Best Credit Cards For Buying Airline Tickets

Using the right credit card for airfare purchases can help you rack up points quickly, especially if you’re anything like me, and spend a lot on air travel.

Over the years a lot has changed regarding the best credit cards to use for airfare purchases, so in this post I wanted to take a closer look at that. There are a couple of key things to consider when deciding which card to use for buying airline tickets:

• Which card offers the best return on spending (either in terms of cash back, or based on your valuation of points) for airfare purchases?
• Which card offers the best travel protection for airfare purchases?

Ideally you’ll find a card that ticks both of those boxes. With that in mind, let’s talk about the all-around best cards for purchasing your airline tickets (separately, I’ve written about the best credit cards for hotel stays).

Best personal cards for buying airline tickets May 2025

Below I’ll talk about what I consider to be the best personal cards for airline ticket purchases. With each card I’ll note the rewards points offered, how much I value those points, and the travel protection offered, if any.

I’ll be sorting these cards based on a combination of my perceived value of the points offered plus the travel protection offered, if any. Some cards also offer extra bonus points when you book through a credit card portal, so I’ll note when that’s the case (that has its pros and cons).

Everyone will have to decide for themselves how much they value the travel protection in comparison to the rewards points offered. Note that I’m not including the Citi Prestige Card, which is excellent and offers 5x points on airfare, since it’s no longer open to new applicants.

1. The Platinum Card® from American Express

Reward for airline spending: 5x Amex Membership Rewards points (which I value at 8.5%); this is valid on flights booked directly with airlines or flights booked through Amex Travel, and you’re limited to earning 5x points on up to $500,000 of flight purchases per calendar year, and then you earn 1x points
Card annual fee: $695 (Rates & Fees)
Foreign transaction fees: none (Rates & Fees)
Travel protection: review benefits

The Amex Platinum is the best card for airfare purchases, in my opinion, between the 5x points and the travel protection offered.

Read a review of the Amex Platinum, apply for the Amex Platinum.

2. Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Reward for airline spending: 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards points (which I value at 5.1%)
Card annual fee: $550
Foreign transaction fees: none
Travel protection: trip cancelation and interruption coverage, trip delay coverage, delayed and lost luggage coverage

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a well rounded card for airfare purchases, thanks to the 3x points combined with the excellent travel protection. Furthermore, note that you can earn 5x points on flights booked through the Chase Travel portal.

Read a review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve, apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

3. American Express® Green Card

Reward for airline spending: 3x Amex Membership Rewards points (which I value at 5.1%)
Card annual fee: $150 (Rates & Fees)
Foreign transaction fees: none (Rates & Fees)
Travel protection: review benefits

The Amex Green offers 3x points on airfare purchases, so it’s a good option for those looking to earn Amex points for airfare, without springing for the Amex Platinum.

Read a review of the Amex Green Card, apply for the Amex Green.

The information and associated card details on this page for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

4. American Express® Gold Card

Reward for airline spending: 3x Amex Membership Rewards points (which I value at 5.1%) when purchasing airfare directly with an airline or through Amex Travel
Card annual fee: $325 (Rates & Fees)
Foreign transaction fees: none (Rates & Fees)
Travel protection: review benefits

Much like the Amex Green, the Amex Gold offers 3x points on airfare purchases, which is an excellent return on those purchases.

Read a review of the Amex Gold, apply for the Amex Gold.

5. Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

Reward for airline spending: 3x Citi ThankYou points (which I value at 5.1%)
Card annual fee: $95
Foreign transaction fees: none
Travel protection: none

While the Citi Strata Premier offers 3x points on airfare spending, unfortunately the card doesn’t offer any travel protection.

Read a review of the Citi Strata Premier, apply for the Citi Strata Premier.

6. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Reward for airline spending: 2x Chase Ultimate Rewards points (which I value at 3.4%)
Card annual fee: $95
Foreign transaction fees: none
Travel protection: trip cancelation and interruption coverage, trip delay coverage, delayed and lost luggage coverage

The Chase Sapphire Preferred strikes an excellent balance between offering bonus points on travel, and also offering great travel coverage. The card also offers 10% anniversary bonus points, calculated from base spending. Furthermore, note that you can earn 5x points on flights booked through the Chase Travel portal.

Read a review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred, apply for the Sapphire Preferred.

7. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Reward for airline spending: 2x Capital One miles (which I value at 3.4%), or 5x miles when booked through Capital One Travel portal (which I value at 8.5%).
Card annual fee: $395
Foreign transaction fees: none
Travel protection: trip cancelation and interruption coverage, trip delay coverage, lost luggage coverage

The Capital One Venture X offers 2x miles on all purchases, so this isn’t even a bonus category, but rather just a lucrative return on spending, along with great travel coverage. Don’t be alarmed by the annual fee, as the card offers a $300 annual Capital One Travel credit plus 10,000 bonus anniversary miles.

Read a review of the Capital One Venture X, apply for the Capital One Venture X.

8. World Of Hyatt Credit Card

Reward for airline spending: 2x World of Hyatt points (which I value at 3%)
Card annual fee: $95
Foreign transaction fees: none
Travel protection: trip cancelation and interruption coverage, trip delay coverage, delayed and lost luggage coverage

The World of Hyatt Card is an especially good option for Hyatt loyalists, given the spending thresholds on this card, which can earn you bonus elite nights, an additional Category 1-4 free night certificate, and more.

Read a review of the World of Hyatt Credit Card, apply for the World of Hyatt Card.

Best business cards for buying airline tickets May 2025

As you can see, there are many great personal cards for earning bonuses and getting travel protection on airfare purchases. Meanwhile, the number of business cards offering bonuses in this category is more limited.

Below are the best business cards to consider for your airline ticket purchases.

1. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Reward for airline spending: Up to 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards points (which I value at 5.1%)
Card annual fee: $95
Foreign transaction fees: none
Travel protection: trip cancelation and interruption coverage, trip delay coverage, delayed and lost luggage coverage

The Ink Business Preferred offers 3x points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases every anniversary year on travel (including airline tickets), shipping purchases, internet, cable, and phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines. When you combine the 3x points and travel coverage, this is an excellent card for airfare spending.

Read a review of the Ink Business Preferred, apply for the Ink Business Preferred.

2. Capital One Venture X Business

Reward for airline spending: 2x Capital One miles (which I value at 3.4%), or 5x miles when booked through Capital One Travel portal (which I value at 8.5%).
Card annual fee: $395
Foreign transaction fees: none
Travel protection: trip delay coverage

The Capital One Venture X Business offers 2x miles on all purchases, so this isn’t even a bonus category, but rather just a very well rounded return on spending, along with great travel coverage. Don’t be alarmed by the annual fee, as the card offers a $300 annual Capital One Travel credit plus 10,000 bonus anniversary miles.

Read a review of the Capital One Venture X Business, apply for the Capital One Venture X Business.

3. Capital One Spark Miles for Business

Reward for airline spending: 2x Capital One miles (which I value at 3.4%)
Card annual fee: $95, waived the first year
Foreign transaction fees: none
Travel protection: lost luggage coverage

The Capital One Spark Miles offers 2x miles on all purchases, so this isn’t even a bonus category, but rather just a very well rounded return on spending.

Read a review of the Spark Miles for Business, apply for the Spark Miles for Business.

How do airline credit cards compare?

The above credit cards offer a great rewards structure regardless of which airline you fly, but how does the return on spending compare for airline co-branded credit cards? Just for comparison’s sake, let’s take a look at the rewards structures of some of the best airline cards, based on my valuation of points:

• American’s co-branded credit cards, like the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (review), offer up to 5x AAdvantage miles per dollar spent (4x AAdvantage miles, and then 5x AAdvantage miles for the remainder of the year when you spend at least $150,000 on the card); I value that at an 7.5% return
• Delta’s co-branded credit cards, like the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (review), offer up to 3x SkyMiles per dollar spent; I value that at a 3.3% return
• Southwest’s co-branded credit cards, like the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (review), offer up to 4x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent; I value that at a 4.8% return
• United’s co-branded credit cards, like The New United Club℠ Card (review), offer up to 4x MileagePlus miles per dollar spent; I value that at a 4.4% return

In each cases those are the co-branded cards with the best return on airfare spending for each airline. In some cases those returns are competitive, though personally I’d rather earn transferable points currencies.

Bottom line

When deciding on the credit card to use for airline ticket purchases, consider both the card that offers the most valuable rewards, as well as the card that offers the best travel protection. My top picks for airline ticket purchases are the:

• Platinum Card® from American Express for personal purchases, since you earn 5x points on airfare purchased directly from airlines and through Amex Travel (on up to $500,000 per year and then 1x)
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card for business purchases, since you earn 3x points on travel purchases (on up to $150,000 per year), plus receive travel coverage

Of course, for many it won’t be worth picking up a card just because it offers a good return on airfare purchases, so you should balance the above advice with your current card portfolio. For example, I’d say the Chase Sapphire Reserve® strikes a good balance between offering a good return on airfare spending, while also having great protection.

What card do you use for airline ticket purchases?

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), and American Express® Green Card (Rates & Fees).

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.