The 5 best international travel credit cards: Globetrotter rewards

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card anticipates all of your travel needs and delivers. Earn a generous 60,000 points when you spend $4,000 within the first three months. If you choose to redeem them through Chase Ultimate Rewards, it is worth $750 in travel dollars. You can also earn 5x points when you choose Chase Ultimate Rewards for your booking; otherwise, you receive 2x points. For those hotel stays, you are awarded with up to $50 annually in statement credits for every account anniversary. There are dining rewards, too, with 3x points regardless of whether you deliver, get takeout, or dine in a restaurant. You also get 3x points on online grocery purchases, except certain retailers are exempt, including Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs. When you get home, you can relax with a streaming service that gives you 3x points. All other purchases you make with your card will deliver one point per dollar. 

Pros:

• No foreign transaction fee
• Generous intro offer
• Several bonus perks

Cons:

• Lounge access requires membership
• Annual fee applies

The American Express Gold Card is an attractive card, available In your choice of the traditional gold color or a pretty rose gold. It is a great card for people who like to dine, but its rewards are pretty slim after that. You will receive 3x points on flights to get you to your destination. From there, it is 4x points on global dining, although delivery and takeout are limited to the U.S. You also are limited to domestic purchases with your groceries, with 4x the points at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per year, then 1x. All other purchases earn you 1x points. Amex gives extra rewards, too, like a $120 dining credit in Uber Cash each year and a $100 experience credit when you book The Hotel Collection for two nights or more.  

Pros:

• Generous dining rewards
• Several travel perks
• Points on flights

Cons:

• No foreign transaction fee
• No lounge access

The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card saves you a ton of money on annual fees. You can earn unlimited 1.5 points per dollar spent without any expiration date to steal your rewards away. That also means no restrictions on how you spend your money because Bank of America lets you earn points on all types of purchases. That means your flights, hotel, meals, and even your baggage fees can all earn you points that you can use to redeem for credits. In addition to the annual fee, there also are no foreign transaction fees. 

Bank of America will even kick things off with 0% intro APR for the first 15 billing cycles. After that, you revert to a competitive variable APR of 17.99% to 27.99%. You will also receive 25,000 bonus points when you spend just $1,000 within 90 days - a reasonable amount for modest spenders. Those part of the Preferred Rewards program can even earn up to 75% more on purchases, making for a generous bonus that can quickly add up.

Pros:

• No annual or transaction fee
• Extended intro APR
• Lower starting APR

Cons:

• No lounge access
• Variable rewards

Read more: The Best Bank of America Credit Cards

The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card is a different type of credit card than most unsecured credit cards. Because the Quicksilver Rewards credit card is a secured deposit, you simply pay a minimum of $200 upfront and then you receive a line of credit in that amount.

As you make payments, your credit score improves, and Capital One will monitor that for you with automatic credit lines. On top of that, you can earn 1.5% cashback on all purchases. There is no annual or transaction fee, but the APR is quite high, given that it is a card meant for those with poor credit. 

To get started, you can complete the pre-approval period without impacting your credit to see if the Quicksilver Secured Rewards card is right for you. 

Pros:

• Accepts bad credit
• No expiration for rewards
• Helps with credit-building

Cons:

• Deposit required

• No bonus offer

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with no shortage of perks. Amex is known for its airport lounge access, offering access to its American Express Global Lounge Collection. That means you can relax at any one of the 1,400 airport lounges available in 140 countries and 650 cities. American Express will also give you up to a $200 airline fee statement credit and up to $189 toward CLEAR® Plus airport security. 

However, there are a ton of other benefits that you receive with this card. There is an up to $200 hotel statement credit through American Express Travel (requires a minimum 2 night stay) and up to $200 in Uber Cash, plus $20 each month toward your digital entertainment, whether it is Hulu, Disney+, and Peacock.  You also receive a $155 credit for Walmart+, up to $300 toward your Equinox membership, and up to $100 toward your shopping adventures at Saks Fifth Avenue. It is a generous addition to an already handsome offer for your future travel.

Pros:

• Generous intro offer
• Lounge access
• Bonus credits

Cons:

• Steep annual fee
• Difficult to redeem some benefits

Read more: American Express Platinum Card review