The best travel cards for fair credit

With the weather warming and summer in full swing, traveling and taking a vacation to a remote place may be on your mind. If you travel and travel frequently, travel credit cards are a great way to accumulate points or miles for free flights, hotel nights, airport lounge access, and other perks. travel-related. However, if you want to purchase a travel credit card, your credit score may limit your ability to get one. Most travel credit cards require cardholders to have a high credit score.

FICO credit scores range from 300 to 850 and fall into different categories ranging from “poor” at the lower level to “exceptional” at the higher level. If you have a credit score between 580 and 669, you have a “fair” credit score, according to Experian. To get a travel credit card, you will probably need an average or high credit score of 600. If you have a low credit score and want to get a travel credit card, your first goal should be improve your credit score.

“For someone with a limited credit history or a bad credit rating, your travel options or
Credit card rewards are going to be limited. I would focus on increasing your credit score by making sure your credit usage is low and that you make your payments on time, ”Dustin Waller, a credit card expert and YouTuber who has visited 20 different countries and currently has 20 active credit cards, says. “These two factors make up about two-thirds of your credit score. If you can manage these two things, your credit score will increase.”

Waller recommends that people with a credit score below 600 start with the Discover it® Secured Credit Card or Capital One® Platinum Credit Card to begin rebuilding their credit score. The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is a secured card that requires you to make a security deposit equal to the value of your line of credit. The security deposit serves as security if you default on your monthly payments. After eight months, Discover will review if you are eligible to switch to an unsecured card and collect your security deposit. This encourages cardholders to pay their monthly payments on time and in full.

The Discover it® secure credit card also comes with rewards, a welcome bonus and no annual fee. You can earn 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants up to $ 1,000 in purchases each quarter and 1% cash back on all other purchases. For your welcome bonus, Discover will be the value of the cash back you earned during your first year of card membership.

The Capital One® Platinum Credit Card is another good option for people with low credit scores who are interested in travel credit cards. In particular, the Capital One® Platinum credit card has no annual fees and does not charge foreign transaction fees. It also includes travel-related benefits, such as travel accident insurance, rental car accident insurance, roadside assistance, and 24-hour travel assistance services. However, you will not be able to accumulate points or miles with this card: the Capital One® Platinum credit card does not offer a rewards program or welcome bonus.

If your credit score is over 600, Waller recommends the Apple Card for a higher card than the Discover it® Secured Credit Card and Capital One® Platinum Credit Card. Like the Capital One® Platinum credit card, the Apple card has no annual fee and is a good option for travelers as there are no overseas transaction fees.

Unlike the Capital One® Platinum credit card, the Apple card has a rewards program. Earn 3% cash back on goods or services purchased directly from Apple, on Uber and UberEats, at Walgreens and Duane Reade stores, on the Walgreens app and on Walgreens.com, at T-Mobile stores , at Nike, at Exxon and Mobil stations and at Panera Bread, 2% cash back on Apple Pay purchases and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

The Apple Card is known for its ease of use – you’ll need an iPhone, but your purchases can be made through the Wallet app or with a physical card. Using the Wallet app, you will be able to see an overview of your spending history and the amount of interest you will need to pay if you only make a portion of your payments.

Once you improve your credit score by making your payments on time and in full, there are a number of different travel credit cards to choose from. For people with a “good” or “excellent” score, Waller suggests the Chase Freedom Flex℠, the Amex EveryDay® credit card and the Capital One Venture card. Note that the first two cards charge an overseas transaction fee, so they are better suited for domestic travel.

If you’re getting closer to a great credit score, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a great travel credit card. Currently, it has one of the most valuable welcome bonuses available for any credit card. You will earn 100,000 points after spending $ 4,000 in the first three months after opening the account. These Chase Points are worth $ 1,250 when redeemed through the Chase Travel Portal and can be transferred to valuable partners such as Hyatt, United, British Airways, Southwest and more.

Information on the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, Apple Card, and Capital One Cards was independently collected by Select and was not reviewed or provided by the card issuer prior to posting.