The Best Premium Credit Cards of May 2023

Our experts answer readers’ credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here’s how we assess credit cards). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

Some of the very best credit cards — including the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card — have moderate annual fees and include a strong mix of rewards and travel/purchase protections. If you want perks like annual statement credits and airport lounge access, though, you’ll be looking at premium cards in the $250 to $550-a-year range.

Paying hundreds of dollars for a premium credit card won’t make sense for everyone, but if you take advantage of enough benefits, it can be well worth the money. Premium cards can offer perks like travel or merchandise statement credits, elite status or elite-like benefits, and credits for trusted traveler programs like Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, NEXUS, or CLEAR®.

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Compare the Best Premium Credit Cards

The Best Premium Credit Cards of 2023

Methodology: How We Chose the Best Premium Credit Cards

Our list of the best premium credit cards doesn’t include every option under the sun — Personal Finance Insider narrowed down our list to the top options. To do so, we used the following criteria:

• Annual fee — It’s a given that premium credit cards charge high annual fees, but some fees are lower than others, and some cards are able to justify the higher fees with benefits like annual statement credits that give you money back.
• Welcome bonus offer — A welcome offer of bonus points or miles for new cardholders who meet a minimum spending requirement is a great incentive to sign up, and it can help jumpstart your next trip booked with rewards. It’s not the most important factor in deciding whether a premium credit card makes sense for you in the long run, but we did give some weight to how a card’s welcome bonus offer stacked up against the competition.
• Ongoing rewards — How many points or miles per dollar does the card offer on everyday spending? The stronger the earnings on purchases, the better.
• Benefits — Beyond earning points and miles, what kinds of benefits does the card offer? Ideally, cardholders will get a strong combination of statement credits that reduce their out-of-pocket spending, travel protections, and extras like airport lounge access.

From there, we looked at the overall value each card offers based on these various features.

You can learn more about our methodology by reading how we rate credit cards at Insider. 

Premium Credit Card Frequently Asked Questions

Best for Earning Travel Rewards

Chase Sapphire Reserve

If your number one criterion for picking a premium credit card is rewards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a great option. Not only does it earn 5x total points on air travel and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards (after earning the $300 travel credit) and 3x points on other travel and dining, but it also has additional limited-time bonus categories. 

While other premium credit cards may have higher points multipliers on select spending categories, the Chase Sapphire Reserve stands out for offering some of the most valuable redemption options. Each of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points from this card is worth 1.5 cents toward travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal. That’s a 50% bonus over the standard value of Chase points (1 cent apiece). 

The card has a $550 annual fee, but its annual travel statement credit of up to $300 is easy to use (virtually any type of travel purchase is eligible, from plane tickets to Uber rides to highway tolls). So if you spend at least $300 on travel in a year — which you absolutely should if you’re considering this card in the first place — you can effectively subtract that from the fee for a total of $250 spent out of pocket.

The card also offers Priority Pass lounge membership and Chase Sapphire lounge access, plus access to the new Chase Sapphire Terrace at Austin airport (AUS). In addition, cardholders receive a complimentary DashPass membership, which waives delivery fees and offers lower service fees on orders of $12 or more. Cardholders can also take advantage of one year of Instacart+ free and up to $15 per month in statement credits on Instacart.com purchases (activation required by July 31, 2024).

It’s also currently offering cardholders a complimentary Lyft Pink All Access membership for discount rides, priority pickup, and more (activation required by December 31, 2024)

Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card Review 

Best Travel and Luxury Benefits

The Platinum Card® from American Express

It’s hard to beat the Platinum Card when it comes to the sheer number of perks it offers. In addition to earning a respectable 5x points on flights booked directly through the airline or through American Express Travel (starting January 1, 2021, the 5x points will apply up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), the card comes with a whole host of valuable benefits, both for travel and shopping.

On the travel side, you get up to a $200 annual airline fee credit**, more airport lounge access options than any other card, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott**, and up to $200 in Uber credits** every year. Other benefits include up to $100 in Saks credits** every year (broken up as up to $50 semi-annually), and Amex Offers** for cash back or bonus points when you shop with specific retailers. While this card isn’t quite as exclusive as the invite-only Amex Centurion “black” card, it’s the next best thing.

The Platinum Card’s $695 annual fee is nothing to sneeze at, but if you take advantage of all its benefits, you can get a value that far exceeds your yearly cost. Plus, if you’re a big spender, this card tops our list of the best high-limit credit cards.

American Express Platinum Card Review

Best Value for the Annual Fee

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Capital One launched the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card over a year ago, and since then it’s become a fixture in the wallets of frequent travelers. It offers a welcome bonus of 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s worth around $1,275 in travel, based on Insider’s valuation of Capital One miles.

The annual fee of $395 on the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is much lower than similar cards, but it’s still packed with premium benefits that can more than offset the yearly cost.

Cardholders receive up to $300 per year in statement credits toward travel booked through the Capital One Travel Portal, Priority Pass, Plaza Premium, and Capital One airport lounge access (even for authorized users), a 10,000-mile bonus on each account anniversary (worth $100 in travel), access to the Capital One Premier Collection luxury hotel booking program, and Visa Infinite travel and purchase benefits.

Like other cards that earn Capital One miles, you can transfer rewards from the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to over a dozen airline and hotel partners, including the recently added Virgin Red.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Review

Best Perks for Dining Out and Ordering in

The Amex Gold Card is one of the most rewarding options for those who like to dine out and order in. It offers up to $120 in annual statement credits (up to $10 per month credit) for dining** with GrubHub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Milk Bar, Wine.com, Goldbelly, and participating Shake Shack locations. It also offers up to $120 Uber Cash (up to $10 per month) each calendar year (this is only applicable to U.S. Eats orders and Rides, and the Gold Card needs to be added to the Uber app to receive the Uber Cash benefit).

You’ll also earn 4x points at restaurants (including food-delivery services) and 4x points on up to $25,000 spent at US supermarkets each calendar year (and 1 point per dollar if that cap is met).

The Amex Gold Card is the most affordable card on this list, with an annual fee of $250. Plus, the annual fee is effectively even lower when you factor in the monthly dining credit.

Amex Gold Card Review

Best Premium Airline Credit Card

United Club℠ Infinite Card

The best airline credit card for you will depend on what airlines fly out of your home airport. But if any of the major US airlines are a convenient option for you, the United Club℠ Infinite Card has a few advantages that make it the best premium airline card.

This card has an annual fee of $525. As a cardholder you’ll get a United Club membership, so you can access the airline’s airport lounges and its partner lounges around the world.  The United Club℠ Infinite Card is now offering a welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

The United Club℠ Infinite Card also stands out on the rewards front. Unlike other airline credit cards that only offer bonus miles on purchases with the affiliated airline, this card earns 2x miles on all travel purchases and on dining at restaurants, plus 4x miles on United purchases (and 1 mile per dollar on everything else). 

You also get two free checked bags on United flights when you pay with the card, plus priority check-in and early boarding.

United Club Infinite Card Review

Best Premium Hotel Credit Card

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

Just as the best premium airline credit card for you depends on which airline you prefer, the best hotel credit card for you will be the card that offers benefits where you’re most likely to stay. If you already have status with a particular hotel chain, you’ll probably want to get a card associated with that loyalty program so you can continue building rewards and even potentially earn higher status.

But if you don’t have a favorite hotel chain and simply want the card that will get you the most benefits and save you the most money, there’s a strong argument to be made for the Hilton Honors Aspire Card. In exchange for the $450 annual fee, you get the highest level of elite status in the Hilton program: Hilton Honors Diamond, which gets you a 100% points bonus on stays, room upgrades, and free breakfast (currently awarded as a food and beverage credit in the US).

The Hilton Honors Aspire Card is the only hotel credit card to offer the highest level of elite status outright; with other cards, you have to spend your way to top-tier status, and the annual spending requirements are in the thousands of dollars.

Other card benefits include a free reward night each year after your account renewal, and up to $250 in statement credits each year for purchases made at participating Hilton resorts. You can use this statement credit to effectively get $250 off of a Hilton hotel room rate. In addition to that, you also get up to $250 in annual statement credits for airline fees.

Hilton Honors Aspire Card Review

Other premium credit cards that just missed the cut

Our final list of the best premium credit cards includes six options, but we considered several other cards as well. Here’s a look at the other premium credit cards that didn’t make the final cut.

• United Quest℠ Card — This United credit card comes with up to $125 in statement credits each year toward United purchases (like airfare and incidental fees) and a free first and second checked bag when you use the card to pay for your ticket. Cardholders also get up to two 5,000-mile rebates on award flights each year starting after the first card anniversary, excellent travel protections, and a NEXUS/Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit. Read our United Quest card review.
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card — The top-of-the-line Marriott credit card has some great benefits, including up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide. It falls just a bit short of the Hilton Honors Aspire Card in terms of the value it can offer, since that card offers top-tier Hilton status, and both a Hilton statement credit and an airline fee statement credit. Here’s our review of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex card.
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card — This premium Delta credit card has some strong benefits, such as a Status Boost that earns you Medallion® Qualification Miles toward Delta status when you meet annual spending requirements. It also comes with an annual companion certificate each year upon your account renewal. That said, it has a $550 annual fee, which is the highest among premium airline cards. Read our Delta Reserve card review.
• Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
  — It was a tight race between this card and the United Club℠ Infinite Card. Unlike United’s card, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® offers airline lounge membership (for American Airlines’ Admirals Clubs) to both the primary cardholder and up to 10 authorized users that can be added to the card for free. Those 11 cardholders can each bring in two guests, so you’re getting 33 people free lounge access from one card. The United Club℠ Infinite Card ultimately won because it offers more miles on everyday purchases — and not everyone will care about airport lounge access. See our Citi AAdvantage Executive card review.
• U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card
  — With a $400 annual fee and a long benefits list including up to $325 in annual credits for travel, this card is a lesser-known gem. However, it didn’t make the cut because there are fewer options for redeeming your points compared to other premium cards from Amex, Chase, and Capital One. Here’s our US Bank Altitude Reserve review.

Jasmin Baron, CEPF

Editor

Angela Fung

Marketing Compliance Manager

Angela Fung is the marketing compliance manager at Personal Finance Insider, overseeing a team that ensures content accuracy and editorial independence so readers are always getting up-to-date and objective financial advice. She is the primary contact for credit cards compliance and has experience managing content and partnerships for the banking, loans, and investment verticals as well. 
Personal Finance Insider is Insider’s personal finance section that incorporates affiliate and commerce partnerships into the news, insights, and advice about money that Insider readers already know and love.
The compliance team’s mission is to provide readers with stories that are fact-checked and current, so they can make informed financial decisions. The team also works to minimize risk for partners by making sure language is clear, precise, and fully compliant with regulatory and partner marketing guidelines that align with the editorial team.
Prior to joining Insider in February 2021, Angela worked at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Chicago. As a digital marketer on the in-house communications and programming team, she supported startups and individuals looking to commercialize their research, partner with other companies, or attract venture capital.

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