Last month, I used my free night award to stay at an abbey-turned-castle just outside Galway, Ireland — one of the most memorable redemptions I’ve made, saving me the $500+ cash price. A stone tower, ivy-covered walls and a roaring fireplace — all for zero dollars out of pocket.
Useful travel credits
This card has a high $550 annual fee — but it’s justifiable if you maximize its credits.
I use the quarterly flight credit to top up my United TravelBank Cash balance each quarter and then use this hack to combine my two biannual up to $200 Hilton resort statement credits into one stay each year.
Learn more in our full review of the Hilton Aspire.
Bottom line
Points and miles have taken me from hostel bunk beds and back-row middle seats to lie-flat luxury flights and five-star hotel stays I never thought I could afford.
I may juggle over 25 credit cards, but these four top travel credit cards consistently pull the most weight. They haven’t just changed how I travel — they’ve gifted me a life of freedom, flexibility and fun. And that’s the power of credit cards, points and miles.
With the right card strategy, travel stops being a cost — and feels more like a reward.
: The best premium credit cards: A side-by-side comparison
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here
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