There are three great travel rewards cards aimed at people who travel and spend a lot and want to earn points on their purchases to earn even more travel benefits. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, and the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card all offer generous travel rewards and let you redeem your points for other things, such as cash, gift cards and merchandize. They're also aimed at people with high income and great credit: you'll need to have both to qualify for any of these cards.
The question is, which card offers the best deal for the price?
The Amex Has the Highest Annual Fee
All three cards charge an annual fee, although each is waived the first year. After that, annual fees range from $59 for the Venture card up to $175 for the Amex Premier Gold.
Sapphire Preferred Largest Point Bonus
All three also offer large point bonuses during the first 90 days you have the card, ranging from 10,000 points for Venture to 25,000 points for Sapphire Preferred. To get the bonuses, you must spend at least $1,000 during the first three months ($3,000 in purchases or balance transfers for Sapphire).
Charge Card or Credit Card?
Both Venture and Sapphire offer relatively low APRs, while you must pay your balance in full each month with the Amex card (since it's a charge card). There's no balance transfer fee on Venture, while Sapphire charges three percent.