travel

Review: USAA Eagle Navigator Visa Signature

⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

The USAA Eagle Navigator Visa Signature began a trial rollout in September 2023 before being officially launched later. It’s a travel-centric card which doubles as an everyday card. It can earn at least 2% cash back on every purchase, and it’s not difficult to offset the small annual fee. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, however.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $95 annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 3x points on travel
  • 2x points on everything else
  • $100 credit towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (once every 4 years)

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Review: Wells Fargo Autograph Journey

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In March 2024, Wells Fargo launched their new “Autograph Journey” Visa Signature credit card, meant as a more premium version of their no-fee Wells Fargo Autograph card. Which in turn was based on the old Wells Fargo Propel card (since discontinued). Unfortunately, the Autograph Journey doesn’t have a clear value proposition compared to other credit cards. It can be okay for some people, but most people will either (1) prefer an actual premium travel card, or (2) prefer the no-fee Autograph card.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $95 annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 5x points on hotels
  • 4x points on flights
  • 3x points at restaurants
  • 3x points on other travel (auto rentals, cruise lines, travel agencies, and campgrounds)
  • 1x points on everything else
  • $50 annual credit with your first airline purchase (per cardmember year)

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Review: Ritz-Carlton Visa Infinite

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The Chase Ritz-Carlton Visa Infinite has been unavailable for new sign-ups since 2018. You can, however, contact Chase to upgrade an existing Marriott Bonvoy card. Unfortunately, there isn’t any sign-up bonus available for the Ritz-Carlton card, but its strong suite of benefits may still be of interest. AwardWallet calls it “Bonvoy’s best-kept secret.”

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $450 annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 6x points at the Ritz-Carlton & other Marriott hotels (4.8%) (not including points earned as a Bonvoy member; Chase’s site says you can earn up to 18.5x points on hotel stays as a Gold Elite member)
  • 3x points for airline tickets, car rentals, and restaurants (2.4%)
  • 2x points on everything else (equivalent to 1.6% cash back)

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Review: United Explorer Visa Signature

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Credit cards for United Airlines are issued by Chase Bank. In this review, we’ll focus on the United Explorer Card, which has a small annual fee. Although a wide range of benefits are attached to the card, it should only be considered by travelers who fly United often enough to use those benefits. Infrequent fliers won’t want to keep this card longer than one or two years.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $95 annual fee (waived the first year)
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 2x points on United purchases (including tickets, in-flight food/drinks, and events)
  • 2x points on dining (including delivery)
  • 2x points on hotel stays (when booked directly with the hotel)
  • 1x points on everything else

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Review: Elan Travel Rewards+ Visa Signature

⭐⭐⭐, Credit Card Reviews /

The Elan Travel Rewards+ Visa Signature is a mid-tier card for travel and vacationing. Issued by Elan Financial Services, it was released around mid-2023.

This credit card is available at dozens of credit unions, including Spectra and Valley Bank. Card details are the same regardless of which bank you work with. Other Elan cards include the Max Cash Preferred and Everyday Rewards+.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $99 annual fee (waived the first year)
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 4x points on travel
  • 4x points on gas (and electric vehicle charging stations)
  • 4x points on entertainment and recreation
  • 1.5x points on everything else

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Review: Elan Reserve Rewards+ Visa Infinite

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The Elan Reserve Rewards+ Visa Infinite credit card is aimed at being a relatively high-end all-in-one card. It’s a newer Visa Infinite, issued by Elan Financial Services, released around mid-2023.

This credit card is available at dozens of credit unions, including Spectra and Valley Bank. Card details are the same regardless of which bank you work with. Other Elan cards include the Max Cash Preferred and Everyday Rewards+.

Considering the high annual fee, people will wonder if this card is right for them, and if the benefits outweigh the costs. It’s very subjective in this case.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $390 annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 6x points on travel booked through their Rewards Center (flights, hotels, car rentals)
  • 2x points on everything else
  • $100 credit towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (usually once every 4-5 years)

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Review: Wells Fargo Autograph Visa Signature

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The new Wells Fargo Autograph Visa Signature is an updated version of their no-fee ‘Propel’ card. These are basically the same card, except that the Autograph is Visa and Propel is American Express, and Autograph also earns bonus points for phone plans. Both are strong considerations for many wallets.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 3x points on dining
  • 3x points on travel and transit (airfare, hotels, subways, parking, etc.)
  • 3x points on gas and electric vehicle (EV) charging
  • 3x points on select streaming and entertainment
  • 3x points on phone plans
  • 1x points on everything else

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Review: NIH Federal Credit Union Travel Rewards

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The Travel Rewards Visa Signature from NIH Federal Credit Union is a no-fee card which earns decent cash back rates for travel and restaurants. It’s good for both domestic and international trips. The only big quirk is a spending limit on gas purchases, so you may want to consider other cards for that category.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • No annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • 3% cash back on travel (airlines, hotels, trains, buses, car or boat rentals, tours, tolls, rideshare, taxis, etc)
  • 3% cash back on gas ($6,000 annual spending limit) and EV charging
  • 3% cash back on dining
  • 1% cash back on everything else

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Review: World of Hyatt Visa

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The World of Hyatt Visa Signature is a travel card for certain hotel loyalists. It earns points in multiple categories and can be a good generalist card. It’s issued by Chase Bank, and in 2018, the card was relaunched with increased value. Hyatt isn’t the most prolific hotel brand in terms of locations though. Whether this card is useful depends on how often you’ll use Hyatt or Hyatt-linked hotels.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $95 annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 4x points on Hyatt stays (+5x for World of Hyatt members for a total of 9x)
  • 2x points on dining
  • 2x points on flights
  • 2x points on fitness clubs and gym memberships
  • 2x points on transit (taxis, buses, trains, tolls, rideshare, etc.)
  • 1x points on everything else

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Review: Provident Credit Union World+ Travel Visa Signature

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The Provident Credit Union World+ Travel Visa Signature is an obscure travel-related credit card. It’s notable for including Priority Pass and Global Entry reimbursements for an unusually low annual fee. It also has perks which rival Visa Infinite cards.

Provident is a California-based credit union with semi-limited membership. They launched this card in 2018.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

  • $45 annual fee (waived the first year)
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 2x points on travel (including hotels, rideshare, and public transportation)
  • 2x points on dining (including restaurants and coffee shops)
  • 1x points on everything else
  • $100 credit towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (once every 4 years)

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