Having a credit card for airfare purchases is great because you can earn mega points or miles towards a free trip every time you purchase an airline ticket. In addition, you can earn perks that will allow you to have a more convenient and comfortable travel experience. Be sure to keep reading to learn about the best credit cards for airfare purchases.
See our best credit card bonuses here.
Best Credit Cards For Airfare Purchases
Listed below are the best credit cards for airfare purchases:
The Platinum Card® From American Express | Best for airline miles |
The Business Platinum Card® From American Express | Best for airline bonus miles |
Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Best travel protections |
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card | Best sign-up bonus |
American Express® Gold Card | Best for global dining |
Citi Premier® Card | Best for broad travel categories |
Citi Prestige® Credit Card | Best for airline miles & dining |
Read more in depth about each card:
The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. • 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. This card comes with an annual fee of $695 (See Rates & Fees), but you cardholders can enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only. Terms Apply. |
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has a welcome offer of 120,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com. • 1.5X Membership Rewards points on eligible purchases at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year. • 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases • Unlock over $1,000 in value per year for statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless with the Business Platinum Card. • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees charged by your one selected, qualifying airline to your Card. • $189 CLEAR Plus Credit: Use your card and get up to $189 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Business Platinum Card. This card does come with a $695 annual fee. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. |
The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase TravelSM. You'll earn • 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. • 3x points on other travel and dining • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel. This card does carry a $550 annual fee and there are no foreign transaction fees. However, you're able to earn a $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year & up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®. Member FDIC |
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offers 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase TravelSM. You'll earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year; 1 point per $1 on all other purchases - with no limit to the amount you can earn. Furthermore, points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase TravelSM. This card does come with a $95 annual fee but does not have any foreign transaction fees. |
The American Express® Gold Card offers 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms apply. You'll earn: • 4X Membership Rewards Points at Restaurants, plus 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 Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. $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. Enrollment required. This card has an annual fee of $250 with no foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees). Terms Apply. |
The Citi Prestige® Credit Card matches the Platinum Card with 5x points on air travel. But with Citi Prestige, you’ll get 5x points on dining and 3x points on hotel and cruise spending as well.
Additional Guides
Here are some extra guides to help you find the best credit card suited for your needs.
- Best Airline Credit Cards for Travel Benefits and Rewards.
- Hotel Credit Cards for Travel Benefits + Rewards.
- Travel Credit Cards: Rewards and Benefits.
- Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards for Family Vacations.
- Credit Cards with No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Best Rewards Credit Cards: Cash, Points, Miles, & Benefits
- Cash Back Credit Cards: Welcome Bonuses, Rewards
- Best Dining Credit Cards: Restaurant Points, Rewards & Cash Back
- Grocery Credit Cards: Co-Branded, Cashback & Rewards
- Best Small Business Credit Cards: Points, Miles & Rewards
Conclusion
We believe these are the best credit cards for airfare purchases because of the high earning potential for flights and their many useful benefits. Some of these perks include travel statement credits, lounge access and maybe even the ability to transfer your rewards.
Furthermore, be sure to check out our best credit card bonuses here.