3 of the most underrated travel rewards cards

Travel credit cards are a great way to save on airfare, hotels, and other travel expenses. If you’ve ever read any lists of the best rewards cards for travel, you’re probably familiar with the usual suspects. There are a few cards, mostly from Chase and American Express, that are getting the most attention.

But there are also some fantastic cards that many people don’t know about. Here are three of the most underrated options.

1. Citi Strata Premier

The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is an affordable travel card with a great value. It has an annual fee of $95. As a new cardholder, you can receive a welcome offer of 70,000 ThankYou® points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. It’s worth $700 in gift cards or travel rewards, or you can transfer your points to any of Citi’s travel partners.

What I love most about this Citi card is its rewards. It has many bonus categories, including ones you don’t often see on travel cards. He earns:

• 10X points on hotel, car rental and sightseeing reservations through CitiTravel.com
• Triple points for restaurants, supermarkets, gas and electric car charging stations, flights and other hotel purchases
• 1X points on other purchases

Also worth mentioning is the $100 annual savings on one-time stays of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees. You must book your accommodation through CitiTravel.com. If you use it every year, you’re already ahead of the annual fee.

2. Bank of America Rewards

Many travel cards have complex rewards programs. If you’re looking for something simpler, the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card may be the way to go.

This card earns 2 points per $1 on travel and dining and 1.5 points per $1 on other purchases. It also has a welcome offer of 60,000 points ($600 value) for spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 90 days. Points can be redeemed for travel or redeemed for cash at $0.01 per point.

You can also earn up to $100 in statement credits for incidental airline purchases per year and a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit every four years. These credits help reduce the $95 annual fee.

This card becomes even more valuable if you’re a member of the Preferred Rewards program. You may qualify for this program by meeting the balance requirements in Bank of America bank accounts and/or Merrill investment accounts. One of its perks is a credit card reward of 25% to 75%, depending on what level of the program you are at.

3. High reserve of the Bank of the USA

The US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is a rarity: a more expensive premium card you’ve almost never heard of. That’s a shame, because it’s a great deal for the right cardholder. I recently discovered it and I love it.

This card has a $400 annual fee, but most of that is easily refundable. It also offers up to $325 in annual credits on eligible purchases on travel, dining, takeout and restaurant delivery. Assuming you spend at least that much each year, the card will only cost you $75.

It also comes with airport lounge access and a welcome offer of 50,000 points on $4,500 in purchases in the first 90 days. Points are worth a flat rate of $0.015. US per travel point, so the welcome bonus is worth $750. Here’s how much this card earns on purchases:

• 5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly through the Altitude Rewards Center
• Triple points on eligible travel purchases and mobile wallet spend with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay
• 1X points on other eligible purchases

Pro tip: Triple points on mobile wallet spend is an incredible benefit. With so many companies accepting mobile wallets today, you can earn three times as many points on a large number of everyday spends with this card. Since the reward value is $0.015. US for travel compensation, you actually get 4.5% of your mobile wallet spend.

Searching for a suitable travel bonus card

Travel rewards cards are popular. Since there are so many of them, some of them are bound to go under the radar. When you’re looking for one, it’s always worth spending a little time checking out options from different card issuers so you can find the best credit card for your needs.