Best Credit Card for Family Travel Right Now

 

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Picture this: you’re navigating the magical chaos of a family of four at a dreamy European resort. Between flights, meals, and excursions, expenses add up in the blink of an eye. What you need is a travel ally that feels like a trusted confidante, helping you stretch every dollar while protecting your plans. Cue the Chase Sapphire Preferred®, the unsung hero of family travel.

Because let’s face it. Family vacations are expensive, unpredictable, and often logistically overwhelming. You’re booking multiple flights, coordinating hotel stays, and racking up dining and grocery bills long before your bags are packed. The right credit card can ease the burden by turning those everyday costs into rewards, offering peace of mind through built-in travel protections, and helping you get more out of the experiences you’re already planning.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® stands out for families because it rewards how you actually travel—earning points on dining, takeout, groceries, and streaming, while also covering you when things go sideways. And with a manageable $95 annual fee, it delivers real value without the premium price tag.

Why Chase Sapphire Preferred® Works So Well for Families

After spending $5,000 in the first three months, you’ll earn 60,000 bonus points, worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. For many families, that’s roundtrip airfare for two, a few nights in a hotel, or a major dent in summer vacation costs. And unlike some programs, Chase lets you use points flexibly: book flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises—or transfer points to travel partners like Southwest, JetBlue, or Hyatt.

3X Points on Dining, Groceries, and Streaming

Family life runs on food, both at home and on the road. With Sapphire Preferred®, you earn:

• 3X points on dining (including delivery services like DoorDash)

• 3X on select streaming services (think Disney+, Netflix, Spotify)

• 2X on groceries, taxis, and transit

That means pizza night, Disney+ marathons, and grocery hauls all fuel your next vacation.

5X Points on Travel Booked Through Chase

When you book hotels, flights, and car rentals through Chase Travel, you’ll earn 5X points, a generous boost that rewards proactive trip planning. For everything else travel-related (like bookings made directly with airlines or resorts), you still earn 2X points.

$50 Annual Hotel Credit + 10% Anniversary Boost

Cardholders receive a $50 credit each year on hotel stays booked through Chase Travel, an easy win for families booking more than one trip a year. You’ll also get a 10% anniversary bonus on total purchases: spend $25,000 in a year and get 2,500 extra points, just for using your card.

No Foreign Transaction Fees = Instant Savings Abroad

If you’ve ever come home from a family trip abroad and noticed an extra $80–$150 in mysterious fees on your credit card statement, you’re not alone. Many cards charge up to 3% on every international purchases, from museum tickets in Paris to gelato in Rome.

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred®, those fees disappear. You can swipe confidently across Europe, Asia, or anywhere else your family adventures take you, knowing you’re not getting nickeled-and-dimed every time your card hits a foreign terminal.

That savings adds up quickly when you’re covering meals, activities, transportation, and a few unexpected souvenirs for the kids. And with Visa’s wide global acceptance, you’ll rarely run into payment issues abroad.

Family Travel Pain Points Solved with Chase Sapphire Preferred®

Pain Point	How Chase Sapphire Preferred® Helps
“Family travel is expensive—how do I make it more affordable?”	60,000 bonus points = $750 toward travel, plus accelerated points on key spending categories like dining, groceries, and streaming.
“I’m spending money anyway—why aren’t those purchases helping me travel?”	Earn 3X points on dining and streaming, 2X on groceries and transit, and 5X on travel booked through Chase. Everyday purchases fuel your next trip.
“What if our trip gets delayed or canceled?”	Built-in trip cancellation, interruption, and delay coverage protect your investment—no need to buy separate travel insurance.
“We’re traveling internationally. Are we going to get hit with foreign fees?”	$0 foreign transaction fees. Spend freely abroad without the 3% surcharge many other cards tack on.
“It’s hard to justify another card with an annual fee.”	$95 annual fee is offset by the $50 annual hotel credit, 10% points bonus, and hundreds in potential travel rewards.
“Luggage delays are a nightmare with kids.”	Baggage delay insurance reimburses essentials if bags are delayed, lost, or stolen—no out-of-pocket scramble required.

Built‑In Travel Protection That Acts Like a Safety Net

Things go wrong. Flights get delayed. Bags go missing. Kids get sick. When you’re traveling as a family, disruptions don’t just throw off your itinerary, they can derail your entire vacation budget. That’s where Chase Sapphire Preferred® quietly steps in with travel protections that rival some premium cards without the premium price tag.

Here’s what’s covered:

Trip Cancellation / Interruption Insurance

If your trip gets cut short due to illness, weather, or other covered reasons, you could be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for prepaid travel expenses like flights, hotels, and tours.

Trip Delay Reimbursement

Stuck in a layover with tired kids and nowhere to go? If your common carrier (like an airline) delays your trip by 12+ hours or overnight, you can claim up to $500 per ticket for hotel, food, and other expenses.

Baggage Delay Insurance

If your checked bags are delayed by more than 6 hours, Chase reimburses you up to $100 per day for five days to cover essentials like clothes and toiletries, lifesaving when you’re landing in a new country with kids in tow.

Rental Car Collision Damage Waiver

Decline the rental agency’s collision insurance and pay with your card. You’re covered for theft and collision damage on most rental cars in the U.S. and abroad.

Emergency Assistance Services

Call the Benefit Administrator for help if you run into a medical or legal emergency while traveling. It’s not insurance, but they can connect you with trusted providers 24/7, an added layer of peace of mind.

Hidden Value: Everyday Perks That Add Up Fast

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® doesn’t just reward you while you’re on vacation, it brings value to your daily routine, too. These subtle extras can quietly offset the annual fee and make life on the go a little easier:

DashPass Benefits from DoorDash

Get at least one year of DashPass, which includes free delivery and reduced service fees on eligible DoorDash orders. Perfect for busy weeknights when dinner is one thing too many. You’ll also unlock up to $10 in statement credits each month when you use the card on qualifying DashPass purchases.

Pro tip: If you link your card to DoorDash and order groceries through DashMart or a partner store, the savings kick in there too.

Lyft Benefits

Earn 5X total points on Lyft rides through  September 30, 2027.. Whether you’re catching a ride to the airport or heading out on date night while the grandparents babysit, that’s a generous points multiplier on rides you might already be taking.

Peloton Perks

Sapphire Preferred earns 5X points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 (December 31, 2027). If you’re eyeing a treadmill or bike, the bonus points could bring you closer to your next trip without spending extra.

Travel Concierge Services

Chase cardholders can access a dedicated travel concierge for help with bookings, restaurant reservations, or activity planning, ideal for streamlining a family itinerary when time is tight.

Real-Life Scenarios: How the Card Quietly Saves (and Earns) Your Family Money

1. Barcelona on Points—No Surprise Fees

The Kims book four June flights to Barcelona with the 60,000-point welcome bonus plus points earned from a winter of pizza nights and Disney+ binges (3 × on dining and streaming). Once in Spain, they tap the card for tapas, taxis, and tickets to La Sagrada Família, confident they’ll never see a 3 % foreign transaction surcharge. On a $5,000 international spend, that’s $150 kept in their pocket. 

Then a Mediterranean storm cancels their connecting flight home. Instead of shelling out for new tickets and an airport hotel, they file a claim: up to $10,000 per traveler in trip-interruption coverage stands ready to reimburse flights and lodging. 

2. The “Lost-Bag” Weekend in Orlando

Sarah flies solo with two kids to Orlando for a long-promised theme-park weekend. Their suitcase vanishes en route. Because she booked the flights with Sapphire Preferred, Chase reimburses up to $100 a day (five days max) for essentials, so new swimsuits and sunscreen don’t torch the souvenir budget. 

A nine-hour weather delay on the return trip triggers the card’s $500-per-ticket trip-delay benefit. Chase picks up the tab for an airport-area hotel, dinner, and breakfast, turning what could have been an exhausting all-nighter in the terminal into bonus pool time.

3. Everyday Errands That Fuel the Next Adventure

Back home, the Thompsons’ calendar overflows with school runs and soccer practice. They lean on:

• DashPass: $0 delivery fees plus a $10 monthly credit on grocery or convenience orders, perfect for last-minute team-snack runs. 
• 5 × on Lyft rides through September 2027 from Saturday-morning tournament lifts to the airport run for their fall break. 
• 5 × on Peloton gear (through December 31 2027) as they upgrade the home gym—25,000 bonus-point cap equals another $312-plus in travel when redeemed via Chase Travel.

Add the automatic $50 annual hotel credit and a 10 % anniversary-points boost, and the family sees the $95 fee effectively erased long before next summer’s trip even hits the planning board. 

These snapshots show how the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card weaves value into both headline trips and everyday life, covering mishaps, stretching budgets, and quietly stacking rewards each time your family swipes, streams, orders, or rides.

Don’t Just Chase Rewards—Measure Their Real Value

Not all rewards are created equal. Some credit cards offer flashy perks that sound impressive but deliver little real-world value, especially for families. Free airport lounge access might be great for solo business travelers, but it won’t matter much when you’re wrangling toddlers at a regional gate.

That’s why it’s crucial to look beyond the surface. Instead of focusing on how many benefits a card lists, consider how often your family will actually use them. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred®, rewards align with real life: points on groceries, dining, streaming, and family travel—not luxury perks you’ll never use.

Before committing to any travel card, ask yourself:

• Do the points categories reflect my actual spending?
• Can I easily redeem the rewards without blackout dates or restrictions?
• Will I use the travel protections or credits enough to justify the annual fee?

For families, it’s not about the card with the most perks, it’s about the one with the right ones.

Ask the Right Questions Before You Commit

Choosing a travel credit card goes beyond flashy perks and welcome bonuses. To make a smart choice, you need to look under the hood. What’s the ongoing interest rate once any intro offer ends? Are there fees for balance transfers? Will your points expire, and how easy is it to actually use them?

Before applying, ask:

• What’s the APR after any promotional period?
• Are there balance transfer fees or limitations?
• Does the card charge foreign transaction fees?
• Can I use points easily, or are there blackout dates and restrictions?
• What kind of travel protections does the card provide and do they fit my needs?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® earns trust because its policies are straightforward: no foreign fees, flexible redemption through Chase Travel, and generous trip protection. When you take time to ask the right questions, you set yourself up with a card that fits your spending habits and safeguards your travel plans—without hidden surprises.

A Travel Card That Works as Hard as You Do

Family travel isn’t simple but the right credit card can make it smoother, safer, and more rewarding. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred®, you’re not just earning points on big-ticket items like flights and hotels, you’re getting value from your everyday life. Dining out. Streaming family favorites. Ordering groceries or catching a Lyft to the airport.

This card delivers where it matters:

• Real travel protection when things don’t go to plan

• Flexible rewards that grow with your spending

• No foreign transaction fees draining your travel budget

• And a $95 annual fee that easily pays for itself

For families who want more than just perks on paper, who want a card that stretches every dollar and stands by them when it counts, Chase Sapphire Preferred® is a smart, reliable travel companion.

Because the best family adventures deserve a little backup.

Ready to See if It’s the Right Fit?

If your family travels often or even just dreams about doing it more, take a closer look at the Chase Sapphire Preferred®. Compare how it stacks up against your current card. Run the numbers. See how much you could save, earn, or protect just by shifting the way you book, spend, and plan.

It’s not about chasing perks. It’s about choosing a tool that helps your family travel smarter, safer, and further.