Disclosure: Travel Lemming has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Travel Lemming and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Some cards may be from advertisers, compensation may impact card placement, and our articles do not include all card companies.
Update: We’ve updated the list to remove links to cards with offers that have since expired.
As I write this post, I’m sitting in my 5 star hotel room in Cairo with a view overlooking the Great Pyramid of Egypt. Clara and I flew here earlier this week in Etihad’s lie-flat business class, and we’ll continue onwards to Morocco in business class as well.
And the coolest part is that this whole trip for two cost less than $900 cash because I’m paying for most of it with travel credit card rewards!
If you want to score incredible travel experiences too, read on for my personal picks for the 5 best credit cards for travel rewards in March 2024, including pros and cons of each card.
Short on time?
Here’s my quick summary of March’s best travel credit cards:
- Best Travel Credit Card Overall: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
- Best for Beginners: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Best Premium Travel Card: Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card
- Hotel Card: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
I think all of these are solid travel credit cards because they offer valuable travel rewards, have no foreign transaction fees, and offer other helpful travel benefits.
But, of course, each has its pros and cons. So read on to learn why I selected each as one of the best credit cards for travel rewards for March 2024.
March 2024 Travel Rewards Credit Card Offers
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (Best Overall Card March 2024)
I just used Capital One miles to book that Etihad lie-flat business class flight to Cairo, via the Air France Flying Blue program.
Each ticket cost me 67,000 miles, which is less than the current welcome bonus on the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
Over the past year, I’ve really fallen in love with my Capital One miles collection. What’s so cool about Capital One miles is that they are SO easy to use – because there are just so many transfer partners, it’s never hard to find a flight.
In terms of personal credit cards, I personally think the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the best overall travel credit card of March, 2024.
But if the $395 annual fee is too much for you, consider the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (which offers a lighter slate of benefits, but only has a $95 annual fee and still gives a 75,000 miles welcome bonus).
Welcome Bonus: 75,000 miles after $4,000 in spend within 3 months of account opening
Other Notable Benefits: 10x miles (yep, 10x!) on hotels & rental cars; 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel; 2x miles on other travel purchases. Global Entry/TSA Precheck reimbursement, access to over 1,300 airport lounges (including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network); cell phone protection; $300 annual credit for bookings via Capital One Travel.
Annual Fee: $395 annual fee
Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Pros:
- I love Capital One miles because I find them the easiest ones to actually use! They are just so flexible.
- 10x miles on hotels booked through Capital One Travel is a fantastic deal.
- The $300 annual travel credit largely offsets the otherwise high annual fee.
Cons:
- The best benefits require you to book through the Capital One Travel portal, which is often ok but might be a con where you get better benefits booking directly with the hotel (for example, if you are a member of a hotel elite program).
- The 75,000 mile welcome bonus is decent, but not spectacular in my opinion.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Best Travel Card for Beginners)
Update: This card’s current welcome offer has since changed.
If you are new to travel credit card rewards in March 2024, I’d start with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
Points are pretty flexible too, especially because you have the option of redeeming them directly through Chase’s portal for 1.25 cents per point. This is really great for beginners, as you don’t have to worry about the intricacies of transferring points and finding awards via another airline’s program.
Considering 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points equates to $750 in travel rewards at 1.25 cents per point, the welcome bonus is a pretty good deal in my opinion!
Welcome Bonus: 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 within 3 months of account opening.
Other Notable Benefits: 3x points on dining, 2x points on travel purchases; $50 annual Chase TravelSM Hotel Credit; 5x points on travel booked via Chase TravelSM; other benefits like Trip Cancellation/Interruption insurance.
Annual Fee: $95
Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Pros:
- Easy to redeem points for 1.25 cents in travel via the Chase portal.
- 2x points on travel means it’s also easy to earn points.
Cons:
- Subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule, which limits applications if you’ve applied for more than 5 cards within the prior 24 months.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (Best Premium Travel Card)
Update: This card’s current welcome offer has since changed.
Personally, I still find myself using my Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card more than any other personal travel credit card – and it’s been that way for the better part of a decade.
If I was only allowed to use one card going forward, I’d probably pick my Sapphire Reserve.
Here’s why:
First, I love that you can Ultimate Rewards points for 1.5 cents each through Chase Travel. This makes getting good reward value easy. I also travel full time, so I get a ton of use out of the Priority Pass lounge membership that comes with the card.
And, lastly, 3x points on travel and dining is great if you – like me – spend a lot of your personal spend on travel and food (my two favorite things in the world!).
Welcome Bonus: 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months of account opening (worth $900 towards travel booked via Chase Travel).
Other Notable Benefits: 3x points on travel & dining; 1x points on general purchases; $300 annual travel credit; trip cancellation/interruption insurance, lost luggage insurance, Global Entry / TSA application fee reimbursement, and more.
Annual Fee: $550
Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Pros:
- 3x points on travel and dining makes it easy to earn points.
- Points are worth 1.5 cents when you redeem for travel through the Chase Travel portal.
- Priority Pass membership awesome if you fly a lot!
Cons:
- The Annual fee is fairly high (but in my opinion it is mostly offset by the $300 annual travel credit).
- Subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule, which restricts applications from individuals who have applied for more than 5 cards in the past 24 months.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Excellent Hotel Travel Card)
Update: This offer has expired.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I’m writing this guide while sitting at the desk pictured above – in a fantastic Great Pyramid-view suite at Marriott Mena House in Cairo.
The room I’m in normally goes for $1,200+ per night, but I booked 5 nights in this suite with a Cash + Points award that brought the cost of the hotel room down to just under $120/night!
I’ve recently become a big fan of the Marriott Bonvoy® program, and I love my Titanium status. My Elite status gets me access to a lounge here at this hotel, plus we also got free breakfast (also overlooking the pyramids!). I earned that status in part via the Marriott Bonvoy Elite fast-track offer (that’s on again during March of 2024, by the way!).
Want a quicker path to Bonvoy Elite status?
Well, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card comes with Platinum status already included, which is already enough to get you access to those lounge and breakfast benefits!
The card also comes with a host of other interesting benefits, like an annual Earned Choice Award benefit, which I would personally use for 5 suite night awards. Although the annual fee is pretty hefty, I think this is March’s best hotel rewards card – especially if you stay in Marriott properties frequently like I do.
Best yet, there is even a limited time offer going on right now for a very large welcome offer of 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy® Bonus Points when you spend $6,000 within 6 months ( update: this offer has expired).
Welcome Offer (Offer Expired):185,000 Marriott bonus points after spending $6,000 within the first 6 months of account opening. Terms apply.
Other Notable Benefits: 6x Marriott Bonvoy points for eligible Marriott purchases; 3x points at restaurants and flights booked direct with the airline; 2x points on other purchases; Marriott Platinum Elite Status plus 25 Elite Night Credits per year; up to $300 in annual credits for restaurant purchases; Global Entry / TSA Precheck reimbursement; Priority Pass Select; a host of other benefits like cell phone protection, trip cancellation and interruption insurance.
Annual Fee: $550
Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Pros:
- Limited time welcome bonus of 185,000 points is very attractive (update: offer expired).
- Fast track to Platinum Elite Status – which comes with awesome benefits like free breakfast, lounge access at participating hotels, and room upgrades.
- Included Priority Pass.
Cons:
- High annual fee means this card is not for everyone.
- Regular spend accrual is in Marriott Bonvoy Points, which generally offer a lower redemption value compared to other programs.
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There you go: my picks for the best credit cards for travel rewards in March, 2024.
For more advice on travel credit card rewards, check out my complete guide to free travel with credit card points.
Disclosure: Travel Lemming has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Travel Lemming and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Some cards may be from advertisers, compensation may impact card placement, and our articles do not include all card companies.
