The Credit Cards We Use For Family Travel

Not a ranking of every card in existence — just the ones we personally carry, why each earns its place, and who it actually suits.

How this page pays for the site. Some links below are referral links — if you're approved, we may receive a bonus at no cost to you, and it's often the same offer as applying directly, or a better one. We only list cards we use. Offers last reviewed August 2026; always confirm current terms on the issuer's page.

Best Beginner Card

Chase

We carry this

Chase Sapphire Preferred

The best beginner card — the one we recommend to everyone

Melissa's favorite personal travel card — and the one she recommends to almost everyone.
Genuinely excellent travel insurance — trip delay and cancellation cover, plus primary rental car coverage that pays out without touching your own auto policy.
The $100 annual hotel credit more than covers the $95 fee on its own.

Where these points fly furthest →

Welcome offer

60,000 points after $5,000 spend in 3 months

Confirm the current public offer before applying — this moves between 60,000 and 100,000.

Annual fee $95

See the offer on Chase's site

Premium Travel

Capital One

We carry this

Capital One Venture X

The premium card that's easiest to justify with kids in tow

The $300 travel credit and 10,000-mile anniversary bonus bring the real cost to about $95.
Authorized users are free — rare on a premium card, and it means lounge access for the whole family.
Priority Pass plus Capital One Lounges, which are genuinely kid-tolerable.

Where these points fly furthest →

Welcome offer

75,000 miles after $4,000 spend in 3 months

Annual fee $395

See the offer on Capital One's site

American Express

The Platinum Card from American Express

Frequent flyers who will actually use the credits

Centurion Lounge access changes long connections with children completely.
Fine Hotels + Resorts gives you a 4pm checkout and a property credit on paid stays.
Only worth it if you'll use the credits — track them or you'll lose money on this card.

Where these points fly furthest →

Welcome offer

80,000 Membership Rewards after $8,000 spend in 6 months

Annual fee $895

See the offer on Amex's site

Everyday Earning

American Express

We carry this

American Express Gold

Families who spend heavily on groceries and dining

4x at US supermarkets and restaurants — for a family, groceries alone can be worth the fee.
Membership Rewards has the deepest airline partner list of any bank currency.
Dining and Uber credits — worth real money, if you actually remember to use them.

Where these points fly furthest →

Welcome offer

60,000 Membership Rewards after $6,000 spend in 6 months

Annual fee $325

See the offer on Amex's site

Bilt

Bilt Blue Card

Anyone paying rent or a mortgage

Rent — and, since 2026, mortgage payments — earn points with no transaction fee. That's the biggest monthly expense most families have, earning nothing on any other card.
Bilt points transfer to World of Hyatt and Alaska at 1:1.
Rent Day promotions on the 1st of each month are worth planning around.

Welcome offer

No annual fee — the value is earning on rent and mortgage

Bilt replaced its original Wells Fargo card with three tiers in early 2026: Blue ($0), Obsidian ($95), and Palladium ($495). Blue is the starting point; step up only if the math works for your spending.

Annual fee $0

See the offer on Bilt's site

Hotel & Airline

Chase

World of Hyatt Card

Anyone who has stayed at a Hyatt more than twice

A free night certificate every year at a Category 1–4 hotel — that alone beats the fee.
Automatic Discoverist status, which gets you late checkout when you're traveling with a toddler.
Hyatt points are the most valuable hotel currency we use.

Where these points fly furthest →

Welcome offer

30,000 points after $3,000 spend in 3 months

Annual fee $95

See the offer on Chase's site

Chase

United Explorer Card

Families who fly United more than twice a year

First checked bag free for you and one companion on United — with a family of four flying twice a year, that alone clears the annual fee.
Two United Club one-time passes a year, plus priority boarding, which is genuinely different when you're traveling with kids.
Expanded United award availability for cardholders — more saver seats than non-cardholders can see.

Where these points fly furthest →

Welcome offer

Check the current welcome offer — Chase changes it often

An airline card that earns Chase-family value: the free checked bags and Economy Plus access pay for the fee on a single family trip.

Annual fee $0 the first year, then $150

See the offer on Chase's site

Business

Chase

Chase Ink Business Unlimited

Growing Chase earnings without touching 5/24

Melissa's favorite business card: no annual fee and 1.5x on everything, feeding the same Chase pool as the Sapphire.
Business cards don't count toward Chase's 5/24 limit — the application is a hard inquiry, but the card never appears on your personal report.
Most people qualify: real side income — freelancing, tutoring, selling things online — counts, as long as you apply truthfully as a sole proprietor under your own name.

Where these points fly furthest →

Welcome offer

Strong flat-rate welcome offer — check the current terms

Business SUBs are typically more generous than personal ones, with higher minimum spends.

Annual fee $0

See the offer on Chase's site

See What These Points Actually Buy

Every trip report walks through a real stay booked with these cards — the room, the kids' club, the food, and what the points were worth against the cash price.

Read the blog

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