problems with air travel today

What a summer of hellish flights taught us about flying now

Easy air travel is a thing of the past.

by Whizy Kim

More than 240 million people in the US flew somewhere between June and Labor Day, according to the Transportation Security Administration — about 7 million more than in summer 2019. 

Air travel is back. But it’s most definitely not back to normal.

Horror stories of interminable delays and vacation-wrecking cancellations came from every corner of the country this summer — caused not just by storms and extreme heat, but also labor shortages. Befuddlement at how much pricier it has become to fly mounted, too. 

For travelers, taking to the skies feels like it has reached a nadir. Not only were there bigger crowds and more delays to contend with at airports, but when delays happened, they caused more stress than usual. A recent Forbes Advisor survey of 2,000 travelers found that 61 percent had experienced a flight delay or cancellation this summer, and most of that 61 percent lost some money due to the delay — cash lost on prepaid hotel rooms, missed cruises, parking fees, and even kenneling pets. 

Some of the problems are a temporary bump in the runway as the industry gets used to high numbers of travelers again, but some of the most deep-seated causes of passenger disgruntlement might be here to stay.

“Things that may not have upended the entire system in the past — thunderstorms on the East Coast in the afternoon — now seem to have ripple effects throughout the entire system,” says John Breyault, who is the vice president of fraud policy at the National Consumers League and leads its airline advocacy program. “I think that’s symptomatic of a system that is really overtaxed in every way.”

Here’s what we learned from this summer’s travel debacles:  

Climate change is straining a fragile industry 

Mass flight delays and cancellations happen because of bad weather. Thunderstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, or even extreme heat aren’t new, but record-breaking temperatures and more frequent weather disasters in the past year added stress on the air travel industry. In December 2022 and July 2023, a series of storms across the country caused a torrent of flight delays that stranded thousands of passengers during busy holiday seasons. Last month, as Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida, more than 1,000 flights were delayed across the South.

The weather this summer did more than create delays; it laid bare just how unprepared the aviation industry is for handling any shocks. Weaknesses that might have gone unnoticed by passengers before — like aging, sparse fleets, or difficult conditions for workers, such as extreme heat — suddenly became glaringly obvious, adding to the cascading effects of bad weather and creating disruptions lasting for days. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics says that consumer complaints against airlines have soared by more than 300 percent since 2019. (The most common type of complaint was not getting the refund for canceled flights, which airlines are required to give. The second most common was flight delays and cancellations.)

A single hour-long delay might not seem like a huge deal, but the problem is amplified when airlines are overscheduled — one late flight bumps all the others after it — and when there aren’t enough planes or staff across various airports to accommodate a sudden change in plans. In its most recent earnings call , United Airlines said that its thousands of delays and cancellations in the leadup to the Fourth of July holiday had cost the company 1 point of profit margin for the entire quarter. According to trade association Airlines for America , flight delays in 2022 likely cost the industry billions of dollars. 

“We are getting a very real preview of what our new normal will be like for summer travel,” says Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group. “The first storm tosses Humpty Dumpty off the wall, but sequential storms make it harder to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”

The labor shortage is sky high

There’s still a widespread shortage of workers in the industry, including pilots, flight attendants, airport workers, and air traffic controllers. Airline employment data from June 2023 shows higher numbers than June 2019, but the industry is still clamoring for more workers. Currently, according to one estimate, US airlines need 8,000 more pilots to fulfill demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there will be more than 16,000 job openings for pilots and flight attendants each year between now and 2032. 

A labor shortfall becomes especially apparent when something goes wrong: When there aren’t enough people to fill crucial jobs, everything has to slow down, or else risk disaster. A recent New York Times report revealed that near-crashes between planes taking off and landing have become more common because of mistakes by air traffic controllers, who are overstrained amid chronic staff shortages. The Federal Aviation Administration has hired 1,500 air traffic controllers this year, but still wants to hire 1,800 more next year.

Flight delays weren’t just more common. They were more irritating. 

While there have been more delays this year than usual, cancellations are actually down. According to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (which currently only has numbers through May), 20.8 percent of flights were delayed so far in 2023, compared to 18.8 percent in 2019. The average length of delay in 2023 is 53 minutes, just 3 minutes longer than in 2019, according to flight tracking site Flight Aware. 

So what’s creating such horrid air travel vibes? One possibility is that there are more travelers now than in 2019, but fewer commercial aircraft are flying , meaning passengers have fewer chances to reroute or get on the next flight when delays happen, leaving them stuck in limbo longer. When over 15,000 flights were axed during the infamous Southwest cancellations last winter , not only outdated tech, but also aggressive overscheduling created a huge domino effect on the system. Delays can have serious consequences for travelers, not just causing people to miss important life events, but in some cases limiting their access to food and water while they’re stuck on a plane for hours. American Airlines was recently fined a record $4 million for hours-long tarmac delays during which it did not allow passengers to deplane.

Extra fees feel unavoidable, and they’re here to stay

Over 22 million more travelers crowded the airports this summer than last — some of them flying for the first time in years — and many were freshly reminded of what’s now the industry standard of nickel-and-diming passengers for checking bags and choosing seats. In the early 2000s, it was mostly ultra-low-cost carriers charging extra to check luggage. But since then, even full-service US carriers are creating basic economy fares that tack on bag and seat fees.

“Drip pricing” for services that used to be included with airfare only piles onto the exasperation travelers feel. According to an analysis by the airline consultancy IdeaWorks , top US airlines demand $33 on average for a preferred seat (which is usually closer to the front of the plane), $48 for an exit-row seat (where there’s more leg room) and $18 for a last-row seat. These are “junk fees” to consumers and the White House , but to airlines, they’re a cash cow. Take United, which made a record $1 billion in revenue just from bags and seats fees from April to June. Having multiple types of seat upgrades “is a key driver of our revenue growth,” United executive Andrew Nocella said in the company’s most recent earnings call . And just look at baggage fees : Last year, top airlines made about $6.7 billion in baggage fees, a spike from the $5.7 billion they made in 2019, despite more flyers that year.  

Airline perks and deals were harder to come by

The race to the bottom isn’t going unnoticed by travelers. Flying is becoming more stratified; class divisions feel more heightened than ever, and having frequent flyer status with an airline is more valuable. Airlines know this too, and in response to an inundation of passengers attaining “elite” status , many have upped the threshold to join, limiting airport lounge access to higher membership levels or raising lounge fees.

“I have spoken with airline managers and executives who have said that part of the reason that the standard coach product is so bad is intentional,” says Harteveldt. “They want to get more people paying extra and trading up to a better product. America can claim to be egalitarian, but that claim ends at the airport door.” 

Airfare has dropped since reaching new highs last summer, but is still elevated. “This has been one of the worst years I can ever remember for flight deals,” says Ben Mutzabaugh, senior aviation editor at The Points Guy, a popular travel site. Meanwhile, leisure travelers with disposable income have shown a surprising willingness to spend. “A lot of times they’re willing to just buy business-class tickets — we see much more of that now than we did before the pandemic.”

The stark contrast in travel experience between the haves and have-nots may be fomenting resentment on one end and arrogance on the other. Airports and even flights are becoming an all-too-common setting for viral videos of travelers losing their tempers.  

Reports of “unruly passengers” — people airlines report for causing a disturbance on flights — skyrocketed amid mask mandates in 2021, almost reaching 6,000 reports , according to Federal Aviation Administration data. In 2019, there were just 1,161.

This is the new normal — unless airlines are forced to change

Some of the annoyances travelers experienced this summer will remain unavoidable in coming months. Increasingly frequent bad weather will keep walloping flights ; that’s the reality of the climate crisis.

Airlines have learned some lessons from this summer’s onslaught of demand. The biggest are to hire more workers and have more spare planes on the ground in case of emergencies, but also to leave more slack in scheduling flights. Airlines have been on a hiring spree, and experts say the worst of the pilot shortage will probably be over by next summer. 

But some of the other bugbears of air travel — like airlines’ worst anti-consumer practices — aren’t likely to go away without antitrust action. Much of what we hate about taking to the skies today can be blamed on industry consolidation after the airlines were deregulated in the late 1970s. A handful of airlines — United, Delta, American, and Southwest — control about 80 percent of the domestic market. “Since the government let the industry become a permanent oligopoly, there is zero risk that competition will discipline fee increases,” Hubert Horan, a transportation analyst, told Vox in an email. 

The Biden administration has signaled a desire to rein in airlines’ worst practices, voicing support for a policy requiring airlines to disclose all fees from the beginning of a fare search rather than showing a deceptive base fare that will significantly rise as seat and bag fees are added. The administration has also urged Congress to mandate airlines to seat families together for free. But these rules don’t actually exist yet. (A few airlines have voluntarily offered free family seating.)

Under Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the Department of Transportation has revved up its enforcement actions; not only did it order American to pay up, the department has also been levying millions in fines to airlines that didn’t refund customers in a timely manner. Breyault, of the National Consumers League, says that these are steps in the right direction but that the DOT hasn’t used the full force of its authority. By the NCL’s accounting, the frequency of enforcement and the amount of money fined has decreased over the years. Breyault calls even the historic $4 million fine “a rounding error to a company the size of American.”

A flight delay doesn’t have to entirely ruin a vacation, and maybe we don’t have to pay an arm and a leg just to have a pleasant flying experience. But if flying during the high season continues to be awful, that could turn off customers and ultimately dampen demand.

“I don’t think that this is sustainable,” says Breyault.

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U.S. Flights Grounded The F.A.A. Said It Traced the Problem to a Damaged Database File

The agency said that there was no evidence it was caused by a cyberattack.

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Niraj Chokshi and Mark Walker

F.A.A. outage highlights fragility of the aviation system.

Tens of thousands of flights were delayed or canceled around Christmas when frigid weather and storms made travel treacherous. But the weather was mostly fine on Wednesday morning when flights across the country were halted because the Federal Aviation Administration’s system to alert pilots to safety issues went down.

The F.A.A. said on Wednesday night that it had traced the outage to a damaged database file and that there was no evidence that it was caused by a cyberattack. The disruption was the latest example of serious problems in the aviation system and at the F.A.A., the agency responsible for safely managing all commercial air traffic that critics say has long been overworked and underfunded.

The pause on flights across the country highlighted what aviation experts say are glaring weaknesses at the agency, long considered the world’s premier aviation regulator. The F.A.A. has struggled to quickly update systems and processes, many of which were put in place decades ago, to keep up with technological advancements and a sharp increase in the number of flights and passengers.

Problems with the system used to notify pilots of hazards in the air and ground began on Tuesday night, forcing officials to reboot the system early Wednesday morning. To fix the problem, the F.A.A. ordered airlines to delay all departing flights just before 7:30 a.m. That pause was lifted at about 9 a.m., but the disruption was far from over as airlines struggled to get back to normal throughout the day. Delays cascaded throughout the system and, by the afternoon, about 9,000 flights had been delayed and 1,300 had been canceled.

Just two weeks earlier, hundreds of thousands of travelers were stranded by an operational meltdown at Southwest Airlines , the country’s largest carrier by number of passengers. Taken together, the two episodes underscore the fragility of the nation’s aviation system.

The F.A.A., in particular, has long faced criticism for failing to modernize its technological systems quickly enough and not hiring enough air traffic controllers and safety specialists. Lawmakers strongly criticized the agency’s oversight of Boeing, for example, after two of the company’s 737 Max planes crashed, killing 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019.

A big part of the problem, aviation experts said, is that Congress has not given the F.A.A. enough money to do its many jobs properly, and the agency has sometimes been slow to make change even when it had enough resources. The agency’s budget was about $18.5 billion in 2022 — less than it was in 2004 after adjusting for inflation.

“This is an agency that has been chronically and critically underfunded, not for years, but for decades,” said William J. McGee, a senior fellow for aviation at the American Economic Liberties Project, a research and advocacy group that has criticized consolidation in the airline business.

The outage will surely figure prominently in hearings and debates in Congress because the F.A.A.’s most recent authorization, passed in 2018, expires this year. That gives lawmakers an opportunity to overhaul the agency, require changes and reset its funding. Many senators and representatives have expressed anger and concern about flight delays and cancellations since air travel began to recover in 2021 after collapsing in the first year of the pandemic.

“We will be looking into what caused this outage and how redundancy plays a role in preventing future outages,” Senator Maria Cantwell, Democrat of Washington and the chairwoman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said in a statement on Wednesday. “The public needs a resilient air transportation system.”

The F.A.A. is also without a permanent leader, and it is not clear when that will change. Last week, President Biden renominated his choice to lead the agency, Phillip A. Washington, the chief executive of Denver International Airport. Mr. Washington was nominated last year but did not receive a Senate confirmation hearing.

He has faced criticism over his limited aviation experience and his involvement in a public corruption investigation in Los Angeles, where he previously ran the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Mr. Washington has said he did nothing wrong.

The agency has lacked a permanent leader since the end of March, when Stephen Dickson, a former Delta Air Lines executive who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump , stepped down about halfway through a five-year term . Since then, Billy Nolen, the F.A.A.’s top safety official, has led the agency on an interim basis.

A spokeswoman for Ms. Cantwell said her committee had not yet scheduled a hearing to consider Mr. Washington’s nomination.

Pete Buttigieg, who oversees the F.A.A. as the secretary of transportation, said on Wednesday that the government was investigating what caused the outage and why the agency’s systems were not more resilient.

“When there’s a problem with a government system, we’re going to own it, we’re going to find it, and we’re going to fix it,” Mr. Buttigieg told reporters. “In this case, we had to make sure that there was complete confidence about the safety of flight operations, which is why there was the conservative but important step to have that pause and make sure everything was back up and running.”

Experts say that the F.A.A.’s technology has grown outdated and that the agency has long lacked the resources for ambitious overhauls that would strengthen those systems.

“I’ve been flying airplanes for 55 years, it’s been known for a long time that the F.A.A. is often underfunded,” Chesley B. Sullenberger III, the pilot who safely landed a US Airways plane on the Hudson River in 2009, said in a telephone interview on Wednesday as the flight he was traveling on was delayed.

Two decades ago Congress did launch a major overhaul of the national aviation system, known as the Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen. The multibillion-dollar project, which is intended to allow airlines to operate more flights and modernize some of the aging technology used by the F.A.A., has been mired in problems and taken longer than expected.

In a 2021 report , the inspector general of the Transportation Department found that the benefits of the NextGen overhaul have fallen far short of early projections, but said that it still held promise. The project is supposed to help the agency handle increased air traffic and develop technology to prevent problems like Wednesday’s disruption.

“The expectations for these capabilities vastly exceeded the actual deliverables,” said Robert Mann, an airline industry expert and president of the aviation consultancy R.W. Mann and Company.

In recent years, the F.A.A. has fallen short in other areas, including not having enough air traffic controllers in some parts of the country at times. The airline industry and a union that represents controllers have said that staffing shortages have led to flight delays and cancellations.

Airline executives and union leaders say the air traffic control center in Jacksonville, Fla., in particular has been overwhelmed by flights. That issue has been compounded by bad weather, commercial space launches and other problems, Rich Santa, the president of the union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said in a speech last summer .

“If you fly on the East Coast, if you come close to Florida, you are affected by this facility,” he said.

The agency launched a broad air traffic controller recruiting campaign last year, but the effort is unlikely to quickly resolve any staffing problems because hiring and training controllers can take months — and getting new hires to the right places can take even longer.

The agency also faced widespread criticism for failing to adequately ensure the safety of Boeing’s 737 Max jet after the two crashes. The F.A.A. had outsourced oversight to Boeing itself through a program where some regulatory work was delegated to company employees. That practice was allowed under federal law partly because the agency didn’t have the resources to do the work on its own.

Representative Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, said the outage on Wednesday was particularly frustrating because it happened so soon after Southwest Airlines’ meltdown during the holidays.

Ms. Mace said Southwest and federal agencies should face the same tough scrutiny and that she intended to ask the F.A.A. questions about its shortcomings and how it planned to address them.

“The F.A.A. is putting safety first, which is important,” Ms. Mace said. “But also, at the same time, Americans should know they can take a flight on any random week of the year and know that they’ll get to their destination safely and securely.”

Kitty Bennett contributed research.

Canada’s air navigation service provider, NAV CANADA, was also struck with a brief outage to its systems just after 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Vanessa Adams, a spokeswoman for NAV CANADA, said in an email.

Service was restored about three hours later and there were no delays to scheduled flights because backup measures allowed operations to continue, Adams said. The company is still investigating what caused the system lapse, but she did not believe it was linked to the F.A.A. outage.

Zach Montague

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, told reporters that there had been “issues” with the safety alert system on Tuesday, and that the Federal Aviation Administration had worked through the night to try to resolve the problems. “The F.A.A. is working aggressively to get to the bottom of the root causes for the system outage so that it does not happen again,” she said.

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Emily Cochrane

Representative Sam Graves, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he had many questions about the problems, adding, “I expect the F.A.A. to provide a full briefing to members of Congress as soon as they learn more.” He also said he expected the Transportation Department to “do right by passengers it has wronged.”

He added that he wanted “to make sure that we know what went wrong, who’s responsible, and how this is going to be prevented in the future.”

Mark Walker

In an interview on CNN, Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, said that at some point overnight, there were “irregularities” in safety alerts to pilots, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to put a halt to flights. “Now we have to understand how this could have happened in the first place — why the usual redundancies that would stop it from being that disruptive did not stop it from being disruptive this time, and what the original source of the errors or the corrupted files would have been,” he said.

Erin Schaff

Grand Canyon University's pep band was stuck in Phoenix with the school's cheer and dance teams. The group needed to get to Orlando for a national competition. “It’s just a bit tiring and frustrating," said Isaac Willis, who was trying to sleep on the hard floor. “We came to the airport at 4 a.m.”

Wesley Parnell

It helped that Wednesday's outage was during one of the slower flight days of the week. At Newark, where flights were starting to take off, passengers were easily moving through security and the airport wasn't busy.

Jaime Vallejo was flying from Newark to Ecuador with his wife and three kids when he found out that his flight was delayed because of the F.A.A. outage. “That’s the computer system for the whole country, and that’s something that should make you a little nervous,” he said.

Lauren McCarthy

Several major airlines, including Delta, American, and United, have announced that they will waive associated fees for customers to change their flights due to Wednesday's delays and cancellations.

More than 7,000 flights have been delayed within, into or out of the United States on Wednesday even as departures are returning, according to the latest figures from FlightAware, a flight tracking service.

Daniel Victor and Maria Cramer

Once again, thousands of airline passengers are left confused and frustrated.

Frequent fliers know that feeling well, particularly as air travel has roared back from pandemic lows: Their flight has been delayed, and then they receive little information about when — or if — it will take off, stoking feelings of anger and hopelessness.

But the Federal Aviation Administration system failure that caused more than 9,000 delays on Wednesday led to a slightly different dynamic for the frustrated passengers: This time, they didn’t have the airline to blame.

“Because it was a systemwide, nationwide thing, there was nowhere to direct your outrage, so everybody was being really helpful,” said Jess McIntosh, a political consultant whose American Airlines flight was delayed in Albany, N.Y. “And nobody was yelling at the T.S.A. agents.”

The outage that halted takeoffs for about 90 minutes on Wednesday morning was caused by the failure of a system that the F.A.A. uses to send timely safety alerts to pilots. Flights began to resume at around 9 a.m., the F.A.A. said, but the effects continued to snarl air traffic throughout the day.

Paul Hudson, the president of FlyersRights.org , which represents airline consumers, called the shutdown “shocking” and potentially avoidable.

“The fact that this could happen at all shows the real vulnerabilities to the computer system that the F.A.A. operates,” he said. The F.A.A. said it was still investigating the cause of the disruption to the NOTAM — short for Notice to Air Mission — alert system. There was no evidence of a cyberattack , said Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary.

Mr. Hudson said that while the cause of the disruption is still unknown, it is clear that the F.A.A. needs to update its computer system and conduct more “stress tests,” such as drills conducted at airports and by airlines to prepare for emergencies.

In terminals across the country, just weeks after mass cancellations by Southwest Airlines left thousands of travelers stranded, many passengers were sanguine about yet another chaotic day for air travel.

Bettina Inclán, who was traveling to Houston from Washington, said her United pilot kept everyone on her delayed flight informed and calm.

“The entire United team did really well in setting expectations, being honest on what they knew and didn’t know, and what it all meant,” she said.

As Sara Hole , of Stamford, Conn., and her fiancé, Drew Tomlinson, waited by their gate at Newark Liberty International Airport on Wednesday morning, they got the impression that the American Airlines staff members were just as confused as the passengers.

Over the intercom, an airline representative told them there was an F.A.A. “system outage,” but there were few other details.

“They have emphasized that they have all of the same information that we do,” Ms. Hole said.

Some of the passengers may have been accommodating, but their plans were no less ruined. Ms. McIntosh, who left for the airport at 4:30 a.m. to catch a flight to Raleigh, N.C., for a business meeting, eventually went back home when she realized she was going to miss most of it. Ms. Inclán had to rearrange several meetings, and Ms. Hole said she and her fiancé would probably miss their connecting flight in Phoenix, disrupting their planned hiking trip in Utah for Mr. Tomlinson’s birthday.

Several major airlines, including Delta, American and United, announced that they would waive any fees typically associated with changing flights because of Wednesday’s delays and cancellations.

The fact that the disruption came from the F.A.A. and not an airline dealing with overbooked flights may explain why many passengers were not as outraged as they might have been, said Mike Arnot, an industry analyst.

“Safety first, and that’s the right call,” he said. “By and large, this will be hopefully forgotten by most of the traveling public soon.”

Not everyone was so understanding.

Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican and the ranking member in the Senate aviation committee, called for accountability from the F.A.A. on what went wrong.

“The flying public deserves safety in the sky,” he said in a statement. “The F.A.A.’s inability to keep an important safety system up and running is completely unacceptable.”

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 50,000 workers, said the disruption was a “frustrating” reminder of the need to update the computer systems that airline crews rely on to operate.

“We’ll find out more about the root cause of the issue in the coming days,” Ms. Nelson said, “but what’s clear is the need for robust and stable funding this year to bring our aviation system into the 21st century.”

Paola Canales, who was flying Spirit Airlines to Honduras with a layover in Florida, said the malfunction made her worry about the integrity of the system.

“Think about it,” she said. “Hacks happen all the time now.”

Sayron Stokes, a passenger headed from La Guardia to Oakland, Calif., on Southwest, said she was “very mad” about the meltdown as she looked for a quiet corner of the airport for a nap on Wednesday. “We need to do something better,” she said.

At Newark Liberty International Airport, Jaime Vallejo, 52, who owns a cleaning company, was worried about catching his connecting flight from Miami to Ecuador. He was traveling with his wife and three children and had just learned that his 12 p.m. flight had been delayed by two hours.

Mr. Vallejo said he was also frustrated that the F.A.A. did not send him any direct notification, which would have saved him the stress of rushing to the airport.

“I didn’t receive so much as an email,” he said.

Unlike Southwest’s holiday season meltdown , when passengers aimed their anger squarely at the airline and some of its workers, the disappointment on Wednesday couldn’t be pinned on a specific company or even severe weather. No matter the airline or the region of the country, everyone was in the dark.

It led to confusing scenes in the early morning as the picture came into focus. Venus Marcil said she and her uncle were on their plane at Orlando International Airport, seatbelts fastened and their plane cleared for takeoff for their 7:25 a.m. Delta flight to New York, when the pilot said they would not be departing.

The passengers deplaned, and she was told she would receive an update in about two hours.

But that wasn’t Delta’s fault, she said.

“I think they’ve been transparent and timely with the communication,” Ms. Marcil said of the airline.

Reporting was contributed by Niraj Chokshi , Jenny Gross , Jordyn Holman , Wesley Parnell and Nancy Wartik .

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation.

Representative Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, said the F.A.A.’s troubles were particularly frustrating after the flight chaos during the holiday season. “The F.A.A. is putting safety first, which is important,” she said in an interview. “But also, at the same time, Americans should know they can take a flight on any random week of the year and know that they’ll get to their destination safely and securely.”

Cruz, who is set to be the top Republican on the Senate committee that oversees transportation, added, “This incident also highlights why the public needs a competent, proven leader with substantive aviation experience leading the F.A.A.”

Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, criticized the F.A.A. following the outage, saying the agency's “inability to keep an important safety system up and running is completely unacceptable and just the latest example of dysfunction within the Department of Transportation.”

Nancy Wartik

Sayron Stokes, 27, said she arrived at La Guardia Airport at 4 a.m. Eastern for her 9:45 a.m. Southwest Airlines flight to Oakland, Calif., connecting through Nashville. She said she was informed at 8:04 a.m. that her flight was delayed for an hour, and eventually, she was told her flight was canceled. “I’m very mad,” she said. “I am losing a day, and I’ve had no sleep.”

Jenny Gross

Several European airlines, including British Airways, Lufthansa and Iberia, said the F.A.A. system failure had not caused delays or cancellations to their flights to and from the United States. Iberia said that its flights to the U.S. from Madrid had taken off before the outage. Mid-flight updates could be shared with pilots through an alternative communication system, the airline said in a statement.

The F.A.A. is currently without a permanent leader.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s troubles on Wednesday occurred at a time when the agency is without permanent leadership.

Last week, President Biden renominated his choice to lead the agency, Phillip A. Washington, who is currently the chief executive of Denver International Airport. Mr. Washington has faced an uncertain path to confirmation and did not receive a confirmation hearing in the Senate last year.

The F.A.A. has lacked a permanent leader since the end of March, when Stephen Dickson, a former Delta Air Lines executive who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump , stepped down about halfway through his five-year term . Since then, Billy Nolen, the F.A.A.’s top safety official, has led the agency on an interim basis.

Mr. Biden nominated Mr. Washington last year to be F.A.A. administrator. Mr. Washington has faced scrutiny over his limited aviation experience and his connection to a public corruption investigation in Los Angeles, where he previously ran the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Mr. Washington has said the allegations against him are untrue and had been made by a disgruntled employee.

At La Guardia Airport, Denise Meagher, 52, from Manhattan, and her partner, David Ippolito, 66, had been on their way to a wedding in Florida. They said they had been notified of a delay to their flight before leaving their apartment, but came to the airport anyway. “We’re not in a rush. We don’t have a connection to make,” Meagher said. She said that she was glad that the F.A.A. had delayed flights, and that she saw it as a protective measure.

Daniel Victor

Nearly 4,600 flights have been delayed within, into or out of the United States on Wednesday, according to the latest figures from FlightAware, a flight tracking service.

Niraj Chokshi

What is NOTAM? Here’s what caused the F.A.A. outage.

The disruption on Wednesday was caused by an outage to a system that the Federal Aviation Administration uses to send real-time safety alerts to pilots.

Those NOTAM alerts — short for Notice to Air Missions — are crucial to planning flights and are used to share information about hazards in the air or on the ground, such as closed runways, airspace restrictions and navigational signal disruptions.

NOTAMs, which until recently stood for the anachronistically gendered Notice to Airmen, typically include technical language that can be difficult to parse for anyone without experience reading them. They were created in 1947 and modeled after similar messages used to alert ship captains to hazards at sea.

Jordyn Holman

At 9:03 a.m. at Orlando International Airport, gate agents started announcing that boarding was open for flights that had been delayed over the past couple of hours. Sleepy passengers started packing up their bags and quickly shuffling to their gates.

In Orlando, a gate agent described the scene as a “mass exodus” as passengers headed to their gates to board their delayed flights.

At La Guardia Airport, Neil Wynter, 47, from Brooklyn, was traveling with his wife and three boys to Orlando, Fla., to go to Disney World. They, too, discovered before leaving home that their Delta flight had been delayed by an hour and a half. Wynter said he was a little anxious about the flight. “It’s a system problem, so you’ve got to be concerned. You don’t know if they’re telling you all the truth or half the truth.“ The delay, itself he said, was not a big deal.

“The groundstop has been lifted,” the F.A.A. said in its latest update, adding that it continued to “look into the cause” of the problem. “Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the United States following an overnight outage to the Notice to Air Missions system that provides safety information to flight crews,” the agency said.

Anika Robertson, a spokesperson for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, said projections showed that “more than 13,000 local passengers and more than 43,000 total passengers” had been affected at the airport.

Melissa Hoppert

With the F.A.A. system outage causing delays, some pilots had extra time to fuel up on coffee at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

It’s been a difficult few weeks for air travel in the U.S.

Wednesday’s system failure comes after a particularly busy holiday period, one that was marred by thousands of flight cancellations caused at first by bad weather in the days before Christmas.

Most airlines recovered quickly from the storms, but Southwest Airlines became overwhelmed and soon canceled thousands more flights to recover. That airline alone canceled about 16,700 flights in the last 10 days of December, about half of all U.S. flight cancellations during that period, according to data from FlightAware, a flight tracking service.

The cancellations were devastating in many cases, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers at one of the busiest times of the year for air travel. Many scrambled to find alternative travel or canceled trips altogether. But Southwest mostly recovered by New Year’s Eve, and flight cancellation rates nationwide have been low in recent days after most holiday travelers returned home.

Wednesday’s outage comes at a particularly slow, midweek period. About 1.7 million people were screened at federal airport security checkpoints on Tuesday, one of the slowest days for travel in almost a year, according to Transportation Security Administration data . It has been more than a month since the last time so few people were screened in a single day.

In its latest update, the F.A.A. said it was “making progress” in restoring operations. Departures are resuming at Newark Liberty and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airports, the agency said on Twitter. “We expect departures to resume at other airports at 9 a.m. ET,” it added.

Some passengers at Newark are waiting for answers that their airline doesn’t have.

As Sara Hole, 23, of Stamford, Conn., and her fiancé, Drew Tomlinson, waited by their gate in Newark Liberty International Airport on Wednesday morning, they got the impression that the staff members were just as confused as the passengers about the delays to their flight.

Over the intercom, an American Airlines representative blamed “a system outage” with the F.A.A., Ms. Hole said, but there were few other details.

On social media, passengers awaiting flights from a variety of airlines in cities across the United States told a similar story: The airlines were blaming the F.A.A. technical problem for delays, and there weren’t many answers available.

Ms. Hole said that their 6:20 a.m. flight to Phoenix on American Airlines had been delayed several times in 15- and 30-minute increments. They arrived at the airport before 5 a.m. after driving about an hour. They were concerned that their flight could be delayed long enough that they would miss their connection to St. George, Utah, where they had planned a hiking trip for Mr. Tomlinson’s birthday.

They were “trying to stay positive,” she said. As they waited, they saw a “small handful” of other planes taking off through the window.

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Computer breakdown sows chaos across US air travel system

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NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of flights across the U.S. were canceled or delayed Wednesday after a system that offers safety information to pilots failed, and the government launched an investigation into the breakdown, which grounded some planes for hours.

The Federal Aviation Administration said preliminary indications “traced the outage to a damaged database file.” The agency said it would take steps to avoid another similar disruption.

The breakdown showed how much American air travel depends on the computer system that generates alerts called NOTAMs — or Notice to Air Missions.

Before a plane takes off, pilots and airline dispatchers must review the notices, which include details about bad weather, runway closures or other temporary factors that could affect the flight. The system was once telephone-based but moved online years ago.

The system broke down late Tuesday and was not fixed until midmorning Wednesday. The FAA took the rare step of preventing any planes from taking off for a time, and the cascading chaos led to more than 1,300 flight cancellations and 9,000 delays by early evening on the East Coast, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told a news conference that the problems “led to a ground stop because of the way safety information was moving through the system.”

After the failures were fixed, he warned that travelers could continue to see some effects “rippling through the system.”

Buttigieg said his agency would now try to learn why the system went down.

Longtime aviation insiders could not recall an outage of such magnitude caused by a technology failure. Some compared it in scope to the nationwide shutdown of airspace after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

“Periodically there have been local issues here or there, but this is pretty significant historically,” said Tim Campbell, a former senior vice president of air operations at American Airlines and now a consultant in Minneapolis.

Campbell said there has long been concern about the FAA’s technology, and not just the NOTAM system.

Many of those systems “are old mainframe systems that are generally reliable, but they are out of date,” he said.

John Cox, a former airline pilot and aviation safety expert, said the aviation industry has talked for years about trying to modernize the NOTAM system, but he did not know the age of the servers that the FAA uses.

“I’ve been flying 53 years. I’ve never heard the system go down like this,” Cox said. “So something unusual happened.”

According to FAA advisories, the NOTAM system failed at 8:28 p.m. Tuesday, preventing new or amended notices from being distributed to pilots. The FAA resorted to a telephone hotline to keep departures flying overnight, but as air traffic picked up in the morning, the phone system was overwhelmed.

The FAA ordered all departing flights grounded early Wednesday, affecting all passenger and cargo flights. Some medical flights could get clearance, and the outage did not affect military operations.

President Joe Biden said that he was briefed by Buttigieg.

Buttigieg said the ground stop showed that “safety is going to be our North Star, as it always is.”

“We are now pivoting to focus on understanding the causes of the issue,” he said.

Pilots and safety officials have complained about NOTAMs for years, saying there are too many of them and that some are unnecessary and written in cryptic abbreviations.

The National Transportation Safety Board highlighted the large number of notices in its investigation of a near-disaster in 2017 in San Francisco. An Air Canada jet whose pilots had overlooked a NOTAM about a closed runway nearly landed by mistake on a parallel taxiway. They skimmed just over the tops of four other airliners waiting to take off.

The safety board’s chairman at the time, Robert Sumwalt, noted that the closed runway was mentioned on the eighth of 27 pages of notices for the San Francisco airport, and the entry was written in an arcane fashion.

“That’s what NOTAMs are. They are a bunch of garbage that no one pays any attention to,” he said.

The FAA said in a 2020 report that it modernized the distribution of the notices through a standardized digital format that was to be completed in July of that year.

As the extent of Wednesday’s breakdown became clear and airlines delayed more flights, passengers scrambled to rearrange trips. Many said they had trouble finding out how long the delays would last.

“There is just a lot of frustration, a lot of confusion,” said Ryan Ososki, who was trying to fly from Washington, D.C., to California for a conference.

Julia Macpherson was on a United flight from Sydney to Los Angeles when she learned of possible delays.

“As I was up in the air, I got news from my friend who was also traveling overseas that there was a power outage,” said Macpherson, who was returning to Jacksonville, Florida, from Tasmania.

Passengers at airports in Chicago, Atlanta and elsewhere reported similar experiences.

European flights into the U.S. appeared to be largely unaffected.

It was the latest headache for travelers in the U.S., who faced an even larger number of daily flight cancellations over the Christmas holiday due to a severe winter storm and a breakdown in crew-scheduling technology at Southwest Airlines.

Koenig reported from Dallas. Associated Press writers Zeke Miller and Tara Copp in Washington, Kelvin Chan in London, Tom Krisher in Detroit and Freida Frisaro in Miami contributed to this report.

Flights Are Resuming After FAA Grounded All Planes. Here’s the Latest on the Travel Chaos

I n a morning of chaos on Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration lifted a ground stop order for all flights just before 9 a.m. ET, after fixing a system failure caused by an overnight outage.

The NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) system—which provides essential aviation information such as airspace obstacles and closed runways to pilots and other airport personnel—stopped processing information early Wednesday. As a result, the FAA ordered airlines to temporarily pause all U.S. domestic departures. The stop has caused widespread disruption, with Flightaware reporting more than 13,000 flight delays and 2,000 cancellations today.

Addressing the technical problem, the transportation agency tweeted: “Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the U.S. following an overnight outage to the Notice to Air Missions system that provides safety info to flight crews.”

“We continue to look into the cause of the initial problem.”

Update 5: Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the U.S. following an overnight outage to the Notice to Air Missions system that provides safety info to flight crews. The ground stop has been lifted. We continue to look into the cause of the initial problem — The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) January 11, 2023

U.S. Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg issued a statement on Twitter, noting that he had been in touch with the FAA this morning to discuss the outage, before echoing the agency’s reassurance. “FAA is working to resolve this issue swiftly and safely so that air traffic can resume normal operations, and will continue to provide updates,” the statement said.

Buttigieg briefed President Joe Biden on the system failure, said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre , adding that there is no current evidence of a cyberattack but the Department of Transport will conduct a “full investigation” into the causes.

The FAA has been operating without a leader since last March when the previous administrator, Stephen Dickson, left before the end of his term. President Biden’s nominee, Phillip Washington, has yet to receive a confirmation hearing and has faced scrutiny due to his limited experience and involvement in a public corruption investigation, according to the New York Times .

What are NOTAMS and why are they important?

The Notice to Air Missions System updates pilots on “closed runways, equipment outages, and other potential hazards” on a flight route or at a location that could affect a journey, the FAA explained . The notices offer rolling information on the state of flying for pilots that may not be known sufficiently in advance of a flight’s departure.

Ciricum, an aviation analytics website, noted that there are as many as eight types of NOTAMS in aviation, advising on issues such as airport restrictions and weather, only some are mandatory for pilots to address, others are more advisory in nature. Pilots are expected to review NOTAMS ahead of takeoff and they are reportedly part of the pilot’s so-called flight bag—documents pilots must have before an aircraft can undertake its intended route.

Macheras told TIME that NOTAMS are “essential for the safe continuation of global air travel” and these notices keep the world’s aviation sector, as well as all crew and personnel concerned with flight operations, “up to speed with latest air travel related directives, operational updates, security, weather and warnings.”

How fliers reacted to the delays?

Angry passengers facing delays and cancellations took to social media to complain. One Facebook user wrote, “Heading to Hollywood, Florida for the Seminole Main Event Poker tournament. Been at airport since 4:30 am for a 6 am flight. Now we’re being told that all US flights have been delayed due to a FAA technical issue. No timetable yet on how long. Lovely.”

Another social media user, Autumn Johnson, shared her situation on Twitter, writing: “My flight is delayed 3hrs because of the computer outage. I’m supposed to be at work in 3hrs…”

Musician RL, or Robert Lavelle Huggar, also tweeted that he was affected by delays, writing: “Flight delayed 5 HOURS and all y’all are offering me is a $200 voucher??!! The disrespect is real. I guess it doesn’t matter that now I can’t pick my daughter up from school or that I’m missing major meetings? 2 million miler and this is the thanks I get.”

Meanwhile, other passengers were able to find light in the situation, with podcaster Mandy Matney joking: “My husband after we landed amid the FAA mess: At least we’re on the ground and it’s not a Die Hard situation.” She added: “Now hoping our next flight isn’t too delayed.”

Airports such as Philadelphia, Arkansas, and Austin are advising passengers to check in with their airline for up to date information on their journey.

What are airlines saying?

As flights slowly began to resume on Wednesday morning, airlines like American said they were “closely monitoring the situation” and encouraged customers to visit their website for the latest information. Certain carriers are offering travel waivers for the delays, and some passengers have received help related to flight and baggage delays via Twitter DMs from their airlines.

United Airlines tweeted that its offering travel waivers to impacted customers that will cover flight change fees and any differences in fare price. “Efforts are underway to minimize impacts to our customers and our operation,” the airline said.

Others, like Delta and Southwest , asked customers to stay up to date on their flight status through the app, with Delta promising that they will “provide more updates as soon as we can.”

As of 10:30 a.m., the FAA’s website indicates that Charlotte Douglas International Airport and LaGuardia are the only airports that are still experiencing ground stops. John F. Kennedy airport is also experiencing a 15-minute departure delay.

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Write to Armani Syed at [email protected]

Will U.S. Airlines Recover by This Weekend?

Air travel chaos descended on major hub airports in the new york area, creating a domino effect throughout the country in the days leading up to fourth of july weekend..

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The ripple effect of the past weekend’s flight cancellations and delays are still being felt today.

Photo by Shutterstock

Six days of bad weather, especially at hub airports, has kept myriad travelers from reaching their destination this week. According to FlightAware, a website that tracks delays and cancellations, more than 8,000 U.S. flights have been axed since Saturday, June 24, and an additional 30,000-plus were delayed.

Only days ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, many travelers with upcoming flights may be wondering if they’ll make it to their destination.

“Significant systematic delays and cancellations can take a few days to work out since planes and crew are out of position,” said Gary Leff, author of ViewFromTheWing.com. “However, that does seem to mostly be happening, and things should be much-improved entering the weekend.”

Brett Snyder, president of Cranky Concierge , an air travel assistance service (including urgent help when flights are canceled or delayed), echoed that sentiment, saying that airlines have said they “hope to be well into the recovery by the weekend.” But he added that it really all depends on external factors.

“Sunday and Monday look like stormy days up and down the East Coast,” Snyder said. “If that materializes in ways that block air traffic, then it could get ugly once again. But with summer storms, you just never know how or when they will materialize.”

As of 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 29, more than 500 flights had been canceled and more than 3,500 were delayed for the day—a number that is likely to increase as poor weather continues across the country. The FAA’s Daily Air Traffic Report on Thursday noted that low clouds and thunderstorms near airports in Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, Seattle, and all of Florida could cause more problems nationwide.

Airports in the Boston and New York areas have been hit the hardest during the week, with nearly half of all flights delayed or canceled on Monday and Tuesday, which caused a ripple effect throughout the country.

“Airlines handle crew assignments differently—for instance, crew may scatter at hubs, so when a flight delays it’s not just subsequent flights using that aircraft that are affected (and a domestic plane might work five or six segments in a day) but also the crew from that aircraft that will work different flights,” Leff said. “The captain might be needed for one other flight, the copilot for a different one, and flight attendants for others still. In this way, delays from a single flight headed to a hub city can cascade.”

Some of the hardest hit hub airports include Chicago, Denver, and Houston. According to FlightAware’s MiseryMap , at least 25 percent of flights into or out of those airports were delayed or canceled between Monday and Wednesday.

This comes at a time when there are a record number of fliers. On Sunday, June 25, TSA counted that 2,756,488 people went through its various checkpoints across the country. That exceeds 2022 numbers for that day by nearly 300,000 people, and 2021 figures by roughly 600,000 people.

What to do if your flight is canceled

If your flight is canceled and you still want to travel, airlines are required by the Department of Transportation to rebook you for free on the next available flight. However, given the scope of the cancellations and how full flights are this summer, it’ll be more difficult to find seats, especially for families traveling together. The next available flight could be a few days away, depending on departure and arrival airports.

You can also ask to be put on another airline’s flight to the same destination. Airlines aren’t required to move passengers onto a competitor’s plane, but they can, and in cases where there’s an avalanche of travelers caught in limbo, they often do. Alerting the agent to alternative flight options can help your cause. You can also try an urgent air travel assistance company, like Cranky Concierge, which specializes in this kind of research and rebooking, for a fee.

If you no longer wish to fly, you are entitled to a full refund (even if it’s a nonrefundable ticket) in the original form of payment. Airlines may ask that you accept a voucher for future travel, which you don’t have to accept—just be polite but firm that you’d like the funds returned to your credit card. However, if you do accept a voucher, make sure to ask about when it expires.

→ Ways to Track the Status of Your Flight in Real Time → Tips for Avoiding Flight Delays and Cancellations—And What to Do if It Happens → How to Travel With Just One Bag This Summer

• Boeing & Aerospace
• Airbus struggles to ramp up jet deliveries even as Boeing falls behind

With air travel booming again and airlines desperate for new airplanes, Airbus is struggling to ramp up to meet the demand even as Boeing falls further behind.

Boeing is in crisis, with production of its top selling 737 MAX suppressed as its leadership strives to satisfy regulators that they have control of manufacturing quality.

Meanwhile Airbus, still impacted by the labor shrinkage at its suppliers during the global pandemic, is facing parts shortages and has fallen behind schedule to meet its 2024 production target of 800 jets.

Data released Tuesday shows Boeing delivered just 24 airplanes in May, including 19 of its troubled 737 MAXs. That’s down from 50 deliveries in May last year.

Some of those will have come from the inventory of parked jets requiring rework since the jets were grounded after two deadly crashes five years ago. So the production rate of new MAXs is even lower.

In addition, discovery in late April that some mechanics in Boeing South Carolina had falsified production records for the 787 Dreamliner widebody jet triggered inspections of 787s already built, so deliveries of those jets were also down in May, with just two delivered compared to eight a year earlier.

One of that pair of 787s was delivered to China Southern. That plane was approved for delivery in early May, but since then deliveries to China have paused.

In the latest delivery hitch, the Chinese aviation regulator CACC is reviewing batteries that power the 25-hour cockpit voice recorder assembly in all Boeing jets.

Airbus did better in May, delivering 53 commercial airplanes, including 41 of its A320neo jet family that competes with the MAX. But that’s down from 63 a year ago.

Through the end of May, Boeing in 2024 delivered 131 jets, compared to 206 in the first five months of last year.

Airbus, despite production faltering in May, has delivered 256 jets so far this year, up 5% from the 244 deliveries through the end of May last year. Still, it needs to ramp up more to meet this year’s delivery target, which is 9% higher than last year.

Shortages of forgings and airliner seats threaten delays to production of several dozen Airbus jets in the second half of the year, Reuters reported from Paris late last month.

Airlines need more jets, but they aren’t available

The latest data from the International Air Transport Association shows global passenger demand in April was up 11% compared to a year earlier.

Yet since Boeing’s crisis erupted following the midair blowout of a fuselage panel on an Alaska Airlines flight in January, Southwest and American have cut 2024 fleet growth plans and pilot hiring because of Boeing’s inability to deliver the number of jets previously promised.

It’s not just the MAX problems. For American, that includes fewer 787 widebody deliveries than expected. Boeing has historically led Airbus in the widebody market.

In May, Boeing delivered five widebody jets: two 787 Dreamliners, one 767 freighter and two 767-based airframes for the Air Force KC-46 tanker.

Airbus delivered six widebody jets: two midsize A330-900s and four large A350s.

Separately, Airbus also delivered six smaller single-aisle A220s.

Meanwhile, Airbus had a successful sales month in May, with a total of 27 net orders.

Those consisted of 20 widebody A330-900 widebody jets to an unidentified customer and seven of its hot-selling A321neos to private equity firm Nordic Capital.

Boeing won only three net orders in May, with an order for four 787-10s from Taiwan’s Eva Air and one 737 MAX canceled by Aerolíneas Argentinas.

Boeing has secured 103 net orders so far this year. And because it has restored a net total of 27 previously uncertain orders to its firm backlog, through May its order book has actually grown by 130.

In that same period, Airbus has won 237 net orders.

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The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.

Corrupted file to blame for FAA aviation stoppage that delayed thousands of flights

Flights across the U.S. resumed Wednesday morning, several hours after the Federal Aviation Administration suffered a computer outage that forced it to halt all departures nationwide while it scrambled to resolve the issue.

The FAA said the crippling delays that affected thousands of flights appear to have been caused by a problem in the Notice to Air Missions system, or NOTAM, which sends pilots vital information they need to fly.

A corrupted file affected both the primary and the backup systems, a senior government official said Wednesday evening, adding that officials continue to investigate.

"The FAA is continuing a thorough review to determine the root cause of the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system outage," the agency said in a statement. "Our preliminary work has traced the outage to a damaged database file. At this time, there is no evidence of a cyber attack."

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday evening that the FAA will further pinpoint the source and identify steps to prevent it from happening again, and he echoed the agency in saying there is no evidence of a cyber attack.

"One of the questions we need to look at right now, and one of the things I’m asking from FAA, is what’s the state of the art in this form of message traffic?" Buttigieg told NBC News' Andrea Mitchell earlier Wednesday. "And again, how is it possible for there to be this level of disruption?”

President Joe Biden ordered an investigation after he was briefed by Buttigieg.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who heads the Commerce Committee, which oversees the FAA, said it, too, will look into the matter.

“The No. 1 priority is safety," Cantwell said in a statement. "As the Committee prepares for FAA reauthorization legislation, we will be looking into what caused this outage and how redundancy plays a role in preventing future outages. The public needs a resilient air transportation system.”

Meanwhile, the top Republican on the committee, Ted Cruz of Texas, said the "FAA’s inability to keep an important safety system up and running is completely unacceptable and just the latest example of dysfunction within the Department of Transportation."

The delays came just weeks after Southwest Airlines caused travel chaos by canceling more than 2,500 of its flights during the Christmas season.

Buttigieg acknowledged the frustrations of travelers in his interview with Mitchell but said safety always comes first.

“This is an incredibly complex system,” Buttigieg said. “So glitches or complications happen all the time. But we can’t allow them to ever lead to this level of disruption, and we won’t ever allow them to lead to a safety problem.”

The FAA lifted the ground stop around 8:50 a.m., and normal air traffic operations began resuming gradually. But by then airports across the country were already crowded with frustrated travelers and a backlog of flights.

As of noon, more than 7,300 flights within, to and out of the U.S. had been delayed, according to the online flight tracker FlightAware . More than 1,100 flights were listed as canceled.

Passengers stuck at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago greeted the latest air travel disruption with a collective shrug.

"It kind of is what it is," Teresa Ziakas said. "I would rather be safe and sound than worry about being delayed by a couple hours."

Traveler Martin Johansen echoed Ziakas.

"Planes get delayed," Johansen said as he waited with his wife, Barbara. "That’s just the way life is, so you get used to it."

Any person whose flight was canceled is entitled to a full refund, Transportation Department guidelines say . And major domestic carriers like American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta said they would waive the fees of travelers who want to rebook flights.

The first sign that it was likely to be a massive incident came around 7:20 a.m., when the FAA sent out a tweet ordering the airlines to pause all domestic departures until 9 a.m. ET “to allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information" as it worked to restore the NOTAM system.

All flights already in the sky were safe to land, the FAA said.

“Pilots check the NOTAM system before they fly," the agency said. "A Notice to Air Missions alerts pilots about closed runways, equipment outages, and other potential hazards along a flight route or at a location that could affect the flight."

As the drama unfolded, cybersecurity experts said the likeliest cause was a bad software update.

“Today’s FAA catastrophic system failure is a clear sign that America’s transportation network desperately needs significant upgrades," U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement. "Americans deserve an end-to-end travel experience that is seamless and secure. And our nation’s economy depends on a best-in-class air travel system.

"We call on federal policymakers to modernize our vital air travel infrastructure to ensure our systems are able to meet demand safely and efficiently," he said.

Buttigieg tweeted that he had "been in touch with FAA this morning about an outage affecting a key system for providing safety information to pilots."

United Airlines said earlier that it had temporarily delayed all domestic flights, while Southwest Airlines said it was "closely monitoring" the situation but warned customers to brace themselves for travel troubles.

Soon, the major airports were doing the same.

"An FAA system outage is causing ground stops at AUS and other airports across the country," Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas tweeted .

"Arriving & departing passengers can expect delays this morning & through the day," it said, adding: "Please stay in contact with your airline & check your flight status before heading to AUS."

A number of social media users said they had been affected.

Heather Allen, 32, was meant to fly from New York City to Seattle with her fiancé to visit her family for a delayed holiday visit. She was watching a movie on her plane, still on the tarmac at John F. Kennedy International Airport, when she and other passengers were told to get off their Delta Airlines flight.

She said she had been on the plane for about an hour before she had to get off the plane and that she learned of the outage by reading the news on Twitter.

“Trying to be patient, but feeling frustrated,” Allen said. She said the situation at the airport was “not currently chaotic, but could be if delays are longer.”

The flight delays in the U.S. had a ripple effect on some airports abroad. The international airport operator Aéroports de Paris, or Airports of Paris, said all flights by U.S. carriers had been delayed. It said non-U.S. airlines were flying out as normal without interruption.

Air France said all of its U.S.-bound flights were not affected by the FAA computer outage and were operating as planned. It said it continued to monitor the situation.

A spokesperson for Gatwick Airport in London said, "As far as we are aware, we are still operating to/from the U.S. at the moment."

Jay Blackman is an NBC News producer covering such areas as transportation, space, medical and consumer issues.

Chantal Da Silva reports on world news for NBC News Digital and is based in London.

Ken Dilanian is the justice and intelligence correspondent for NBC News, based in Washington.

Corky Siemaszko is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital.

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Donald Trump Is Banned from 37 Countries as Convicted Felon, Including Major Allies Like Canada and U.K.

If elected president again, Trump would need special permission to enter several key countries for maintaining foreign relations

Donald Trump may face travel restrictions with his newfound felon status , potentially complicating his presidency if he were to win another term in office.

Thirty-eight nations, counting the United States, bar felons from entry, according to World Population Review . Those bans stand regardless of whether someone is allowed to retain their passport after conviction.

Countries that turn felons away include several of the United States' strongest allies, like the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada — the final of which will host the G7 summit of world leaders in 2025. The list also includes a number of nations at the center of pressing foreign policy issues, such as China, Israel and Mexico.

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

International governments can, and in some cases would, choose to make an exception for Trump if he requested special permission as president to make a visit.

George W. Bush , who was arrested for drunk driving in the 1970s, ran into issues with Canadian travel restrictions during his presidency while planning an official state visit and, after applying for a special waiver, he was ultimately allowed to enter.

Win McNamee/Getty

In Bush's case, which still proved tedious, the circumstances were a bit different: the crime happened decades earlier, was only categorized as a misdemeanor and was never tried in a court of law (Bush admitted to driving under the influence upon arrest and got off with a fine and temporary license suspension). It's hard to say whether Trump's new 34 felony convictions would be dealt with in a similar manner.

Countries That Deny Entry to Felons

• Dominican Republic
• New Zealand
• Philippines
• South Africa
• South Korea
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States

If Trump were elected to another term in the White House and chose to apply for special travel waivers, the irony would not go unnoticed.

The former president has often characterized foreigners as "criminals," and has campaigned on a promise to tighten U.S. travel restrictions, which would include shutting down the border and instating travel bans on people of certain nationalities and ideologies.

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Unruly Passenger Cases Continue to Rise as Summer Travel Begins

As summer travel heats up, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is cracking down on unruly passengers to make sure the skies are safe for everyone.    There have been 915 cases of unruly passengers, from Jan. 1, 2024 to June 9, 2024, including 106 cases of passenger disturbances due to intoxication.    Travelers will pay for misbehaving.  The FAA implemented a Zero-Tolerance Policy on Jan. 13, 2021 after seeing a disturbing increase in cases, issuing fines instead of warning letters or counseling.    The FAA pursues legal enforcement action against any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with airline crewmembers, and can propose civil penalties up to $37,000 per violation.  Detailed current data on these incidents is available on our  unruly passenger website .     See our latest post on X .

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Best travel credit cards of June 2024

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Stephanie Zito is a professional traveler, self-employed humanitarian consultant and collector of credit card points. She shares savvy travel tips that she’s learned firsthand circling the globe for more than 25 years. She’s a backpacker, expect and premium traveler who’s visited more than 130 countries and all seven continents. Her life motto is “See the world, change the world, have fun doing it!” and her mission is to inspire others along the journey.

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Travel credit cards help you earn valuable points and miles on your purchases. For maximum value, some cards earn rewards not only on travel, but also everyday purchases like dining, groceries and gas. You can redeem these rewards for free or discounted flights, hotel stays or to cover other travel-related expenses.

The best travel cards also come with additional features. Even no-annual-fee travel cards are likely to offer perks like sign-up bonuses, intro APR offers and travel insurance. But for top-of-the-line benefits like airport lounge access, elite status and travel credits, expect to pay an annual fee.

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Bankrate's Best Travel Credit Cards of June 2024

• Best starter travel card:  Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Best for flat-rate rewards:  Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• Best for luxury travel:  The Platinum Card® from American Express
• Best for no annual fee:  Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card  ( See Rates & Fees )
• Best for foodies:  American Express® Gold Card
• Best for everyday spending: Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
• Best for intro APR:  Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
• Best for point values:  Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Best for practical perks:  Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Best for pairing:  Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Best for hotel bookings: Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card
• Best no-annual-fee hotel card:  Hilton Honors American Express Card
• Best luxury hotel card:  Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
• Best for transfer partners:  Bilt Mastercard®
• Best for gas:  Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
• Best for companion tickets:  Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
• Best starter airline card:  Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
• Best for expedited security screening:  Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card
• Best for first-year value:  Discover it® Miles
• Best for fair credit:  Credit One Bank Wander® Card
• What to know about travel credit cards
• Tips for choosing the best travel card

Travel credit card perks

How do credit card points and miles work.

• Expert advice on travel cards

How we assess the best travel credit cards

• Frequently asked questions
• Ask the experts

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Best starter travel card

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

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Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards.

Intro offer

Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

75,000 bonus points

We calculate this number by multiplying the card's intro offer by Bankrate's valuation of this issuer's rewards program , showing you how much your points or miles are worth in dollars.

Rewards rate

5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠. 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries. 2x on all other travel purchases. 1x on all other purchases.

Regular APR

21.49% - 28.49% Variable

• 5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.
• 3x 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries.
• 2x 2x on all other travel purchases.
• 1x 1x on all other purchases.

What we love: This popular card comes loaded with features that can make it easy even for occasional travelers to offset the modest $95 annual fee without eating into hard-earned rewards. Plus, its rewards program is one of the best, giving you some of the most valuable travel redemptions — through both Chase and transfer partners — and Chase card pairing opportunities if you want to build your card portfolio eventually. Learn more: Why expert Margaret Weck loves using the Chase Sapphire Preferred Alternatives:   If you’re looking for an even simpler travel card, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a terrific option. Its flat rewards rate makes it easy to know exactly how much you’ll earn with every purchase and though it can’t match the Sapphire Preferred’s redemption flexibility, it offers more redemption options than the typical travel rewards card. 

• You earn Ultimate Rewards points with this card — some of the most valuable and flexible rewards around, especially if you pair it with Chase’s cash back cards in the future.
• The card touts significant long-term benefits like anniversary bonus points and travel credits, as well as travel protections like trip cancellation insurance and a car rental collision damage waiver.
• Doesn’t offer airline- or hotel-specific perks like free checked bags, elite status or free night stays.
• The sign-up bonus is decent, but the card has previously offered higher, chart-topping bonus points.
• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 75,000 points are worth $937.50 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
• Member FDIC

Best for flat-rate rewards

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

New Venture cardholders can earn 75,000 miles once they spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening

Earn 75,000 miles

5 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day

2 Miles - 5 Miles

19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

• 5 Miles 5 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 2 Miles 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day

What we love: It’s a great option for travelers looking for a straightforward rewards program and flexible redemption options. You'll earn unlimited miles on all eligible spending and can redeem not only for travel bookings, but also as a statement credit to cover travel purchases made in the past 90 days. Learn more: Why expert Jacqueline DeMarco loves the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Alternatives: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers a higher rewards rate in some everyday spending categories and potentially more valuable points. Chase points are worth 1.25 cents each if you redeem for travel through Chase, while Capital One miles are only worth 1 cent each when you redeem for travel. Plus, Chase rewards are more helpful for occasional travelers since you can redeem as cash back at 1-cent-per-point value.

• Carries solid perks given its low annual fee, including expedited airport purchase security and hotel experience credits, lost luggage reimbursement and more.
• Zero foreign transaction fees make this an excellent choice for international travelers.
• You can’t offset the annual fee with annual travel credits or bonuses alone as you can with some rival cards.
• The card’s sign-up bonus carries a high spending requirement, so it may be tough to earn if you don’t have large purchases on the horizon.
• Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
• Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
• Enrich every hotel stay from the Lifestyle Collection with a suite of cardholder benefits, like a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs

Best for luxury travel

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Earn 80,000 points

Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.

See Pay Over Time APR

• 5X Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
• 5X Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.

What we love: Luxury travelers and big spenders will appreciate the bevy of travel benefits, including annual statement credits worth around $1,700, elite hotel loyalty status and access to perhaps the most comprehensive airport lounge access available with a credit card. Learn more: Why expert Holly Johnson loves the Platinum Card® from American Express Alternatives: The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers a taste of luxury at a lower cost than many premium travel cards. You can unlock a generous rewards rate on both travel and general purchases, complimentary access to popular airport lounge memberships and valuable annual travel credits and anniversary miles.

• Comes with a generous welcome offer and a longer time period to earn it compared to most rewards cards.
• A robust line-up of airline and hotel partners and related perks make this card truly valuable for travelers.
• The $695 annual fee may not be worth it if you don’t spend much on travel frequently or can’t take full advantage of the card’s luxury — and often niche — perks.
• Redeeming and maximizing the card’s credit and benefits requires some legwork and can be a bit confusing.
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
• Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 year period for TSA PreCheck® application fee for a 5-year plan only (through a TSA PreCheck® official enrollment provider), when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Best for no annual fee

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

• Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel

20,000 miles

5 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 1.25 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day

1.25 Miles - 5 Miles

• 1.25 Miles 1.25 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day

What we love: This card offers some of the same advantages as the Capital One Venture, without the burden of an annual fee. It gives you the chance to earn flat-rate miles on your everyday spending and the option to transfer miles to over 15 loyalty program partners to even cover travel purchases outside Capital One — a unique level of redemption flexibility for a starter travel card. Learn more: Reasons to get the VentureOne Rewards Card Alternatives: A general-purpose flat-rate credit card that offers 2X points or 2 percent cash back on all purchases may bring more value if you don’t travel often and aren’t ready to upgrade to a travel rewards credit card with an annual fee. However, the Discover it® Miles earns a flat-rate 1.5X miles that can also be redeemed for cash back at 1-cent per mile, which is unusual for travel rewards.

• The welcome offer is generous for a no-annual-fee travel credit card.
• Booking hotel stays and rental cars through Capital One Travel nets you an impressive 5X miles.
• Unlike several no-annual-fee travel cards, redeeming for non-travel purchases waters down your rewards’ value.
• Capital One has no major U.S. carrier in its line-up of travel partners.
• $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
• Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day
• Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; 19.99% - 29.99% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies

Best for foodies

American Express® Gold Card

Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

60,000 Membership Rewards® Points

Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.

• 4X Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 4X Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• 3X Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.

What we love: Few credit cards are more rewarding for traveling foodies than the American Express Gold Card. Both the food-related annual credits and the rewards rates at restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and on flights booked directly with airlines or via the Amex travel portal are some of the best on the market. In fact, the up to $240 in credits each year alone nearly make up for the annual fee. Learn more: Why the Amex Gold is worth the annual fee Alternatives: If the Amex Gold Card’s annual fee sounds high, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card . It carries key travel perks, high travel and dining rewards rates, and a much lower annual fee.

• This card features one of the best rewards return rates available on dining, groceries and food deliveries.
• There is no preset spending limit, so you can enjoy extended purchasing power, and you also have the option to pay off purchases with Pay Over Time if necessary.
• Although the card touts a solid collection of travel perks, it doesn’t include popular premium card perks like airport lounge access or trip cancellation/interruption insurance.
• Only eligible airfare earns more than 1X points, while rival cards often earn similar (or higher) reward rates on hotel stays and other travel purchases as well.
• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.

Best for everyday spending

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

• Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com

70,000 bonus points

Earn 10 points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com. Earn 3 points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations. Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases

21.24% - 29.24% (Variable)

• 10X Earn 10 points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
• 3X Earn 3 points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
• 1X Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases

What we love: This card’s high rewards rate in everyday bonus categories makes it an especially good choice for occasional travelers and people looking for a standalone rewards card. Its practical bonus categories mean you can earn rewards quickly, even if you don’t actually spend a ton on travel. Alternatives:   As long as you don’t mind buying groceries online, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card could be an even more lucrative everyday rewards card. That’s thanks mostly to its high point redemption value (1.25 cents per point when you use points to book travel with Chase, versus just 1 cent per point when you book with Citi using the Strata Premier).

• It’s one of the only travel cards that offers a high rewards rate on groceries, dining and gas, so it should work well whether it’s your standalone card or just one part of your card stack.
• Its annual hotel benefit carries enough value to potentially offset the annual fee on its own.
• The annual hotel benefit, though generous, isn’t very flexible: You’ll only get the $100 discount if you book a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) through CitiTravel.com.
• Based on Bankrate’s latest point and mile valuations, Citi ThankYou rewards carry a lower average redemption value than Chase, Amex and Capital One rewards.
• Earn 10 points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
• Earn 3 points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
• Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
• No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases

Best for intro APR

Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

• 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.

25,000 points

• Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.

19.24% - 29.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers

• 1.5X Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.

What we love: This entry-level travel card keeps things simple for occasional travelers. It offers simple flat-rate rewards and lets you redeem for a broad mix of travel options not typically available on many travel cards, such as cash back toward purchases with travel agencies,  zoos, art galleries and more. It’s even more valuable if you’re a Bank of America customer and can qualify for a rewards boost through the Bank of America Preferred Rewards® program. Learn more: Is the Bank of America Travel Rewards card worth it? Alternatives: The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is another great starter travel card, but, unlike many cards in this category, it lets you transfer your miles to airline and hotel partners, potentially for a higher redemption value.

• Its easy-to-earn sign-up bonus and intro APR offers give this card good short-term value.
• No annual fees or foreign transaction fees sweeten this offer.
• It only offers 1.5X points on purchases, and you can’t transfer points can’t to airline partners for more rewards value, so it may not be as lucrative as competing cards.
• The top tiers of the Bank of America Preferred Rewards® program may be out of reach for many cardholders.
• Use your card to book your trip how and where you want - you're not limited to specific websites with blackout dates or restrictions.
• Redeem points for a statement credit to pay for travel or dining purchases, such as flights, hotel stays, car and vacation rentals, baggage fees, and also at restaurants including takeout.
• 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 19.24% - 29.24% will apply. A 3% Intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days your account is open. After the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4%.
• If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, you can earn 25%-75% more points on every purchase. That means instead of earning an unlimited 1.5 points for every $1, you could earn 1.87-2.62 points for every $1 you spend on purchases.
• Contactless Cards - The security of a chip card, with the convenience of a tap.
• This online only offer may not be available if you leave this page or if you visit a Bank of America financial center. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.

Best for point values

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,125 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Earn 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠. Earn 5x total points on flights through Chase Travel℠. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining. Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

22.49% - 29.49% Variable

• 10x Earn 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠.
• 5x Earn 5x total points on flights through Chase Travel℠.
• 3x Earn 3x points on other travel and dining.
• 1x Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

What we love: Rewards-savvy travelers will be hard-pressed to find a card with better rewards potential than the Sapphire Reserve. Points are worth 50 percent more through Chase Travel, and potentially more with the right transfer partner. It’s a stellar partner for Chase’s cash back cards and stacks on even more value with enough perks to recoup the annual fee without relying on hard-earned rewards. Learn more: Why expert Holly Johnson loves the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Alternatives: The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers some of the same key perks as the Sapphire Reserve at a much lower cost. Along with a generous rewards rate on both Capital One Travel and general purchases, the card boasts valuable, practical benefits like competitive airport lounge access , up to $300 in annual Capital One Travel credits and 10,000 bonus miles every year on your account anniversary.

• You can kickstart your rewards bank with one of the most valuable sign-up bonuses on the market.
• Its top-tier benefits include up to $300 in annual travel statement credits, Priority Pass airport lounge access, exhaustive travel protections and stand-out partner perks.
• The card’s cost could be a deterrent for some new cardholders, especially if they plan on encountering adding multiple authorized users.
• You won’t get as many luxury hotel and airport lounge perks with this card as you would with some of its rivals.
• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,125 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 75,000 points are worth $1125 toward travel.
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®

Best for practical perks

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel

75,000 miles

10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 5 Miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day

2 Miles - 10 Miles

• 10 Miles 10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 5 Miles 5 Miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel

What we love: This is the perfect middleground for travelers who want the practical benefits from luxury travel cards without dealing with bloated features and an annual fee upwards of $500. It offers complimentary lounge access, high-earning bonus rewards categories, anniversary credits and bonus miles, which can easily make the card worth it for frequent travelers. Learn more: Capital One Venture X Benefits Guide Alternatives: If a higher annual fee is no issue, consider The Platinum Card® from American Express. It’s a top choice for frequent travelers thanks to its impressive welcome offer and luxury perks like annual travel credits, lounge access and hotel elite status. However, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® may be better if your luxury travel experience calls for racking up more rewards.

• Offers anniversary bonus miles and a chance to earn credits worth hundreds of dollars starting at your first account anniversary.
• Comes with complimentary lounge access at over 1,300 lounges for you and two guests per visit.
• To earn the anniversary credit, travel must be booked through the Capital One Travel portal. That’s not as flexible as some other cards, which offer credits that cover any travel purchases, regardless of how you book.
• Lacks some perks found on other premium travel cards like airline or hotel elite status, which can get you benefits like free checked bags or room upgrades.
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Elevate every hotel stay from the Premier or Lifestyle Collections with a suite of cardholder benefits, like an experience credit, room upgrades, and more

Best for pairing

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.

Up to $300 cash back

Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service 1.5% on all other purchases

20.49% - 29.24% Variable

• 5% Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more
• 3% 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service
• 1.5% 1.5% on all other purchases

What we love: Not only does it earn 1.5 percent cash back on general spending, but it also has a bonus cash back rate for drugstores and dining at restaurants. And if you pair it with one or two premium Chase travel cards, you could pool your rewards for better travel redemption value.  Learn more: Why I love the Chase Freedom Unlimited Alternatives: If you want to take advantage of even more rewarding cash back categories and remain in the Chase family, consider the Chase Freedom Flex℠ .

• You can pool rewards with other Chase cards to maximize your earnings.
• The additional rewards rate offer can add even more cash back to your pocket for the first year.
• The welcome offer isn’t as competitive as other cards’ offers.
• Maximizing rewards with this and other Chase cards can get complicated for people who like simple rewards programs.
• Intro Offer: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
• Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
• After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
• No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
• Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
• No annual fee – You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
• Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.

Best for hotel bookings

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card

• Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s $600 toward your next trip.

60,000 bonus points

Earn unlimited 5X points on hotels Earn unlimited 4X points on airlines Earn unlimited 3X points on other travel and restaurants Earn 1X points on other purchases

21.24%, 26.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR

• 5X Earn unlimited 5X points on hotels
• 4X Earn unlimited 4X points on airlines
• 3X Earn unlimited 3X points on other travel and restaurants
• 1X Earn 1X points on other purchases

What we love: It offers a great rewards rate on hotel bookings and gives you a chance to earn a $50 annual statement credit with a $50 minimum airline purchase. Add in a solid rate on airline purchases, other travel and restaurants and this card carries great value as a standalone mid-tier card for occasional travelers. Alternatives: If you want to earn travel rewards but don’t actually spend much on hotels and airfare, the lower-tier Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is also worth a look. Though it earns also rewards on travel, it boasts a great mix of other practical everyday categories (including gas stations).

• You can transfer points to Wells Fargo’s new list of airline and hotel partners, including popular programs like British Airways Executive Club, Choice Privileges and more, which could boost the redemption value of your rewards.
• The $50 annual statement credit offsets more than half the card’s $95 annual fee and should be a cinch to earn if you fly at least once per year.
• Wells Fargo only offers one other card that earns travel rewards (the Autograph), and there is some category overlap between the two, so they may not be as lucrative as some competing card stacks.
• The card doesn’t carry some popular travel perks available on other mid-tier travel cards, such as credits for expedited airport security screening or rideshares.
• Select “Apply Now” to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
• Earn unlimited 5X points on hotels, 4X points on airlines, 3X points on other travel and restaurants, and 1X points on other purchases.
• $95 annual fee.
• Book your travel with the Autograph Journey Card and enjoy Travel Accident Insurance, Lost Baggage Reimbursement, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection and Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver.
• Earn a $50 annual statement credit with $50 minimum airline purchase.
• Up to $1,000 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
• Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.

Best no-annual-fee hotel card

Hilton Honors American Express Card

• Earn 70,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 7/31/2024.

Earn 70,000 points

Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio. Earn 5X Points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations. Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.

20.99%-29.99% Variable

• 7X Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• 5X Earn 5X Points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
• 3X Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.

What we love: This card earns rewards in a terrific mix of everyday bonus categories, so it should be easy to rack up Hilton points even if you don’t spend a ton on hotel bookings. Since it charges no annual fee and provides a few Hilton Honors benefits like Silver status, it’s also a great fit if you’re new to hotel cards and want a single no-annual-fee option instead of juggling multiple rewards cards. Learn more: Why expert Holly Johnson loves the Hilton Honors American Express Card Alternatives: The American Express® Green Card could be more flexible since it lets you earn and redeem rewards on a much wider variety of travel purchases, including airfare and bookings with several hotel brands, not just Hilton. You can transfer points to the Hilton Honors program as well, but the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card may be better if you prefer upgraded Hilton-specific rewards, loyalty status and other perks.

• Comes with automatic Silver Elite status, which includes a free fifth award night when you book at least four consecutive nights with points.
• Earns rewards in three of the average person’s biggest spending categories, making it a terrific standalone option for earning Hilton points.
• A higher-tier Hilton card would earn more on Hilton bookings and could be more lucrative for frequent guests, even with an annual fee.
• You can only redeem points with Hilton and its partners, which limits the rewards value you earn on the everyday categories compared to a general-purpose cards’ rewards.
• Earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
• Earn 5X Points per dollar on purchases at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
• Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Silver status with your Card. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors™ Gold status through the end of the next calendar year.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
• No Annual Fee.

Best luxury hotel card

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

• Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points

Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines 2X points on all other eligible purchases

• 6X Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®
• 3X 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines
• 2X 2X points on all other eligible purchases

What we love: Frequent Marriott guests looking for luxury card-level perks and elite status should be able to justify this premium card. Along with a terrific rewards rate on Marriott bookings and an annual free night award, you could enjoy generous annual credits for restaurant purchases and Marriott property stays, airport lounge access, elite night credits and more. Learn more: Best Marriott credit cards Alternatives: If you’re looking for top-tier travel perks but want the flexibility to earn and redeem rewards for stays at any hotel chain, consider an elite travel card from Chase or Amex, which can come with generous travel benefits, airport lounge access and the ability to transfer points to Marriott. The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is another lucrative alternative.

• Outperforms other Marriott cards with its boosted rewards on travel-related categories and 21X points at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, thanks to the automatic Platinum Elite status.
• It’s one of the only hotel cards that includes complimentary Priority Pass lounge access, top travel protections and credits for expedited airport security screening.
• Unlocking some of the card’s best perks — like Five Suite Night Awards — requires a $60,000 annual spend, which may be tough to reach even for frequent Marriott guests.
• Unless luxury perks are at the top of your wishlist, the annual fee may not be worth it and a lower-tier hotel card may offer more value overall.
• $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide.
• With Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
• Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
• $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
• Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
• Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Enroll in Priority Pass™ Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
• With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
• $650 Annual Fee.

Best for transfer partners

Bilt Mastercard®

Intro offer is not available for this Wells Fargo credit card.

3x points on dining 2x points on travel 1x points on other purchases Earn up to 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year. When you make at least 5 posted transactions in a statement period using your Bilt Mastercard, you'll earn points on rent and qualifying net purchases.

1X Points - 3X Points

• 3X Points 3x points on dining
• 2X Points 2x points on travel
• 1X Points 1x points on other purchases
• 1X Points Earn up to 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year. When you make at least 5 posted transactions in a statement period using your Bilt Mastercard, you'll earn points on rent and qualifying net purchases.

What we love: Not only is this card is a terrific choice for renters since it earns rewards and waives transaction fees when using it to pay rent, it’s also great for rewards strategists considering the extremely robust travel rewards program. You can earn rewards on travel and dining and your points carry a high value whether you redeem through the Bilt travel portal or one of the many airline and hotel transfer partners. Alternatives: If you like the Bilt card’s travel rewards program but don’t see yourself renting long term, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. It earns generously on both travel and dining and also boasts high-value points and transfer partners. If the way you pay rent doesn’t incur credit card payment fees, a flat-rate card may also be worth weighing. 

• It’s the only card that helps you avoid the fees typically associated with paying rent with a credit card.
• Offers a solid collection of travel perks for a no-annual-fee card, including trip cancellation and interruption protection, trip delay reimbursement and other high-level travel protections.
• You can only use rewards to cover rent, toward a future home down payment or for travel and shopping. Cash back isn’t an option.
• There is no sign-up bonus. Most competing travel cards — even those with no annual fee — offer at least a $200 bonus.
• $0 Annual Fee.
• Earn up to 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year.
• 2x points on travel.
• 3x points on dining.
• 1x points on other purchases.
• Earn points when you make 5 transactions that post each statement period.
• When renting at a Bilt Alliance property, you can choose to have your rent payments automatically reported by Bilt to the three major credit bureaus each month; Experian™, TransUnion™, and Equifax™.

Best for gas

Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

• Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value.

20,000 bonus points

Earn unlimited 3X points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans. Earn 1X points on other purchases

20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR

• 3X Earn unlimited 3X points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans.

What we love: The Wells Fargo Autograph card is a great option for occasional travelers and households on the go looking to earn rewards while avoiding an annual fee and reduced redemption value for cash rewards. It’s one of a few entry-level travel cards to offer high, year-round bonus rewards for gas, dining, transit and other key travel needs. Learn more: Is the Wells Fargo Autograph worth it? Alternatives: If you’re looking for ways to maximize the value of your rewards, you should consider a travel card that lets you transfer your points to airlines or hotels, like the Bilt Mastercard® or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

• While some issuers only reward travel purchases made directly with airlines or through issuer portals, this card lets you shop around for the best deal on third-party travel sites and still earn extra rewards.
• Carries decent perks such as rental car collision damage waiver coverage, roadside assistance and Visa Signature® Concierge benefits, like access to Visa’s Luxury Hotel Collection (terms apply).
• Unlike with traditional travel cards, you cannot transfer your points to airlines or hotels
• The travel perks and intro APR are weak compared to competing travel-oriented cards’ offers.
• Select "Apply Now" to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
• Earn unlimited 3X points on the things that really add up - like restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. Plus, earn 1X points on other purchases.
• $0 annual fee.
• 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% variable APR thereafter.
• Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
• Redeem your rewards points for travel, gift cards, or statement credits. Or shop at millions of online stores and redeem your rewards when you check out with PayPal.

Best for companion tickets

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card

• Earn 85,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Earn 85,000 miles

Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets. Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.

• 3X Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
• 2X Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
• 1X Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.

What we love: The annual companion certificate on Main Cabin domestic flights (taxes and fees apply) comes with this card after the first year is valuable enough to justify the annual fee even if you’re just looking for great Delta perks to make travel smoother with a partner. Plus, the companion certificate is easier to obtain than other airline cards’ since it carries no spending requirement that must be met beyond the card’s annual fee. Alternatives: The American Express® Green Card could be a great alternative since it charges a lower $150 annual fee, lets you earn and redeem rewards on travel with any eligible airline (not just Delta) and offers credits for Loungebuddy lounge access and Clear Plus. You can even transfer points to Delta at a 1:1 ratio.

• Boasts several valuable travel perks, including priority boarding, a free first checked bag and specialized annual credits for select rideshare services and reservations with Delta Stays and Resy.
• Gets you closer to Medallion Status and discounts on in-flight purchases, complimentary upgrades, and more.
• Its rewards rate on non-travel purchases is lacking — a general-purpose travel card could potentially offer better rewards value and flexibility for rewards travel outside Delta.
• No longer offers complimentary Delta Sky Club lounge access as of this year, although airport lounge access is a staple perk for premium travel cards.
• Receive a Companion Certificate on Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Ticket requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights and no more than $250 for roundtrip international flights (both for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
• Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and get closer to Status with MQD Headstart.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
• Earn $1 Medallion® Qualification Dollar for each $20 of purchases made on your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card in a calendar year and get a boost toward achieving Medallion Status for next Medallion Year.
• Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
• Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
• Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
• Receive Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights; board early, stow your carry-on bag and settle in sooner.
• Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Members with an eligible ticket will be added to the Complimentary Upgrade list, after Delta SkyMiles Medallion Members and Reserve Card Members.
• $350 Annual Fee.

Best starter airline card

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

• Earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Earn 85,000 points

Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming. Earn 2X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.

• 2X Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases.
• 2X Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
• 2X Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming.
• 2X Earn 2X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
• 1X Earn 1X points on all other purchases.

What we love: This card’s anniversary bonus offers enough value to nearly offset the annual fee on its own, so it should be a terrific low-stakes option whether you’re new to airline cards or a regular Southwest flyer looking for a low-maintenance card. Plus, its sign-up bonus value is on par with the value you’ll get with much pricier airline and travel cards. Learn more: Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus benefits guide Alternatives: The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card could offer better value overall, despite its $149 annual fee. It carries an annual $75 Southwest travel credit and 7,500 bonus points each year on your account anniversary — more than enough value to justify the higher fee.

• You’ll automatically earn 3,000 Rapid Rewards points each year after your account anniversary, which could offset much of the card’s already-low annual fee.
• Delivers the same hefty sign-up bonus as higher-tier Southwest cards.
• Unlike several travel cards, it doesn’t carry rewards categories for popular everyday purchases like gas or dining.
• It may not be the best Southwest value for frequent flyers since it poses a 3 percent foreign transaction fee and doesn’t offer perks like upgraded boardings or elite status benefits.
• 3,000 anniversary points each year.
• Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases.
• Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
• Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming.
• 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

Best for savers

Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card

• Receive 60,000 online bonus points - a $600 value - after you make at least $4,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.

60,000 points

Earn unlimited 2 points for every $1 spent on travel and dining purchases. Earn unlimited 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

21.24% - 29.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers

• 2X Earn unlimited 2 points for every $1 spent on travel and dining purchases.
• 1.5X Earn unlimited 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

What we love: If you do your banking with Bank of America and qualify for Preferred Rewards status, this card could provide an exclusive 25 percent to 75 percent rewards rate boost. The  rewards rates — 2X points on dining and travel, with 1.5X points on all other purchases — could increase to an incredible 3.5X on travel and dining with an unrivaled flat 2.62X points rate. Learn more: Why expert Sara Coleman loves the Bank of America Premium Rewards Card Alternatives: The similarly-priced Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the best alternatives thanks to its stellar travel protections, yearly bonus rewards and stronger rewards program. However, flat-rate cards like the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card or the Discover it® Miles card could be lucrative if you don’t think the $95 annual fee is worth it.

• The $95 annual fee is relatively affordable for this card category thanks to the up to $100 in yearly airline incidental statement credits.
• You can smooth out your travel experience with great benefits like credits toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry and comprehensive travel insurance.
• Attaining the highest rewards rate is not an easy feat, since you’ll need to hold significant funds in Bank of America accounts.
• This card does not offer a few popular premium travel perks like lounge access.
• Low $95 annual fee.
• Earn unlimited 2 points for every $1 spent on travel and dining purchases and unlimited 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases. No limit to the points you can earn and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.
• If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, you can earn 25%-75% more points on every purchase. That means you could earn 2.5-3.5 points on travel and dining purchases and 1.87 - 2.62 points on all other purchases, for every $1 you spend.
• Redeem for cash back as a statement credit, deposit into eligible Bank of America® accounts, credit to eligible Merrill® accounts, or gift cards or purchases at the Bank of America Travel Center.
• Get up to $100 in Airline Incidental Statement Credits annually and TSA PreCheck®/Global Entry Statement Credits of up to $100, every four years.
• Travel Insurance protections to assist with trip delays, cancellations and interruptions, baggage delays and lost luggage.
• No foreign transaction fees.

Best for first-year value

Discover it® Miles

• Unlimited Bonus: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers—only from Discover. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. You could turn 35,000 Miles to 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match.

Discover Match®

Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase.

18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR

• 1.5X Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase.

What we love: In addition to the exceptionally valuable Discover Match® , this card combines solid flat-rate rewards with consumer-friendly terms, like minimal fees and an equal value for both travel and cash back redemptions. Travelers who value simplicity will appreciate this card’s straightforward rewards and adaptability — even when you aren’t traveling. Learn more: Why expert Holly Johnson loves the Discover it® Miles Alternatives: The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card carries a more straightforward and still easy-to-reach welcome bonus. The VentureOne card also gives you the option of transferring miles to more than a dozen airline and hotel partners, which could increase the redemption value of your rewards.

• All miles earned in your first year will be matched at the end of the year, which could make it one of the most valuable first-year offers for no annual fee.
• Miles don’t lose value when they’re redeemed for cash back, which gives it a leg up over many travel rewards programs for occasional travelers.
• You’ll miss out on pretty standard travel perks like travel insurance, and car rental damage protection.
• The rewards structure lacks flexibility; you won’t be able to transfer your miles or use them to book travel.
• Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase
• No annual fee
• Turn Miles into cash. Or redeem as a statement credit for your travel purchases like airfare, hotels, rideshares, gas stations, restaurants and more.
• 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 18.24% - 28.24% Standard Variable Purchase APR will apply.
• Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. It’s free, activate with the mobile app.
• Discover is accepted nationwide by 99% of the places that take credit cards.
• Terms and conditions apply.

Best for fair credit

Credit One Bank Wander® Card

Intro offer is not available for this Credit One Bank credit card.

Earn 10x points on eligible hotels and car rentals booked through the Credit One Bank travel partner site Earn 5x points on eligible travel, dining, and gas Earn 1x points on all other purchases

29.74% Variable

• 10X Earn 10x points on eligible hotels and car rentals booked through the Credit One Bank travel partner site
• 5X Earn 5x points on eligible travel, dining, and gas
• 1X Earn 1x points on all other purchases

What we love: The Credit One Bank Wander® Card is a solid option if you want to earn points on travel but have trouble qualifying for mainstream travel cards. Not only is this card accessible with only fair credit, but its rewards program boasts generously high rewards rates in key travel categories. Learn more: Best travel cards for people with bad or fair credit Alternatives: If you don’t mind putting down a refundable security deposit, consider a no-annual-fee secured card like the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card *. It’s a unique secured card that lets you build credit while earning rewards in a category of your choice (with travel just one of many popular options) as well as grocery stores and wholesale clubs.

• It’s one of the only travel rewards cards available with a fair credit score, making it a decent option if you want to earn travel rewards as you work on your score.
• Provides 5X points in travel, dining and gas, plus 10X points on eligible hotel and rental car bookings through Credit One Bank — rare and impressive rates with only fair credit.
• Its annual fee is high compared to other cards you can get with a fair credit score , so it may not be the best fit if you prioritize building credit over earning rewards.
• Other travel cards may offer better perks, fewer redemption restrictions and more value, so it may be worth working on your score with a lower-cost card before committing to the costly annual fee.
• Earn 10x points on eligible hotels and car rentals booked through the Credit One Bank travel partner site
• Earn 5x points on eligible travel, dining, and gas
• Earn 1x points on all other purchases
• Redeem your reward points for statement credits, gift cards, merchandise, flights, hotels, and more
• With $0 Fraud Liability, you won’t be responsible for unauthorized charges
• Free Online Credit Score and Credit Report summary, terms apply
• If you are a Covered Borrower under the Military Lending Act, you may get a different offer
• See Rates & Fees

Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit  AmericanExpress.com/benefitsguide  for more details. Underwritten by Amex assurance company.

The information about the American Express® Green Card and Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuers.

Compare Bankrate's best travel credit cards of 2024

What are travel credit cards.

Travel credit cards allow cardholders to earn points or miles on a variety of purchases (typically travel-related), which are redeemable for travel bookings, statement credits, gift cards and more.

The best travel credit cards do more than help you foot the bill for your next flight — travel cards also offer perks to upgrade your entire travel experience. Trip insurance , annual travel credits, concierge services and lounge access are all common benefits. Airline and hotel co-branded credit cards sometimes offer specific discounts and perks for loyalty program members.

Pros and cons of travel credit cards

Although a well-chosen travel card can pay huge dividends, it might not be the right move for every traveler. Before you apply, take time to weigh the benefits versus the drawbacks of travel credit cards .

Tips on choosing the best travel credit card for you

The right travel credit card for you will carry features and benefits that give you the best value. To help you narrow down your choices, here are the steps to choosing the best travel card.

How to choose a travel credit card

1. know how you prefer to travel.

Knowing whether your travel expenses lean toward airfare, hotel stays or a mix of other travel will help you decide whether you should get an airline card, hotel card or general-purpose travel card. A co-branded airline or hotel credit card may be a good fit if you mostly travel with a certain brand and want exclusive privileges to enhance your experience. A general-purpose travel card is better if you prefer to keep your travel options open.

2. Prioritize redemption value

You may have to pick between simplicity and maximum value when comparing cards and rewards programs. Many travel cards offer a standard point or mile redemption value of 1 cent when you redeem toward travel through the issuer portal, but some cards can get you a higher redemption value when you transfer rewards to airline or hotel partners. However, it's common for many travel reward programs to reduce the redemption value toward non-travel options or limit these redemption options altogether. If you prefer simplicity over maximizing rewards, you may want to consider cards that allow you to redeem points or miles at an equal 1-cent value toward general travel purchase credits, cash back or other non-travel options.

3. Match your card to your spending habits

Take a look at your typical spending and find which travel categories and non-travel categories you spend the most in to help you choose a card that offers a high rewards rate for your regular spending. Just make sure you factor in rewards spending caps.

4. Note what's worth the extra money

High rewards rates and valuable travel perks are the biggest reasons to get a travel card, but many of the best cards carry a high annual fee. You could stick with a no-annual-fee travel card (or at least one with around a $99 fee) if you're mainly focused on earning rewards, but you may have to pay up to $500 or more for luxurious perks like airport lounge access, comprehensive travel insurance and hundreds of dollars in annual travel credits .

5. Look toward your next trip abroad

If you travel overseas, check to see if the card you're considering charges a foreign transaction fee. And since some credit cards aren't as widely accepted as others, you'll also want to make sure your credit card will work when traveling overseas . For example, merchants may not accept Discover and American Express cards as widely as Visa and Mastercard. If a trip is coming up in the next three to six months, keep an eye out for the big sign-up bonuses travel cards are known for. As a rule of thumb, the higher the annual fee, the higher the sign-up bonus should be.

Co-branded travel cards vs. general travel cards

Experts typically divide travel credit cards into two categories: co-branded travel cards and general travel cards. Co-branded cards are linked to a particular airline or hotel, while general travel cards offer more flexible reward opportunities. Here’s why and when you might want one or the other.

• Co-branded cards
• General travel cards

Co-branded travel cards tend to offer higher rewards rates on eligible travel purchases in exchange for limiting your reward redemption options to just one airline or hotel program . These cards may also feature more specific perks associated with the respective hotel or airline, such as free award nights, complimentary airline elite status or priority boarding — which general-purpose travel cards don’t often carry).

However, you won’t be able to use your rewards with a wide variety of different hotels and airlines like general-purpose cards allow. Plus, despite co-branded travel cards’ typically higher rewards rates, many brand-specific rewards tend to be worth less than the potential value of general-purpose cards’ points and miles.

When to get a co-branded travel card : When you often fly or stay with a specific airline or hotel and want to maximize your benefits with that brand.

General travel cards earn rewards on various travel categories and aren’t limited to a particular airline or hotel. Such cards may lack some of the dedicated perks you’ll find on a co-branded travel card, such as in-flight discounts, but make up for it with rewards flexibility and broader perks like general travel credits, expedited security screening and wider airport lounge access. 

The top travel cards even let you transfer your points or miles to airline and hotel loyalty programs, often at a 1:1 rate. Redeeming with some airlines and hotels can even make your rewards more valuable than they would be if you redeemed with the card issuer.

When to get a general travel card : When you have no preferred airline or hotel and want the additional flexibility a general travel card offers. 

Who should get a travel credit card?

A travel credit card is almost always worth it for frequent travelers or anyone who wants to earn rewards toward their next vacation.

If you can save up airline miles, rack up points for free nights at hotels or get discounted travel through your credit card issuer, you’re on your way to significant travel savings. However, the right travel card for you will depend on your travel habits.

Frequent travelers

Naturally, the ideal candidate for a travel card is someone who travels a lot or plans to book several flights and hotel stays per year. However, in some cases, you don’t have to be a frequent traveler to reap the benefits of a travel rewards card. A number of cards offer good rewards rates on general purchases.

Travel beginners

If you’re new to travel rewards, a good place to start is with a travel card that makes it easy to earn and redeem points, without requiring you to navigate a complex rewards program or worry about tiered rewards rates or varying point redemption values. 

Brand loyalists

If you tend to book travel with the same brands frequently or already belong to an airline or hotel loyalty program, a co-branded travel card can offer terrific value.  Airline- and hotel-specific rewards cards often earn a top rate on bookings with the brand as well as exclusive perks like lounge access and automatic elite status. 

Business travelers

Some of the most valuable travel credit cards are business cards . Whether you're a freelancer on the go or the CEO of a Fortune 500, the right travel credit card can help you earn high rewards rates on everyday business purchases. 

International travelers

If you frequently travel abroad, a card with no foreign transaction fees is a great way to help you avoid extra costs on overseas purchases. Plus, if you hate waiting in line at airport security or customs, a lot of travel cards offer statement credits to reimburse you for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees.

Luxury travelers

Luxury travel cards often charge a pretty penny but also offer a ton of value via perks like lounge access and annual travel credits. These perks not only make travel more comfortable, but also often carry enough value to offset the card’s cost on their own.

Still unsure if a travel credit card is right for you? Check out our Credit Card Spender Type Tool where you can get personalized credit card recommendations based on your credit score, spending habits and daily needs.

Here’s how a Bankrate editor chose his travel card

Here’s how a bankrate editor chose his travel card.

With all of this advice in mind, let’s see how a credit card expert made their pick. Here’s Bankrate editor Nouri Zarrugh on how he chose his travel card:

When it comes to earning rewards, I’ve always stuck with cash back cards, preferring the simplicity of knowing exactly how much my rewards are worth and the ease of redeeming for statement credits. Recently, though, I decided I wanted to travel a bit more frequently, and I figured a new travel rewards card could be a great tool to help me earn free trips. When choosing the right card for me, a few major points of consideration stood out: Cost: I didn’t feel like I traveled enough to justify a huge annual fee. Simplicity : I wanted to stick with a single, streamlined travel card and not worry about juggling multiple rewards programs or rewards rates. Perks : While I didn’t need anything too fancy, I thought it might be nice to have a perk like TSA Precheck included, since I hate waiting in long airport security lines. To my surprise, the card that stood out most was the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. Though it carried an intimidating annual fee of $395 ( See Rates & Fees ), I found this cost was more than worth it once I dug into the details. In fact, its benefits were so valuable, I barely needed to worry about offsetting the cost.  Two of its annual perks — a $300 Capital One travel credit and 10,000 bonus miles every year on my account anniversary — are valuable enough to offset the fee on their own. This means as long as I take one flight a year, I can basically break even on the card. Any rewards or perks I get beyond that feel like pure upside. It’s a huge bonus, then, that the card also includes practical benefits like Priority Pass lounge access and a credit of up to $100 toward the cost of Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. While I’ve never frequented airport lounges, I see these privileges as essentially free considering the value of the annual travel credit and bonus miles. So, I figure, why not take advantage?  For me, the Venture X strikes the perfect balance: A flat rewards rate that makes it easy to earn miles on everything I buy; flexible redemption through Capital One or via transfer to airlines and hotels, and practical perks I know I’ll use when I travel. I never imagined I’d have a $395 travel card in my wallet, but for me, it’s at worst a coupon for a flight every year, which can nudge me to take that next trip. — Nouri Zarrugh, Editor, Bankrate

Travel benefits may differ from card to card, but some of the most popular travel cards available often feature a few key perks. 

Travel insurance

Travel cards may offer various travel insurances , such as trip delay protection, trip cancellation insurance, lost baggage insurance or car rental insurance. These benefits aren’t worth anything until you need them, but you’ll be glad you have them when your flight is canceled or your luggage gets lost.

Travel credits

Credits toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry are a popular and common benefit on many travel cards. You can typically use this credit once every four years, which roughly corresponds to how long a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry membership lasts. Some cards may also provide an annual credit toward Clear Plus — another expedited security membership. Higher-end travel cards often offer annual statement credits toward travel purchases, and many of these credits nearly offset these cards’ annual fees. 

In-flight perks

Co-branded airline cards typically offer some airport and in-flight benefits on top of their reward-earning capabilities. These can include discounts on in-flight purchases (usually 25 percent back on refreshments and WiFi), free checked bags, flight seating upgrades or priority boarding. 

Free hotel award nights

Co-branded hotel cards may include free hotel award nights annually as part of their benefits. Some cards also add an extra complimentary awards night to your stay if you’ve booked a certain number of consecutive nights. These nights are typically capped at a certain value (sometimes based on the card or your elite status), and may be valuable enough to make up for some cards’ annual fees.

Airport lounge access

One of the most popular (and valuable) travel benefits featured on high-end and luxury travel cards is complimentary access to airport lounges. The lounges you gain access to depend on the card, though co-branded cards will often grant access to the lounge corresponding to the card’s airline. The Amex Platinum card currently offers the best airport lounge access .

If you want to add a credit card to your portfolio for your travel needs, knowing what cards are popular and why people like them can help steer your decision. We regularly stay abreast of these conversations online and noticed two travel cards come up regularly: the Chase Sapphire Reserve and The Platinum Card from American Express .

These cards shine because they offer some of the best rates on travel purchases and the most comprehensive set of benefits and perks . Despite their annual fees, what you get in return can far outweigh your costs. And the conversation around these two cards isn’t new: Is the effort of maximizing their perks worth it?

What people say about travel credit cards perks

The Sapphire Reserve is often referred to as the gold standard in travel benefits and protections, and the value of its trip insurance is a big part of that. A member of the Rick Steves Forum remarks on the value of the insurance: “It has pretty extensive coverage wherever I travel … my entire trip is covered as long as I charged any portion of the trip to my card.” This feature is unique to the Sapphire Reserve and sets it apart from other premium cards, which require you to charge your entire trip purchase to the card to have active coverage.

But using trip insurance isn’t always a simple process. As a user in the r/CreditCards forum on Reddit cautions: “Credit card travel insurance in general is very specific on what it covers, and people tend to overestimate just how useful the coverage actually is,” they write. “These are named peril policies, so unless you see your exact situation as a covered hazard the policies won't pay out.”

The Platinum Card from American Express gets a lot of buzz for reasons similar to the Sapphire Reserve. The card gives so many benefits, credits and additional perks that it’s often called a coupon book for luxury travel. But for many people, the value comes down to whether they’re willing to do the work to maximize its features. Another r/CreditCards member says they use the card’s Hilton and Marriott status boosters, rental car company loyalty program automatic status features, Centurion lounge access, hotel and airline incidental credits, membership credits and more. Using all these features helps them offset the annual fee.

While some people love maximizing the card’s features to extract  as much value as possible, others, like this Redditor, think it’s too much work:

“The only benefit the Platinum card really adds is Centurion but only to the [cardholder] … I believe the Platinum is worth [it] at least the first year for the [sign-up] bonus but then it doesn't get much use after that. Trust me the credits are really annoying to use.” — r/CreditCards user

These two premium cards stand out from the rest because they offer the most comprehensive features available to suit your travel needs and protect you from any issues that arise. The Chase Sapphire Reserve is an exceptional option to protect you from travel issues, but make sure you know the fine print. While the Amex Platinum may not be as ideal for travel protections, the credits offered more than offset its annual fee if you can put in the effort to fully maximize them.

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned cardholder, your travel card should always work in your favor by offering the features and benefits you’ll actually use and that make your travels more enjoyable. But whether you’re willing to put in the effort to maximize a card’s value is something you’ll need to decide for yourself.

*The quotes and citations included on this page have been verified by our editorial team and are accurate as of the posting date. Be sure to check the issuer's website/terms and conditions for all up to date content. Outlinked content may contain views and opinions that do not reflect the views and opinions of Bankrate.

Credit card points and miles are two of the key types of credit card rewards , along with cash back. You’ll earn points and miles by making purchases with your credit card, but you can typically redeem these rewards for travel, gift cards and more — not just statement credits.

Points and miles tend to be more flexible than cash back, but since their value depends on how you redeem them — and, in the case of travel redemptions, where you’re going, when you book, your fare class and more — it may take a bit more effort to make the most of them.

What are your points and miles worth?

Since many airlines and hotels use dynamic pricing models that continually optimize airfare and room prices, it can be hard to know exactly how much your rewards are worth without doing a little math.

Luckily, you don’t need to be a travel hacker to get a sense of this idea. Before you redeem, you can check your reward redemption value by dividing the cost of a plane or hotel booking in cash by its cost in points or miles. This calculation will result in the cash value of your points or miles.

You can also compare this value to Bankrate’s latest points and miles valuations to determine if you’re getting a good deal on your redemptions. Bankrate collected data on hundreds of bookings across dozens of airline, hotel and credit card rewards programs and estimated how much each program’s rewards are worth on average .

• Airline rewards values
• Hotel rewards values
• Credit card program rewards values

The table below shows Bankrate’s estimated reward redemption value for a variety of popular airline loyalty programs. You’ll notice how widely the value varies between airlines, with some offering close to 3 cents per point in average redemption value and others struggling to meet a 1-cent-per-point value.

Keep in mind, however, that these values are averages based on a variety of fare classes, destinations, booking periods and more. For example, while Bankrate estimates Delta SkyMiles carry an average redemption value of around 1.2 cents per mile, they could be worth more or less depending on the details of your booking. 

*Based on weighted average of median point/mile values across economy and first/business class fares.

Like airline miles, hotel points fluctuate in value. The table below shows Bankrate’s estimated point values for some of the most popular hotel brands. 

As you can see, hotel points tend to be worth less than airline and credit card rewards on average, often carrying less than 1 cent per point in redemption value. That said, hotel loyalty programs sometimes offer more favorable exchange rates when you transfer rewards from a credit card rewards program. For example, you may be able to turn 1,000 credit card points into 2,000 hotel points (a 2:1 transfer ratio). 

*Based on median point values across budget, mid-tier and luxury hotel bookings.

Unlike hotel and airline rewards programs, credit card reward programs typically earn points or miles that offer a consistent redemption value when you use them with the issuer. Though the redemption value of your rewards may vary based on how you redeem, each redemption method should offer a consistent baseline value. 

Some credit card rewards programs may also allow you to transfer your points or miles to airline and hotel loyalty programs, which could boost their value considerably. For each major credit card rewards program, we estimate a baseline redemption value (assuming you book for travel with the issuer) and a Bankrate’s Value, which averages the program’s best-value transfer partners.

*Based on an average of the issuer’s five highest-value transfer partners (if available).

When to use rewards vs. cash

To demonstrate when it’s best to use your reward miles versus paying in cash, we set up this example:

We estimate American Airlines AAdvantage miles are worth 1.0 cents. If you book a seat in the main cabin on a one-way flight from Boston to Miami, and it costs either $139 or 21,500 miles, your miles are only worth $0.006 ($139 / 21,500 miles = $0.006). Since your miles for this flight are worth less than 1.0 cents, you may want to save your miles and pay cash for this flight.

But if you book a first-class seat on the same flight for $433 or 31,500 miles, your miles are now worth $0.013 ($433 / 31,500 = $0.013). Since 1.3 cents is higher than our latest valuation, you’re coming out ahead if you use your miles to pay for this flight.

Bankrate experts share their advice on using travel credit cards

It’s important to know how to maximize your rewards and perks. Otherwise, a travel card could end up being a money pit. Here are a few pointers from our experts for making the most of your travel card: 

Combine cards to maximize rewards

Knowing how much you spend in different categories and which merchants are eligible for rewards will help you earn more and build an optimized stack of rewards cards. A flat-rate card is often a great starting point to earn the same rate on every purchase you make. As you build out a rewards strategy, you can incorporate a card with bonus categories to earn even more in your highest spending areas.

Expert Insight:

“For a long time, I’ve used a combination of Chase credit cards known as the Chase trifecta for all my family’s spending…. [I] don’t typically use my Sapphire Reserve for everyday spending and bills. Since it only offers 1X points on non-bonus category spending, I use my Freedom Unlimited to make sure I earn a minimum of 1.5 percent cash back on everything I buy.” “I use each card strategically to earn as much in rewards as possible, then I pool them in my Sapphire Reserve account to redeem them for airfare, excursions, hotels and more.” — Holly D. Johnson — Award-winning personal finance writer and Bankrate contributor: Why I love the Chase Sapphire Reserve

Maximize your rewards value with transfer partners and issuer travel

Save your rewards for the most valuable redemption options. Travel points and miles often lose value toward non-travel options like cash back, so you’ll want to redeem your rewards for travel through the issuer portal for at least 1 cent per point or mile. However, transferring your rewards to the right airline or hotel partner program is usually worth the extra effort since it could net you even more value.

Expert Insight

“When I redeem my points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, the most I can get is 1.25 cents apiece, which is pretty good. However, if I transfer them to a partner airline’s loyalty program, I will often get much more. For example, I can transfer my points to United Airlines MileagePlus and use them to pay for flights. When I do, I generally get a value of 2 or more cents per point — in line with Bankrate estimates that Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth around 2 cents apiece on average when used with the right transfer partner.” — Margaret Wack — Personal finance expert and Bankrate contributor: Why I love the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Make the most of your travel perks

Travel benefits are one of the main reasons to get a travel card, and are often key to making up a card’s annual fee. Be sure to read the fine print to make sure you can take full advantage of these offers . For example, one card’s travel credit may apply to any travel purchase, including airfare, while another card’s may only cover costs like baggage fees or in-flight purchases. 

“This is the year to take inventory of your credit cards and make sure they’re serving you well. If you’re paying an annual fee, look for a card with recurring benefits. Whether it’s annual award nights, waived luggage fees or elite status benefits, these perks can offset your annual fee and make your travels more pleasant … Despite putting minimal spending on my Hilton Honors Amex Aspire card, I keep renewing it every year. That’s because the card provides automatic Hilton Diamond elite status, which can easily offset the $550 annual fee. Recurring card benefits like [these] can save you a lot on travel and are worth considering when shopping for a new credit card.” — Ariana Arghandewal — Travel rewards expert and Bankrate contributor: Five benefits you need from a travel credit card

Plan for the sign-up bonus

The best travel cards come with generous welcome offers, but these bonuses may require a high spend in a short timeframe. That’s why it’s important to consider whether the spending requirement fits with your typical spending habits or whether you need to plan purchases to meet the requirement. Just be sure not to overextend yourself or take on debt you can’t pay back just to earn a bonus — interest and fees can easily eat through any value you’d get.

“Keep in mind that credit card sign-up offers change often. So if you’re interested in a particular card but not blown away by its current offer (there are some for 100,000 points or more that aren’t always worth the trouble), it could be worth your while to wait for a better one.” — Ariana Arghandewal — Travel rewards expert and Bankrate contributor: 6 ways to get bigger credit card bonuses

Look out for limited-time offers, partner perks and other benefits

Keeping an eye out for limited-time offers like extraordinarily high sign-up bonuses, perks with partner services (like rideshares or delivery services) and other reward-earning opportunities is a great way to squeeze the most value from your travel card. Issuers sometimes provide shopping and travel portals and card-linked reward programs for select purchases (like for pre-paid dining or participating merchant spending), which can help you bank extra rewards.

“Keep an eye on your email inbox and rewards portal for any limited-time promotions your issuer may be offering. Many American Express cards feature Amex Offers, which lets you access perks like statement credits for spending a certain amount on specific hotels and other retailers.  Other cards, like the Capital One Venture X, also have occasional promotional offers, such as a credit for 5 percent back on VRBO rentals.” — Lori Zaino — Travel expert and Bankrate contributor: How to maximize credit cards for cheaper accommodations this holiday season

Track your spending and rewards each account statement

Track your favorite stores’ and services’ merchant category codes (MCCs) to fine-tune your spending habits for maximum rewards. If you notice your expenses changing, this practice may also help you notice whether you need to change which rewards cards you carry.

“The first step to optimizing your spending is to take the time to collect the MCCs of stores you frequently shop at. During the process, you might find that some stores in the same chain may have different MCCs, depending on their primary inventory. Even different counters or sections in the same department store may carry different MCCs. You can use this to your advantage if you know one location near you will provide a better cash back rate than the other. These “loopholes” can provide great opportunities to reap cash back on purchases that typically wouldn’t earn rewards.” — Garrett Yarbrough — Writer and credit cards expert at Bankrate: Merchant category codes: How to earn more cash back

Our data: What credit score do you need for the best travel cards?

It’s no secret that your credit score heavily influences which cards you’re likely to get approval for. But how good does your credit need to be to get the best credit cards for travel? We analyzed our data of Bankrate readers who applied for credit cards on our pages in 2023 and compared the approval rates of readers’ different credit tiers.

We found that, on average, 61.9 percent of users with excellent credit were approved for travel cards on our site. Then, an average of 39.5 percent and 19.5 percent of users with good and fair credit, respectively, got approval for travel credit cards they applied to.

If you have fair or bad credit, you still have options for travel credit cards. For example, the Credit One Bank Wander Card caters to people with fair credit — 57 percent of people with fair credit who applied on our site in 2023 were approved for this card , according to our data.

Obviously, the better your credit, the more likely you are to get the card you apply for , but other factors can affect your application. Issuers may also consider your income, recent credit applications, homeownership status and monthly rental or mortgage payment. Keep these other factors in mind with your credit score when you apply for credit cards.

Have more questions for our credit cards editors? Feel free to send us an email , find us on Facebook , or Tweet us @Bankrate .

When evaluating the best travel cards, we consider a mix of factors, including how cards score in our proprietary card rating system and whether cards offer features that fit the priorities of a diverse group of cardholders, from earning rewards in popular categories to scoring a large sign-up bonus or high-value perks. Whenever possible, we also feature cards that are available at various credit levels and price points. 

We analyzed over 150 of the most popular cards and scored each based on its rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more to determine whether it belonged in this month’s roundup of the best travel cards.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the key factors in our rewards card scoring methodology — our primary scoring category for travel cards — and details we considered when putting together our list of the best travel cards.  

• Flexibility 15%
• Customer experience 5%

Great rewards value

The primary criteria for a rewards-earning card’s rating is its rewards value. This includes the card’s average rewards rate, estimated annual rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value and reward redemption value.

To estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings, we first calculate its average rewards rate based on how much it earns in different bonus categories and how closely its categories align with the average person’s spending habits. In other words, we assess whether the card earns rewards at a high rate in the most popular spending categories. 

We use consumer spending data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to get a reliable third-party measure of people’s spending habits. The most recent BLS data estimates average total spending in 2022 was $72,967 per consumer. We then narrow our focus to which purchases are likely to be put on a credit card and earn rewards, subtracting expenditures like housing, vehicle purchases and education. This gives us a total “chargeable” annual spend of around $25,500.  

This includes the following spending by category:

• Groceries: $5,700
• Dining out: $3,600
• Entertainment: $2,400
• Gas: $3,100
• Apparel and services: $1,900

Using this data, we assign a weighting to each of a card’s bonus categories. For example, a card’s grocery rewards rate receives a 22 percent weighting based on how much of the average person’s budget is spent on groceries.

We also estimate the redemption value of points or miles from various issuer, airline and hotel rewards programs.

This weighting and rewards valuation allows us to estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings — how many points or miles you’d earn with a given card if your spending was about average and you used the card for all of your purchases — as well as what those points are worth. We also use point valuations to determine a card’s sign-up bonus value

With these calculations complete, we assign each card a score based on how its average rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value, rewards rate and redemption value stack up against other rewards cards.

The better these values, the higher its score will be, making it more worthy of inclusion in our list and increasing its potential ranking.

Reasonable rates and fees

We also score cards based on how much it costs to keep them in your wallet or carry a balance. 

To start, each card is scored based on whether it offers an intro APR and how its ongoing APR compares to the rates available on other rewards cards. However, the latter rating only has a slight influence on the card’s score and whether the card is included in our list, since rewards card users generally try to avoid carrying a balance.

More important to both a card’s score and its inclusion in our list is how its annual fee influences its overall value. We consider a card’s annual fee in two ways — how it ranks relative to the fees you’ll find on other cards in the category and how it impacts a card’s overall rewards value. 

Cards with an annual fee will always be at a slight disadvantage in our scoring system since annual fees inherently cut into your rewards value. However, if a card offers terrific value via its ongoing rewards and perks, it can earn a high score and a spot in our list even if it carries a high annual fee. After all, the highest rewards rates and most valuable perks are often found on cards with annual fees. 

With this in mind, we rate a card based primarily on how its ongoing rewards value and ongoing perk value (such as annual credits or bonuses) stack up against those of other cards in the category when you subtract annual fees.

That said, we strive to include as many no-annual-fee options in our list as possible since many people would rather not worry about offsetting fees, even if a card carries impressive rewards and perks.

Redemption flexibility

Rewards cards may make it easy to earn a lot of points, miles or cash back, but how easy is it to use those rewards? After all, if it takes a ton of effort to redeem rewards or you can only redeem rewards in a couple of ways, a card may be more trouble than it’s worth. 

As such, we rate each card’s flexibility based on the restrictions it imposes on earning and redeeming rewards. We factor this rating into a card’s overall score and consider it when deciding on a card’s inclusion in our list. 

Flexibility factors include whether a card only allows you to earn a high rewards rate on only a small amount of spending or requires you to meet a certain earning threshold before you can redeem rewards. We also examine whether your points are worth less when you opt for some redemption options over others and whether a card gives you the flexibility to transfer rewards to travel partners.

Valuable perks

We also score each card’s set of features – its perks and benefits — against five tiers of features to provide a rating. 

We break down these tiers as follows:

• Tier 1 includes fewer features than even standard credit cards (for example, an ultra-streamlined card that offers basic utility and next to nothing in the way of ancillary benefits). 
• Tier 2 includes the benefits you’d expect on standard Visa or Mastercard credit cards, such as free access to your credit score, car rental insurance and $0 liability for fraudulent charges. 
• Tier 3 includes “prime card” or better-than-average card features like cellphone insurance, lost luggage insurance, concierge services and purchase protection. 
• Tier 4 includes luxury features such as airport lounge access, elite status with an airline or hotel and credits for expedited security screening membership programs. 
• Tier 5 includes the sort of exemplary benefits you’ll find on top-tier luxury cards, such as high-value travel credits, cardholder memberships and other unique and valuable perks.

In evaluating the best cards, we tend to favor cards that offer at least Tier 3 benefits, unless they include other unique features that could make up for less-impressive perks.

And since this list focuses on travel cards, we tend to favor cards that carry travel-centric features like travel insurance, airport lounge access and credits for expedited security screening, instead of more general perks like food delivery credits or shopping discounts.

More information on travel credit cards

Frequently asked questions about travel credit cards, are travel credit cards worth it.

Travel cards can be well worth it since they often have exclusive travel perks like credits for airfare, hotel stays, expedited airport security services and more, as well as complimentary airport lounge access and airline or hotel privileges. However, many of the best travel credit cards come with annual fees. It’s important to at least offset the cost of these cards by taking advantage of the various travel perks and features included on the card. 

What credit score do you need for a travel credit card?

It’s possible to get a travel credit card with bad or fair credit, but most travel rewards cards are geared toward people with good or excellent credit (a FICO score of at least 670, or a VantageScore of at least 661).

Do travel miles or points expire?

Even though many major credit cards earn rewards that don’t expire, you may lose your points and miles if your account closes or isn’t in good standing. However, some co-branded cards’ rewards may expire if you don’t earn or redeem rewards within a certain timeframe (typically 12 to 36 months after the rewards are earned).

Check out our guide to credit card rewards expiration for a thorough breakdown of several popular issuers’ policies.

Are points or miles better on a credit card?

Whether points or miles offer better value will depend on the specific rewards program and how you redeem rewards. One airline loyalty program may earn miles that offer less than 1 cent each in average redemption value while another program’s points may offer close to 3 cents each on average. Similarly, a hotel card’s points may be worth less than half of a credit card issuer’s rewards points. Some programs offer points with only average baseline redemption value but high value when transferred to a partner airline or hotel. 

Ask the experts: Is it a good idea to have multiple travel credit cards?

Thomas Nitzsche

Stephanie Zito

Erica Sandberg

Financial Educator, Debt and Credit

Whether you should have multiple travel credit cards depends on several factors, including your brand affinity, frequency of travel and ability to pay off your cards in full each month. As a credit counselor, I see many people carrying credit card debt at high interest rates while continuing to make charges to the account for the sake of earning rewards. They lose far more than they earn each month. Having more than one travel credit card could make sense for you if you’re able to maximize your earnings by strategizing spending across each card. Just take into account annual fees and actual interest paid.

Contributor, Personal Finance

If you’re up for managing multiple cards and their benefits, then there are definitely big reward payouts to be had. But if the thought of multiple cards is overwhelming, it’s also a good strategy to have one or two more flexible cards and focus on maximizing your earnings and redemptions until it becomes second nature.

Contributor, Credit Cards

Definitely! I currently have two travel credit cards. In addition to the Chase card that I use for my United Airlines purchases, I have the Capital One Venture card for all other airlines. I earn a solid amount of miles on everything I buy with it, so it's an easy go-to for non-travel related expenses.

Article sources

We use primary sources to support our work. Bankrate’s authors, reporters and editors are subject-matter experts who thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate, timely and relevant.

Global entry: Trusted traveler enrollment program . U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Accessed on Feb. 21, 2024

Discover International acceptance . Discover. Accessed on Feb. 21, 2024.

* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.

• Elektrostal

Elektrostal Weather Forecast

Now 21:23, 12 June

• Sunrise: 03:41 Sunset: 21:11
• Daylight: 17:30
• Moon Phase: Waxing crescent
• Read more about Sunrise

Daily weather forecast

Today 12 June, weather in Elektrostal +82°F. Thunderstorm with rain, Light Breeze, South 5.4 mph. Atmosphere pressure 29.3 inHg. Relative humidity 70%. Tomorrow's night air temperature will drop to +64°F, wind will change to Southeast 1.3 mph. Pressure will go down and amount to 29.2 inHg. Day temperature will not rise above the mark +73°F, and night 14 June will not fall below +59°F. The wind will be North within 4mph. More

• Wednesday 12 June +82° +63°
• Thursday 13 June +73° +64°
• Friday 14 June +72° +59°
• Saturday 15 June +77° +55°
• Sunday 16 June +75° +59°
• Monday 17 June +77° +59°
• Tuesday 18 June +81° +61°

Day and night temperatures in Elektrostal

Interactive graph of the temperature in Elektrostal for the period 12 - 18 June . The minimum value of the daily temperature is expected at around +72 °F , the maximum is expected at around +82 °F . At night the minimum temperature will be +55 °F and the maximum +64 °F

UV index in Elektrostal

Minimal risk from exposure to ultraviolet radiation on the skin; it is safe for the average person to be in the sun. More UV index details

Weather in Large and Nearby Cities

Weather in Moscow +68°

Khimki +68°

Balashikha +70°

Podol’sk +70°

Fryazino +70°

Elektrougli +72°

Elektrogorsk +73°

Drezna +73°

Chernogolovka +70°

Bykovo +72°

Medvezh’i Ozëra +70°

Zhukovskiy +70°

Kraskovo +70°

Losino-Petrovskiy +70°

Zheleznodorozhnyy +70°

Staraya Kupavna +70°

Kalitino +72°

Khmelevo +70°

Southwest Airlines plane blew tire during take off, made emergency landing in Denver

A commercial airline flight made an emergency landing in Colorado this week after an issue with its landing gear during takeoff.

Southwest Air Flight No. 225, headed from Denver to Phoenix on Monday night, had return to the Denver International Airport and make the emergency landing after an issue with one of its tires during takeoff.

According to the online site Flight Aware , which tracks flight paths, the Boeing 737-800 took off at 6:31 p.m., was diverted and then returned to the Denver airport 41 minutes later.

No injuries were reported.

Flight delayed or canceled? How to get ahead of the issue.

Southwest tire blows during takeoff from Denver

On Friday, the airline released the following statement to USA TODAY:

"Southwest Flight 225 returned safely to Denver on Monday, June 3, after a tire failed during takeoff. Following standard Safety procedures, the Pilots declared an emergency prior to landing. The flight landed without incident and taxied off the runway. A separate aircraft operated the scheduled flight to Phoenix."

In the statement, the airline thanked its flight crew for "their professionalism" and its customers for "their patience."

'Crying and screaming'

Boulder resident Julianna Donadio, who said she was on the plane headed to visit her mom, told local KDVR-TV , she and fellow passengers knew the plane blew a tire.

“When the flight attendants said we were going to have an emergency landing, we started to panic a little bit. People were definitely crying and screaming and trying to console one another,” told the outlet. “They started preparing us for crash position, so having our head between our knees, and they were informing the emergency exit line how to open the doors and operate potentially the slides.”

Donadio told the outlet she was grateful to the pilot and crew, who all remained calm during the frightening scene.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.