The best credit card for flights
On airfare, American Express Platinum Card earns the most: $10.00 per $100, $2.00 more than the next card.
Rate × what the points are worth, so points and cash back compare in dollars. Counts as: Airfare booked with the airline or a portal.
The short version
- Earns the most: American Express Platinum Card, $10.00 per $100, with a $895 annual fee.
- Best with no annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph, $4.50 per $100.
- Is the fee worth it? Only if you spend over $16,300 a year on flights, counting this category alone. Below that, the free card wins.
| # | Card | EarnsThe rate the card advertises here, in its own currency: cash back, points or miles. | Point valueWhat one point or mile in this currency is worth, in cents: the median of the published valuations we read. Every ranking multiplies by it. | Per $100What $100 of spending earns, in dollars: the rate multiplied by what the currency is worth. This is what the table is ranked by. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Platinum Card
American Express, $895/yr
Booked with the airline or Amex Travel. Up to $500,000 per year, then the base rate
|
5x | 2.00¢ / pt | $10.00 |
| 2 |
Sapphire Reserve
Chase, $795/yr
Booked directly with the airline or hotel
|
4x | 2.00¢ / pt | $8.00 |
| 3 |
Sapphire Reserve for Business
Chase, $795/yr
Booked directly with the airline or hotel
|
4x | 2.00¢ / pt | $8.00 |
| 4 |
Autograph Journey
Wells Fargo, $95/yr
|
4x | 1.50¢ / pt | $6.00 |
| 5 |
Ink Business Preferred
Chase, $95/yr
Travel and internet, cable and phone — the first $150,000 each account year, shared with shipping and advertising. Up to $150,000 per year, then the base rate
|
3x | 2.00¢ / pt | $6.00 |
| 6 |
Classic Green Card
American Express, $150/yr
Travel, including airfare, hotels, campgrounds, car rentals and cruises
|
3x | 2.00¢ / pt | $6.00 |
| 7 |
Gold Card
American Express, $325/yr
Booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel
|
3x | 2.00¢ / pt | $6.00 |
| 8 |
Strata Premier
Citi, $95/yr
|
3x | 1.60¢ / pt | $4.80 |
Cards that pay more here with a condition attached
Not ranked above because each needs a chosen category or a specific store. If that fits how you shop, these can beat the table.
- Delta SkyMiles Gold (American Express) — 2x only at Delta.
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum (American Express) — 3x only at Delta.
- United Explorer (Chase) — 3x only at United Airlines.
- Rapid Rewards Priority (Chase) — 4x only at Southwest.
- AAdvantage Platinum Select (Citi) — 2x only at American Airlines.
- Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature (Bank of America) — 3x only at Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines.
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve (American Express) — 3x only at Delta.
- United Quest (Chase) — 3x only at United Airlines.
- Delta SkyMiles Blue (American Express) — 2x only at Delta.
- United Gateway (Chase) — 2x only at United Airlines.
- Rapid Rewards Plus (Chase) — 2x only at Southwest.
- AAdvantage Executive (Citi) — 4x only at American Airlines.
- United Club Card (Chase) — 5x only at United Airlines.
- Rapid Rewards Premier (Chase) — 3x only at Southwest.
- AAdvantage MileUp (Citi) — 2x only at American Airlines.
- Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite (Bank of America) — 3x only at Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines.
- United Business Card (Chase) — 2x only at United Airlines.
- United Club Business Card (Chase) — 2x only at United Airlines.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business (Chase) — 3x only at Southwest.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business (Chase) — 4x only at Southwest.
- World of Hyatt Business Card (Chase) — 2x if you choose Flights as one of your categories.
- Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Card (American Express) — 2x only at Delta.
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Card (American Express) — 3x only at Delta.
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card (American Express) — 3x only at Delta.
- AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard (Citi) — 2x only at American Airlines.
- Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards (Bank of America) — 3% if you choose Flights as your category; Up to $50,000 per year, then the base rate.
How to use this list
- Check the store codes as flights. Issuers pay by how the store is registered, not by what you bought. This page counts: Airfare booked with the airline or a portal.
- Start with cards you have. Your highest one in the table is your card for airfare today.
- Read the notes under each card. A cap or "US only" can change the answer.
- Then consider a new card, judged on your whole year of spending.
Why dollars and not multipliers
A multiplier means nothing until you know what a point is worth. Every rate here is converted at a published valuation first, which is why the order can differ from the advertised multipliers.
Point values: published industry valuations, most recently read 2026-09. We track The Points Guy, Upgraded Points, NerdWallet, Frequent Miler and AwardWallet.