Why I’m Sticking With Travel Cards During the Pandemic

In a normal year, I fly about 100,000 miles. But last year was not normal, and 2021 is shaping up to be another in which we’ll do things very differently from before the pandemic. Nobody traveled very much after last March, and the prospects for jetting around the world in 2021 look pretty dim, too.

But I am keeping in my wallet some credit cards that earn points for travel, and even some that charge a yearly fee in exchange for the travel-related perks I can’t use right now.   

That’s because these cards save me money outright on some everyday expenses, offer bonus points earnings for things I would have bought anyway, and ultimately give me value that offsets their membership fees — regardless of whether we can travel right now.     

Here are the three credit cards I’m using the most in 2021, and why they might make sense for you to include in your credit card strategy. Two are travel-focused cards with yearly fees, and one is a fee-free card that’s ideal for some home deliveries — something we’re all using a lot more of these days.                 

Chase Sapphire Reserve 

Before COVID-19 stopped most nonessential travel, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® was one of the most popular travel rewards cards, despite its high annual fee of $550.    

If you are a frequent traveler, the Reserve is a great card. It has a travel credit of $300 every year, which can be used for all sorts of transportation, from subway tickets to airfare and ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft. It also gives you access to airport lounges in the Priority Pass network, found all over the world. And it offers trip cancellation and delay protections, including a provision for Chase to pick up your expenses (up to $500) if you get stranded because of a cancelled or delayed flight. Plus, you get 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards points for every dollar spent on travel and dining — points you can redeem for more, and free, travel. 

And it’s still the card I use the most, even though in the last year I have taken no more than a handful of flights. Why? It has changed a lot of its perks to suit customers who now are largely staying home. 

“The Chase Sapphire Reserve has done a great job pivoting from a travel-heavy to a more pandemic-friendly card,” says Benet Wilson, senior credit cards editor at The Points Guy (which is owned by Red Ventures, like NextAdvisor.)   

You can now use the card’s $300 travel credit toward gas and groceries through June 30, 2021. Until April 30, you also get 3x points per dollar on those groceries, for the first $1,000 spent per month. Also until April 30, you can redeem Ultimate Rewards points to offset grocery and dining purchases, at 1.5 cents per point. I’ve already got that $300 worth of groceries from the card this year, and I’ve been using my Chase points to erase some of those purchases — additional value that offsets the annual fee.     

It’s also a good card to use for takeout and delivery from restaurants. Not only does it earn three points per dollar spent on dining, but it comes with a $60 credit through December 31 on purchases from delivery service DoorDash. It also has complimentary membership in DashPass, an option for DoorDash customers that normally costs $9.99 per month. With it, you get no delivery fees and reduced service fees on orders over $12 from eligible restaurants. DoorDash says this saves an average of $4 to $5 per order, which I’ve found consistent with my experience. 

With a DoorDash order…