The best credit cards for paying taxes and fees on award tickets

Unless you’re used to the Points and Miles games, you’re probably too familiar with the fact that those “free” award flights are discounted steeply thanks to points, miles and transfer bonuses, but usually do the cost. something.

There is but How to reduce themMost likely, you will face unfortunate additions Taxes and fees. These range from $5.60 to $800 or more for some ambitious awards.

If you pay these fees, The best credit card for purchasing airfares It’s not always the best option. Unlike cash tickets, there are factors that need to consider not only the number of additional points you will earn, but also the more important factors. Travel protection.

Coverage such as baggage and Travel delay refund It’s extremely valuable and some card policies stand out more than others.

With all this in mind, this Best credit card To pay taxes and fees on award tickets.

Best card to pay award tickets and travel protection taxes and fees

*Returns are estimated based on TPG in April 2025 evaluation I’m not a card issuer.
Airfares purchased directly through the airline or American Express Travel (up to $500,000 per calendar year, followed by 1 point).

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Welcome Bonus: After spending $5,000 in the first three months of opening an account, you earn 60,000 points.

Annual fee: $550.

Reward: I spend 5 points per dollar spent on Lyft Rides (until September 2027), 3 points per dollar spent on travel (excluding $300 travel credits per year), meals at restaurants, and 1 point per point on everything else.

analysis: Sapphire Reserve offers the most comprehensive travel protection. Paying at least a portion of your ticket with this card covers many protections, including delayed baggage, lost/damage of luggage, refunds, travel cancellation and interruption protection, medical evacuation benefits, travel accident insurance, emergency medical and dental benefits.

The most important advantage of these is a travel delay refund, which offers up to $500 per covered ticket if you are late for more than six hours or require an overnight stay, and baggage delay protection, which offers up to $100 per day if your baggage is delayed for more than six hours.

Other advantages include $300 per year travel statement credita Global Entries/TSA Precheck Application fee credit and a Select a priority path Memberships including guests. You will also receive free ones Door Dash Dash Pass Membership (Activated by December 31, 2027) $10 Monthly Lyft Credits (Until September 2027).

For more information about Chase Sapphire Reserve, see the following guide:

Apply here: Chase Sapphire Reserve

Chase Sapphire Priority Card

Welcome Bonus: You earn 100,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening an account.

Annual fee: $95.

Reward: I earned 5 points per dollar on all trips purchased on tracking trips, with 3 points spent on meals, including eligible delivery services, takeout and meals, 3 points per dollar on streaming services of my choice, 3 points per dollar on online grocery purchases (excluding Target®, Walmart®, Wholmart® and WholmartClubs) and 1 point per point.

analysis: Chase Sapphire Preferred is perfect for occasional travelers when you’re aiming to get a proper return on your trip or meal purchases. Provides travel protection similar to Chase Ideal for the ink businessincludes the same modest $95 annual fee, including travel and luggage delay protection.

Using this card will earn you 5 Track the ultimate reward points $1 spent when booking a trip through Chase Travel and two ultimate reward points per dollar spent on other trips and meal purchases. It will soothe your mind knowing you have insurance, but still you’re earning substantial bonus points on taxes and fees.

For more information about Chase Sapphire, see the following guide:

Apply here: Chase sapphire is desirable

American Express Platinum Card

Welcome bonus: Earn 80,000 Membership Reward Points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first 6 months of your card membership. You can also check if you are targeting through a higher welcome bonus Card Match Tool.

Annual fees: $695 (see Fees and fees).

Reward: Earn 5 points per dollar spent on airfares purchased directly through airlines or amextravel.com (up to $500,000 per calendar year, followed by 1 point per point).

analysis: American Express Platinum Card (including Most varieties of cards) The next best option for paying award taxes and fees. Protection is a little more restrictive than the protection offered by Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Amex Platinum’s Trip Delay Insurance* starts when there is a delay of more than six hours, but closes with two claims per qualifying card per 12 months, not covering less than six hours of delays. Also, profits are a little more limited in that round-trip travel is required. All of these must be paid by card (you must pay the award taxes and fees or pay with points ticket is covered).

Please note that once you finally reach the departure city, one-way ticket combination qualifies as a round-trip trip for Amex insurance coverage purposes. Amex Platinum offers luggage that has been stolen, stolen or damaged when paying for travel expenses using a qualified card.

*Eligibility and profit level vary by card. Conditions, conditions, and restrictions apply. For more information, please visit AmericanExpress.com/benefitsGuide. It was accepted by an AIG company, New Hampshire insurance company.

**Eligibility and profit level vary by card. Conditions, conditions, and restrictions apply. For more information, please visit AmericanExpress.com/benefitsGuide. The Amex Assurance Company took on it.

Related: Compare Built-in Travel Insurance with Chase Sapphire Aliserve and Amex Platinum

This card offers several other benefits to improve your travel experience. $200 Airline Fee Statement CreditGlobal Entry/TSA Precheck Application Fee Credit ($120 per 4 years for global entry, up to $85 per 4.5 years for TSA Precheck), Lounge Accessauto gold status Hilton and Gold Elite Status Marriott And until $200 on Uber Cash Every year (valid on US purchases and can be redeemed for an AMEX card after adding the Amex Plat to your Uber account). Registration is required for selected perks.

For more information about the American Express Platinum card, see the following guide:

Apply here: Amex Platinum

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Welcome Bonus: After spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening an account, you earn 75,000 points.

Annual fee: $395.

Reward: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on all your purchases.

analysis: If you want to get a stable stream of transferable points and get decent travel protection, Venture X is a good choice. It offers lower annual fees than premium competitors, offering travel cancellation and suspension protection, major car rental coverage, refunds for lost luggage and refunds for travel delays.

Overall, the card has a generously licensed user policy, allowing up to four additional users at no charge. This is convenient as card’s preferred pass lounge membership and Capital One Lounge Access are extended to certified users. Above all? They can also bring up to two guests of their own.

Related: Why you need to add certified users to Capital One Venture x

Additionally, Venture X offers cardholders $300 annual travel credits, which are limited to bookings through Capital One Travel.

For more information about Capital One Venture X, see the following guide:

learn more: Capital One Venture x

Ink Business Priority Credit Card

Welcome Bonus: Earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening an account.

Annual fee: $95.

Reward: Earn 3 points on the first $150,000 that spends each card member on $150,000 on travel, purchases, internet, cable, telephone services, and ad purchases made on social media sites and search engines.

analysis: If you are a business owner, you can get strong travel protection by preferring an ink business, and they do not need travel purposes to qualify. Business preferences are Chase Sapphire Reserve But at a much lower price in exchange for less coverage. For example, this card offers a late refund for your trip, but requires a delay of more than 12 hours or overnight stay.

What’s unique about this card is that it offers the same travel return rate of 3, although it has a significantly lower annual fee than Chase Sapphire Reserve. Track the ultimate reward points Per dollar spent on airfare Everything else you chase is included in the travel category.

For more information about Ink Business Priority Credit Cards, see the following guide:

Apply here: Ideal for the ink business

Conclusion

At first glance, the Amex Platinum offers 5 points per 5 points on all airfares purchased with Amex Travel (up to $500,000 up to each calendar year, followed by 1 point per point), surpassing all other cards on this list, so it may seem like an obvious option. The card has some major travel protections, but as you can see, it has a bit of a limit compared to the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

In most cases, the taxes and fees on these awards are very cheap, so it’s worth winning the couple for extra dollars with points earned on another card. Save you thousands If something goes wrong. So, in this case, don’t worry about losing some extra points. Instead, just put a few dollars in one of these top cards and buy yourself with peace of mind with top travel protection.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or MasterCard® and may vary depending on the product. Terminology and exclusions apply, so please refer to the guide to each benefit for more information.

Click here for Amex Platinum pricing and pricing here.