The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a general travel rewards credit card, meaning you earn points on any travel or dining purchase, not just with a single airline card issuer, and your redemption options are much more flexible and transferable. The Chase Sapphire Reserve rewards card is included here for those who want more flexibility but still want to use rewards to book future travel. You earn 10x points on hotel and car rental purchases and 5x points on air travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You can also earn 3x points on all other travel and dining purchases (earn elevated rewards on all travel purchases immediately after earning the $300 annual travel credit), and 10x points on Lyft rides through March 2025. All other purchases earn 1x points. 

This rewards card is even better for those who value the additional travel perks like travel insurance, hotel benefits on eligible stays and lounge access.

Check out our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve for more details.

The Platinum Card from American Express offers frequent flyers high potential rewards rates. The Platinum Card earns 5x Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), 5x points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel (third-party sites don't qualify), and 1x points on other eligible purchases. There is a high annual fee of $695, but there are also benefits like up to a $200 airline fee statement credit per calendar year for travel incidentals at one select qualifying airline, a statement credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck (worth $100 for Global Entry or $85 for TSA Precheck, and valid for five years) and up to $200 in Uber Cash per year for U.S. rides and eats (up to $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December). The intro offer is also on the high side at 80,000 points when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.

Even if you're loyal to one airline, you may get a better return on spending with The Platinum Card than you would with a co-branded airline credit card. It's an excellent choice for those who value premium travel perks, or who want the flexibility to redeem rewards with a larger roster of airlines.

Note: Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Given its perks and credits, the Priority card, which is co-branded with Chase, offers the best value among Southwest Rapid Rewards cards. With a limited time welcome offer of 30,000 points plus a Companion Pass® good through 2/28/24 (excludes taxes and fees from $5.60 one-way) after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months, a reward rate of 1x to 3x points and a $75 annual Southwest travel credit, this card pays for itself fairly quickly. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card offers 3x points on Southwest purchases, 2x points on local transit and commuting, internet, cable, phone services and select streaming and 1x points on other purchases. Though Southwest already gives flyers their first two checked bags for free and doesn't have airport lounges, this rewards credit card saves Southwest loyalists money in other ways. 

The $149 annual fee is partially offset by the $75 annual Southwest travel credit, which is automatically applied to your account each year when you use your card for a Southwest Airlines purchase, and the 7,500 points awarded each card anniversary.

With an annual domestic companion certificate (taxes and fees of no more than $80 required), a welcome offer for new card members and a moderate annual fee, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card is the best airline rewards card for most Delta flyers. The rewards are fairly average for an airline rewards program, but this airline rewards credit card makes up for that with other perks. The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card earns 3x miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2x miles at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets and 1x miles on all other eligible purchases. Those who check bags often and travel with a companion (domestically) at least annually can save a substantial amount of money. 

Read our full review of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card for more details.

Note: Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

The rewards rate of Chase's United Explorer card is on the low end for co-branded airline credit cards at 2x miles on United purchases, dining and hotels, but it does offer decent value through its new card member sign-on bonus and waived baggage fees. In many cases, you'd be better off with a no-annual-fee cash-back credit card if you don't spend a high amount on travel and dining each year. But if you value priority boarding and check a bag every time you fly United, the Explorer card is worth considering. Generally, United's credit cards don't compare well with the other airlines when it comes to overall value, so this recommendation is really the best of some not-so-great options. 

The United Explorer card offers 2x miles on United purchases, 2x miles on dining and hotels and 1x miles on all other purchases. The card's $95 annual fee is waived the first year of ownership and new cardholders can earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months.

The AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard* from Barclays, with its free checked bags for up to four others on the same reservation, is ideal for families who travel together often. It only takes one round-trip flight with the whole family and a cartload of bags to earn back the $99 annual fee. It's also the card with the lowest spending threshold (make your first purchase and pay the $99 annual fee in full within the first 90 days) to earn the 60,000 airline mile sign-on bonus. 

The card offers 2x miles on eligible American Airline purchases and 1x miles on all other eligible purchases. Cardholders get their first checked bag free and a free checked bag for up to four companions traveling on the same reservation, which can add up to $300 in baggage fee savings for one round-trip flight. The card also offers preferred boarding, a $25 statement credit for in-flight Wi-Fi purchases per year and 25% back on in-flight food and beverages.

Read more: Best American Airlines Credit Cards

The Barclays JetBlue Plus Card* requires a fairly standard $99 annual fee. It's a good card for JetBlue loyalists and even a good option for those who fly JetBlue only a few times a year, but who can take advantage of the sign-on bonus and free checked bags. 

The JetBlue Plus Card offers 6x points on eligible JetBlue purchases, 2x points at restaurants and eligible grocery stores and 1x points on all other purchases. The sign-on bonus is 40,000 TrueBlue points after spending $1,000 and paying the annual fee in full, both in the first 90 days. Cardmembers also get an additional 5,000 bonus points each year on their account anniversary. The first checked bag on each flight is free for you and up to three companions traveling on the same reservation. JetBlue Plus card holders also get 50% off in-flight food and beverage purchases, twice the discount that most other airline cards offer.

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The Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card from Bank of America is the only consumer airline card offered by Alaska Airlines, but it's a good one. The annual companion fare from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from just $23) each account anniversary after you spend at least $6,000 within the prior anniversary year, free checked bag and 3x miles on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases can translate into valuable savings for an Alaska frequent flyer. It's the only card we found that offers a free checked bag for you and up to six companions on the same reservation, so families will obviously benefit from those waived fees. The rewards rate is also substantial, and paired with an annual fee of $95, this card can save Alaska Airline loyalists a significant amount of money. 

You also earn 20% back on Alaska Airlines in-flight purchases, 2x miles on eligible gas, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share purchases) and 1x miles on other purchases.