The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Advertiser disclosure
The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
My 7 favorite travel statement credits — and how I use them
TPG's director of travel content Eric Rosen has used points and miles to visit some of the world's most remote corners, including swimming with whale sharks off Western Australia's Ningaloo Coast, exploring the wilds of Botswana's Okavango Delta and tasting the high-altitude wines of Argentina's Mendoza region.
June 25, 2026 • 10 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Related stories
Quick summary
Premium travel cards often come with high annual fees but offer valuable travel statement credits that can offset these costs.
Popular credits include annual travel credits, hotel booking credits and resort credits, many of which are easy to use and apply to common travel expenses.
Some credits are split into biannual or quarterly allotments, while others are automatically applied to qualifying purchases without enrollment.
Even cards with lower fees can provide useful hotel credits that help justify their cost.
What to consider
Eligibility for certain credits may require booking through specific travel portals or meeting minimum stay requirements.
Some credits are divided into multiple periods per year, and enrollment may be necessary to activate specific benefits.
Upcoming changes may affect the terms of hotel credits, such as minimum stay requirements for luxury hotel bookings starting in 2027.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of how to maximize each travel statement credit and real-world examples of their practical use.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
With annual fees that can range north of $500, and even some that are closing in on the $1,000 mark, it can be hard to justify paying for more than one or two of them each year unless you’re a super-frequent traveler who can squeeze every penny of value out of each and every benefit.
I actually carry four premium travel cards myself:
With these cards alone, I'm paying more than $2,500 in annual fees every year.
But I’m okay paying those annual fees because I know I can get a lot more value from their various premium benefits.
And while I love the perks the cards come with, like dining, streaming subscriptions and rideshare services, the benefits I care about most are the easy-to-use travel statement credits that help offset costs I'd incur anyway.
That philosophy doesn't just apply to premium cards, either. One of my favorite travel statement credits comes from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see ), which carries just a $95 annual fee.
With that in mind, here are my seven favorite travel statement credits.
Chase Sapphire Reserve: $300 annual travel credit
The Chase Sapphire Reserve charges a $795 annual fee. That might be a dealbreaker for some folks, but not for me.
In fact, if I had to pick a single favorite travel credit, this would probably be it.
The Sapphire Reserve automatically reimburses up to $300 in travel purchases each cardmember year. Unlike many competing credits, there's no enrollment required and virtually no strategy involved. If Chase codes the purchase as travel, it generally qualifies.
CHASE
I easily already used the $300 statement credit when my cardmember year renewed on sundry purchases ranging from cheap airline tickets to a couple of Lyft rides and even parking meters. That’s how easy it is to use that particular credit; it applies to pretty much any purchase that Chase codes as travel.
That's $300 in value I can count on every year without changing my spending habits.
The Sapphire Reserve's hotel statement credits have become another favorite because they can lead to outsized savings on luxury stays.
The Reserve offers:
Up to $500 (split into two up-to-$250 credits that can be used at any time but cannot be combined) for prepaid bookings of two nights or more booked via The Edit by Chase Travel℠.
A one-time credit of up to $250 for prepaid stays of two nights or more booked via Chase travel at select hotels such as IHG, Omni and Virgin Hotels (a two-night minimum is required, must be used by Dec. 31, 2026).
This year, I actually stacked one of the up-to-$250 The Edit hotel credits with the card's one-time up to $250 hotel credit for eligible properties booked through Chase Travel. The result? I knocked $500 off a stay at the Kimpton Charlotte in January.
Angeline restaurant at Kimpton Tryon Park in Charlotte. ERIC ROSEN / THE POINTS GUY
And I still have the other $250 credit toward another The Edit booking to use.
What I particularly like about these The Edit credits is that once I use their monetary value, I can typically use my Chase points to cover the rest of the cost of the stay at an increased value thanks to Chase’s Points Boost feature.
You can receive up to a $600 annual lodging credit per calendar year in the form of a statement credit (allotted as up to $300 biannually) on prepaid American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings made through American Express Travel® when you pay with your Platinum card. This credit alone covers more than two-thirds of the $895 annual fee both cards incur, making it even more valuable (see for the Amex Platinum; see for the Amex Business Platinum).
Hotel Collection stays require a two-night minimum; beginning Jan. 1, 2027, Fine Hotels + Resorts will require stays of two nights or more to be eligible for the lodging statement credit.
I use my $300 FHR credits on short, inexpensive stays at luxury hotels, usually on quick stopovers.
Shangri-La Singapore lobby. ERIC ROSEN / THE POINTS GUY
For instance, I used my first $300 statement credit this year on a one-night stay at the Shangri-La Singapore that would have cost $320 otherwise, so I effectively got a $20 night at a luxury hotel, including complimentary breakfast and a $100 credit toward on-property purchases that I used toward a much-needed massage at the hotel spa.
Amex Business Platinum cardholders who are also Hilton for Business members (it’s free and fast to enroll) get up to $200 back per calendar year split into four statement credits of up to $50 per quarter when they make eligible purchases at Hilton properties. Enrollment is required.
Over the past year, I've triggered the credit on everything from breakfast at the Canopy by Hilton Osaka to cocktails at the Conrad Singapore.
Manhattan Bar at the Conrad Singapore. ERIC ROSEN / THE POINTS GUY
The enrollment process takes less than a minute, and the savings add up quickly if you regularly find yourself at Hilton properties.
Hilton American Express Aspire Card: Up to $400 at resorts
One of my favorite hotel-card perks is the Hilton Aspire's up to $400 annual resort credit. The statement credit is split into two up-to-$200 credits, one from January-June, then July-December, but I still find it surprisingly easy to use.
It can be used toward eligible purchases, including room rates and incidentals, made directly with participating Hilton resorts. In fact, I routinely use it at a Hilton resort near my parents' home in San Diego, where it helps offset room charges and other eligible purchases I'd be making anyway.
The Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY
Considering the card's $550 annual fee (see ), getting up to $400 back at Hilton resorts goes a long way toward justifying the card's cost.
Basically, all you have to do is book a prepaid hotel through Chase Travel. There are no complicated spending thresholds or minimum stay requirements. It's a simple benefit that can completely offset the card's annual fee.
My husband carries the Sapphire Preferred, so we use this credit each year when booking an inexpensive stay when visiting family or friends.
Some of the best travel rewards credit cards charge high annual fees. But they also offer travel-related statement credits that can help offset the cost. If you carry one of these cards, be sure you are taking advantage of all its perks, or you could be leaving hundreds of dollars in value on the table.
Thanks to my busy travel schedule, I’m able to leverage thousands of dollars in travel statement credits each year with my suite of premium cards.
Have strategies for doing the same with yours? Share them in the comments!
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, click . For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum, click . For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Aspire, click .
