Best Travel Card Challenge: My #1 Pick
45sCreates curiosity with a bold claim and a visual of a credit card binder, hooking viewers to see the winner.
▶ Play Clip"Title accurately reflects content: the video indeed identifies the best travel credit cards from major banks in 2026."
The video presents a comprehensive analysis of the best travel credit cards from major US banks in 2026, evaluating each based on rewards, benefits, and annual fees. The host selects a top card from Chase, American Express, Capital One, Citi, Bank of America, US Bank, and Wells Fargo, highlighting their unique strengths and value propositions.
Top pick for Chase. Offers 100,000 bonus points after meeting spend requirement, worth $1,000+ toward travel. $95 annual fee. Revamped rewards: 3x on dining, travel, gas, EV charging, and vacation homes. Includes $100 hotel credit, $120 Global Entry/TSA credit, DashPass, Lyft/Peloton multipliers, and no foreign transaction fees.
Top pick for Amex. Up to 100,000 points welcome offer. $325 annual fee. Rewards: 4x on restaurants and groceries (up to caps), 5x on prepaid hotels via Amex Travel, 3x on flights, 2x on prepaid car rentals. Credits: $120 dining, $120 Uber Cash, $100 Resy, $84 Dunkin'. Also includes Hertz Five Star status and no foreign transaction fees.
Top pick for Capital One. 75,000 miles welcome offer. $395 annual fee. Benefits: $300 annual travel credit, 10,000 anniversary miles, 10x on hotels/rental cars via portal, 5x on flights/vacation rentals, 2x on everything else. Includes Priority Pass and Capital One lounge access, Hertz President's Circle, cell phone protection, and no foreign transaction fees.
Top pick for Citi. 60,000 points welcome offer. $95 annual fee. Rewards: 10x on hotels/car rentals/attractions via Citi Travel, 3x on air travel, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, gas/EV charging. $100 annual hotel benefit (stay $500+). Includes travel protections and transfer partners.
Top pick for BofA. 60,000 points welcome offer. $95 annual fee. Rewards: 2x on travel and dining, 1.5x on everything else. Can be boosted up to 75% with Preferred Rewards program (requires $100k+ assets). Includes $100 airline incidental credit and $100 TSA/Global Entry credit.
Top pick for US Bank. 20,000 points welcome offer. $0 annual fee. Rewards: 5x on prepaid hotels/car rentals via portal, 4x on travel and gas/EV charging (first $1k/quarter), 2x on dining, streaming, groceries. Includes Priority Pass Select (4 visits), $100 TSA/Global Entry credit, and 5GB global mobile data.
Top pick for Wells Fargo. 20,000 points welcome offer. $0 annual fee. Rewards: 3x on restaurants, travel, gas/transit, streaming, phone plans. Includes cell phone protection, auto rental collision waiver, and access to transfer partners (11 partners).
The Chase Sapphire Preferred stands out as the best overall travel card due to its strong welcome bonus, versatile rewards, and low annual fee. However, the Capital One Venture X offers exceptional value for those seeking premium benefits at a reasonable cost.
What is the annual fee for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card?
$95
00:57
How many bonus points does the Chase Sapphire Preferred offer as a welcome bonus?
100,000 bonus points
00:43
What is the annual fee for the American Express Gold Card?
$325
03:14
Name two new reward categories added to the Chase Sapphire Preferred in its revamp.
Gas and EV charging, and vacation homes (Airbnb, Vrbo).
01:29
What is the annual travel credit on the Capital One Venture X?
$300
05:47
How many miles per dollar does the Capital One Venture X earn on all other purchases?
2 miles per dollar
06:34
What is the annual fee for the Citi Strata Premier card?
$95
11:03
What is the requirement for the $100 hotel benefit on the Citi Strata Premier?
A single hotel stay of $500 or more before fees and taxes, booked through the Citi travel portal.
12:19
What is the Bank of America Preferred Rewards program?
A program that boosts credit card rewards based on the amount of deposits or assets held with Bank of America.
14:22
What is the annual fee for the US Bank Altitude Connect card?
$0
16:14
How many Priority Pass lounge visits does the US Bank Altitude Connect provide per year?
4 free visits
16:57
What is the welcome bonus for the Wells Fargo Autograph card?
20,000 points after spending $1,000 in 3 months.
18:30
Name three 3x reward categories on the Wells Fargo Autograph card.
Restaurants, travel, gas and transit, streaming services, phone plans (any three).
18:43
Chase Sapphire Preferred as top pick
Sets the benchmark for travel cards with a strong welcome bonus and versatile rewards at a low annual fee.
00:31Capital One Venture X value proposition
Demonstrates how a premium card can effectively offset its annual fee through credits and bonuses, making it accessible.
05:08Citi Strata Premier's comprehensive rewards
Highlights the card's broad category coverage including gas, which is often missing from travel cards.
10:28Bank of America relationship banking boost
Illustrates how existing banking relationships can significantly enhance credit card rewards.
14:22Wells Fargo Autograph's no-fee value
Shows that a $0 annual fee card can still offer robust rewards and transfer partners, challenging the need for premium cards.
18:13[00:01] That is my credit card binder, and after
[00:03] flipping through its many, many pages
[00:05] and strolling through dozens of credit
[00:07] cards and all the main issuers'
[00:08] websites, I gave myself a challenge.
[00:11] Identify the single best travel credit
[00:13] card from all the major banks,
[00:15] regardless if it was a super high or a
[00:17] super low annual fee, or how many points
[00:20] or how many benefits total each card
[00:22] had. The goal was simply to find the
[00:24] single card that overall was the best,
[00:26] most well-rounded, highest-value
[00:28] product. And here is what I decided.
[00:31] Let's begin with Chase. My number one
[00:33] pick here is the Sapphire Preferred
[00:35] credit card, and rightly so. It recently
[00:37] got a huge overhaul to its benefits and
[00:39] rewards structure. What hits you right
[00:41] up front, though, is the super strong
[00:43] limited-time welcome offer to earn
[00:45] 100,000 bonus points after meeting the
[00:48] spend requirement. That's worth an easy
[00:50] $1,000 toward cash back or travel, or
[00:52] even more toward travel when maximized
[00:55] completely. And in light of that modest
[00:57] $95 annual fee, you are well into many
[01:01] times over in your first year. Plus, you
[01:03] can even see if you're pre-approved for
[01:04] the offer with no impact to your credit
[01:06] score. If you want a closer look at
[01:08] about all the changes that occurred on
[01:09] the Sapphire Preferred, watch the other
[01:11] video that I did on that for a deeper
[01:13] dive going over Chase's press release.
[01:15] But for the purpose of this video, to
[01:17] mention a few things that I really like
[01:18] about it and what makes it so strong as
[01:20] my number one pick is the revamped
[01:22] rewards structure. It was already good,
[01:25] now just even better with the addition
[01:27] of two more categories, namely triple
[01:29] points on gas and EV charging, and
[01:32] triple on vacation homes at top brands
[01:35] like Airbnb, Vrbo, and a few others. All
[01:37] the other legacy multipliers still
[01:39] remain intact. And helping you earn back
[01:41] the cost of the annual fee is now a $100
[01:45] hotel credit that you can use every
[01:46] single card anniversary. Coupling that
[01:49] with over 200 bucks of additional value,
[01:51] and you have a very strong proposition
[01:53] here. The additional partner benefits
[01:54] include DashPass from DoorDash. That is
[01:57] the membership itself being credited to
[01:59] you, plus some additional credits and
[02:01] some additional multipliers. That is
[02:03] five points per dollar with Lyft and
[02:04] Peloton through September and December,
[02:07] respectively. You can also transfer your
[02:09] Chase points out to other airline and
[02:11] hotel programs for additional
[02:12] flexibility in building your
[02:13] itineraries, all while getting some very
[02:15] strong travel and purchase coverages
[02:17] here. Moreover, the card now features a
[02:20] $120 credit to be used toward Global
[02:23] Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS, and a
[02:26] complimentary Apple TV subscription for
[02:28] a full year when you activate by
[02:30] December 31st, 2026. I should also add
[02:33] that this card has no foreign
[02:34] transaction fees, which, being a Visa
[02:37] credit card, pairs very nicely for great
[02:39] acceptance globally and avoiding that
[02:42] roughly 3% fee on your charges outside
[02:44] of the US. Adding up all these benefits,
[02:47] plus the reward multipliers at a low
[02:49] annual fee, and you've got one very
[02:50] strong card earning my number one pick.
[02:53] Up next, we have American Express.
[02:55] They're running a variable offer here,
[02:58] up to 100,000 points after meeting the
[03:00] spend requirements. So, you have to go
[03:02] through the application process to see
[03:03] what your offer is, and they'll let you
[03:05] know before you go all the way through
[03:07] and before any hard hit to your uh
[03:09] score, too, which is great. It's kind of
[03:11] like another pre-approval type of
[03:12] experience. The annual fee is a lot
[03:14] higher than the Sapphire Preferred,
[03:15] though, at 325 bucks per year, but they
[03:18] do add more benefits to help you make
[03:20] sense of that. And the first part of
[03:22] this is a strong reward structure. Four
[03:24] points per dollar at restaurants
[03:26] worldwide on up to a 50K cap, four
[03:28] points per dollar on groceries at US
[03:30] supermarkets subject to a 25K cap, a
[03:33] newer five point per dollar category on
[03:36] prepaid hotels through the Amex travel
[03:38] portal, then triple on flights through
[03:41] the portal, the app, or directly with
[03:43] the airlines themselves, and double on
[03:45] prepaid car rentals, plus cruises, also
[03:48] through Amex. Beyond these categories,
[03:50] it's one point per dollar for your other
[03:52] purchases. I like seeing when cards
[03:53] debut reward structures that are useful
[03:56] at home and while you travel. So, that
[03:58] way while you're not traveling, you can
[03:59] still earn great points for your future
[04:02] trips at home. Hence, dining at
[04:04] restaurants around you and on your
[04:05] grocery bill. Now, helping you earn back
[04:07] that cost of the annual fee that you
[04:09] paid up front is a 120 dining credit.
[04:12] That's up to 10 bucks a month in
[04:14] statement credits for the partners
[04:16] listed there on the screen. You'll also
[04:17] be given up to $120 in Uber cash per
[04:20] year in $10 per month increments, a $100
[04:24] Resy credit. That's $50 twice per year
[04:27] for Resy restaurants, and an $84 Duncan
[04:30] credit. That's $7 per month. Yes, it's a
[04:32] lot of small things here and there
[04:34] throughout the course of a 12-month
[04:35] period, but hey, Amex's goal is to have
[04:38] you use the card on a regular basis, not
[04:40] cash out on everything in 1 month and
[04:42] then never use it again. They've also
[04:43] earned a Hertz five-star status, giving
[04:46] you things like complimentary upgrades,
[04:47] skipping the counter, and more elite
[04:49] benefits. And the hotel collection is
[04:51] nice, giving you some additional
[04:52] benefits at upscale properties when you
[04:54] book through that special portal. The
[04:56] card also gives you some travel
[04:57] protections, and at the bottom you also
[04:59] see no foreign transaction fees, which
[05:01] is always nice. Plus, purchase
[05:03] protection and extended warranty on the
[05:06] retail side. On to my third top pick
[05:08] here with Capital One. Drum roll,
[05:10] please. My choice this time around is
[05:14] the Venture X, which probably is not too
[05:16] big of a surprise because despite some
[05:18] small devaluations that we've seen
[05:20] consistently over time since it
[05:22] originally launched, it is still the
[05:24] most affordable value-packed premium
[05:27] travel card that you can get. You can
[05:29] get off to a great start with 75,000
[05:31] miles as a bonus after meeting the spend
[05:33] requirement. That's kind of been the
[05:35] default for a while now. It could go
[05:37] higher during promo times. Every year
[05:39] that you keep the card and pay your
[05:40] annual fee, it gives you a bonus 10,000
[05:43] miles, kind of like a built-in retention
[05:45] offer. A $300 annual travel credit that
[05:48] you can use to help offset your fee each
[05:50] year and that's valid through the
[05:51] Capital One travel portal. And once
[05:54] every four to five years or so, when you
[05:56] renew in Global Entry or TSA PreCheck,
[05:58] it will reimburse you up to 120 bucks
[06:01] for that application fee, too. In fact,
[06:03] just that $300 credit plus the 10K mile
[06:06] bonus together is about a $400 value and
[06:10] that fully wipes out the $395 annual
[06:13] fee. Pretty sweet how you can cover that
[06:15] with just using two benefits and nothing
[06:17] else. You can also earn Capital One
[06:19] miles very quickly long-term in a very
[06:21] simple way. 10 miles per dollar on
[06:23] hotels and rental cars booked through
[06:26] Capital One, five miles per dollar on
[06:28] flights and vacation rentals booked
[06:30] through Capital One, and then for all of
[06:32] your other regular purchases, you're
[06:34] getting a base rate of two miles per
[06:36] dollar, making this not just a great
[06:39] travel card, but also a great catch-all
[06:41] card, too, regardless of the categories
[06:43] in which you're spending. The card will
[06:45] also provide you access to a growing
[06:47] network of Capital One lounges plus
[06:49] Priority Pass lounges. There are also a
[06:51] couple of hotel portals, namely the
[06:54] Premier Collection and the Lifestyle
[06:55] Collection, both giving you kind of VIP
[06:58] elite light benefits when you book the
[07:00] properties that are within these
[07:02] portfolios. That could be things like an
[07:04] additional credit to use for food and
[07:06] beverage, for instance, early check-in,
[07:08] late checkout, maybe room upgrades, and
[07:09] the like. The top-tier elite status with
[07:12] Hertz, their President's Circle, is also
[07:14] available with this card at no
[07:16] additional charge when you simply enroll
[07:18] and activate this benefit. And there's
[07:19] also auto rental collision coverage,
[07:21] too, which is primary, by the way, not
[07:24] something you see all the time. And
[07:26] while not fully unique to just this
[07:28] card, at least it does give you access
[07:30] to the Capital One travel portal, which
[07:32] itself has some really class-leading
[07:35] benefits. One of which is to book
[07:37] confidently with free price drop
[07:39] protection. Then, if you find a better
[07:41] price, they'll match it. You can also
[07:43] add an option to cancel your flight up
[07:46] to just 3 hours before your scheduled
[07:48] departure and get most of your booking
[07:50] cost refunded. And even set a price
[07:52] alert for them to watch your flight for
[07:54] you and notify you when a price drop
[07:56] occurs. Very nice consumer-friendly
[07:59] features. There's also the Capital One
[08:01] dining program giving you access to
[08:03] special dining and culinary experiences
[08:05] and the Capital One entertainment
[08:07] portal, too. Again, with more exclusive
[08:09] access, pre-sales tickets, and more with
[08:12] another five X mile multiplier on your
[08:15] purchase. And like any good travel card,
[08:18] yes, this one also has no foreign
[08:20] transaction fees. Another kind of unique
[08:22] feature that's not too widespread across
[08:24] the industry is cell phone protection,
[08:26] which is great. And on the miles
[08:27] redemption side, there are also a bunch
[08:30] of transfer partners, too, like we've
[08:32] seen with Chase and Amex previously.
[08:34] Again, the crossover is not perfect
[08:36] here. They have some of their own unique
[08:38] partners, but there's a nice list to
[08:40] choose from. After seeing so many of the
[08:42] top-tier premium cards between five and
[08:44] $900 a year for their fees now, seeing
[08:47] $395, at least until they raise it, is
[08:50] still super refreshing while it lasts.
[08:52] Now, as you look to build out your own
[08:54] travel card setup, you're inevitably
[08:55] going to run into a classic problem.
[08:57] Managing different cards from different
[08:59] banks and incorporating them all into
[09:01] your broader financial picture. That's
[09:03] where today's sponsor, Monarch, can make
[09:05] a big difference. Monarch is a personal
[09:07] finance platform that takes all your
[09:09] major credit cards, bank accounts, and
[09:11] brokerages and puts them all into one
[09:13] place. What that means for you is
[09:15] getting complete clarity into your
[09:17] spending and saving habits every month,
[09:19] tracking your financial goals over time,
[09:21] and a lot more. Something I really
[09:23] appreciate is how it removes my
[09:25] financial stress and replaces it with
[09:27] visuals and breakdowns that help me make
[09:29] sense of my money. One of my biggest use
[09:31] cases is a monthly net worth check-in.
[09:33] Monarch adds up the current value of all
[09:35] your assets, subtracts any liabilities,
[09:38] and gives you a clear picture of your
[09:40] net worth in that moment in time. If I
[09:42] see myself headed in a positive
[09:43] direction, then I can feel good about my
[09:45] plan. If not, I can see where I can
[09:48] improve. And another great feature that
[09:49] helps me do exactly that is the built-in
[09:52] budgeting tool. After telling Monarch
[09:54] how much I want to spend, it then shows
[09:56] me if I'm over or under budget by
[09:58] pulling in all my financial figures
[10:00] daily. It's kind of like having a super
[10:02] wallet. And if you have a big goal that
[10:04] you want to work toward, I recommend the
[10:06] built-in goals feature. It empowers you
[10:08] to build up an emergency fund, buy a
[10:10] car, pay down debt, or whatever you
[10:12] like. So, if you want a simple way to
[10:14] feel more confident about your finances,
[10:17] try Monarch today. You can get a free
[10:19] trial and 50% off your first year by
[10:22] using my link on the screen or by
[10:24] signing up with the code Reese50. Now,
[10:26] let's get back to the best credit cards
[10:28] from the major banks. Now, let's take a
[10:29] look to see what City has to offer. At
[10:32] least for now, the choice here was very
[10:33] obvious to me. The City Strata Premier
[10:36] card. Now, there are some rumors that
[10:38] City may be changing this card somewhat
[10:40] in the near future, but nothing's been
[10:42] solidified yet. So, as the card stands
[10:44] right now in Q2 of 2026, this one is
[10:48] actually pretty darn phenomenal. The
[10:50] standard offer that we've seen for a
[10:51] while now of 60,000 points is still
[10:54] quite strong, and you can get that after
[10:55] meeting the spend requirement. That's an
[10:57] easy $600 travel value right there, or
[11:00] maybe more with transfer partners if you
[11:01] can do that. But, the annual fee at 95
[11:04] bucks, like that Sapphire Preferred, is
[11:06] on the low side here, allowing you to
[11:08] have a lot of profit from your rewards
[11:10] and that bonus. Again, I love seeing
[11:12] cards that give you a huge step forward
[11:14] in your first year. And this card's
[11:16] reward structure really sets it apart
[11:18] here because it covers so much on the
[11:20] road and at home. At the very top high
[11:22] end here, you get 10 points per dollar
[11:24] on hotels, car rentals, and attractions
[11:28] when you book them through
[11:28] citytravel.com. Talk about earning
[11:31] points very quickly. Then below that we
[11:33] have a three-point per dollar category
[11:36] that covers a whole bunch, air travel
[11:39] and other hotel purchases, restaurants,
[11:42] supermarkets, gas and EV charging
[11:45] stations, and then one point per dollar
[11:47] on your other purchases. It amazes me
[11:49] how many travel cards do not include a
[11:51] gas category on them. I get it, kind of,
[11:54] but when you think about a road trip, to
[11:56] me that's just another form of travel.
[11:58] And even if you classify it as transit
[12:00] or commuting, that's still a cousin of
[12:02] travel anyway. That $95 annual fee that
[12:05] we just talked about is really easy to
[12:06] recoup as well because it has a $100
[12:09] annual hotel benefit with a couple
[12:11] restrictions that are not super
[12:13] consumer-friendly, but hey, you got a
[12:15] whole year to use it. It'll give you a
[12:16] hundred bucks off a single hotel stay
[12:19] when that entire stay is $500 or more
[12:22] before fees and taxes, and you book that
[12:24] through the city travel portal. At least
[12:26] they do make it highly convenient to use
[12:27] though. It's automatically applied when
[12:29] you check out through the booking
[12:30] process. The card also gives you access
[12:32] to the Reserve by City Travel, which is
[12:35] their hotel collection of upscale
[12:37] properties giving you VIP benefits like
[12:40] complimentary breakfast for two, free
[12:42] Wi-Fi, and more. You can also transfer
[12:44] your points out to a bunch of other
[12:45] transfer partners. Here's a screenshot
[12:47] listing them right here for the hotels
[12:49] and the airlines. And then lastly here
[12:51] we've got travel protections too,
[12:53] several which are mentioned right there
[12:54] on the screen. In short, it's one of
[12:56] those cards that's very simple to use.
[12:58] You don't have to track a million
[12:59] different benefits. You don't have to
[13:01] enroll in certain reward categories that
[13:03] change over time. It just covers a lot
[13:05] in a very straightforward manner without
[13:07] charging you a crazy annual fee. Let's
[13:09] move on now to Bank of America. Out of
[13:12] all their cards, I chose their Premium
[13:14] Rewards credit card. To get you started,
[13:16] it's offering 60,000 bonus points after
[13:19] meeting the spend requirement. That's a
[13:20] solid $600 of value toward travel right
[13:23] there, and up to $200 in travel
[13:26] statement credits. That's broken down
[13:28] into two separate parts. One is up to
[13:30] 100 bucks in airline incidental
[13:32] statement credits for airline bag fees,
[13:34] in-flight services, and more. And also
[13:37] up to another 100 bucks for TSA PreCheck
[13:40] or Global Entry. Since you renew those
[13:42] trusted traveler programs only once
[13:44] every four to five years, we can't count
[13:46] them annually to cover your annual fee.
[13:48] But fortunately, the first part of up to
[13:50] 100 bucks in airline incidental credits,
[13:53] that one does cover the fee, which is
[13:54] only $95 a year. Meaning nothing to cut
[13:57] into the rewards that you earn on top of
[13:59] that. Which I've got to say is not a
[14:01] very compelling reward structure. But
[14:03] hey, it's still the best that Bank of
[14:04] America offers with a little caveat that
[14:07] can supercharge these that you'll see in
[14:09] just a moment. The base earning rates
[14:10] are just double points on travel
[14:12] purchases, double points on dining
[14:15] purchases, and then the true base on all
[14:18] of your other purchases will be 1.5
[14:20] points per dollar. What can help you
[14:22] though is their Bank of America Rewards
[14:24] program, which is separate from their
[14:26] credit card. This is a standalone
[14:28] program where if you have a certain
[14:29] amount of deposits or assets with Bank
[14:32] of America, they give you additional
[14:34] perks with credit cards and more, too.
[14:37] Just on the credit front though, based
[14:38] on the requirements that you're able to
[14:40] qualify for, you could have your
[14:42] standard two points per dollar get a
[14:44] 10%, 25%, 50%, or 75% boost. Meaning you
[14:49] could have this card giving you 3.5
[14:52] points per dollar on travel and dining,
[14:54] and two .6 two points per dollar on all
[14:56] of your other purchases. The qualifying
[14:59] criteria do get pretty high though. To
[15:01] start here, feel free to pause this if
[15:03] you want to look it over in more detail,
[15:05] but the standard rate is, you know, no
[15:07] minimum balance required. Then it does
[15:09] get to the preferred plus at $30,000 of
[15:12] total assets, preferred honors at
[15:14] $100,000, and premier at $1 million.
[15:18] That's the relationship banking model at
[15:20] full display for you all. The more you
[15:22] do with a certain bank with multiple
[15:23] accounts, the more they tend to reward
[15:25] you. And Bank of America is known to do
[15:27] that. The card will also give you some
[15:29] automotive protections here like with
[15:31] roadside dispatch and also the Visa
[15:33] Signature Luxury Hotel Collection,
[15:35] another one of those portals giving you
[15:36] some VIP perks when you book through it.
[15:39] And we can't forget the Visa concierge
[15:41] service, too, if you ever want help with
[15:42] travel planning, restaurant
[15:43] recommendations, or other event
[15:45] reservations. Our next bank here doesn't
[15:47] have very many travel focused cards
[15:49] anymore, but the one that they do have
[15:51] listed is actually quite compelling
[15:53] after it's refreshed not too long ago.
[15:55] The bank I'm referring to here is US
[15:57] Bank and the card, their Altitude
[15:59] Connect Visa Signature. The welcome
[16:01] offer, as you'll see, is pretty low,
[16:03] 20,000 bonus points, but the spend
[16:06] requirement's also pretty low, too,
[16:08] $1,000 in your first 90 days, but you
[16:11] also can't expect too high of a bonus on
[16:13] this card because there's no annual fee,
[16:15] either. But, it gives you some pretty
[16:16] strong rewards, five points per dollar
[16:19] on prepaid hotel tells and car rentals
[16:21] through the US Bank Travel Center, four
[16:23] points per dollar on other travel, as
[16:26] well as on gas stations and EV charging
[16:28] stations on your first $1,000 each
[16:30] quarter of the year, double points on
[16:32] dining, streaming services, and grocery
[16:35] stores, then one X on your other
[16:37] eligible purchases. It also includes a
[16:40] little bit of a surprise here, too.
[16:42] Check this out, premium travel benefits.
[16:44] Enjoy airport lounge access and TSA
[16:47] precheck, plus have peace of mind with
[16:50] travel protections. It's spanning on
[16:51] those travel benefits a little bit
[16:53] further here, the lounge access gives
[16:55] you Priority Pass Select, specifically
[16:57] four free visits to those lounges every
[16:59] year. That could be all for you or you
[17:02] and a combination of guests. The TSA
[17:04] precheck and Global Entry credit is up
[17:06] to $100 to help you cover the cost of
[17:08] those programs. There's also Smart Delay
[17:10] airport lounge access where when you
[17:12] register your flight online, it'll give
[17:14] you access to a day pass if your flight
[17:17] is delayed. Furthermore, with their Bilt
[17:19] Sky program here, they give you access
[17:21] to global mobile data. That is a
[17:23] complimentary 5 GB 15-day global mobile
[17:27] data plan, and that's available through
[17:29] November 30th, 2026. Beyond that, there
[17:32] are also some coverages here like trip
[17:34] cancellation and interruption insurance,
[17:36] trip delay reimbursement, zero fraud
[17:38] liability, and more. And believe it or
[17:40] not, there are even some entertainment
[17:41] benefits, too, like premier golf rewards
[17:44] with Troon, So Far Sounds access for
[17:47] exclusive tickets to discover new music
[17:49] with pre-sales, Hollywood Studios
[17:51] Hollywood offers, and Universal Orlando
[17:54] Resort offers, too. And like every good
[17:56] travel credit card, no foreign
[17:58] transaction fees. While there may not
[18:00] have been anything that totally wowed
[18:02] you, when you actually step back and
[18:03] think about all the stuff that we
[18:05] covered for that US Bank card, and you
[18:07] put a $0 annual fee price tag on it,
[18:11] that's where it truly does surprise.
[18:13] We've got one more issue or two go. And
[18:15] they've got a card product that I've
[18:16] liked for a number of years. The bank is
[18:19] Wells Fargo, and my number one pick from
[18:21] their lineup of cards is their Autograph
[18:24] card. The welcome offer here is again on
[18:26] the low side, but it's another one of
[18:27] those $0 annual fee cards. So, decent
[18:30] value, but nothing crazy. 20,000 points
[18:33] after spending 1K in 3 months. That's a
[18:36] solid 200 bucks with no fee reducing
[18:38] that. And it's got a lot of amazing
[18:41] reward categories. Take a look at all
[18:43] these 3x multipliers. Triple on
[18:46] restaurants, triple on travel, triple on
[18:49] gas and transit, that category we don't
[18:52] see often enough on a travel card,
[18:54] triple on popular streaming services,
[18:56] triple on phone plans, and then one
[18:59] point per dollar on your other
[19:00] purchases. If only it had grocery
[19:02] stores, too. But hey, it's got a lot of
[19:04] other good stuff, too. In fact, it's one
[19:06] of the very few $0 annual fee cards that
[19:09] actually gives you access to transfer
[19:11] partners. Now, this program is very new
[19:13] to Wells Fargo, so it's not super robust
[19:15] or, you know, they're not dozens of
[19:17] partnerships here, but it is a lot more
[19:19] than just nothing at all. In fact, it's
[19:21] actually been growing over the past
[19:23] number of months with now 11 different
[19:25] transfer partners. And hopefully they
[19:27] keep investing into this program to
[19:29] bring more partnerships on board as time
[19:31] goes on. The card also gives you cell
[19:33] phone protection as one of their
[19:34] coverages, auto rental collision damage
[19:36] waiver, and roadside dispatch. It's also
[19:39] one of those cards giving you no foreign
[19:41] transaction fees, too. Plus, Visa
[19:43] concierge services and that Visa
[19:45] Signature Luxury Hotel Portal, as well,
[19:47] giving you some of those premium perks
[19:49] at select properties when you use that
[19:51] portal. And topping it all off here, a
[19:53] kind of niche but pretty cool benefit,
[19:55] too. It's called Autograph Card
[19:57] Exclusives, which is a program that
[19:59] gives you access to tickets for big-name
[20:01] artists in smaller, more intimate
[20:03] venues. So, how did I do? Do you agree
[20:05] with my picks for the number one spots
[20:07] for all these travel cards across all
[20:09] these banks? Or do you have other
[20:11] contenders that would be a better fit?
[20:12] Let me know down below in those
[20:14] comments. And with all that said, if you
[20:16] want to get some additional value coming
[20:17] your way, I've got some great links down
[20:19] below, one of which is just some of the
[20:21] best high-yield savings accounts out
[20:23] there to where you're earning way more
[20:25] interest than what the main banks
[20:27] actually offer you. In fact, all the
[20:29] options you see there should give you
[20:30] better interest rates than you see with
[20:32] Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Chase, and
[20:34] all the others. There's also another
[20:36] link down there to Rakuten to reward you
[20:38] even more when you do online shopping,
[20:40] whether it's cash back or flipping your
[20:42] settings over to Amex Membership Rewards
[20:44] points, you can get those for travel,
[20:46] too. Then, if you want me to keep you up
[20:48] to date about great credit card offers
[20:49] as they become available and before they
[20:51] expire, I've got some free credit card
[20:53] offer alerts that you can sign up for.
[20:55] And of course, a phenomenal way to
[20:57] manage your broader world of finances
[20:59] with budgeting, tracking your progress
[21:01] towards certain goals, and planning for
[21:03] the future with Monarch. Thank you all
[21:04] for joining me in today's video, and I
[21:06] look forward to seeing you in the next.
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