Best cards for flights
Chase Sapphire Reserve leads with 8x (book via chase travel).
Rankings use issuer rates verified as of August 16, 2026.
Airfare / airline tickets booked direct.
#18x8xChase Sapphire Reserve
Chase · Visa · $795/yr · Book via Chase Travel
#25%5%Coinbase One Card
Cardless · Amex · No annual fee · Requires Coinbase One · Book via Coinbase One Card Travel
#35%5%Instacart Mastercard
Chase · Mastercard · No annual fee · Book via Chase Travel
#45%5%U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card
U.S. Bank · Visa · No annual fee · Book via U.S. Bank Travel Center
#55x5xVenture X Business
Capital One · Visa · Business · $395/yr · Book via Capital One Business Travel
#65x5xVenture X Rewards
Capital One · Visa · $395/yr · Book via Capital One Travel
#75x5xThe Business Platinum Card from American Express
American Express · Amex · Business · $895/yr · Via the travel portal
#85%5%Discover it Cash Back
Discover · Discover · No annual fee · up to $1,500/qtr (combined) · Lower rate after the cap
#95x5xThe Platinum Card from American Express
American Express · Amex · $895/yr · up to $500,000/yr · Lower rate after the cap
#105x5xChase Freedom Flex
Chase · Mastercard · No annual fee · Book via Chase Travel
#115x5xChase Freedom Unlimited
Chase · Visa · No annual fee · Book via Chase Travel
#125%5%Prime Visa
Chase · Visa · No annual fee · Membership required · Book via Chase Travel
How to choose
Chase Sapphire Reserve leads this ranking at 8x on flights, a clear step above the 5x field behind it. That edge is not free: the card carries a $795 annual fee, and the 8x only applies when you book through Chase Travel. The rest of the top eight cluster at 5x or 5%, with annual fees ranging from $895 down to nothing, so the real question is what each rate costs you in fees and booking restrictions.
The fine print in this category is mostly about where you book. Six of the top eight cards gate their headline rate behind the issuer's own travel portal — Chase Travel, the American Express travel portal, or Capital One's travel portals. The Platinum Card from American Express skips the portal caveat but caps the 5x, with a lower rate after the cap. Discover it Cash Back adds quarterly activation and a combined cap on top of its 5%.
If you only fly a couple of times a year, the fee math matters more than the multiplier. Prime Visa earns 5% with no annual fee, though it requires a membership and Chase Travel bookings, and Chase Sapphire Preferred delivers 5x through the same portal for $95. Save the $795 and $895 cards for wallets where flights are a steady, significant line item rather than an occasional splurge.
The math
On $250 a month of flights, Chase Sapphire Reserve returns about $240 a year at our valuations — a flat 2% card returns $60.
Common questions
- What is the best credit card for flights?
- Chase Sapphire Reserve leads with 8x (book via chase travel).
- How does SwipeCaddy pick the best flights card?
- We rank each card by its reward rate times a conservative cash value of its points or miles — no inflated transfer valuations — and surface the fine print so the "best" rate is one you can actually get.
- Do I have to book through a travel portal to earn these flight rates?
- For most of the list, yes. Chase Sapphire Reserve's 8x and Chase Sapphire Preferred's 5x require Chase Travel, and both Capital One Venture X cards require Capital One's travel portals. The Platinum Card from American Express and Discover it Cash Back skip the portal requirement but come with caps instead. Check your card's caveat before booking directly with an airline.
- Can I earn 5% on flights without paying an annual fee?
- Two cards in the ranking manage it. Prime Visa pays 5% with no annual fee if you hold a membership and book through Chase Travel. Discover it Cash Back also reaches 5% with no fee, but you must activate the category each quarter and a combined spending cap applies, with a lower rate afterward. For occasional flyers, either can beat paying an annual fee.
Rankings reflect published earn rates and a conservative valuation of each rewards currency. SwipeCaddy earns no affiliate commission.