The best credit card for travel nurses is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card because it has a variety of benefits and perks that fits your travel purposes more than every other credit card combined.
Travel nursing is a great way to earn money while also getting your health insurance covered. However, the truth is, that it’s not always easy to find a credit card that’s right for you. Although there are several other good options available including the Citi Prestige® Card, Chase Sapphire Preferred Card stands out.
Continue to read to learn all that you can and why we’ve chosen this card as the best option that you can get in the market
Best Credit Card For Travel Nurses
When you’re a travel nurse and you’re on the road, it can be hard to keep up with all of your expenses. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you figure out which credit card is best for you.
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First, let’s talk about how often do you travel? How much money do you spend on things when you’re traveling? Do you buy groceries? Gas? Coffee? If so, then you probably want a really good rewards credit card that gives you cash back when you use it.
Next, let’s talk about what kind of person you are: Are you someone who wants to pay off the balance every month? Or do you like earning miles or points with your purchases? If so, then again, we strongly recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
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Why Go For Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card?
It is peculiar and uncommon for travel nurses to be at this location today, and tomorrow, hit the road driving or flying to another location within or outside their home country.
With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you have a lot of benefits that’ll make your traveling convenient, and hassle-free, and several other reasons why you will love this card. Let’s get into it right below.
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Sign Up Bonus
As soon as you sign up and your card is approved, it comes with 60,000 travel points when you spend $4000 in the first 3-months of account opening. This is equal to $750 when you redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
This is pretty amazing because you can use the points to pay all of your bills and make purchases as well.
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However, be aware that the sign-up bonus is only available to you if you don’t have any Sapphire card and have not received a new cardmember bonus for any Sapphire card within the past 48 months.
Annual Fee and Foreign Transaction Fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card This card has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, and then an annual fee of $95 applies. This is very low compared to loads of benefits paid accumulatively
It gets more interesting with no foreign transaction fee when you use your card to make purchases abroad. However, there are no introductory APR offers with a variable APR of 17.49% – 24.49%.
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Travel Insurance
Another sweetener you’ll enjoy using this card is the travel insurance that includes flight delays, trip cancellation, trip delay reimbursement for unforeseen circumstances, and your baggage delay insurance in case it is missing or damaged.
More so, it covers rental car insurance, if you use the card to pay for your car rental insurance.
To improve your shopping confidence, you get purchase protection that covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
Rewards Points Â
Amazingly, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers a generous rewards program.
You will earn 2x travel points on anything that is travel related such as flights, hotels, trains, etc.
You will earn 5x total points on travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. However, this is not inclusive of hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit.
This card also offers a free complimentary Door dash membership, including a 5x Lyft bonus back each time you use Lyft for your movement throughout your travel.
You will earn up to $50 in statement credits on each account anniversary year for hotel stays purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
You will earn 3x points when you eat in a restaurant, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out worldwide.
3x points on online grocery purchases (Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs not included).
Earn 3x points on select streaming services as well.
1:1 point transfer to select airline and hotel travel partners including Hayyat and United among others.
Additionally, you will earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Pros and Cons
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has its benefits and drawbacks. These have been highlighted below.
The benefits include:
You earn high rewards in different spending areas
A 1:1 rate transfer point to travel partners
Many travels and shopping protections
The Drawbacks include:
Annual fee of $95
No intro APR offer
The best travel rewards are only for bookings through Chase
Other Credit Card Options for Travel Nurses
If you are not satisfied with our best option discussed above, there are other options you can look at. If you’re a travel nurse, the Citi Premier® Card could be the perfect credit card for you.
The Citi Premier® Card is a good credit card for travel nurses. It’s designed for people who want to make purchases with low-interest rates, and it offers a rewards program that can help you earn points toward travel expenses or other products.
As a travel nurse, the Citi Premier® Card might be right for you if:
You’re looking for a card with low annual fees (the annual fee is $0).
You want to earn rewards points that could later be used toward travel expenses like hotels or flights.
You want to be able to use your credit card anywhere in the world—including when travelling between countries.
The Citi Premier® Card has several features that make it easy to use and rewarding:
Welcome Bonus
Earn an $80,000 bonus Thank you points for a limited time after you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3-months of account opening.
Annual Fee
The annual fee that applies to this credit card is $95. This is fair compared to the bonus points that you will earn and make use of on grocery and other purchases.
Rewards Point
The card offers 3x points at supermarkets and grocery stores, meaning you can earn 3X the points when you buy groceries! This can be used toward gas and grocery purchases, as well as other eligible purchases.
Get access to exclusive benefits including airport lounge access and discounts on flights when you pay by debit card or credit card (up to 5% off).
You earn 3x points for every $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels
Earn 1x point per $1 spent on every other purchase
You also enjoy an annual hotel saving benefit of up to $100
Foreign Transaction Fee
Enjoy your trip to the fullest with no foreign transaction fees on all purchases made internationally.
Pros and Cons
The benefits of using a Citi Premier® Card include
Plenty of bonus categories
Rewards don’t expire
Cons
The drawbacks of using this card Citi Premier® Card include:
Has annual fee
Requires good/excellent credit
Discover It Miles Credit Card
Our second option of credit card for travel nurses is the Discover it Miles credit card. This card may not have a generous reward offer like our most preferred choice and the first option above, but it is a great way to way to earn miles on all purchases.
The Discover it Miles Credit Card is ideal for frequent travellers such as travel nurses who would probably get more value from this card that offers a higher rewards rate and more perks (and an annual fee). However, it is best for you if you are a budget-minded occasional traveller.
The travel rewards program offered by Discover it Miles Credit Card allows you to earn miles when you book flights, hotels, rental cars, and other types of travel through the company’s website or mobile app.
The program also offers some flexibility in how you get paid: You can earn miles by using your Discover it Miles card or by depositing money directly into your account.
Welcome Bonus
You will get an unlimited bonus in miles. Instead of the traditional welcome or sign-up bonus often offered by most credit cards, Discover it Miles offers automatically matched miles that you earn during the first year at the end of the year.
This implies that you will not be offered any signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards, just unlimited Miles-for-Miles match.
Annual Fee and Foreign Transaction Fee
Fortunately, this card does not charge an annual fee which is a great benefit. Also, there is no foreign transaction fee.
APR Period
For the first 15 months, you will get a 0% intro APR on purchases. Afterwards, the value of 13.49% – 24.49% Variable APR is applicable.
Rewards
First, you can earn bonus miles every time you use your Discover it Miles card to buy something from one of their partner airlines (such as American Airlines).
Second, if you use your miles for travel on Delta Air Lines or United Airlines, then United will match those miles with another 10% bonus!
Finally, you can redeem your accumulated miles for cash back—and there are no restrictions on how many times you can do this each year!
More so, you will earn 1.5 miles per dollar spent on all purchases.
Pros and Cons
Discover it Miles has its share of benefits and caveats.
The benefits include
Discover Match in place of the traditional welcome bonus
Flexible rewards redemption and miles can be redeemed for travel or cash back at the same rate
Foreign transaction fee does not apply
The annual fee does not apply
Best for budget-minded persons
The drawbacks of this credit card include:
Not widely accepted internationally
Does not offer luxury travel perks
Good/excellent credit score required
Not good for bigger spenders
Does not offer bonus reward opportunities
Steps to Choose the Best Credit Card for Travel?
Credit card companies are always trying to find new ways to attract and keep customers. As a result, they offer more and more perks, rewards, and benefits as they compete with each other for your business.
However, not all of these offerings are created equal. Some of them may be better than others at helping you get the most out of your travel spending.
There are a lot of credit cards out there, so how do you know which ones are right for your travel habits? We’ve put together a list of features to consider when choosing the best credit card for travel, so you’ll be able to make an informed decision.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
You have to decide whether you want to go for the Co-branded cards or general travel cards. Co-branded cards are associated with a particular airline or hotel. While a general travel card has no affiliation, the reward points earned can be used with any airline or hotel and can be used in various ways.
Consider the minimum spending requirements. Most credit cards have a minimum spending limit that must be met on or before 6-months. Ensure you go for credit cards that offer bonuses right from the first purchase you made.
Go for credit cards that offer Lucrative rewards and welcome bonuses. In as much as you put the bonuses in mind, it is best to opt for credit cards that offer points that you perceive align well with your spending habits.
Go for the card that meets the travel perks and benefits you want.
Consider credit cards that offer travel perks that are worth the annual fee charged.
Conclusion
If you’re a travel nurse looking for the best credit card for your lifestyle, then you should waste no time obtaining the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for your routine travel.
