Use These Credit Card Benefits To Ease Vacation Stress (2024)

During school breaks and holidays, security lines are longer—and slower—than normal: Infrequent flyers who aren’t familiar with how things work tend to show up on peak dates. Although there’s no way to bypass security entirely, TSA PreCheck can help speed up the security line. If you’re approved, you can join shorter lines and avoid tedious processes like removing your shoes, laptops or allowed toiletry bags.

TSA PreCheck normally costs $78 for five years but numerous premium cards provide a statement credit toward your application. You’ll find this benefit on cards including the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and more. The application and approval process can take several weeks to complete, so don’t delay if you have upcoming travel.

International travelers may prefer cards that offer reimbursem*nt toward your Global Entry application, which includes all TSA PreCheck benefits as well as expedited processing at immigration when returning to the U.S. That said, Global Entry applications take longer to process. If time is short, you might want to stick to PreCheck.

Enrolling in CLEAR® Plus is another way to speed up your airport experience by allowing you to jump to the front of the line. You’ll still need to clear regular security checks—unless you also have PreCheck. The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express offer reimbursem*nt of the enrollment fee via statement credits. Terms apply.

As much as we all hope it doesn’t happen to us, there will be travelers who don’t make it to their intended destination as planned. Delays (and cancellations) stack up with blizzards and hurricanes, causing flyers to miss their connections and find themselves stranded somewhere unexpectedly. This year especially, you may need travel insurance for your trip.

You can’t fight Mother Nature but you can at least make yourself comfortable while you wait for her tantrums to subside. Flight delay benefits, among other trip protections, are offered on quite a few credit cards. The exact coverage and restrictions vary by card, which is precisely why you need to look at the fine print before embarking on your trip. Learn what you’re entitled to, just in case: You may have up to $500 to cover expenses like a last-minute airport hotel on overnight delays.

The best credit cards for travel insurance often overlap with cards that are good for travel anyway, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express*, which offer baggage insurance that’s especially handy when you may be traveling with more luggage than usual.

These benefits typically require you to purchase your airfare and/or other travel expenses with the selected credit card, which means you need to choose carefully before typing in your credit card number. If you’ve already booked your flight, or if you need more insurance than what’s offered by your card, look into separate policies. There are tons of companies that offer travel insurance for all situations, so make sure to look around before committing.

All information about Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express has been collected independently by Forbes Advisor

Airlines have mastered the art of the upsell, charging extra for anything and everything that travelers want. Expect to pay more for perks like priority boarding and extra legroom unless you hold elite status with the airline.

We hate being nickeled and dimed but when planes are full, it isn’t the time to be stingy. Fortunately, many credit cards can save you money here. See if yours can help cover the extra costs. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card will reimburse up to four upgraded A1-15 boarding positions per year, for example. Other cards, such as the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card, offer more generalized reimbursem*nts (in this case, up to $100 in statement credits per year in airline incidentals).

Traveling carry-on only saves you time at check-in and baggage claim and ensures nothing is lost or delayed along the way, but it doesn’t always make sense. Even the lightest packer should consider checking a bag when traveling with small children or less-experienced travelers. You won’t need to worry about finding space overhead or wondering if your bag will be valeted planeside at the last minute.

Checking a bag avoids those issues and will make your airport experience a little easier since you’re hands-free. And, with the right credit card, you can avoid those pesky bag charges by checking the first bag for free and saving up to $35 per passenger per direction of travel. You’ll find this on co-branded cards like the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®* and many other premium and mid-range airline cards.

You don’t always need to pay for the flight with your airline credit card to take advantage since the perk is sometimes attached to your frequent flyer number. As a bonus, the benefit is often extended to family members on the same reservation, too.

Sadly, you can’t count on your ride to offer in-flight entertainment. Smaller aircraft don’t have seat back screens and some larger aircraft have removed this amenity as well. There are, of course, dozens of ways to pass the time on a plane but downloading content to your personal device in advance is one of the best ways to do so.

The Platinum Card® from American Express’s digital entertainment credit (terms apply, see rates & fees) provides monthly $20 statement credits toward your choice of participating services, including Peaco*ck, Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, SiriusXM and The New York Times (enrollment required). Go ahead and splurge on a subscription so you can download your favorite shows, audiobooks or radio stations for offline use.

Alternatively, your card might offer free or discounted internet access onboard so you can surf your favorite sites from the air. The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card reimburses up to 365 inflight Wi-Fi purchases on Southwest each year.

Long layovers are the pits, especially when the airline terminal is overcrowded with extra flyers. And, if you haven’t noticed yet this year, the lines for food and beverage at the airport are extra long.

Airport lounges are a welcome retreat even though they, too, are busy during peak-travel periods. Still, you can find more comfortable seating, strong wifi, snacks, drinks and even restrooms with shorter lines. These little things make a big difference, especially if you’re already stressed from long travel days. When possible, you might want to take note of multiple lounges at the same airport, just in case one is already at capacity.

Ultra-premium cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, include access to participating airline lounges through the Priority Pass network. Other credit cards with lounge access might provide an annual membership to specific airline clubs while others might only provide one or two day passes for the year. Any or all of these are useful benefits to have in your back pocket so double check what’s available to you.

Traveling to see family isn’t always the same thing as a vacation. Guest rooms might be less than ideal and there’s not always time for sightseeing. Sometimes, an extra night on your own makes all the difference, especially if you stretch out and book a hotel instead of squishing your family of four onto a handful of air mattresses.

Co-branded hotel cards make this easy, with many of them offering free night certificates as an upside to your renewal fee. Now, you can tack on that day of adventure (or rest) without having to consider the cost.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card offers an easy-to-use certificate each year. Additionally, some credit cards allow you to earn additional free night certificates after hitting spending thresholds each year for an extended getaway. Keep in mind you may still be on the hook for resort fees when you use your annual certificate reward nights.

Vacation travel will never go perfectly. There are too many factors outside of your control, even if you’re an experienced traveler. As long as you’re prepared with the right credit card benefits, though, this year’s vacation can still be an awesome escape from routine.

To view rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page.