The best credit cards for travel in September

As much as I wish we could give ALL of you points, we only have one more lucky winner. And that winner is...

Alane G! Congratulations! You've won 300,000 IHG rewards points. With that many points, you could go live on an island in Bali for 50 nights. No, seriously, you could actually do that. If Bali doesn't float your boat, check out our post about other ways to spend your new IHG points 👇

If you didn’t know, we have a page on our website where we list our favorite travel credit cards and provide partner offers through CreditCards.com. It's based on things like current signup bonuses, perks, etc. and is updated every month to reflect the latest updates.

Our goal is to give you the best recommendations for how to use these cards to maximize their travel value whether you're looking for your first card or you're a seasoned miles and points expert.

Since we are wrapping up our first full week of September, I thought I'd break down the changes we've made to the list since August.

What's moved up

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card - 🥁🥁🥁 The Hilton Surpass card also has an elevated welcome bonus of 130,000 points and a $0 annual fee in the first year making it our number 1 card this month! (Terms Apply – this card is $95 every year after signing up). If you plan on staying in a hotel in the coming months, this signup bonus can score you some free nights at one of Hilton’s 18 brands’ 7,000 properties.

Capital One Venture X - This card doesn't need an amazing welcome offer to be high up on our list (although the current offer of 75,000 miles secures its spot at #2). This card costs $395 per year but offers an annual $300 travel credit, 10,000 annual Capital One miles (worth $100), and unlimited lounge access at over 1,400 lounges worldwide for the cardholder AND all authorized users. Essentially, the annual fee is canceled out every year and there are many benefits stacked on top. It's what we call a "keeper card," because it will always make sense to hold onto, plus its ability to cover your travel purchases with miles is by far the easiest program to use with flight deals notifications from our service FareDrop (you’re signed up for free domestic deals, right???)

What's new

Citi Premier® Card - This card made its way up to number 3 on our list because of its excellent signup bonus of 80,000 points and good earning rates on everyday spending like groceries, restaurants, and gas stations. It also has a reasonable $95 annual fee, making it a great starter card.

Hilton Honors American Express Card – As you can see above, we’ve been singing the praises of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card recently, but the Hilton Honors card (the lower-tier version of the Surpass) finds itself as our number 5 travel card this month due to its elevated welcome bonus of 100,000 Hilton points and a $100 statement credit (Terms Apply). Considering the annual fee is $0, this card is a no-brainer for anybody who was sad about not being named Heather S. living in Texas and winning our Hilton points giveaway 😉.

What's gone (R.I.P.)

British Airways Visa Signature® Card - This is still a good card, but it no longer makes the cut for our top list. The signup bonus isn't anything to write home about, and British Airways tickets have such high fuel surcharges that it doesn't even make sense to book flights with them. Even if you do want to fly on BA, there are plenty of other ways to earn/transfer into Avios.

United Club Infinite - This card is less universally valuable than the other cards on this list (meaning you really need to be a United loyalist to get the most value out of it). Given the high annual fee, it no longer makes the cut.

That's all of the updates for this month. Feel free to check out the list any time if you're thinking of opening a new credit card and want some insight into which card or cards might work best for you and any travel plans on the horizon.

What if I told you that there's a company that would take you on a luxurious, over-the-top travel experience on a private jet around the world?

You'd probably be into it, right?

Well, what if I told you that it would cost you as much as $215,000 per person? Would you vomit and run away? Yea... me too... 🤮

This newsletter is all about how normal people can enjoy amazing travel experiences without breaking the bank. But I thought it might be fun to share how some people in the world (who, let's just say, don't need to worry about breaking the bank) experience travel.

The Four Seasons, a high-end luxury hotel brand, conducts themed tours around the world that cost anywhere from $130,000 to $215,000 per person. It involves private jet flights with luxurious seats, spas, caviar, and more to exotic destinations with very high-end hotels and experiences.

One example of an itinerary is as follows:

Seattle - Japan - Bali - Seychelles - Rwanda - Morocco - Colombia - Ecuador - Fort Lauderdale

That's a pretty epic trip. But I can't help but think that it's still a huge waste of money... and I'll tell you why:

Next week I'm embarking on the most ambitious trip of my life so far - a complete around-the-world trip with the following itinerary:

Toronto - Greece - Serbia - Slovenia - Croatia - Hungary - Slovakia - Czech Republic - Poland - Qatar - India - Nepal - Thailand - Malaysia - South Korea - Japan - Toronto

That's not too shabby for an around-the-world itinerary, and it didn't cost me anything remotely close to $130,000... 

In fact, the entire 9-week trip is only costing me 250,000 points and about $1,500 in cash. And while it might not be quite as luxurious as the Four Seasons, I am flying a lot in business and first-class and staying at some hotels like Ritz-Carlton and Waldorf Astoria along the way, so it's not exactly a "budget backpacker" trip either.

This is a great example of how points and miles can unlock amazing experiences that some people in the world would literally pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for.

Oh, and if you think 250,000 points is a lot, keep in mind that you could earn that many points in a flash by opening one or two credit cards (bringing it full circle to the previous section of the newsletter).