips for the most part, with some being week long

I’m just trying to see if the Venture X is worth the yearly fee
Posted by bayoubengal2007
New Orleans
Member since Aug 2015
67 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 11:48 am to
If you travel a lot, venture x is worth it. $300 travel credit per year, plus $100 worth of anniversary miles each year covers the $395 annual fee. I think they still offer 75,000 bonus miles on sign up, equal to $750.
Posted by VermilionTiger
Member since Dec 2012
38812 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 12:04 pm to
Got it

I’ll go with that. Thanks!
Posted by thunderbird1100
GSU Eagles fan
Member since Oct 2007
71490 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 12:08 pm to
quote:

If you travel a lot, venture x is worth it. $300 travel credit per year, plus $100 worth of anniversary miles each year covers the $395 annual fee. I think they still offer 75,000 bonus miles on sign up, equal to $750.



And the miles are worth more than 1 cent per point if you transfer out to partners typically, even if it's a 1:1 transfer if you find good rates to book w/ miles vs. cash where it might be 2-3 cents per point value.
Posted by corndawg85
MS
Member since Oct 2013
856 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 12:17 pm to
Don't want to hijack the thread but what about the Cap One Venture and the Cap One Savor combo?
Posted by rpr4695
Member since May 2013
2117 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 12:37 pm to
Amex Platinum Charles Schwab - Get the Charles Schwab version, because you can redeem points at 1.1 cents per point to your brokerage account (think of it as a quasi cash back card with rewards potential). Delta is a direct travel partner if you're looking to book rewards flights.

It's a great rewards card for travel with a 5x point multiplier for flights and hotels booked through Amex Travel.

If you take advantage of the credits, it's a good bang for your buck:
Posted by VermilionTiger
Member since Dec 2012
38812 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 12:47 pm to
Sure

Send me a referral link. Not able to send messages on TD
Posted by thunderbird1100
GSU Eagles fan
Member since Oct 2007
71490 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 12:55 pm to
quote:

Don't want to hijack the thread but what about the Cap One Venture and the Cap One Savor combo?



They both offer same sign up bonus, but most would argue the Venture X $395 fee is easily covered by credits ($300 annual travel, 10k anniversary miles = $100 minimum) where as the Venture $95 isnt covered by anything by comparison. It's pretty easy to use the travel credit and anniversary miles; but if for some reason you might not use the travel credit, then the Venture might actually make more sense. The Venture vs. X loses the 10x on hotels/car rentals down to 5x and has no 5x for flights like venture X. Venture X is kind of no brainer to me if you do travel even just a decent bit (a few flights/hotels a year even). IF you rarely travel, it might not make much sense.

I have a venture vs. venture X because the X wasnt around when I got my venture. I've thought about downgrading the venture to venture one no annual fee and getting the venture x because I think we can make it work, but we are all over the place on our travel. We just got 5 free IHG nights with the IHG premier card so hotels are covered for a bit for us frankly
Posted by HollierThanThou
Member since Jan 2012
6262 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 1:45 pm to
I keep a variety of cards for the different transfer partners they have.

Normally best to start with Chase Sapphire because they are the strictest for signups.

But i rotate between signing up for Chase/Cap 1/Amex/Alaska/Citi cards.

Citi is next up now that they will be AA partner.
Posted by thunderbird1100
GSU Eagles fan
Member since Oct 2007
71490 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 2:44 pm to
quote:

During my research I believe I read a few places that you are actually able to upgrade without having to open a new account/card. Might be worth a call at least. Also, I recall people saying if you had the Venture for (x) amount of years you may actually be able to receive the new sign on bonus for points.



I've always been under the impression when you product change you arent eligible for any sign up bonus. Have to apply for the new card to get the sign up bonus....edit - looking at reddit posts on this you will not get a sign up bonus for a produce change with cap one so I definitely will just apply for venture x eventually to get the 75k bonus miles, then just product change the venture to the no annual fee one.

If I could product change and get another 75k bonus miles, thats definitely the way to go, but I'm not sure thats the case.
This post was edited on 8/13/25 at 2:52 pm
Posted by AndyJ
Member since Jul 2008
3425 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 3:15 pm to
Just be nuts like me and get a few new cards per year. Doing this has gotten me about 2 million points between Amex and Chase. Almost everyone qualifies for business cards too.

It is true that some cards have fees, particularly Amex. But my wife just got the Amex business Gold, and I have one too. She gets 175k points if she spends $15k in 3 months. The yearly fee is $375. But she gets a Walmart plus membership and $20/ month at office stores. I go to the Staples site and find what I need when on sale (Keurig pods, toilet paper, etc). I will order and pick up hers at the same time as mine. Its work but kind of fun
Posted by TigerTatorTots
The Safeshore
Member since Jul 2009
82037 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 3:42 pm to
quote:


If you travel a lot, venture x is worth it.
The venture X is worth it for literally anyone that does at least 1 weekend stay away from their home a year because its essentially a free card. $300 travel credit + 10,000 annual points (equal to $100 at minimum) negates the $395 fee.
Posted by jmarto1
Houma, LA/ Las Vegas, NV
Member since Mar 2008
37811 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 8:42 pm to
Is everyone ditching the Chase Sapphire Reserve? I just got my benefits info in and need to read it over. I'd hate to switch just for them to follow suit
Posted by UltimaParadox
North Carolina
Member since Nov 2008
50882 posts
Posted on 8/13/25 at 8:45 pm to
I am still holding since I will not renew until next Sept. That being said the coupon book makes it harder to maximize the earnings.

Guessing the points boost will be good for a while, once they start making those options very few, probably will finally be time to move on
Posted by VermilionTiger
Member since Dec 2012
38812 posts
Posted on 8/14/25 at 7:28 am to
I signed up for the Venture X and attempted to book my flight through capital one travel.. it won’t let me select the Venture X card for the purchase. I’m reading that I need the physical card before I can use it, even though I have a virtual card

Kind of sucks, but whatever

ETA - Question. Do I get the miles through my airline as well even if I book through Capital One Travel? I am putting in my account information. If so, that’s a huge deal!
This post was edited on 8/14/25 at 7:41 am
Posted by bayoubengal2007
New Orleans
Member since Aug 2015
67 posts
Posted on 8/14/25 at 12:12 pm to
Yes, I believe that you earn miles with your airline loyalty accounts as well.
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