Credit cards aren’t just for earning rewards or cashback; they also provide cardholders with a wide range of benefits such as purchase protection, statement credits, lounge access, and more. So, if you want a credit card that does both, expect to pay annual fees.
But annual fees aren’t bad because the benefits you’ll get are usually worth more than the fees you pay for.
Today, we’ll discuss the best credit cards with annual fees, and we’ve included several options for you.
Best for Overall: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review).
Best for Beginners: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review).
Best for Airport Lounge Access: The Platinum Card® from American Express (review).
1. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Best Flat Rate Premium Travel Card
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review) is a premium travel rewards card that’s perfect for travelers who want outstanding travel perks like annual travel credits, worldwide airport lounge access, and travel and purchase protections.
The Venture X earns 2x miles on all purchases helping you maximize every dollar of your spending. Plus, you can earn 10x miles on hotels and rental cars, and 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One.
The card has a $395 annual fee, completely offset by a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, and 10,000 points (worth at least $100) for each account anniversary.
Plus, you get airport lounge access via Priority Pass, Capital One, and Plaza Premium Lounges, Hertz President’s Circle elite status, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, rental car insurance, trip and luggage insurance, cell phone insurance, and purchase protection.
2. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Best Mid-tier Card for Travel & General Spending
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- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 2x Points on All Other Travel Purchases
- 10% Anniversary Points Boost
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) is one of the best rewards cards for travelers who want solid earning rates for travel and dining expenses.
For only $95 per year, this card earns 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, 3x points on dining, online groceries, and streaming services, and 2x on all other travel purchases.
Cardholders will also get a 10% anniversary points bonus, a 12-month DoorDash DashPass subscription when activated by December 31, 2024, and a $50 anniversary hotel statement credit.
Plus, it provides extensive travel protections, including trip delay, primary rental car, baggage, and purchase protection plans.
3. Platinum Card® from American Express
Best for Airport Lounge Access
The Platinum Card® from American Express (review) is a great premium travel rewards card for travelers who want airport lounge access, including Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta), Escape Lounges, Priority Pass lounges.
The American Express Platinum has a $695 annual fee, but you receive many annual statement credits when you enroll your card to offset the fee, including:
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Card.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 in statement credits each month when you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card® at your choice of one or more of the following providers: Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- $200 Uber Cash Credit: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Benefit renews annually.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive a statement credit that covers the full cost each month.
- $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR® Plus at 45+ airports nationwide and get up to $189 back per year on your membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®.
You also earn 5x Membership Rewards points when booking flights directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year) and 5x Membership Rewards points when booking prepaid hotels with American Express Travel.
On top of that, you automatically earn Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Honors Gold statuses, which offer points bonuses, room upgrades, late check-out, and other premier benefits.
4. Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Best for Premium Travel & Dining
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- $300 Annual Travel Credit
- 10x Points on Hotels and Rental Cars and 5x Points on Flights Booked Through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3x Points on Dining, Takeout, & Eligible Food Delivery
- 50% More Redemption Value
- Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $550 Annual Fee
The card_name (review) is a great option for travelers who want premium perks such as airport lounge access and top-tier travel protections.
The Sapphire Reserve has a $550 annual fee, but you receive an annual easy-to use $300 travel credit and access to 1,300+ Priority Pass airport lounges.
Plus, great benefits such as trip delay insurance, primary rental car insurance, trip cancellation insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, purchase and return protection, extended warranty, and no foreign transaction fees.
Cardmembers also earn extra points with:
- 5x points on flights and 10x points on hotels and car rentals through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
- 3x points on travel.
- 3x points on dining, and food delivery purchases.
- 1x points everywhere else.
One thing to remember is that you won’t earn points on your first $300 in travel purchases each cardmember year since the $300 travel credit covers those purchases.
You can also cash out points at a 50% bonus (1.5 cents per point) when redeeming points towards travel or transfer the points to Chase’s airline and hotel partners.
5. American Express® Gold Card
Best Dining & Groceries
The American Express® Gold Card (review) is one of my favorite cards because it earns:
- 4x Membership Rewards® points at restaurants, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.,
- 4x Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x).
- 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
Plus, card members get nice credits when you enroll your Gold Card to offset the annual fee:
- $120 Uber Cash: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account, and each month automatically get up to $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations.
6. Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
Best for First Class Delta Companion Tickets
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- 3X SkyMiles on Delta Air Lines Purchases
- First Checked Bag Free
- Airport Lounge Access
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit
- 20% Statement Credit on Delta In-Flight Purchases
- $550 Annual Fee and No Foreign Transaction Fees (Rates & Fees)
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (review) earns 3x SkyMiles on Delta purchases and comes with complimentary Delta Sky Club* and The Centurion Lounge access, making it a stellar choice for frequent Delta flyers.
For a $550 annual fee, this premium card offers excellent Delta-specific perks such as free first checked bag, 20% back on in-flight purchases, upgrade priority, and an annual companion certificate that gets you a Domestic First Class, Delta Comfort+, or Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate upon renewing your card every year.
* Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 10 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of Visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter.
7. Chase United Quest℠ Card
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- 3X Miles on United Airlines
- 2X Miles on Dining, Streaming, and Other Travel
- $125 Annual United Statement Credit
- Global Entry/TSA PreCheck Credit
- Two 5,000-Mile Anniversary Award Flight Credits
- Free First and Second Checked Bags
- Priority Boarding
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $250 Annual Fee
The Chase United Quest℠ Card is a travel rewards card that offers great benefits for frequent United Airlines flyers.
The Quest Card comes with several nice benefits to help offset the $250 annual fee:
$125 Credit: Each anniversary year, cardholders will receive a $125 annual United purchase statement credit that will help offset the $250 annual fee.
Up to 10,000 Miles back: Automatically get 5,000 United miles back into your account after taking a United award flight up to two times per anniversary year.
Two Free Checked Bags: Cardholders get up to two free checked bags for you and a companion on the same reservation when you purchase the flight with the Quest card.
8. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
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- 5x Miles on Hotels and Rental Cars via Capital One Travel
- 2x Miles Everywhere Else
- 2 Free Visits to Capital One Lounges Each Year
- Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check Credit
- Hertz 5-Star Elite Status
- Rental Car Insurance and Extended Warranty
- $95 Annual Fee
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a travel rewards credit card that earns an unlimited 2 miles per dollar on all purchases and 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
The card also comes with a range of travel benefits, including secondary rental car, no foreign transaction fees, and extended warranty coverage.
Plus, you also get two complimentary passes to visit Capital One lounges each year and an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (up to a $100 credit every four years).
9. Citi Premier® Card
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- 3x Points at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas Stations, Air Travel, and Other Hotels.
- $100 Off a Single $500 Hotel Stay Per Year
- Extended Warranty and Purchase Protections
- $95 Annual Fee
The Citi Premier® Card is the best card for earning points because it offers 3x points at:
The Premier card also comes with no foreign transaction fees, purchase protection, and an extended warranty for items purchased, adding an additional 24 months to the manufacturer’s warranty.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please click here.
For the rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, please click here.
