The best credit cards for paying taxes and fees on...

Except you are new to the factors and miles recreation, you are most likely all too accustomed to the truth that these “free” award flights — whereas steeply discounted because of factors, miles and switch bonuses — often do value one thing.

Though there are ways to cut them down, you may virtually at all times face the unlucky addition of taxes and fees. These can vary from $5.60 to upward of $800 one-way for some aspirational awards.

With regards to paying these charges, the best credit card for airfare purchases is not at all times the most suitable choice. Not like money tickets, there is a extra essential issue to think about than simply what number of additional factors you may earn: travel protections.

Coverages resembling baggage and trip delay reimbursement may be massively priceless, and a few card insurance policies stand out greater than others.

With all that in thoughts, here is a rundown of the best credit cards for paying taxes and charges on award tickets.

*Return is an estimated worth primarily based on TPG’s April 2025 valuations and never the cardboard issuer.
On airfare bought straight with the airline or via American Specific Journey (as much as $500,000 every calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback).

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Rewards: Earn 5 factors per greenback spent on Lyft rides (via Sept. 2027), 3 factors per greenback spent on journey (excluding the annual $300 journey credit score), eating at eating places and 1 level per greenback spent on every part else.

Evaluation: The Sapphire Reserve provides essentially the most complete journey protections. By paying for a minimum of a portion of your ticket with this card, you may be coated by a plethora of protections, together with baggage delay, misplaced/broken baggage, journey delay reimbursement, journey cancellation and interruption safety, medical evacuation profit, journey accident insurance coverage and emergency medical and dental profit.

Of those, an important advantages are journey delay reimbursement, which gives as much as $500 per coated ticket for those who’re delayed greater than 6 hours or require an in a single day keep, and baggage delay safety, which gives as much as $100 reimbursed per day for as much as 5 days in case your baggage is delayed greater than 6 hours.

Different advantages embody an annual $300 travel statement credit, a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck utility charge credit score and a Priority Pass Select membership that features company. You may additionally obtain a complimentary Door Dash DashPass membership (activate by Dec. 31, 2027) and a $10 monthly Lyft credit (via Sept. 2027).

For extra info on the Chase Sapphire Reserve, take a look at the next guides:

Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve

Chase Sapphire Most popular Card

Welcome bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus factors after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

Annual charge: $95.

Rewards: Earn 5 factors per greenback spent on all journey bought via Chase Journey, 3 factors per greenback spent on eating, together with eligible supply companies, takeout and eating out, 3 factors per greenback spent on choose streaming companies, 3 factors per greenback spent on on-line grocery purchases (excluding Goal®, Walmart® and wholesale golf equipment), 2 factors per greenback spent on all different journey and 1 level per greenback spent on all different purchases.

Evaluation: The Chase Sapphire Most popular is good for infrequent vacationers trying to get a good return on their journey and eating purchases. It gives comparable journey protections as Chase’s Ink Business Preferred, together with journey and baggage delay safety, and has the identical modest $95 annual charge.

With this card, you may earn 5 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per greenback spent while you e book journey by way of Chase Journey and a pair of Final Rewards factors per greenback spent on different journey and eating purchases. You may have the peace of thoughts realizing you are insured and nonetheless earn a good quantity of bonus factors on any taxes and charges.

For extra info on the Chase Sapphire Most popular, take a look at the next guides:

Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Preferred

Welcome bonus: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards factors after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of cardmembership. You may also verify to see for those who’re focused for the next welcome bonus via the CardMatch tool.

Annual charge: $695 (see rates and fees).

Rewards: Earn 5 factors per greenback spent on airfare bought straight with an airline or via AmexTravel.com (as much as $500,000 per calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback).

Evaluation: The Platinum Card from American Specific (together with most varieties of the card) is the following most suitable choice for paying award taxes and charges. The protections are a bit extra restrictive than these provided by the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

The Amex Platinum’s journey delay insurance coverage* additionally kicks in while you’re delayed by six or extra hours, however it’s capped at two claims per eligible card per 12-month interval and does not cowl delays which are lower than six hours. The profit can also be a bit extra restrictive in that it requires round-trip journey, all of which have to be paid for along with your card (paying taxes and charges on award tickets or Pay with Factors tickets are coated).

Observe {that a} mixture of one-way tickets would qualify as round-trip journey for the needs of Amex’s insurance coverage protection for those who ultimately find yourself in your departure metropolis. The Amex Platinum additionally provides misplaced, stolen or broken baggage protection** while you use your eligible card to pay to your journey prices.

*Eligibility and Profit stage varies by Card. Phrases, Circumstances and Limitations Apply. Please go to americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for extra particulars. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance coverage Firm, an AIG Firm.

**Eligibility and Profit stage varies by Card. Phrases, Circumstances and Limitations Apply. Please go to americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for extra particulars. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Firm.

Associated: Comparing built-in travel insurance with the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum

The cardboard provides a number of different advantages to boost your journey expertise, resembling a $200 airline fee statement credit, World Entry/TSA PreCheck utility charge credit score ($120 each 4 years for World Entry and as much as $85 each 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck), lounge access, automated Gold standing with Hilton and Gold Elite standing with Marriott and as much as $200 in Uber Cash yearly (legitimate on U.S. purchases and you may redeem with any Amex card after including your Amex Plat to your Uber account). Enrollment is required for choose advantages.

For extra info on The Platinum Card From American Specific, take a look at the next guides:

Apply right here: Amex Platinum

Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card

Welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

Annual charge: $395.

Rewards: Earn 2 miles per greenback spent on all purchases.

Evaluation: If you happen to’re trying to earn a gentle stream of transferable factors and get first rate journey protections, the Enterprise X is an effective alternative. It comes with a decrease annual charge than its premium rivals and provides journey cancellation and interruption protections, major rental automobile protection, reimbursement for misplaced baggage and journey delay reimbursement.

Total the cardboard has a beneficiant licensed consumer coverage, permitting as much as 4 extra customers and not using a charge. This turns out to be useful as the cardboard’s Precedence Move lounge membership and Capital One Lounge entry are prolonged to licensed customers. Better of all? They will usher in as much as two company of their very own as effectively.

Associated: Why you should add authorized users on the Capital One Venture X

As well as, Enterprise X provides cardholders a $300 annual journey credit score, although this credit score is restricted for bookings via Capital One Journey.

For extra info on the Capital One Enterprise X, take a look at the next guides:

Be taught extra: Capital One Venture X

Ink Enterprise Most popular Credit score Card

Welcome bonus: Earn 90,000 bonus factors after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

Annual charge: $95.

Rewards: Earn 3 factors per greenback on the primary $150,000 spent every cardmember 12 months on journey, transport purchases, web, cable and telephone companies and promoting purchases made with social media websites and engines like google.

Evaluation: If you happen to’re a enterprise proprietor, you may get robust journey protections with the Ink Enterprise Most popular, and so they do not require the aim of the journey to be enterprise to qualify. The Enterprise Most popular provides most of the similar advantages because the Chase Sapphire Reserve however at a a lot lower cost level in alternate for much less protection. As an illustration, the cardboard provides journey delay reimbursement, however just for delays which are 12 hours or extra or require an in a single day keep.

What’s distinctive about this card is that though it has a considerably decrease annual charge than the Chase Sapphire Reserve, it provides the identical journey incomes charge of three Chase Ultimate Rewards points per greenback spent on airfare and everything else that Chase includes in its travel classification.

For extra info on the Ink Enterprise Most popular Credit score Card, take a look at the next guides:

Apply right here: Ink Business Preferred

Normally, the taxes and charges on these awards are so low cost that it is value forgoing the couple additional {dollars} in factors you would possibly get with one other card to concentrate on all the additional insurance coverage options that might doubtlessly save you thousands if one thing goes unsuitable. So on this case, don’t be concerned about dropping a couple of additional factors — as an alternative, purchase your self peace of thoughts with prime journey protections simply by placing a couple of {dollars} on considered one of these prime playing cards.

For Capital One merchandise listed on this web page, among the advantages could also be offered by Visa® or Mastercard® and should differ by product. See the respective Information to Advantages for particulars, as phrases and exclusions apply.

For charges and charges of the Amex Platinum, click on here.