The Best Credit Cards To Unlock LUXURY Travel

Want to know how we afford to fly business and first class on all our trips for work and leisure?

The answer lies in credit cards.

I used to hate flying cramped like a sardine for hours on end, never able to fall asleep even if I hadn’t slept in 2 days. I would always feel a bit sick after, and don’t even get me started on the jet lag.

Then I discovered the wonderful world of credit card points and airline miles. It's like a video game and if you master it, you can hit the end-game rewards pretty quickly. While it’s significantly easier to play as an American citizen, there are also options for Europeans, UK residents, Australians, or really anyone with a major recognized bank account.

Back to topic.

As I sit drinking some Dom Champagne in my Emirates First Class seat, I reflect back. Just a year ago I flew business for the first time and said to myself: “Next time I fly this route, it’s gonna be in first.” But obviously without that $18,000 price tag. Yet here I am a year later and here’s how I did it.

It’s simple. Put all your expenses on credit cards even if you’re a cash-only guy. STOP. I don’t mean go into debt. If you’re someone who can’t be responsible and pay off their bill every month, then this article is not for you yet. But if you are, then continue reading.

American Express, Chase, Capital One, and some other issuers like Bilt, Citi, and more all have a concept called a sign-up bonus. This would look something like: Spend $4,000 in 3 months and get 60,000 points.

"$4,000?!" "Way out of my budget!" "And what the hell are points and how do I use them?"

Don’t worry keep reading and we’ll answer all your questions.

The majority of people, especially couples (especially if you have kids), have basic expenses. Think: groceries, gas, insurance, clothing, eating out, taxis, leisure, etc. These expenses alone are usually enough to hit the sign-up bonuses required in the majority of cards. The offers can range from $1,000–$5,000 on standard, lower annual-fee cards all the way up to $20,000–$30,000 on some of the higher-end business cards.

Amex, for example, along with Capital One, recently had a “spend a whopping $200,000 and get 200,000 points” promo. Yeah a dream even for me.

But hold on you’re thinking, “Aren’t credit card points only worth one cent each?” So 60,000 points = $600 in my local bank’s travel portal, right?

Wrong.

$600 these days won’t even get you a roundtrip economy long-haul international flight. And boom just like that, your hard work is gone.

The beauty lies in what we call transfer partners. Banks partner up with airlines like Emirates (which is a major transfer partner of nearly every single bank, making this First Class seat I’m sitting in not as crazy as it seems). And they even sometimes offer transfer bonuses.

So let’s do some simple math.

Say you recently applied for the Chase Sapphire, which is now offering an elevated 100,000-mile bonus (normally it's 60k). That would be worth $1,250 in the travel portal.

Now let’s take the same 100,000 miles and transfer it to Emirates. With just 102,000 Chase miles, you can book yourself a one-way Emirates First Class ticket (plus taxes and fees significantly less when not flying from Dubai). That ticket can go for a whopping $11,000 if not more. So you just got 11 cents per mile instead of 1.

Now for the less extreme those who want to stretch their points out over multiple trips instead of blowing them all on one flight. (That said, if you haven’t flown Emirates First, do it at least once in your lifetime I promise it’s worth it.)

Most airlines offer sales or discounts for cardholders, where you can get economy tickets for incredibly cheap even last minute when most flight prices would skyrocket.

Take an economy ticket from, say, Athens to Newark via United. That would cost about $780–$1,000 in cash. In miles? 40,000 miles. That’s $400 at most even if booked the day before. Don’t have United miles? United is a transfer partner of the one and only Chase.

Getting the picture?

Now, if you’re after a specific airline and you enjoy flying with them or they just happen to operate a lot of flights from your country then before you sign up for their airline-specific card (which could be a good idea if you’ll benefit from the perks), first look at which bank partners with them for transferable points.

Examples:

● Chase exclusively partners with United (and 20+ other airlines).

● Amex partners with Delta.

● Barclays partners with American.

Now which cards give me the biggest bang for my buck?

Let’s make it simple:

You’ve got Bank Cards, Bank Business Cards, and Airline-Specific Cards.

So what are we looking for in a card?

The bigger the sign-up bonus, the better as long as it's within your realistic spending range.

So if I’m eyeing the Business Platinum (which needs $30,000 in 3 months) and that’s not realistic for me or I’ll go into debt for it then hard pass. A much more reasonable offer is the Capital One Venture X with a solid 75,000-mile bonus for just $4,000 spend.

Hello 75k Emirates miles! Nearly enough for a business class award ticket!

Alright, let’s dive into my card lineup and how I managed to amass over 1 million points and miles, allowing me to fly 20+ times this year with minimal cash out of pocket.

💳 The King of Them All: Chase Sapphire Preferred

● Low annual fee: $95

● Sign-up bonus: 60k–100k

● Partners with a long list of airlines & hotels

● Great earnings on travel and dining

● Points are worth 1.25x (or 1.5x with Sapphire Reserve) in the portal

● But most of the time, you'll get even more value transferring to a partner

💼 Capital One Venture X – The Best for Frequent Travelers

This is the best card on the market if you travel often:

● Priority Pass access to 1,400+ lounges worldwide

● Annual fee: $395

○ Comes with $300 annual travel credit (flights or hotels)

○ +10,000 miles yearly (aka $100)

○ Net cost = $0

● 2 miles per $1 on everything (basically 2%+ back)

● 10x on hotels/car rentals, 5x on flights

This card’s a keeper.

If you just have these two or even one of them congrats! You’re now working your way toward your next free vacation. Even better? Minimal effort. Minimal upfront cost. Just set your cards to auto-pay and keep a positive balance.

Want to dive deeper?

Let’s explore some more cards in my lineup.

🏆 American Express – A Big Contender

Their sign-up bonuses are a bit like Russian roulette. Sometimes the Amex Gold is:

● 60k points

● Sometimes 75k

● Sometimes 100k

Amex has a nice card lineup:

● $1,000 minimum spend all the way up to $8,000

● Personal cards come with heaps of perks like a coupon book when using them

● I personally have the Amex Business Platinum and Amex Gold

● That combo earned me 375k Amex points worth $10k–$15k when redeemed right (A lot of my Australia work trip went on these cards)

Wait a business card?

Yep. A business card is usually similar to the personal version, sometimes with a higher annual fee but with a heftier sign-up bonus.

Examples:

● Chase Ink Preferred

○ Same $95 annual fee

○ 110k sign-up bonus

● Amex Business Gold

○ $325 annual fee

○ 175k sign-up bonus (vs. 60–90k on personal cards)

Do I have you convinced yet?

Let’s get your starter card lineup and get you on your way to luxury travel:

1. Start here: Chase Sapphire Preferred

○ Big sign-up bonus

○ Access to Ultimate Rewards points

○ Most transfer partners

2. Next up: Capital One Venture X

○ Priority Pass

○ Annual fee pays for itself

○ Solid earn rate

3. Round it out: An Amex card (Blue, Gold, or Platinum)

4. Bonus: Got a small business?

○ Even if it’s selling on Etsy or Uber

○ Get a Chase Ink Preferred or an Amex Biz Gold/Platinum

That’s it. Let us know where your travels take you. ✈

✈️ My Travel Credit Card Lineup (Quick Hits + Referral Links)

🔹 Chase Sapphire Preferred

● 75k bonus after $4k spend

● 3x dining, 2x travel

● 1–2x point value (portal + transfer partners)

● $50 hotel credit

🔹 Chase Sapphire Reserve

● 100k bonus

● $795 annual fee

● $300 travel credit, lounge access, 1.5x point value

● Great for frequent flyers

🔹 Chase Sapphire Business

● 200k bonus (limited-time)

● Premium business travel card

● Same transfer perks as personal Sapphire

🔹 Chase Ink Business Cards (Preferred, Unlimited, Cash)

● Ink Preferred: 100k+ bonus, 3x ads/shipping

● Ink Cash: 5% office/internet, 2% gas/dining

● Ink Unlimited: 1.5% flat rate

🔹 Chase United Cards

● Free bag, priority boarding, PQP boost

● United Club version = lounge access

🔹 Amex Hilton Business

● Up to 175k Hilton points

● $60/quarter Hilton credit

● Gold status + lounge passes

🔹 Amex Business Platinum

● 150k–300k bonus

● Lounge access, $200 airline credit, $300+ in other credits

● 35% flight rebate (ending Oct 2025)

🔹 Amex Business Gold

● 70k–175k bonus

● 4x on top 2 categories (ads, dining, shipping, etc.)

🔹 Amex Blue Business Plus

● 2x on everything (up to $50k/year)

● No annual fee

🔹 Amex Delta Cards

● Free bags, MQD boosts, SkyClub access (Reserve)

🔹 Amex Amazon Card

● 5% back on Amazon/Whole Foods (with Prime)

🔹 Capital One Venture

● 75k bonus

● 2x on all purchases

● Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit

🔹 Capital One Venture X

● 75k bonus

● $300 travel credit + 10k anniversary miles

● Lounge access + 10x on hotels

🔹 Capital One Business Cards

● 50k–150k bonuses

● 2x–5x earning, some include lounge access

🔹 El Al Fly Card (Israel)

● Perks similar to Matmid Silver

● Free baggage, upgrades possible, Diamond earn boost

● Available via CAL in Israel only