Is It Hard to Get a Travel Credit Card? (2024)

FAQs

Is It Hard to Get a Travel Credit Card? ›

You can get some travel credit cards with a low credit score, but many premium travel credit cards require a credit score above 670.

While you typically need a FICO credit score of 700 or better to qualify for a travel card, several solid cards are within reach for consumers with limited credit histories.

Travel rewards cards are a fantastic option for people who can put their various benefits to use. If you're earning enough points or using those free night awards consistently enough to justify the annual fee, then it's worth paying.

Travel cards offer several advantages that a credit card can't compete with, including the ability to load multiple foreign currencies, secure PIN protection, locked-in exchange rates, no foreign transaction fees, online account management, and the option for emergency assistance.

It can be pretty hard to get a travel credit card because most require a good to excellent credit score of 700+ for approval. Fortunately, there are some good travel credit cards available to people of all credit levels, including people with limited credit or bad credit, so you just need to choose wisely.

Standard cards are issued to individuals with a FICO credit score above 659. The default limits are $7,500 for credit, $250 for cash, and $250 for retail purchases. Restricted cards are issued to individuals with a FICO credit score below 660.

The 5/24 rule is an unofficial policy that dictates that Chase won't approve you for its cards if you've opened five or more personal credit card accounts from any issuer in the last 24 months. Put simply, the number of cards you've opened in the previous two years will affect your approval odds with Chase.

At The Points Guy, we devote a lot of time to discussing how credit scores work and how to improve your credit score. Scores in the mid-700s and above will typically be enough to get you approved for most travel rewards cards. However, having a lower score doesn't necessarily mean you can't get those cards.

Is Chase a good travel card? ›

Best debit card to use abroad

Digital bank Chase doesn't charge fees for making purchases abroad. Chase also doesn't charge fees for withdrawing cash while overseas, though you're limited to withdrawing £500 per day.

Mastercard credit cards are more widely accepted internationally, while Visa cards tend to offer more benefits. But for most consumers, there is no practical difference between Visa and Mastercard. You should only worry about whether to get a Visa or Mastercard if you're torn between two offers.

How travel credit cards work. Generally, travel credit cards allow you to earn rewards—usually in the form of points or miles—by making everyday purchases. And you can use them like you would any other credit card. One important thing to note is that each travel card may offer a different rewards program.

But travel card also scores over credit cards in certain points: The foreign exchange rate is locked once your Forex Travel card is loaded. Whereas credit cards use the real-time rates of exchange during the transaction.

You can order a card online via our website (this will take up to 14 business days to receive in the mail) or simply visit one of our stores to take one away immediately. How much will a card cost me to purchase? Our Currency Pass is free to buy - just make sure it's loaded with minimum $20 to get started.

The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card would be much more appealing if more people could get it. Instead, you need a credit score of 750 or higher to have a good chance of being approved.

With most airlines, free flights generally start at 5,000 to 7,500 miles per one-way segment. So to book a round-trip flight, you typically need at least 10,000 to 15,000 miles. But prices that low tend to only be available on short hops, meaning flights of about an hour to an hour and a half.

People interested in the Discover it® Miles should have good to excellent credit (a FICO score between 670 and 850) for the best odds for approval. People interested in the Discover it® Miles should have good to excellent credit (a FICO score between 670 and 850) for the best odds for approval.