The most effective bank cards for digital nomads and long-term vacationers
The appropriate journey bank card is essential for any journey as it will probably earn factors or miles and supply precious journey protections. However what for those who journey for months at a time as a digital nomad?
My husband and I’ve been residing on the street as digital nomads for greater than six years. We work remotely on-line whereas touring with no everlasting residence base. So, I am penning this piece from a protracted, private expertise.
Though each traveler values bank card advantages in a different way, this information considers among the bank cards that I feel are the perfect match for those who’re residing the prolonged journey or digital nomad life.
The most effective bank cards for digital nomads and long-term vacationers
First, the short hit record of the greatest playing cards for digital nomads and long-term vacationers. I will get into the main points under.
†The data for the Inexperienced Card from American Specific has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
Comparability of the perfect bank cards for digital nomads and long-term journey
| Card | Welcome bonus | Incomes charges (return primarily based on TPG’s valuations) | Annual payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | 60,000 bonus factors after you spend $4,000 within the first three months from account opening | 10 factors per greenback on Lyft rides (till March 2025)
10 factors per greenback on Chase Eating purchases booked via Final Rewards (20%) 10 factors per greenback on inns and automobile leases* booked via Chase Final Rewards (20%) 5 factors per greenback on flights booked via Chase Journey* (10%) 1 level per greenback on all different eligible purchases (2%) |
$550 |
| The Platinum Card from American Specific | Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards Factors after you spend $8,000 on purchases throughout the first six months of card membership | 5 factors per greenback for flights booked instantly with airways or with Amex Journey (on the primary $500,000 spent per calendar yr) and on pay as you go inns booked with Amex Journey (10%)
1 level per greenback on different purchases (2%) Phrases apply |
$695 (see charges and costs) |
| Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card | Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening | 10 miles per greenback on inns & rental automobiles booked via Capital One Journey (18.5%)
5 miles per greenback on flights booked via Capital One Journey (9.25%) 2 miles per greenback on all different purchases (3.7%) |
$395 (see (see charges and costs) |
| Citi Premier® Card | Earn 60,000 ThankYou bonus factors after you spend $4,000 in purchases throughout the first three months of account opening | 3 factors per greenback on air journey, inns, gasoline stations, eating places and supermarkets (5.4%)
1 level per greenback on all different eligible purchases (1.8%) |
$95 (see charges and costs) |
| American Specific Inexperienced Card† | 40,000 factors after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your new card in your first six months of card membership | 3 factors per greenback on eating places and journey, together with transit (6%)
1 level per greenback on all different eligible purchases (2%) |
$150 (see charges and costs) |
*after the primary $300 is spent on journey purchases yearly
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Signal-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus factors after you spend $4,000 within the first three months from account opening. Primarily based on TPG’s newest valuations, this bonus is value $1,230.
Rewards:
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- 10 factors per greenback on inns and automobile leases booked via Chase Journey
- 10 factors per greenback on Chase Eating purchases via Final Rewards on pay as you go restaurant reservations
- 10 factors per greenback on Lyft rides (via March 2025)
- 5 factors per greenback on flights booked via Chase Journey
- 3 factors per greenback on all different eating and journey purchases
- 1 level per greenback on all different purchases
Standout advantages:
- Annual journey credit score of as much as $300
- Precedence Go Choose lounge entry
- Factors redemption instantly via the Final Rewards journey portal at a charge of 1.5 cents apiece or factors transfers to 11 airline and three lodge companions
- World Entry/TSA PreCheck utility payment credit score each 4 years
- Particular automobile rental privileges from Nationwide Automotive Rental, Avis and Silvercar
- Entry to The Luxurious Lodge & Resort Assortment
- Complimentary Lyft Pink membership for 12 months
- Not less than 12 months of complimentary DashPass when the subscription is activated by December 31, 2024
- No international transaction charges
- Journey protections, together with major auto rental collision injury waiver, baggage delay insurance coverage, emergency evacuation and transportation insurance coverage, an emergency medical and dental profit, misplaced baggage reimbursement, roadside help, journey delay safety and journey cancellation/interruption insurance coverage
- Buying protections, together with prolonged guarantee safety, buy safety and return safety
Annual payment: $550
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a wonderful card for long-term vacationers due to its 3 factors per greenback incomes on all different journey (excluding $300 journey credit score) and eating purchases, in addition to its journey protections. These journey protections embrace all the pieces from reimbursements for bills associated to journey delays and delayed baggage to emergency medical and dental advantages.
Though the annual payment is $550, the up-to-$300 annual journey credit score, sturdy earnings on journey and eating purchases and journey protections can present vital worth once you’re on the street on a regular basis. Plus, Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders can switch Chase Final Rewards factors to lodge and airline companions or redeem them for 1.5 cents apiece via the Chase journey portal.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Platinum Card® from American Specific
Welcome bonus: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards Factors after you spend $8,000 on purchases throughout the first six months of card membership. (value $1,600 primarily based on TPG’s most up-to-date valuations).
Nonetheless, you should definitely verify the CardMatch Instrument to see for those who’re focused for a 125,000-point provide — though this provide is topic to vary at any time.
Rewards: 5 factors per greenback on flights booked instantly with airways or with American Specific Journey (on as much as $500,000 per calendar yr, then 1 per greenback) and on pay as you go inns booked with American Specific Journey and 1 level per greenback on different purchases.
Standout advantages:
*Enrollment required for choose advantages.
Annual payment: $695 (see charges and costs)
The Amex Platinum comes with greater than $1,400 in annual assertion credit and essentially the most complete lounge advantages of any bank card in the marketplace.
It is value noting that you just doubtless will not have the ability to maximize each credit score. And admittedly, these of us who spend a variety of time outdoors the U.S. could have bother utilizing the Uber perk, since it is a month-to-month credit score that is solely good in america.
Nonetheless, lounge entry — particularly to Centurion Lounges — and lodge elite standing at Marriott and Hilton might be particularly precious to these residing on the street. The first cause I consider the Platinum Card from American Specific is value it for long-term vacationers and digital nomads: the emergency medical evacuation profit that is offered simply by being a Platinum Card cardmember so long as you come back (even briefly) to your official residence each 90 days. Nonetheless, word that enrollment is required for choose advantages.
Apply right here: The Platinum Card from American Specific
Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card
Signal-up bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases throughout the first three months of account opening.
Rewards:
- 10 miles per greenback on inns & rental automobiles booked via Capital One Journey
- 5 miles per greenback on flights booked via Capital One Journey
- 2 miles per greenback on all different purchases
Standout advantages:
*Advantages solely out there to accounts accepted for the Visa Signature card. Phrases apply.
**Upon enrollment, accessible via the Capital One web site or cellular app, eligible cardholders will stay at upgraded standing degree via December 31, 2024. Please word, enrolling via the traditional Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment course of (e.g., at Hertz.com) is not going to robotically detect a cardholder as being eligible for this system, and cardholders is not going to be robotically upgraded to the relevant standing tier. Further phrases apply.
Annual payment: $395 (see charges and costs)
The Capital One Enterprise X Card is nice for bookings made via Capital One Journey and a flat-rate, hassle-free rewards on all different purchases. The cardboard additionally presents the flexibility to switch your miles to airline and lodge companions. The cardboard’s $300 annual credit score and 10,000-anniversary miles make for nice advantages on a yearly foundation. The Enterprise X stands out with the flexibility so as to add a variety of approved customers (see charges and costs) without charge who additionally obtain entry to Capital One and Precedence Go lounges with the flexibility to deliver as much as two company every.
Apply right here: Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card
Citi Premier® Card
Signal-up bonus: Earn 60,000 Citi ThankYou factors after you spend $4,000 within the first three months. Primarily based on TPG’s valuations, that bonus is value $1,080.
Rewards: 3 factors per greenback on air journey, inns, gasoline stations, eating places and supermarkets, plus 1 level per greenback on all different purchases.
Standout advantages:
Annual payment: $95 (no payment so as to add approved customers; see charges and costs)
The Citi Premier incorporates a 24-month prolonged guarantee profit that may be particularly helpful when residing on the street, as nomadic life can take a toll on electronics and different gear. Plus, it carries a implausible incomes charge for a pleasant mix of on a regular basis and travel-related purchases.
Apply right here: Citi Premier
American Specific® Inexperienced Card
Welcome bonus: Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards factors after you utilize your new card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first six months (value $800 primarily based on TPG’s most up-to-date valuations).
Rewards: 3 factors per greenback on eating places worldwide and journey, together with transit, and 1 level per greenback spent on all the pieces else.
Standout advantages:
*Enrollment required for choose advantages.
Annual payment: $150 (see charges and costs)
The American Specific Inexperienced Card† earns 3 factors per greenback on journey, together with transit, which might present nice worth to frequent vacationers. The Amex Inexperienced’s† annual payment is barely greater than the Citi Premier® Card, however the Amex Inexperienced† has annual assertion credit that may greater than offset the $150 annual payment for those who’re in a position to get vital worth from Clear membership and LoungeBuddy credit.
Associated: Learn our full evaluate of the American Specific Inexperienced Card
Airline and lodge bank cards
In the event you often fly a specific airline or keep at a specific lodge model, it might make sense to hold a cobranded bank card from the airline or lodge. These playing cards present many advantages, which might vary from free checked baggage to further award availability to bonus-earning to elite standing.
Check out TPG’s information to airline bank cards to see if the advantages offered by any of the cobranded bank cards make sense to your journey. Most of the playing cards present a free checked bag, which might prevent massive time once you fly often — particularly for those who have a tendency to buy primary financial system fares.
Even for those who solely verify a bag a couple of instances annually, playing cards such because the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Specific Card, Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Choose® World Elite Mastercard® and United Explorer Card can repay.
Take a look at TPG’s information to lodge bank cards to see if signing up for a lodge cobranded bank card is sensible to your journey type. For instance, I’ve gotten wonderful worth from the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit score Card. Since I typically keep at IHG inns, the advantages that include this card simply make up for the $99 annual payment.
Notable advantages embrace as much as 26 factors per greenback earned at IHG properties, an anniversary evening at an eligible IHG property value as much as 40,000 factors after every account anniversary, automated Platinum Elite standing and a fourth-night reward when redeeming IHG factors for stays of three nights or longer.
I additionally love the advantages that include Hilton Diamond Elite standing from the Hilton Honors American Specific Aspire Card, however the card’s $550 annual payment (see charges and costs) could also be troublesome to justify for those who do not stay at Hilton properties often.
The data for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
Associated: Are cobranded playing cards value it anymore?
Enterprise bank cards
Many long-term vacationers and digital nomads have companies that they are operating from the street. These vacationers could discover it helpful to have a number of enterprise playing cards as nicely.
One enterprise card that is significantly well-suited to long-term vacationers and digital nomads is the Ink Enterprise Most popular Credit score Card. This $95 annual payment card at the moment has a sign-up bonus of 100,000 Chase Final Rewards factors after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening; TPG’s most up-to-date valuations worth this bonus at $2,050.
Earn 3 factors per greenback on the primary $150,000 spent on journey, delivery, social media, search engine promoting and web/cable/cellphone providers every account anniversary yr, plus 1 level per greenback spent on all the pieces else. The cardboard presents cellphone insurance coverage, major rental automobile insurance coverage on business-related leases and no international transaction charges.
Backside line
If your organization is working remotely, you might be able to give the digital nomad life a attempt. In the event you resolve to hit the street, having any of the playing cards on this record could make your work and journey expertise much more safe.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Apply right here: Amex Platinum Card
Apply right here: Capital One Enterprise X Rewards
Apply right here: Citi Premier
For charges and costs of the Amex Platinum Card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Amex Inexperienced Card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Hilton Honors Amex Aspire Card, click on right here.
For Capital One merchandise listed on this web page, among the above advantages are offered by Visa® and will differ by product. See the respective Information to Advantages for particulars, as phrases and exclusions apply.
