Best Travel Credit Card for Seniors [2025]: Go Further for Less

If you're the jetsetting sort, carrying the right travel credit card could save you money — even if it has a high annual fee. Plus, some of the best credit cards for seniors offer benefits like travel assistance, access to comfy airport lounges, or reimbursement if your trip is interrupted by health issues.

If you're a no-frills traveler, go for a card that offers flexibility, simplicity, and value. If you're seeking a more luxurious experience, you'll need to splurge for a premium card to get access to the nicest airport lounges. Premium travel cards come with higher annual fees but often offer a greater degree of protection while you travel, along with other benefits like travel-related statement credits.

Best travel credit cards for seniors

Credit card	Great for	Annual fee	Rewards rates
Chase Sapphire Reserve®(Rates and fees)	Travel medical coverage and assistance	$795	Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠ (including The Edit℠), 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct, 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases.
The Platinum Card® from American Express	Airport lounge access	$895	Earn 5X points per dollar spent on eligible airfare (on up to $500,000 per calendar year, after that 1X) and eligible hotel purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card	Flexibility	$395	Earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel, and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25.
Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card	Museum enthusiasts	$0	Earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through the Bank of America Travel Center and 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases.
Citi Strata Premier® Card	Broad rewards in multiple categories	$95	Earn 10X Points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com; 3X Points on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations; and 1X Points on all other purchases.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card(Rates and fees)	Direct travel bookings	$95	Earn Earn unlimited 5X points on hotels, 4X points on airlines, 3X points on other travel and restaurants, and 1X points on other purchases.

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

While many travel credit cards provide travel insurance coverage, the Chase Sapphire Reserve goes above and beyond, including $2,500 in emergency medical and dental coverage with a $50 deductible while you're traveling. The card also offers trip cancellation and interruption insurance, travel accident insurance, emergency evacuation, and travel emergency and roadside assistance. That makes the card our top choice for seniors concerned about health issues that might throw a wrench in their travel plans.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is also packed with other benefits that may appeal to older adults, including custom itineraries valued at $300 per trip, a flexible annual $300 statement credit for travel purchases, $300 in statement credits for dining with Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables, and access to more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide.

Visit Chase Sapphire Reserve^® | Learn more in our Chase Sapphire Reserve review

The Platinum Card^® from American Express

For older adults, finding a comfortable seat and getting a good meal before a flight can help mitigate the toll traveling takes on the body. For that reason, airport lounge access may be an important benefit for some seniors. While many premium travel cards offer airport lounge access, most offer few options outside of the Priority Pass network, and Priority Pass lounges are notoriously overcrowded.

The Platinum Card offers access to the Centurion Lounge network, which is widely considered to have some of the nicest lounges. The card also offers access to a few other networks, including Plaza Premium lounges.

The Platinum Card offers a ton of value, including up to $600 in statement credits for Fine Hotels & Resorts and The Hotel Collection (two-night minimum) stays booked through Amex Travel, up to a $209 statement credit for a CLEAR Plus membership, and up to $15 in Uber cash each month.

The Platinum Card also made our list of the best credit cards for seniors. But it's not the best option for seniors who prefer booking vacation rentals to hotels.

Learn how to apply for the The Platinum Card^® from American Express | Learn more in our American Express Platinum Card review

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X credit card is a great choice for seniors who want flexible options for earning and redeeming rewards. It offers a $300 annual travel credit you can use to book a trip through Capital One Travel plus 10,000 bonus miles every year. Those two perks alone cover the annual fee.

The Capital One travel portal offers free price drop protection, and you can transfer miles to Capital One's travel partners to potentially get more value.

It's also one of the best credit cards for booking vacation rentals, which some seniors may prefer over hotels. You can earn 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel. Due to differences in platform fee structures, you might also save — I recently saved around $200 by booking a vacation rental through Capital One rather than through Airbnb (and earned 5 miles per dollar to boot).

While not all vacation rentals are listed on Capital One Travel, the card allows you to use your rewards miles to cover past travel purchases, including Airbnb bookings. And thanks to Capital One Offers, you can earn extra miles for booking trips through platforms like Vrbo and Expedia.

The Capital One Venture X also offers other benefits like airport lounge access and premium benefits at certain hotels.

Learn more in our Capital One Venture X review.

Bank of America^® Travel Rewards credit card

If visiting the nation's best museums is on your bucket list and you're looking to avoid an annual fee, the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card is a great option. Bank of America's Museums on Us program offers free general admission on the first weekend of each month to hundreds of the most popular museums across the country.

The card doesn't offer outstanding earn rates, but its real value comes into play if you bank with Bank of America or invest with Merrill. Bank of America Preferred Rewards members get boosted points with the Travel Rewards card. For example, if you maintain an average daily balance of between $50,000 and $100,000 across your Bank of America accounts and Merrill investments, you'll get a 50% rewards bonus — that's 2.25X points on every general purchase and 4.5X points on travel purchases.

Higher balances allow you to earn even more, making this card a great option for earning travel rewards from banking. You can easily redeem your rewards for a statement credit on travel and dining purchases.

Visit Bank of America^® Travel Rewards credit card | Learn more in our Bank of America Travel Rewards review

Citi Strata Premier^® Card

For older adults who spend their retirement funds in a variety of ways — whether it's hosting holiday meals, taking road trips, traveling to Europe, or dining at restaurants — the Citi Strata Card offers boosted rewards rates on all of them and more.

Enjoy $100 off a hotel stay of $500 or more annually when you book through Citi Travel, and you can redeem your rewards points through a points transfer to JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Choice Hotels, and other loyalty programs. The Citi Strata Premier card also features premium travel insurance coverage and entertainment benefits.

Note that Citi also offers a no-annual-fee version of this card, the Citi Strata Card, but it comes with foreign transaction fees.

Visit Citi Strata Premier^® Card(Rates and fees) | Learn more in our Citi Strata Premier Card review

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card

Credit card travel portals offer some great benefits, but some people would prefer not to mess with them. That's totally fair. Hotels sometimes offer discounts when you book directly, and calling a hotel allows you to ask questions or make special requests at the time of booking. And booking directly with an airline means you can take advantage of their loyalty program, whether or not that airline is one of your credit card issuer's transfer partners.

A key example is the budget carrier Frontier — you can't book the airline at all through the Chase or American Express travel portals, and Capital One Travel gives you fewer booking options for Frontier than you'd get booking direct. Enter the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card, which offers 4X points on airlines booked directly — a higher rewards rate than the pricey premium travel cards on our list — plus 3X points on other travel and restaurants and 1X on other purchases (including cruise lines, campgrounds, and discount travel sites). You'll also get a $50 annual statement credit when you purchase airfare, several types of travel insurance, and premium benefits at Visa Signature Luxury Hotels.

Visit Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card | Learn more in our Wells Fargo Autograph Journey review

Types of travel credit cards

In this guide, we chose to only include general travel credit cards, which offer boosted earnings on many or all of your travel purchases as well as multiple ways to redeem your earnings for use with multiple airlines and hotels.

But if you're loyal to a particular hotel chain or airline, you might prefer a hotel- or airline-branded credit card. The best airline credit cards offer perks you won't get from a general credit card, like free baggage and priority boarding. You might also get lounge passes or elevated status in the airline's loyalty program. Plus, you won't have to worry about points transfers.

Likewise, the best hotel credit cards offer benefits like free nights or statement credits, high rewards rates on stays, and elevated status in the hotel loyalty program, which can provide benefits like room upgrades.

How to choose a travel credit card

With so many options to choose from, it can be tough to pick a travel credit card that meets your needs. When choosing a travel credit card, consider:

• Your spending behavior: Review your past spending to identify the categories where you put most of your income. For example, if you eat at restaurants often, picking a credit card with rewards or credits for dining should be a priority. You can even use last year's spending data to calculate the rewards value of different credit cards for comparison. A money app might help make that process easier.
• How you book travel: Think about how you typically plan and book a trip. Do you call a hotel based on a recommendation from a friend? If so, choose a card with high rewards for direct bookings. Do you like to view your options side-by-side? If so, compare credit card travel portals.
• How you want to use your rewards: Would you prefer to earn cash back, use your points to book free stays on your credit card's travel portal, or transfer your points to a loyalty program for more value? If transferring points is your goal, also consider the credit card's airline and hotel transfer partners to make sure they align with your travel goals.
• Whether you'll stay in the U.S. or travel internationally: If you're going abroad, choose a card with no foreign transaction fees. You'll also want to consider the payment network. Retailers abroad may be less likely to accept American Express, especially outside of major cities. You can still use an Amex travel card to earn points, but make sure you have a backup Visa or Mastercard with no foreign transaction fees to use across the pond.
• What you want out of your travel experience: Premium travel credit cards offer perks that range from airport lounge access to statement credits for TSA PreCheck. For seniors who want travel to be as comfy as possible, a premium travel credit card is the way to go.

FAQs

Bottom line

Older adults should look for a travel credit card that aligns with their spending habits and travel goals.

We love the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card card for seniors who like booking directly with hotels and airlines, and we think the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® offers the best insurance coverage while traveling. But, it's important to consider your individual needs before applying for a new credit card.

Check out our list of the best travel credit cards for more ideas.

Easy-to-Earn Unlimited Rewards

Bank of America^® Travel Rewards credit card

Benefits

Card Details

• $0 annual fee
• Simple, flat-rate rewards
• Flexible redemption options
• Up to 75% Bank of America Preferred Rewards® bonus potential
• Apply Now

• 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.
• Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.
• Earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through the Bank of America Travel Center.
• Use your card to book your trip how and where you want - you're not limited to specific websites with blackout dates or restrictions.
• Redeem points for a statement credit to pay for travel or dining purchases, such as flights, hotel stays, car and vacation rentals, baggage fees, and also at restaurants including takeout.
• 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 18.24% - 28.24% will apply. A 3% Intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days your account is open. After the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4%. Balance transfers may not be used to pay any account provided by Bank of America.
• If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, you can earn 25%-75% more points on every purchase. That means instead of earning an unlimited 1.5 points for every $1, you could earn 1.87-2.62 points for every $1 you spend on purchases. You could earn 3.75-5.25 points for every $1 you spend on travel purchases made through the Bank of America Travel Center.
• Contactless Cards - The security of a chip card, with the convenience of a tap.
• This online only offer may not be available if you leave this page or if you visit a Bank of America financial center. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.

4.4

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

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Intro Offer

Earn 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases

Annual Fee

$0

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Why we like it

• The Bank of America^® Travel Rewards credit card is great for individuals who enjoy earning rewards and traveling.

• Cardholders will enjoy the flexibility to redeem points with no blackout dates and receive a statement credit to pay for travel and dining purchases.

• Earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through the Bank of America Travel Center and 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases.

• Apply Now