Kiplinger Readers' Choice Awards 2026: Travel Rewards Credit Cards
These are the best travel rewards cards chosen by Kiplinger readers.
For the fourth year, we’re pleased to present the winners of our annual Readers' Choice Awards. In a survey we conducted on Kiplinger.com in January and February, more than 4,200 readers rated the financial products and services they use in 13 categories, from credit cards and banks to brokers, wealth managers and annuity providers. The results here offer valuable insight into the everyday experiences that Kiplinger readers have with their financial providers.
Respondents made their judgments on criteria such as their interactions with customer service, the likelihood they would recommend the product or service to others, and their overall satisfaction with it. They also had the option to leave comments about their providers, and we have shared some of them here (remarks may be lightly edited for length and clarity).
For each category, we’ve listed an overall winner that earned the highest total score as well as other providers that earned above-average ratings for the various criteria that readers assessed. Our thanks to all of you who participated in the survey.
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Kiplinger Readers' Choice Awards 2026: Travel Rewards Credit Cards
When you make purchases with a travel rewards card, you’ll typically earn miles or points that you can redeem for travel reservations. Many cards offer extra perks, too, such as statement credits for certain hotel or airline purchases or access to airport lounges.
We asked readers to rate travel rewards cards on the strength of customer service, the likelihood they would recommend the card to others and overall satisfaction.
OVERALL WINNER: Capital One Venture Rewards
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
The Capital One Venture Rewards Card hits the mark for travelers who prefer to avoid a complicated rewards structure, providing two miles per dollar on all purchases.
And when you book hotels, vacation rentals or car rentals through Capital One Travel, you'll earn five miles per dollar. "I actually do recommend this card to everyone," says one reader. "Their customer service is exceptional! Far above any other card I have ever had before this." Another reader praised the simplicity of redeeming miles for rewards: "Very easy to do."
Cardholders, who pay a $95 annual fee, also receive a $50 experience credit (usable for such purchases as spa treatments or dining) for every stay with hotels in Capital One's Lifestyle Collection and a statement credit of up to $120 every four years to reimburse the application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
"I recommend this credit card to coworkers and friends all the time. It is a solid card to have in your wallet," says a satisfied reader. The card, which has a $95 annual fee, provides five points per dollar on purchases you make through Chase Travel; three points per dollar on dining and takeout, online grocery orders, and select streaming services; two points per dollar on all other travel purchases; and one point per dollar spent on everything else.
One valuable option to redeem your points is transferring them to partner loyalty programs, including those of Hyatt, Marriott, Southwest and United. "The ability to transfer points to lots of hotels and airlines is a big plus," says a survey respondent.
Platinum Card from American Express
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
"In 2025, we realized tremendous value from having this card — well beyond the $895 annual fee," one reader remarked. "Further, Amex always has our back when a merchant doesn’t deliver or an attempted fraud occurs. We are fans for life!"
Among the Platinum Card from American Express, many benefits are annual credits of $600 for bookings with select hotels, $200 in incidental fees with one airline of choice, $209 for a CLEAR+ membership (providing accelerated airport-security screening), $400 for restaurants that participate with the Resy platform, and $300 for purchases at athletic-apparel retailer Lululemon.
Plus, get $200 yearly in Uber Cash (which you can use for Uber rides and Uber Eats orders) as well as complimentary access to a network of more than 1,500 airport lounges worldwide. Terms Apply. See rates and fees.
Kiplinger Readers' Choice Awards Categories
- Readers' Choice Full-Service Brokers*
- Readers' Choice Wealth Management
- Readers' Choice Cash Back Credit Cards*
- Readers' Choice Airline Credit Card Rewards Programs*
- Readers' Choice National Banks*
- Readers' Choice Internet Banks*
- Readers' Choice Auto Insurance Companies
- Readers' Choice Homeowners Insurance Companies
- Readers' Choice Annuity Providers*
- Readers' Choice Tax Software*
- Readers' Choice Peer-to-Peer Payment Services
- Readers' Choice Awards Travel Rewards Credit Cards*
How Readers Chose the Winners
For the fourth year, we're pleased to present the winners of our annual Readers' Choice Awards. In a survey we conducted on Kiplinger.com in January and February, more than 4,200 readers rated the financial products and services they use in 13 categories, from credit cards and banks to brokers, wealth managers and annuity providers. The results here offer valuable insight into the everyday experiences that Kiplinger readers have with their financial providers.
Respondents made their judgments on such criteria as their interactions with customer service, the likelihood they would recommend the product or service to others, and their overall satisfaction with it. They also had the option to leave comments about their providers, and we have shared some of them here (remarks may be lightly edited for length and clarity).
For each category, we've listed an overall winner that earned the highest total score as well as other providers that earned above-average ratings for the various criteria that readers assessed. Our thanks to all of you who participated in the survey.
Kiplinger readers were invited to take the Readers' Choice Awards survey on Kiplinger.com between January 22 and February 19, 2026. The survey asked respondents to choose the financial product or service that they most frequently use in 13 categories: brokerage firms, wealth managers, IRA providers, cash-back credit cards, travel rewards credit cards, airline credit card rewards programs, national banks, internet banks, annuity providers, homeowners insurers, auto insurers, tax software and peer-to-peer payment services.
We asked readers to rate each provider they selected on a scale of one to 10 based on a few criteria. In many categories, readers rated the strength of customer service, how likely they would be to recommend the product or service to others, and how satisfied they are overall with the provider. In some categories, we included more nuanced criteria. With wealth management firms, we asked respondents to rate the trustworthiness of a firm's advisers and the quality of its financial advice and retirement-planning services. For IRA providers, respondents assessed the mix of investment choices available to them. For peer-to-peer payment apps and tax software, respondents evaluated ease of use, and for auto and home insurance companies, readers judged the competitiveness of rates and strength of the claims experience.
We calculated an average (mean) score for each criterion with each provider. We also calculated an overall mean score for all providers for each criterion we asked readers to judge. We compared individual provider mean scores with the overall mean, and the three highest-scoring providers that had a score above the overall mean won an "outstanding" accolade; in cases of a tie, more than three providers are named, and if fewer than three qualifying providers achieved an above-average score, only those providers are named "outstanding." In each category, providers are generally listed in descending order by the number of criteria for which they received the "outstanding" designation — so a product or company that is deemed "outstanding" in three areas, for example, is listed before a provider with one or two "outstanding" awards.
To choose an overall winner in each category, we added together the mean scores for each criterion rated for each product or service. The provider with the highest total score in each category took the prize for overall winner.
Because of a technical issue during 2026 survey data collection, some providers that readers evaluated in certain categories, marked with an asterisk, were ranked using patterns from 2025 consumer survey data.
Affected were three of 18 brokerage firms, six of 20 cash-back credit cards, two of 15 travel rewards credit cards, one of 13 airline credit card rewards programs, three of 33 banks, two of 14 annuity providers, and one of eight tax-software products. All other categories fully reflect 2026 data. All results represent actual Kiplinger reader feedback.
