Until you are new to the factors and miles recreation, you are in all probability all too aware of the truth that these “free” award flights — whereas steeply discounted due to factors, miles and switch bonuses — often do value one thing.
Though there are methods to chop them down, you will nearly all the time face the unlucky addition of taxes and charges. These can vary from $5.60 to upward of $800 one-way for some aspirational awards.
In relation to paying these charges, the greatest bank card for airfare purchases is not all the time the best choice. Not like money tickets, there is a extra necessary issue to contemplate than simply what number of additional factors you will earn: journey protections.
Coverages equivalent to baggage and journey delay reimbursement might be massively beneficial, and a few card insurance policies stand out greater than others.
With all that in thoughts, this is a rundown of the greatest bank cards for paying taxes and charges on award tickets.
Greatest playing cards for paying taxes and charges on award tickets and journey protections
| Card | Bonus for Airfare Purchases / Return* |
Safety Notes | Annual Payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Reserve |
|
Presents the best financial maximums of protection for journey delay, misplaced baggage, rental automotive and journey accident insurance coverage, total greatest protections all-around. | $550 |
| Chase Sapphire Most popular |
|
Weaker throughout the board than the Chase Sapphire Reserve in journey delay and buy safety protection, however ok for many conditions. | $95 |
| The Platinum Card from American Categorical |
|
Robust protections, does require that you simply guide round-trip journey. | $695 (see charges and charges) |
| Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card |
|
Decrease journey cancellation/interruption protection than Chase Sapphire Reserve. | $395 |
| Ink Enterprise Most popular Credit score Card |
|
Weaker journey delay and misplaced baggage insurance coverage than the Chase Sapphire Reserve, however ok for many conditions. | $95 |
*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 by way of American Categorical Journey (as much as $500,000 every calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback).
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus factors after spending $5,000 within the first three months from account opening.
Annual charge: $550.
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Rewards: Earn 5 factors per greenback spent on Lyft rides (by way of 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 thing else.
Evaluation: The Sapphire Reserve provides probably the most complete journey protections. By paying for not less than a portion of your ticket with this card, you will be lined 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, crucial advantages are journey delay reimbursement, which offers as much as $500 per lined ticket for those who’re delayed greater than 6 hours or require an in a single day keep, and baggage delay safety, which offers 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 embrace an annual $300 journey assertion credit score, a World Entry/TSA PreCheck software charge credit score and a Precedence Cross Choose membership that features company. You may additionally obtain a complimentary Door Sprint DashPass membership (activate by Dec. 31, 2027) and a $10 month-to-month Lyft credit score (by way of Sept. 2027).
For extra data on the Chase Sapphire Reserve, try 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 by way of Chase Journey, 3 factors per greenback spent on eating, together with eligible supply providers, takeout and eating out, 3 factors per greenback spent on choose streaming providers, 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 seeking to get an honest return on their journey and eating purchases. It offers related journey protections as Chase’s Ink Enterprise Most popular, together with journey and baggage delay safety, and has the identical modest $95 annual charge.
With this card, you will earn 5 Chase Final Rewards factors per greenback spent once you guide 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 figuring out you are insured and nonetheless earn a good quantity of bonus factors on any taxes and charges.
For extra data on the Chase Sapphire Most popular, try the next guides:
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Most popular
The Platinum Card from American Categorical
Welcome bonus: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards factors after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of cardmembership. You can too test to see for those who’re focused for the next welcome bonus by way of the CardMatch software.
Annual charge: $695 (see charges and charges).
Rewards: Earn 5 factors per greenback spent on airfare bought straight with an airline or by way of AmexTravel.com (as much as $500,000 per calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback).
Evaluation: The Platinum Card from American Categorical (together with most kinds of the cardboard) is the subsequent best 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 once 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 should be paid for along with your card (paying taxes and charges on award tickets or Pay with Factors tickets are lined).
Be aware {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 finally find yourself in your departure metropolis. The Amex Platinum additionally provides misplaced, stolen or broken baggage protection** once 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: Evaluating built-in journey insurance coverage with the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum
The cardboard provides a number of different advantages to reinforce your journey expertise, equivalent to a $200 airline charge assertion credit score, World Entry/TSA PreCheck software charge credit score ($120 each 4 years for World Entry and as much as $85 each 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck), lounge entry, automated Gold standing with Hilton and Gold Elite standing with Marriott and as much as $200 in Uber Money 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 data on The Platinum Card From American Categorical, try 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: When you’re seeking to earn a gradual stream of transferable factors and get first rate journey protections, the Enterprise X is an effective selection. It comes with a decrease annual charge than its premium rivals and provides journey cancellation and interruption protections, main rental automotive protection, reimbursement for misplaced baggage and journey delay reimbursement.
General the cardboard has a beneficiant licensed consumer coverage, permitting as much as 4 extra customers with out a charge. This is useful as the cardboard’s Precedence Cross lounge membership and Capital One Lounge entry are prolonged to licensed customers. Better of all? They’ll herald as much as two company of their very own as properly.
Associated: Why it’s best to add licensed customers on the Capital One Enterprise X
As well as, Enterprise X provides cardholders a $300 annual journey credit score, although this credit score is restricted for bookings by way of Capital One Journey.
For extra data on the Capital One Enterprise X, try the next guides:
Be taught extra: Capital One Enterprise 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, delivery purchases, web, cable and telephone providers and promoting purchases made with social media websites and serps.
Evaluation: When you’re a enterprise proprietor, you may get sturdy journey protections with the Ink Enterprise Most popular, they usually 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 cheaper price 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 fee of three Chase Final Rewards factors per greenback spent on airfare and every thing else that Chase consists of in its journey classification.
For extra data on the Ink Enterprise Most popular Credit score Card, try the next guides:
Apply right here: Ink Enterprise Most popular
Backside line
At first look, it might seem to be the Amex Platinum can be the plain selection because it provides 5 factors per greenback on all airfare bought by way of Amex Journey (as much as $500,000 every calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback), topping all the different playing cards on this listing. Whereas the cardboard does supply some main journey protections, as you’ll be able to see, it nonetheless is a bit restrictive in comparison with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Usually, 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 deal with all the additional insurance coverage options that might doubtlessly prevent 1000’s if one thing goes improper. So on this case, don’t be concerned about shedding a couple of additional factors — as an alternative, purchase your self peace of thoughts with high journey protections simply by placing a couple of {dollars} on considered one of these high playing cards.
For Capital One merchandise listed on this web page, a number of the advantages could also be offered by Visa® or Mastercard® and will range 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 right here.
