Best Travel Credit Cards, Southwest Policy Changes, and Disneyland Deals

Summary

Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Best Travel Credit Cards, Southwest Policy Changes, and Disneyland Deals
Host/Author: NerdWallet Travel
Release Date: March 12, 2025

NerdWallet’s trusted travel experts, Sally French and Meghan Coyle, delve into the intricacies of maximizing your travel budget. This episode covers significant updates in the travel industry, exclusive deals, and an in-depth discussion on the best travel credit cards available.

---

1. Introduction and Hosts [00:00 – 01:03]

The episode kicks off with Sally French and Meghan Coyle engaging in a light-hearted conversation about the intersection of sports and credit cards, highlighting how many sports arenas are sponsored by banks. This segues into the primary focus of the episode: navigating the best travel credit cards to optimize your travel expenses.

Notable Quote:

• Sally French [00:10]: "There’s a lot of overlap between travel and NerdWallet spread and butter, which is credit cards with sports."

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2. Southwest Policy Changes [01:13 – 03:36]

Sally and Meghan discuss recent changes to Southwest Airlines' Rapid Rewards program, emphasizing the elimination of two free checked bags for most bookings starting May 28, 2025. Exceptions are made for Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card holders, customers with A-List Elite status, or those who purchase Business Select fares. The hosts express concerns over potential boarding delays and the overall impact on passenger experience.

Notable Quotes:

• Sally French [01:21]: "Customers will no longer get two free checked bags for all flights booked on or after May 28, 2025."
• Meghan Coyle [02:13]: "Basic fares are not going to allow changes or standby and they now earn 2 points per dollar instead of the previous 6 points per dollar."

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3. Disneyland Deal [03:36 – 05:05]

The hosts highlight a summer ticket deal for Disneyland in Anaheim, California, offering a four-day, one park per day ticket for $400. This special deal reduces the usual cost from approximately $500 to $400, making it an attractive option for families and Disney enthusiasts. Additionally, a three-day ticket package is available for $360.

Notable Quotes:

• Sally French [03:46]: "Usually a four-day ticket would be close to $500, so $400 for this is a nice deal this summer."
• Meghan Coyle [04:32]: "I'll note that we maintain a webpage dedicated entirely to Disney ticket deals."

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4. Cruise Deals and Wave Season [05:05 – 07:18]

Sally and Meghan discuss the end of wave season, a critical period from January to March when cruises offer their best deals to fill ships. They emphasize looking for discounts like free stateroom guests or significant discounts on additional passengers rather than onboard credit, which can sometimes lead to overspending.

Notable Quotes:

• Meghan Coyle [05:05]: "Wave season is a period from January to March when cruises offer some of the best deals."
• Sally French [06:09]: "These types of cruises can be super expensive, like a minimum of $5,000 even with discounts."

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5. Introduction to Travel Credit Cards and Draft Game [07:18 – 19:04]

The conversation transitions to the core topic: the best travel credit cards. Sally and Meghan engage in a playful "draft" game to select their top three travel credit cards, ensuring they cover a broad spectrum of options without overlapping.

Notable Quotes:

• Meghan Coyle [07:23]: "What's the number one question you get asked when you tell people what you write about at NerdWallet?"
• Sally French [08:00]: "There is no one best travel credit card for everyone."

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6. Top Travel Credit Cards Draft Picks [08:08 – 19:04]

A. Chase Sapphire Preferred [07:56 – 13:45]

• Sally French's Pick:
  • Annual Fee: $95
  • Benefits: Earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which can be transferred to various airline and hotel partners or used directly through the Chase travel portal at an enhanced value of 1.25 cents per point.
  • Target Audience: Ideal for beginners due to its affordable fee and versatile rewards structure.

Notable Quote:

• Sally French [12:02]: "It's super valuable. You can transfer these to other travel partners like certain airlines and hotels."

B. Bilt World Elite MasterCard [14:47 – 15:44]

• Meghan Coyle's Pick:
  • Annual Fee: $0
  • Benefits: Earns points on rent payments and other purchases with great transfer partners like Hyatt, Hilton, and Marriott. Additionally, it offers a competitive points valuation.
  • Considerations: Requires five purchases per month to earn points on rent, which can be a bit challenging to manage.

Notable Quote:

• Meghan Coyle [15:25]: "Earning playable points on rent is a unique feature without an annual fee."

C. Amex Platinum [15:44 – 17:54]

• Sally French's Second Pick:
  • Annual Fee: $695
  • Benefits: Includes $300 annual travel credit, Priority Pass lounge membership, and points worth 1.5 cents each when redeemed through the Chase Travel Portal. Additionally offers statement credits on Uber and streaming subscriptions.
  • Target Audience: Best suited for frequent travelers who can fully utilize the extensive benefits to offset the high annual fee.

Notable Quote:

• Sally French [15:57]: "This card can be hugely valuable if you can make it work for you."

D. Capital One Venture X [17:52 – 19:04]

• Meghan Coyle's Second Pick:
  • Annual Fee: $395
  • Benefits: Offers TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit, extensive lounge access through Priority Pass and Capital One lounges, and no fee for authorized users.
  • Advantages: More affordable than Amex Platinum with comparable lounge access benefits, making it a strong contender for premium travel perks.

Notable Quote:

• Meghan Coyle [18:08]: "No fee for authorized users, and they get the same lounge access as the primary cardholder."

E. Hyatt Credit Card [19:06 – 21:32]

• Sally French's Third Pick:
  • Annual Fee: $95
  • Benefits: Free night certificate for stays at Hyatt properties, automatic Diamond Elite status, and points that are highly valued when transferred to Hyatt.
  • Considerations: Limited to category one through four Hyatt hotels, which may restrict options for luxury stays.

Notable Quote:

• Sally French [21:32]: "The annual fee is $95 and there's no way anyone's finding a hotel room for less than $95 in this economy."

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7. Listener Question: Planning a Baby Moon [24:16 – 25:55]

A listener, expecting a baby in June, seeks advice on planning a "baby moon" getaway. Sally and Meghan recommend using the Google Flights Explore tool to identify deals, specifically highlighting a $300 round-trip flight to Miami. They suggest leveraging Chase and Capital One points to cover flight and hotel expenses, recommending the Hyatt Regency in Miami for its point redemption value.

Notable Quotes:

• Sally French [25:32]: "You have your flight booked. Go to Miami. It's a shorter flight anyway for you on the East Coast."
• Meghan Coyle [26:23]: "Hyatt's card limits the free night award to hotels that are in category four or below."

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8. Hosts' Hot Take: The Value of Cash Back Cards [26:18 – 27:52]

Sally shares her perspective that cash back credit cards, though less glamorous than travel-specific cards, offer significant flexibility and ease of use. They typically come with lower or no annual fees and allow for straightforward rewards redemption, such as using cash back to pay for rent or travel expenses without the complications of transfer partners.

Notable Quotes:

• Sally French [26:31]: "Cash back cards are way less effort to justify."
• Meghan Coyle [27:16]: "You can use that cash back to pay for your hotel stay or flight if you want to spend your rewards on traveling."

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9. Recap and Closing [27:44 – 28:38]

Sally and Meghan summarize the episode by reiterating that the best travel credit card depends on individual travel habits and the benefits one intends to utilize. They emphasize the importance of ensuring that the value derived from rewards and benefits outweighs the cost of annual fees. The hosts also encourage listeners to explore NerdWallet's comprehensive reviews and comparisons to find the best fit for their travel needs.

Notable Quotes:

• Sally French [27:44]: "The best travel credit card depends on what type of benefits you want and whether you'll actually redeem your rewards regularly."
• Meghan Coyle [28:07]: "Keep your passport full and your wallet even fuller."

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Key Takeaways

• Southwest Airlines Changes: Reduced free checked bags and modified reward points structure may affect frequent travelers.
• Exclusive Travel Deals: Disneyland offers discounted multi-day tickets, and cruisers should capitalize on wave season for the best deals.
• Travel Credit Cards: Selection should be based on personal travel habits, benefits usage, and value derived relative to annual fees.
• Cash Back Cards: Recommended for their simplicity and flexibility, making them a great alternative to travel-specific cards.
• Listener Engagement: Personalized advice for unique travel needs enhances the value of the podcast.

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Resources Mentioned:

• Disney Ticket Deals Page: Dedicated webpage for various Disneyland promotions.
• NerdWallet Travel Credit Card Reviews: Comprehensive articles comparing travel credit cards.
• Companion Pass Guide: Available in the show notes for detailed information on acquiring and utilizing companion passes.

Connect with NerdWallet Travel:

• Email: [e-mail]
• Podcast Platforms: Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeartRadio.

Stay tuned for more insightful discussions to help you upgrade your travel experiences and make the most of your travel budget.

Transcript

[Meagan Coyle]

I think people don't know how much sports crossover there is with this show.

[Sally French]

You know, Megan, surprisingly there is a lot of overlap between travel and NerdWallet spread and butter, which is credit cards with sports.

[Meagan Coyle]

Think of every sports arena named after a bank. The Capital One arena in D.C. the Citi Field in New York.

[Sally French]

And there's my favorite in San Francisco, the Chase Center.

[Meagan Coyle]

Didn't you go to dinner there once for an event you could like book on points or something?

[Sally French]

Yes, I did actually. They once had this thing where for 30,000chase ultimate rewards points you could have dinner on the court at the Chase Center. And it was honestly they had this high end meal, open bar, tons of swag. I got a custom warriors jersey. Totally amazing.

[Meagan Coyle]

Okay, rub it in. We've got all episode to get to other sports references and if I say so myself, I think we tackled it pretty well.

[Sally French]

Ooh, got em. Welcome to Smart Travel, a deep dive into the tips, tools and tactics to maximize your travel dollars.

[Meagan Coyle]

I'm Meagan Coyle.

[Sally French]

And I'm Sally French.

[Meagan Coyle]

And we're the travel nerds ready to help you plan your next big trip.

[Sally French]

Today we're talking about the thing that Nerd Wallet is best known for, the best travel credit cards. As such, we'll talk about a few credit card companies that are Nerd Wallet partners in this episode. Again, that does not influence how we discuss them.

[Meagan Coyle]

But first, huge news in the travel world this week for Southwest Flyers. Sally, what is happening to your beloved Southwest Rapid Rewards program?

[Sally French]

I know it's falling apart. So for starters, the airline announced yesterday that customers will no longer get two free checked bags for all flights booked on or after May 28, 2025, save for a few exceptions like customers who hold a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card, a List Elite status, or if they buy Business select fares. Now those travelers get either one or two free checked bags, depending on their fair class or status. And I have to say I rarely check bags. But even I'm bummed about this news because I'm just worried it'll slow down boarding as people try to stuff their roller bags that they otherwise would have checked, but instead they're stuffing them in the overhead bins.

[Meagan Coyle]

It's really going to slow things down and everyone for the most part used to be treated the same on Southwest, but the free checked bags are now only for a select few. Southwest is also renaming want to get away to basic. It's actually Basic economy now.

[Sally French]

Gross.

[Meagan Coyle]

Basic fairs are not going to allow changes or standby and they now earn 2 points per dollar instead of the previous 6 points per dollar.

[Sally French]

And that's not the only bummer for Southwest. So now Southwest flight credits will expire within one year for all fares. Except once again, Basic just gets that low class status. Their flight credits will expire within six months from the ticketing date. Again, this is so rough. Southwest has always stood out to me because its flight credits had no expiration date. So I find this so frustrating.

[Meagan Coyle]

I feel like a lot of people flew Southwest for the flexibility and knowing that they could make changes. But now you can't make changes on Basic fares. Your flight credits you have to use within a certain a certain time period. Let's point out though, there are a lot of things we still don't know, like what impact these changes will have on Southwest famous companion pass and what the cost of checking a bag will be.

[Sally French]

And then Southwest had previously said they would end their free for all seating style this year as well. That is one thing we don't have details yet on if this will actually go into effect. If so, when?

[Meagan Coyle]

I can imagine what it's going to be like. This is really sad to see. Southwest is becoming like all these other airlines. Southwest is also going to start using dynamic pricing. They used to consistently offer high value points. It was one that I transferred to semi often. But it's hard to imagine that these points are going to be worth as much with all of these changes.

[Sally French]

So moving right along, we just got news of a summer ticket deal for Disneyland in Anaheim, California where they're selling a four day one park per day ticket for $400.

[Meagan Coyle]

That comes out to $100 per day. And you can use these tickets between May 16th and August 14th.

[Sally French]

Usually a four day ticket would be close to 500 dol. So 400 for this is a nice deal this summer.

[Meagan Coyle]

Yeah, it's pretty good, especially for a busy summertime. But four days is actually kind of a lot to spend at Disneyland.

[Sally French]

You know, I would tend to agree with you for people who are not Disney fans like ourselves. But one thing to note is that Disneyland's 70th anniversary is the summer. There's all sorts of things going on, different shows, different entertainment. So this might actually be a good.

[Meagan Coyle]

Year to go if you don't have time to spend four days at Disneyland. I prefer the three day ticket package which is also discounted right now it's $360 and gets you three days of tickets and you can purchase those directly on Disneyland.com also a good option.

[Sally French]

I'll Note that we maintain a webpage dedicated entirely to Disney ticket deals. For example, there's other tickets for members of the US Military that are discounted. Over in Florida, there's an offer for complimentary water park tickets for hotel guests, so go ahead, check that out.

[Meagan Coyle]

We'll link to that page in the show notes because it's a great resource if you're planning a Disney trip this summer.

[Sally French]

Now, I know there isn't a ton of time left, but I want to remind people that if you are thinking of a cruise this year, wave is almost over. Wave season is a period from January to March when cruises offer some of the best deals because they're trying to fill their ships for the coming year.

[Meagan Coyle]

Some of the best deals to look out for during wave season are the ones that let guests or kids in your stateroom sail for free. They charge by stateroom and it's a little bit complicated, but don't get swayed by onboard credit. More onboard credit is nice, but sometimes those just make you overspend because you want to use it up. You want to look for the discounts on the people in your stateroom.

[Sally French]

Right now I will note I am eyeing a Virgin Voyages cruise myself. We talked about this a few episodes ago, but I saw this deal on Virgin this month. It's an 80% discount on the second passenger plus up to $300 in drink credits.

[Meagan Coyle]

Pick me. I want to go. I'll be the 89 passenger. Be my second passenger.

[Sally French]

I love it.

[Meagan Coyle]

I've also been wanting to check out the Expedition cruises. Those are also on sale too during wave season. So HX Expeditions. Ooh, that's a tongue twister. Has a sale running through Monday, March 17th where you can get up to 25% off their voyages to Alaska, Antarctica, Greenland and Svalbard, which is a collection of inhabited islands close to the North Pole. But for me, I desperately want to go to Antarctica for some reason.

[Sally French]

Ooh, me too. I have not done Antarctica yet. Now National Geographic Lindblot has a sale running through April 15th. Now I will warn everyone these types of cruises that we're talking about can be super expensive. Like minimum $5,000 is generally what we're looking at. So just keep in mind even with the discount, it' still a ton of money.

[Meagan Coyle]

If you want to sail into the Arctic Circle or do the Galapagos aboard one of these expedition ships, you should definitely try to book during one of these beginning of the year sales because that's probably the best deal you'll get. And rip to when Lindblod and Hyatt had a partnership. Do you remember that?

[Sally French]

That's right. Yeah. You could totally earn and redeem points with Hyatt points on your Arctic cruise.

[Meagan Coyle]

That partnership ended in 2023, and that was such a good way to earn Hyatt points because these expeditions were so expensive. So you could earn thousands of points in one cruise. I hope we'll get to go on one of these one day, even if we don't earn thousands of points.

[Sally French]

Well, you know, I have actually been to the Arctic Circle myself. It was very cool.

[Meagan Coyle]

What was it like?

[Sally French]

Well, you know, a lot of people like, is it beautiful? And it's actually very bleak. It's the tundra, so it kind of looks like this space wasteland. There's no trees, no nothing, but it's beautiful in a bleak way. 10 out of 10 would recommend.

[Meagan Coyle]

Interesting. All right, well, we really are all over the map with our travels and with our credit cards.

[Sally French]

No surprise there. Now we've got a really fun game coming up where you'll find out what our favorite travel credit cards are. So stay right there. Do not move an inch.

[Meagan Coyle]

Sally, what's the number one question you get asked when you tell people what you write about at Nerd Wallet?

[Sally French]

Oh, easy. It's what's the best travel credit card?

[Meagan Coyle]

That's the first thing people ask me as well. And I imagine we tell them the same thing.

[Sally French]

I hope you're telling them it depends.

[Meagan Coyle]

Yes, I don't know what the best travel credit card is for you because I just met you. I don't know anything about you.

[Sally French]

There is no one best travel credit card for everyone. There are so many factors that go into it, like how often you travel. Are you willing to spend money on an annual fee?

[Meagan Coyle]

Do you want lounge access, automatic elite status, a credit towards pre check or global entry?

[Sally French]

And that's just half of what goes into it. Which is why I typically recommend you read Nerd Wallet's articles that break down the best travel credit cards. Of course, we will link to that in the show notes.

[Meagan Coyle]

Yeah, that's a great resource. But wait, I have an idea. Stick with me here. What about we do a draft of the best travel credit cards?

[Sally French]

Ooh, I love it. Fantasy sports draft wallet style.

[Meagan Coyle]

Yes. And once you make a pick, that card is off the table. That way we can't choose the same cards, and we can cover a lot of ground.

[Sally French]

Okay, so how many picks do we get?

[Meagan Coyle]

Let's cap it at three because you talk too long, and also because I know you're going to try and sneak in more. No matter what I say, the cap.

[Sally French]

Is so savage, I feel called out.

[Meagan Coyle]

Okay. And one thing we should get out of the way is that the best travel credit card for you is the one that you'll use.

[Sally French]

And I will say using it doesn't have to mean using it for everyday spending. There are some cards that I use frequently, but they're just like to flash for lounge access. That's totally fine.

[Meagan Coyle]

But there is no point in having a card with travel rewards or collecting points if you never actually use the benefits, whether that's lounge access or redeeming the points or whatever it is. So if you're like us, you want to redeem them for travel?

[Sally French]

Yes, redeem them. Do not spend them to transfer for like a handbag that you buy in the shopping portal. Of course, there are also many ways to actually redeem your points for travel. So you have this class of general travel credit cards that earn transferable points. These are something like Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi thank you Points, Capital One Miles. These are all various types of credit card points that you can redeem for travel, either directly through the credit cards portal, which is sort of just like this general booking site, or you can transfer those points to specific airline or hotel partners. So each of those rewards programs that I named have various transfer partners with specific hotels or airlines. For example, you can transfer Amex points to Delta Airlines and then don't get.

[Meagan Coyle]

Those confused with co branded airline or hotel credit cards. Like a Hilton credit card will only earn Hilton points and there's not a lot of worthwhile ways to spend those points except to book a Hilton hotel.

[Sally French]

Yeah, even sometimes Hilton might like have an airline transfer partner, but we generally do not recommend going that route. Of course, it is important to understand if you are earning points in a specific co branded airline or hotel credit card, then they're kind of stuck there. You don't want to transfer your points earned from Hyatt to a Hyatt airline partner because they're just going to lose a lot of value.

[Meagan Coyle]

Yeah. So for the purposes of this episode, when we refer to a travel credit card, we're talking about a card that earns some type of transferable currency that you can redeem with multiple airlines or hotels. And airline or hotel cards will be specific to one brand.

[Sally French]

And I do want to say there are some cash back cards that work well with travel cards in the same family. So right now I'm thinking about cards like the Chase Freedom. These Earn points that you can definitely redeem for cash back. And that is totally good for a lot of people because you're not messing around with transfer partners or if you just need the rewards to pay rent, they are there for you. But what's cool about these cards is you can redeem them at a higher value for travel if you have, in this case, Chase Sapphire cards where those points can be transferred and become way more valuable.

[Meagan Coyle]

I also want to give a shout out to our boss, Paul. He loves cash back cards and he's going to be so happy to hear about them in this episode.

[Sally French]

Okay. Yay. Shout out Paul. He told me in our last one on one that he listens to this podcast at the gym and he finds it so weird to hear us not just at work. So shout out to you, Paul. Running on the treadmill.

[Meagan Coyle]

All right, so let's get started with the draft. I'll let you go first. Some rando comes up to you at a party and asks you what the best travel credit card is.

[Sally French]

Am I just giving them a one name answer?

[Meagan Coyle]

Yes. No questions allowed.

[Sally French]

Okay. If I'm just giving a name, Chase Sapphire Preferred, that's probably what I would.

[Meagan Coyle]

Have gone with too. Why is that your first pick in the draft?

[Sally French]

Well, I think it's no surprise it is our first pick. In fact, I made my parents get this card.

[Meagan Coyle]

Me too. My dad got this one and we haven't spent any of the points yet, but I'm really excited to get going with him. So.

[Sally French]

Okay, spend those points. I like this card, particularly for people who are new to the travel cards game. Honestly, that is someone like my parents. A reason I love this is it has an affordable annual fee, especially relative to these cards with many hundreds of dollars of annual fees.

[Meagan Coyle]

Yeah, this one is pretty manageable at $95 a year, which is lower than a lot of the more premium cards that might cost three or four, six times as much.

[Sally French]

And you are still earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which are super valuable. You can transfer these to other travel partners like certain airlines and hotels, and.

[Meagan Coyle]

You don't have to mess with the transfer partners if you don't want to. Like you mentioned at the top, they do have a portal where it kind of looks like a standard booking site. You put in your dates and your destinations and then you can apply your points to any of those types of bookings.

[Sally French]

I know a lot of newbies don't want to mess around with transfer partners. They say I just want to use my points to book directly. And what's Great. About the Chase Sapphire Preferred is that your points are worth more than typically the usual is $0.01. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, your points are worth 1.25 cents when you redeem them for travel in the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal.

[Meagan Coyle]

So let's say you book a hotel for a few nights and it costs $500 in cash. If you book that with a travel portal or cash back, and those are usually giving you about $0.01 per point value, you'd have to spend 50,000 points to get that $500 hotel stay. But with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you'd only spend 40,000 points. That's 10,000 points you saved and that you can use for your next trip.

[Sally French]

Podcast math. Thanks for doing that. And of course I mentioned those higher annual fee cards. I do want to give a little shout out to the Chase Sapphire Reserve. This one has a $550 annual fee, but you do get a $300 annual travel credit. You get a priority Pass lounge membership, you get access to those new airport lounges. And points are worth even more at 1.5 cents per point when you redeem those points for travel in the Chase Travel Portal. Now, I will say I don't love this card for infrequent travelers. I know people like my parents say 50 annual fee for a credit card is bonkers. I'm not going to pay for that. Totally makes sense. Especially if your local airport lounge is not good. My parents live in St. Louis and their party Pass lounge is honestly terrible. So I don't necessarily think you have to pay a high annual fee if you can't use all the benefits on a card like this.

[Meagan Coyle]

I think the Chase Sapphire Reserve gets a bad rap because there's all these other shiny new cards on the market, but I actually still like the reserve.

[Sally French]

Okay, well, is that your draft pick?

[Meagan Coyle]

No, I'm going to go with the bill. World Elite MasterCard.

[Sally French]

Ooh, a spicy pick.

[Meagan Coyle]

Yeah, this one has no annual fee. So if you are dead set on not spending any money on an annual fee for a credit card that you can use for travel, I think this is your best bet. It earns points on rent payments. They have great rent day promotions on the 1st of each month and again, a lot of transfer partners. So some of my favorites in the Bilt program are Hyatt. According to the last nerd wallet analysis we did, their points are worth 2.2 cents each. Hilton and Marriott are also built transfer partners if you want a little hotel variety. And Alaska Airlines is a sleeper here.

[Sally French]

Crazy. All that for no annual fee.

[Meagan Coyle]

Yeah. The only annoying thing is you have to make five purchases per month to be able to earn the points on rent. And it is a little bit hard to remember for me. I'm still trying to figure out which subscriptions I can just put on there and get the recurring purchases.

[Sally French]

Well, I'm gonna go the totally opposite direction. You went for no annual fee. I'm going with the highest annual fee ever. That is the Platinum card from American Express.

[Meagan Coyle]

Tell us why you went all the way to the other side of the spectrum.

[Sally French]

Annual fee on this card is $695. So I will say, huge caveat. This card is definitely not for everyone. But I am picking it because if you can make it work for you, it can be hugely valuable. A lot of that comes down to the statement credit. Some that I feel like a lot of people are able to use are something like the Uber credit card. Members get $15 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the US plus a bonus $20 in December. So that's up to $200 in Uber Cash annually. When you use an AMEX card for your transaction, that right there takes a huge amount out of the annual fee. Another one I find easy to use is streaming subscriptions. You get $20 of statement credits each month when you use the card for eligible purchases on subscriptions. Those are things like Disney plus, the New York Times, a bunch more. There is a list of eligible subscription services on amex's website. Again, this can be huge savings of up to $240 per year. As you know, I'm a baby Yoda fan who needs my Disney plus.

[Meagan Coyle]

Oh yeah. Wait, how did I get stuck with the podcast math job? All right, let's see. $200 towards Uber Cash. 240 for the statement credits on certain subscriptions. That's $440 of value right there. That's two thirds of the annual fee in one fell swoop. And there's lots more too.

[Sally French]

Yes, and I will say many of the credit are kind of a hassle to use. One that I'm thinking of is like the Saks Fifth Avenue credit. I'm not a Saks shopper.

[Meagan Coyle]

Oh yeah. I literally only shop at Saks to use that fifty dollar AMEX Platinum credit. I think it's twice a year. One in the first half of the year, one in the second half of the year.

[Sally French]

That's exactly right. Basically I just go in at June and December and filter by items under $50 and it's like a pair of socks. I'm like, thank you for this pair of socks. That was $50.

[Meagan Coyle]

Be careful. It's really easy to overspend or spend on things you don't need with some of these credits. And that brings me to my next pick, Capital One Venture X. Ooh.

[Sally French]

Okay. I was low key hoping you would pick this one.

[Meagan Coyle]

Yeah, this one is kind of in that same category of premium travel cards. Same as the Amex Platinum because it has a lot of those similar benefits like an annual travel credit statement credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. But this card stands out for me because it's literally hundreds of dollars cheaper than the Amex platinum. It's only $395 annual fee and has really great lounge access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One lounges as well.

[Sally French]

And I love those Capital One lounges. I just went to one in Dallas, and I hate to say it, but I actually thought it was better than the Centurion Lounge.

[Meagan Coyle]

I agree. Yeah.

[Sally French]

Okay, cool.

[Meagan Coyle]

I've been to the Capital One lounges at Washington Dulles, at Dallas, Las Vegas, and I like them so much that I made my mom and my sister authorized users of the card because they fly out of Washington Dulles a lot, and so that's a big pro. I want to give the Capital One Venture X there's no fee for authorized users, and they get the same lounge access as the primary card holder. The Amex Platinum, on the other hand, charges $195 for each authorized user.

[Sally French]

Yeah, I love this. Especially if you're traveling with. Where would our families be without us?

[Meagan Coyle]

Not at the lounge, that's for sure.

[Sally French]

Okay, so I have one more draft pick, I think.

[Meagan Coyle]

Yeah.

[Sally French]

Okay, I'm gonna go with a hotel credit card then. So I will say right now I'm debating between the Hyatt credit card or the Hilton Aspire credit card. I actually do hold both, but you.

[Meagan Coyle]

Can only pick one, I guess.

[Sally French]

Overall, I'm gonna pick the Hyatt credit card simply because I think it's easier to justify the annual fee, which is $95. That's versus $550 on the Hilton Aspire. What I love about the Hilton Aspire card, just to justify the annual fee, is one automatic Diamond Elite status. But even more valuable is that annual free night reward. You can redeem them for one standard accommodation at properties in the Hilton portfolio.

[Meagan Coyle]

And I think this is now the third show in a row that you talked about your free night.

[Sally French]

Okay, well, so I was actually talking to a friend this week. And she holds this card purely for the free night certificate. She was actually asking me about going to the Conrad Punta de Mita where I had just stayed using my free night certificate. Certificate. Room rates can easily top a thousand dollars per night. And she was like, I just want to go. So basically I feel like I'm able to stay here for half the price because you just consider 550 for the annual fee. She considers that alone to be worth it.

[Meagan Coyle]

It can be. You do have to keep in mind all of those limits on what type of hotel you can book with those free night awards. Like, I think Hyatt's card limits the free night award to hotels that are in category four or below. I think Hyatt has eight. So that's like, you know, the bottom four tiers of hotels.

[Sally French]

Yeah. So with the Hilton card, you can just use it on a standard room reward at pretty much any property in the Hilton portfolio. There are a few exceptions, like some all inclusives. The problem with theirs is it has to be a standard room night reward and often standard rooms book up and there's only premium room availability. So there is a downfall there. I will say with Hyatt, almost it's like a bigger of a downfall. You can only use it at category one through four hotels. So if you're staying at a category five or higher, you cannot use it there. But I feel like I'm traveling so much for like weddings, sports meets, things like that that there's always a category 4 or lower hotel that I can use right there.

[Meagan Coyle]

Yeah. And still, Even those Category 4 hotels are still more expensive than the annual fee of that card.

[Sally French]

So totally I'm like, the annual fee is $95 and there's no way anyone's finding a hotel room for less than $95 in this economy. So I almost feel like this benefit alone is enough to justify that credit card.

[Meagan Coyle]

So for my last pick, I think I'm going to do the same thing as you, except on the airline side, I'm going to pick a $95 card and I really believe you should stick to that lower price point for the annual fee if you're going to get a co branded card because you don't want to trap too many of your points in one brand where it's hard to move them. For airline cars, it's really easy to justify the annual fee if you check a bag. If you have that $95 card and you check a bag three times, you're literally good. You already made it up so are.

[Sally French]

You going with American Airlines since you already have elite status?

[Meagan Coyle]

I really like my American Airlines a Advantage Platinum World Elite mastercard that earns you loyalty points, which is what you need a lot of to earn elite status. Talked about that last episode too. You know, game time decision. We're going to go with the United Explorer card.

[Sally French]

Interesting.

[Meagan Coyle]

That one earns United Premier qualifying points, which is also another type of currency that you need to earn United Elite status. And it also comes with two United Club day passes for their airport lounge every year. And I think for people who fly United regularly but not like all the time, that's plenty.

[Sally French]

And then also the checked bags. So this is good to justify if you are someone who checks bags. Though I will say I don't ever check bags, so I'm not totally sure I can justify the annual fee on a card like this.

[Meagan Coyle]

Yeah, me either. Another really cool benefit I should mention that I think is sort of in line with the reward nights on the hotel cards that you were talking about is companion passes on airline cards.

[Sally French]

Well, you know I love my Southwest.

[Meagan Coyle]

Companion pass and you can get it through a credit card in some cases with a signup bonus. But there are other airline cards that come with a one time companion pass. So it's not exactly like the Southwest one, but you know, once a year you can bring a companion for a lower price than the normal fare. So we have a guide to companion passes that we can link in the show notes.

[Sally French]

Yeah, I know Delta, Alaska have various offers like that. So check Guard Wallet or the show notes to find those. Okay. Megan, this was a fun idea. I like the draft style.

[Meagan Coyle]

I'm really happy with my wallet. So I think next year we should have a competition and see who earns more points with our fantasy wallet. For listeners you can learn more about the cards we just talked about the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Built World Elite mastercard, Capital One Venture X, the Amex Platinum World of Hyatt credit card and the United Explorer card on Nerd Wallets roundups where you can compare their annual fees, intro offers and perks to see what's best for you. Keep in mind that the offers may have changed since we recorded this episode, so check the NerdWallet website to get the most up to date information. And Sally, exciting. I think we have our first listener question this week.

[Sally French]

This one comes from a coworker. Okay, so she doesn't want to say her name yet because she hasn't told the rest of her co workers. But she is expect so. Yay Congrats to you. She's pregnant and she wants to take a little baby moon.

[Meagan Coyle]

I love the idea of a baby moon.

[Sally French]

Same. So here's what she sent me. I'm expecting the June. I've been trying to take a short trip in mid March. I was wondering if you have any fave places to stay in Southern Florida or Scottsdale. I'm mostly trying to get out of the terrible, freezing east coast weather and lay by a pool. So I'm open to places. But I'm curious what you think and.

[Meagan Coyle]

This is great because the this question is so open ended. So we could really send her anywhere.

[Sally French]

Yeah. I went on the Explore tool on Google flights to figure out where she should go.

[Meagan Coyle]

But she did say she wanted to go to Southern Florida or Scottsdale, so I'm guessing that means she most likely wants to fly to Miami or Phoenix.

[Sally French]

Yeah. So what's cool about the Explore tool is I punched in her home airport on the east coast and then I punched in June as the recommended month she wants to go. And from there it populates deals to all sorts of cities. And what I actually found is there's a $300 round trip flight to Miami on American Airlines.

[Meagan Coyle]

Nice. And what kind of points does she have? Can she cover it? Well?

[Sally French]

So that's what I asked her. My next follow up question was what sorts of points do you already have? Can we get you there for free? But she did tell me she has 37,000 Chase points and then she has 126,000 Capital One miles.

[Meagan Coyle]

The Capital One miles could probably cover the cost of the American flight in the Capital One portal if she wanted to use those.

[Sally French]

Totally. So I was like, like, great, you have your flight booked. Go to Miami. It's a shorter flight anyway for you on the East Coast. Then I started looking at hotels. So I found some really great options. The Hyatt Regency in Miami is 15,000 points. Chase's.1 of their best transfer partners is World of Hyatt. So she could transfer those Chase points to Hyatt, have enough points to cover two nights and then a little bit of points left over.

[Meagan Coyle]

Great deal. See, this is why I love Hyatt's because you can actually find a hotel knife for 15,000 prices.

[Sally French]

I know.

[Meagan Coyle]

I really hope she enjoys her baby moon. All Sally, what's your hot takeoff for the week? And make it credit card related.

[Sally French]

Okay, well, this is spicy because we've been talking about so many great travel credit cards, but I'm going to say many people only need a cash back Credit card.

[Meagan Coyle]

Oh my gosh, Paul. He would have been so sad if we didn't mention any cash back cards.

[Sally French]

No, I mean Paul is totally agreeing with my hot take here.

[Meagan Coyle]

Yeah, he is.

[Sally French]

So these cards are just not as sexy to talk about. They do generally lack those big travel perks like the lounge access. They don't have the Disney plus credits or the trip insurance or whatnot. But what I love about these cards is they are way less effort to justify. Many of them don't have an annual fee at all or the annual fee is generally quite low. The rewards you get are so easy to use. You don't need to stress about these transfer partners. You could use them to pay your rent if you need to, and you.

[Meagan Coyle]

Can use that cash back to pay for your hotel stay or flight. If you do want to spend your rewards on traveling, of course.

[Sally French]

Course, yes.

[Meagan Coyle]

So that's always a good option. Okay, as a recap, if you take anything away from this episode, there are a few different types of travel cards, including hotel and airline cards. The best travel credit card depends on what type of benefits you want and whether you'll actually redeem your rewards on the regular. Either way, aim to get more value from your benefits, whether that's from statement credits or point redemptions than you pay in annual fees.

[Sally French]

And of course I know if you're listening to the show you are at least interested in a travel credit card. But then again, it is totally okay to not pay the annual fee. Just go for a cash back card if you don't want to be a complete travel maniac like one of us. That said, tell us what your favorite travel credit card is. Email [e-mail] or leave a voice memo. This is cool because I will play your voice back on the show if I like your voice memo.

[Meagan Coyle]

Besides giving us your feedback, come back for more by following the show on your favorite podcast app, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeartRadio.

[Sally French]

If you do that, it'll automatically download next week's episode and all future episodes to come.

[Meagan Coyle]

This episode was produced by Hilary Georgi and Tess Vaglen. Hillary also helped with fact checking and a big thank you to all of NerdWallet's editors for their help.

[Sally French]

A brief disclaimer we are not financial or investment advisors. This info is provided for general educational and entertainment purposes and may not apply to your specific circumstances.

[Meagan Coyle]

Thanks for listening. We hope you're inspired to keep your passport full and your wallet even fuller. See you next.