Real talk (and really useful rewards cards) for families who want to stretch their travel budget
We travel with two kids, and our budget is modest. We travel more with our kids for less money, because the best travel credit cards for families save us precious vacation money on things like this:
- Points and miles covered the cost of flights for four from Tokyo, Japan, to Seattle, Washington. We paid taxes and fees out of pocket (and we only learned about this special Japan fare because we subscribe to this newsletter).
- For a family vacation at Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, Florida, points and miles covered the entire cost of our 5-night stay hotel stay.
- A round trip flight from Miami, Florida to Porto, Portugal? No worries. You can guess how we covered it. That’s right: with points and miles.
If you’ve been looking into rewards cards, it can seem like everyone talks about first-class flights and luxury hotels—especially for solo or couple travelers. Luxury is nifty. However, if you simply want to stretch your family budget for an amazing vacation or bigger travel adventure with your kids, it can seem like travel rewards cards aren’t for you at all.
We’re here to tell you that they are.
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“We fly regular economy. When we stay in hotels, they’re mid-range. Learning how to effectively use travel rewards cards has been essential to us getting the most out of our travel dollars.”
Our background with travel rewards cards (and a modest family budget)
Travel credit cards have helped our family of four save thousands of dollars on travel expenses
Our family of four has traveled the world full time since 2022.
Whether staying for a month in Porto, Portugal, or visiting LEGOLAND Malaysia for a week, we manage to show our kids some of this amazing world, all while sticking to a modest family budget. We fly regular economy. When we stay in hotels, they’re mid-range.
Learning how to effectively use travel rewards cards has been essential to us getting the most out of our travel dollars.
We have not executed some sort of flawless master strategy. There are cards we used for a while, then closed them when we decided they no longer served us. There are also rewards cards that we use regularly. Doing so has provided points and miles that cover the costs of rental cars, hotel stays, and even trans-oceanic flights—for all four members of our family.
Keeping it simple helps us save
Today, if there’s a scale of travel rewards cards savvy that ranges from simple to convoluted, Jodie and I would say we aim to keep things simple:
- We maintain a few cards. One is our everyday primary card for all spending
- One spreadsheet tracks our points and miles balances, which we update monthly while reviewing card statements
- We occasionally evaluate the market for cards that could be worth signing up for
- Before applying for any card, we focus on what long-term purpose that card could serve for our family travels with kids
- We subscribe to one free newsletter that helps us learn about travel deals, rewards opportunities, and changes we need to be aware of.
Travel credit cards have helped our family of four save thousands of dollars on travel expenses.
We believe that a useful travel credit card deserves a place in every financially responsible traveler’s wallet. Thanks to affiliate relationships with networks, credit card issuers, and banks, we earn a commission, at no cost to you, if you sign up for a travel credit card using the links on this site.
Sign up for the newsletter that helps us understand points, miles, and rewards cards
Points, miles, and rewards cards are constantly changing. There is always something new to learn. One email newsletter gives us all the info we need to make good travel card choices for our family of four.
Maximize miles and points in under 5 minutes a day
Travel card recommendations for a family
The best travel credit cards for families we’ve used or currently use
This isn’t an exhaustive list, btw. Many cards provide great value. Some we started with and moved on from. Others we continue to use day to on a regular basis. One we use for pretty much every purchase.
Here are cards we currently carry and use, depending on the circumstances. To find out details about rates, fees, special offers, and other info, hit the “details and how to apply” link for each card:
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
($395 annual fee)
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
($99 annual fee)
United Airlines Credit Cards
(we hold the Gateway, $0 annual fee, and the Explorer, $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95)
Chase Freedom Unlimited Card
($0 annual fee)
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
($0 intro annual fee the first year, then $150)
Basic beginning: Get a $0 Annual Fee Card
When you’re learning how to points and miles, it’s okay to skip the expense of an annual fee. It was also the beginning of our journey to better understand points, miles, and rewards.
If we were starting now, we’d get this card
Deciding a fee is worth it: $95 Annual Fee Cards
An annual fee is not necessarily a bad thing. Many rewards cards offer benefits that can more than make up for the cost of the annual fee.
To look at it another way, a $95 annual fee is the same as paying about $7.91 a month for the card. So for about eight bucks a month, you get access to something that can help you do more with your travel budget.
If we were starting now to learn how to put points and miles to work for our family travels, here is the card we would get:
75,000 Bonus Miles: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Annual Fee: $95
Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
The Capital One Venture Rewards credit card offers users a flexible and rewarding travel credit card experience with miles that can be redeemed for a variety of travel expenses.
We travel the world full time with kids. This card is at the top of our wallets
(And yes, the annual fee has been worthwhile.)
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Current Offer: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.
Hotel cards
When you favor a particular hotel brand, their card can provide you useful rewards points.
Do you have a preferred airline?
Airline cards come in varying levels, and each has different fees and benefits. We consider airline cards useful when we know there’s an airline we fly a lot, or when there’s an offer worth hopping onto.
Find rewards cards that help you get more out of your family travel budget
From hotel stays in Miami to flights from Japan to Seattle, our strategic use of the best travel credit cards for families have helped our family get so much more out of our travel budget than we could have otherwise.
You can find the right card (or cards) for your family too. Along with our picks above, you can search for more cards (and check out current offers) here:
Accumulating points and miles is only the first step: How to quickly and easily find and book rewards travel deals
Once you’re ready to book trips, how do you then put those sweet, sweet points and miles to work?
How we quickly and easily find rewards travel for our points and miles
Searching for flights and hotel deals can be so overwhelming. Navigating airline alliances, transfer partners, and a squillion different booking options for one seat? Not to mention finding hotels too…
But what if you had a tool that did all of that for you?
As a traveling family of four, we regularly have to figure out flights and accommodation all over the world. That used to be really time-consuming.
Enter: Daily Drop Pro.
Ever since we started using Daily Drop Pro in 2024, it’s been easier and faster to search for rewards flights and accommodation.
Daily Drop Pro searches multiple airline programs for you—no more memorizing transfer partners or trying to match travel brands to your points and miles! Just search, and Daily Drop Pro shows you the best deal, points, fees, and all.
Find out more and get started today!
This content was not created or commissioned by a bank. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within this article or post. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired.
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