I used to think that paying an annual fee for a credit card was a terrible idea and a waste of money.
For years, I prided myself on using no-fee credit cards that offered a small amount of cash back on purchases. But I changed my mind once I started traveling more and learning about the perks some credit cards offered.
I dove in head first. This year I’ve spent about $1,300 on annual fees. Most of the fees are worth every penny and have easily paid for themselves, though there are some I’m not sure about.
Here are my favorite travel card perks, plus a few I’ve enjoyed but would be OK losing.
I love having airport-lounge access and travel upgrades
My American Express Business Platinum comes with a hard-to-swallow $695 annual fee, but the perks have more than outweighed the cost. For context, I’m a freelance writer and use this card for expenses associated with my business, but American Express offers a personal version that’s very similar.
I’ve used this card’s benefits to get CLEAR and Global Entry, both of which have helped me speed through security lines at airports. It got me an automatic upgrade to Hilton Honors Gold elite status, which has scored me free breakfast and room upgrades throughout my travels.
However, my favorite perk of this card is my free Priority Pass membership. With it, I’ve gained access to several airport lounges for myself and up to two travel companions, usually my children.
This benefit alone has saved me hundreds of dollars since I no longer have to buy pricey food at the airport — most lounges offer plenty of it for free. Plus, lounge access has made long travel days and layovers so much easier. I wish I had gotten this card sooner.
Being able to avoid foreign transaction fees has saved me a lot of money
The first credit card I applied for with an annual fee is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which has a $95 annual fee. Many of my cards charge up to 3% for every transaction made in a currency other than US dollars, but this one doesn’t.
Foreign transaction fees can add up quickly, even on a short trip. Because I take a couple of international trips a year, the $95 annual fee more than pays for itself.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card also has other money-saving perks for travelers I like, including competitive travel insurance and car-rental insurance for trips charged to the card.
Although my Amex Business Platinum also provides fee-free foreign transactions and travel insurance, American Express isn’t as widely accepted internationally. I’ve had Chase credit cards accepted almost everywhere I’ve traveled so I will keep this one in my wallet.
I paid several hundred dollars to get an Amex Gold, but I got points galore
I applied for an American Express® Business Gold Card card when the company ran one of its rare promotions offering 150,000 points as a sign-up bonus. The card’s $375 annual fee is high, but the generous sign-up bonus more than made up for it for me.
I have several international trips planned this year, and I expect that the 150,000 points I plan to redeem for airline tickets will easily save me at least triple the annual fee. For example, a ticket on a flight I’m eyeing to New Delhi from Washington, DC, costs $1,488 and is 148,000 points.
With this card, I also receive monthly statement credits — up to $20 a month — offsetting more than half of the annual fee I paid. However, it’s a pain to keep track of earning the monthly credit, and the card’s other benefits aren’t that valuable to me.
I probably won’t keep this card for a second year since American Express offers a personal version of it with similar perks and a lower annual fee.
Priority boarding has been nice, but not quite worth the price
I’m a frequent flyer on United but have never accrued enough points to gain status with the airline. To get more perks on United, I applied for a United℠ Explorer Card card, which doesn’t charge an annual fee for the first year ($0 intro for the first year, then $95 annually in subsequent years).
My favorite perk of this card is priority boarding. Combined with other perks like single-entry passes to United Club lounges and free checked bags, I thought this card was a good value.
However, I now get lounge access and credit for checked bags with my Amex Business Platinum, and I don’t think priority boarding is valuable enough to make up for the annual fee.
I would also rather earn points that can be transferred to several airlines and hotels rather than being locked into United. I plan on canceling this card when the next annual fee comes due, but I might reapply if I find that I miss priority boarding a lot.
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