By Jonathan Roisman, NextAdvisor.com
The weather is getting warmer and summer is approaching. Whether you're planning a big trip to another country or you just want to get out of town for a few days, it's a great time for a vacation. While a travel rewards credit card offers big benefits for frequent travelers, some cards also include the more secure way to pay -- chip technology. The goal is to reduce fraud, and the EMV chip cards (another name for cards with chip technology) offer an extra layer of consumer protection. Although it's coming to the U.S. by the end of the year, it has been exclusively accepted -- more than magnetic stripe -- throughout Europe for years. So whether you're planning a European vacation this summer or just looking for a great travel card that also has the EMV technology, we've detailed five of the best travel rewards credit cards.
The best EMV chip cards for traveling
The Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard is one the top credit cards available, and possibly the ultimate one when it comes to travel cards. It's one of the only credit cards currently in the U.S. that offers chip and PIN technology (as opposed to chip and signature), making it one of the easiest cards to use anywhere in the world. With this card, you'll earn two miles on every dollar you spend without any reward limits -- that's $2.20 (including the 10 percent bonus miles you'll receive when you redeem for travel statement credit) redemption for every $100 spent. There are no foreign transaction fees, and you'll get 40,000 bonus miles (worth up to $440 in travel when factoring in the 10 percent bonus) after you make $3,000 worth of purchases within three months of opening the account. Although there is an $89 annual fee, it is waived the first year.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (NextAdvisor advertiser) was recently upgraded to include chip and signature technology. This makes foreign travel easier, and it will help prepare Americans for domestic purchases when the switch to EMV cards is implemented later this year. With this card, you'll earn 2 miles on every dollar you spend with no limits, and you'll get an introductory 40,000 miles (worth $400 in travel) when you spend $3,000 in the first three months of opening an account. There's no foreign transaction fee, and the $59 annual fee is waived the first year. Unlike the other cards on this list, Capital One Venture is targeted at people with good or excellent credit, not just excellent, so your chances of being approved are better.
With chip and signature technology, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card (NextAdvisor advertiser) is a great choice when traveling at home or abroad. You'll earn two points for each dollar spent on travel and dining purchases and one point for everything else. There are no limits on what you can earn, and you'll get 40,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening the account. That's equal to $500 in travel if you redeem your points with the Chase Ultimate Rewards online portal. You can also transfer your points on a 1:1 ratio to a number of Chase partners, including Southwest Airlines, British Airways and Ritz-Carlton Rewards. To top it off, there are no foreign transaction fees and the $99 annual fee is waived for the first year.
The BankAmericard Travel Rewards Credit Card (NextAdvisor advertiser) lets you earn 1.5 points for every dollar you spend on every purchase, and you'll get an online-exclusive 10,000 bonus points -- worth $100 for travel -- after you spend $500 in the first 90 days. There's no annual fee and you get 0% APR on purchases for the first 12 billing cycles, which is a fantastic perk for a travels reward card. You won't be charged any foreign transaction fees, and Bank of America customers with an active checking or savings account earn an additional 10 percent customer points bonus on every purchase.
The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card (NextAdvisor advertiser) is a great choice if you're going to fly a lot this summer because there are absolutely no blackout dates on any Southwest flight when using miles. If a seat is available you can buy it with points. With this card, you'll earn 25,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months, and you'll earn two miles on every dollar spent on a Southwest purchase, plus one point per $1 spent on everything else. There's a $99 annual fee, but you'll get 6,000 bonus miles on your membership anniversary. There are no foreign transaction fees, and the recently added EMV chip makes traveling internationally a little bit easier.
For more information on the best travel cards with EMV technology, check out our in-depth travel cards reviews.
This blog post originally appeared on NextAdvisor.com.
Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuer. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of the credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. This content was accurate at the time of this post, but card terms and conditions may change at any time. NextAdvisor.com may be compensated through the credit card issuer Affiliate Program.