Best Credit Cards for Beginners to Travel for Free

At Elevate Miles, we strive to provide honest reviews based on our actual experiences. These cards are what we believe to be the BEST credit cards if you are just getting started in the points world. You may notice that there is only Chase and AMEX on this list – we truly believe that Chase and AMEX have the best transferrable points and travel partners. If you are just starting out, depending on your situation, you definitely want to start off with Chase cards. Once you’ve got a foundation in place, take a look at the 6 cards actually in my wallet in 2026 to see where a beginner stack can eventually grow.

If this is your very first points card and you want the full picture on how welcome bonuses, transferable points, and airline/hotel partners actually work together, start with our Points & Miles Masterclass — it’s the same framework we used to earn our first free international flights, and it will make everything below click faster.

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Before You Apply: The Chase 5/24 Rule

The single biggest reason we tell beginners to start with Chase is the 5/24 rule. If you’ve opened 5 or more personal credit cards across any issuer in the last 24 months, Chase will almost always deny your application — even if your credit score is 800+. Business cards from Chase (like the three Ink cards below) generally don’t count toward your 5/24 count once approved, which is why the order you apply in matters. Get your Chase personal card first (like the Sapphire Preferred), then layer in Chase Ink business cards, and save Amex and other issuers for later. Do it in the wrong order and you can lock yourself out of Chase for two full years.

One more thing to know before diving in: every card below earns a transferable point (Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards) — not a co-branded airline mile. That flexibility is the whole game. A 60,000-point Chase Sapphire Preferred bonus can become 60,000 Hyatt points (two nights at a Category 4 like the Hyatt Regency Aruba), 60,000 United miles for a domestic round-trip in economy, or 60,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points for a one-way to Europe in economy with taxes only. Cash back cards can’t do that.

Earning the points is the easy part. Finding somewhere worth spending them is where most balances sit untouched for years. Search award space on Seats.aero to see what your balance books right now.

What to Do With Your Points Once You’ve Earned Them

Earning the welcome bonuses is only half the game. If you follow the order above — Sapphire Preferred, then Ink Unlimited, then Ink Cash, then Ink Preferred — you can realistically end year one with 310,000+ Chase Ultimate Rewards points plus your regular spend. That’s enough for a family of four to fly domestic round-trip on Southwest, spend a week at a Category 1-4 Hyatt, or send two people to Europe in economy. For a concrete look at where those points actually go the furthest, see our roundup of the top travel destinations with transfer partners — it maps specific point balances to specific trips so you can reverse-engineer which cards to open first.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Chase 5/24 rule and does it apply to business cards?

Chase generally won’t approve you for a new card if you’ve opened 5 or more personal credit cards from any issuer in the previous 24 months. You still need to be under 5/24 to be approved for a Chase Ink business card, but once approved, the Ink card itself does not report to your personal credit bureaus and therefore doesn’t add to your 5/24 count. That’s why beginners can stack multiple Ink cards without locking themselves out of Chase.

Do I need a real business to apply for a Chase Ink card?

You need a legitimate business activity, but not an LLC, EIN, or storefront. Freelancing, reselling on eBay, tutoring, driving for Uber, pet sitting, or any side hustle qualifies as a sole proprietorship. You’d apply using your legal name as the business name and your Social Security Number as the tax ID. Only apply if you actually do the activity — misrepresenting a business on a credit application is fraud.

Which card should I get first as a total beginner?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is almost always the right first card. It gives you full access to Chase’s transfer partners (which is what lets you unlock outsized redemptions), only costs $95/year, and its 60,000-point welcome bonus is enough for a meaningful first free trip on its own. You’d then layer in a Chase Ink business card as your second application.

Are Chase Ultimate Rewards points really worth more than cash back?

Yes — but only when you transfer them to airline or hotel partners. Redeemed as straight cash back, 1 UR point = 1 cent. Redeemed through Chase Travel with a Sapphire card, it’s 1.25 cents. But transferred to World of Hyatt, points routinely return 2-3+ cents per point in value, and transfers to airline partners like Air Canada Aeroplan or Air France/KLM Flying Blue for business class can hit 5-8 cents per point on the right redemption.

Should I get the Amex Gold before or after the Chase cards?

After. Chase’s 5/24 rule is the tightest gate in the hobby, so you always want to open Chase cards first while you’re still eligible. Amex doesn’t have an equivalent restriction — you can apply for an Amex Gold at any time. The only reason to jump straight to the Amex Gold is if you’re already over 5/24 and don’t want to wait for cards to fall off your report.