My 7 favorite travel statement credits — and how I use them
Some of the best travel credit cards also happen to be some of the most expensive to carry.
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 five 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 rates and fees), 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.
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.
Related: Chase Sapphire Reserve review: A premium card for power travelers
Chase Sapphire Reserve: The Edit hotel credit
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.
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.
Related: How I saved over $8,000 on a family trip to Paris with the Chase Sapphire Reserve
Capital One Venture X: $300 travel credit
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers up to $300 in annual statement credits toward bookings made through Capital One Travel.
That includes things like hotels, airline tickets, car rentals and more, so it's exceptionally easy to use.
I recently put my annual Capital One credit toward a two-night luxury hotel booking via Capital One's Premier Collection in Australia. The credit covered almost the entire cost of the reservation.
Considering the card's annual fee is $395, that credit alone does much of the heavy lifting.
Related: Capital One Venture X: A straightforward premium travel card for a modest annual fee
American Express: up to $600 hotel credit
The American Express Platinum Card and The Business Platinum Card from American Express offer similar Fine Hotels + Resorts statement credits, and I've found them surprisingly easy to maximize.
You can receive up to a $600 annual hotel 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 rates and fees for the Amex Platinum; see rates and fees for the Amex Business Platinum).
Hotel Collection stays require a two-night minimum.
I use my $300 FHR credits on short, inexpensive stays at luxury hotels, usually on quick stopovers.
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.
Related: Double the platinum, double the perks: Why having both Amex Platinum cards is worth it
Amex Business Platinum Card: Hilton for Business credit
This isn't the flashiest credit, but it might be one of the most practical.
I have found the Hilton for Business statement credit on the Business Platinum Card from American Express super convenient to use and it has saved me an extra $200 per year.
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.
The enrollment process takes less than a minute, and the savings add up quickly if you regularly find yourself at Hilton properties.
Related: Amex Business Platinum review: Can its premium perks justify an $895 annual fee?
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.
Considering the card's $550 annual fee (see rates and fees), getting up to $400 back at Hilton resorts goes a long way toward justifying the card's cost.
Related: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card review: A card for all Hilton fans
Chase Sapphire Preferred: $100 hotel credit
Not every great travel credit requires an expensive premium card.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to take home the top travel rewards credit card of the year at the TPG Awards because it's such a solid value proposition. For just a $95 annual fee, this card is an earning powerhouse.
And the card just revamped its benefits and doubled its annual hotel statement credit from $50 to $100.
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.
Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card review: A top travel and dining card
Bottom line
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 here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Aspire, click here.