Get There: The Best Travel Credit Cards for Fair credit

Americans wish they traveled more. A poll released last year found that 76 percent of Americans wish they could get away more often.

But for a variety of reasons, most of us are staying home instead. 13 percent of survey respondents said they’d never flown in an airplane. Another 11 percent said they’d never even traveled outside their home state.

Travel credit cards can help you get out of town. You don’t need a credit score of 750 either. There are a ton of travel credit cards for fair credit or good credit.

First, check your credit score, which is affected by both the credit cards you have and the loans you’ve taken out. Then read on to find out more about the best travel credit cards on the market right now.

Editor’s note: If you like this article, feel free to join the conversation and leave your comments at the bottom!
Check out for more credit cards tips.
Need more information? Check out for more articles about rewards cards.

Capital One Venture Rewards

We’ve all seen the Capital One commercials starring celebrities like Jennifer Garner. But if you look beyond the ads, you’ll find that Capital One’s Venture Rewards card is a good deal.

This card doesn’t only give you rewards points for travel-related purchases. You can buy anything and get double points.

If you spend $100 a groceries, you’ll earn 200 points. You can put those points toward a nice tropical vacation where you don’t have to cook.

The bad news is this card comes with a $95 annual fee. The good news is that the fee gets waived for the first year. That gives you time to decide if this card is right for you.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card

Southwest ranks as one of the top airlines in the country. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to their flights. If you do, it’s worth applying for the Rapid Rewards Premier Card.

Southwest has three credit cards, and they all offer impressive sign-up bonuses. You get 30,000 bonus points if you make $4,000 worth of purchases on your card within the first three months.

If you’re hesitating about dropping that much dough, Southwest hears you. For 2019, they’ve sweetened the pot. If you sign up before Feb. 11 and spend $4,000 within three months, you’ll also get a companion pass that’s good for the rest of 2019.

You can use that pass as often as you want to bring a buddy along with you on your next vacation. They’ll have to pay $5 or $6 in taxes and fees, but that’s it.

It’s the closest thing to a free ride you’ll get anytime soon, which makes this one of the best travel credit cards for students.

Discover It Miles

This Discover card is a stellar value if you’re planning on doing a lot of travel within the next year. Why? Because Discover matches all the miles you earn at the end of year one.

If you earn 20,000 miles your first year, Discover will double that to 40,000. That means you’re that much closer to taking a Hawaiian vacation in the middle of winter.

Discover it Miles also offers 1.5 times the miles for every dollar. In other words, spending $100 on anything gets you $150 in rewards miles.

Between that and the year-end bonus, Discover it Miles might be the best travel credit card with no annual fee.

Travel Credit Cards for Fair Credit

Having fair credit can feel embarrassing, but it’s not. Travel credit cards for fair credit can be a little harder to find, but the above list offers a good starting point.

If you’re still having issues, remember that airline-branded credit cards are usually easier to snag.

If you don’t know quite how you got your credit score, you’re not alone. Look at our credit score guide for more information.