Earn More Free Travel With This Amex Card

Image: PHOTO: Earn more free travel with a specialized American Express card. (photo via Flickr/Marcus Quiqmire)
Image: PHOTO: Earn more free travel with a specialized American Express card. (photo via Flickr/Marcus Quiqmire)
Holly Johnson
by Holly Johnson
Last updated: 9:00 PM ET, Tue January 23, 2018

If your goal is earning more free travel this year but you don't want to pay an annual fee, it can be difficult to find lucrative travel offers to sign up for.

Fortunately, PenFed has partnered with American Express to offer a new card aimed at big travel spenders.

The new PenFed Pathfinder Rewards American Express Card offers one of the highest rates of return for travel spending along with some of the best attributes of traditional rewards cards. Plus, you'll score a signup bonus and other benefits:

-Earn 25,000 bonus points after you use your card for $2,500 in purchases within the first 90 days

-Earn 4x points on travel purchases as an Access America checking account holder or a member of the military. Otherwise, you'll earn 3x points.

-Earn 1.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases

-No annual fee

-No foreign transaction fees

-$100 annual travel benefit

-$100 Global Entry credit or $85 TSA Precheck credit every five years

Pros and Cons

The fact that the PenFed Pathfinder Rewards American Express Card offers 4 points per $1 spent on travel for checking account holders and members of the military helps this card stand out, especially since it charges no annual fee. By comparison, the no-fee Uber Visa card offers 4 percent back on dining and 3 percent back on travel, but with fewer ongoing travel benefits.

It's also pretty amazing to get a travel benefit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck-both amazing perks you can benefit from if you hate airport lines or burdensome security requirements. Last but not least, the $100 annual travel benefit is nice for anyone who spends money on travel each year (and who doesn't?).

The PenFed Pathfinder Rewards American Express Card has a few other benefits that can perk up frequent travelers. First off, this card gives you access to Amex Offers-an American Express discount program that lets cardholders save money on a changing number of offers in the travel and retail space. The card also includes extended warranties, price protection, purchase protection and other benefits consumers find valuable.

Nonetheless, the PenFed Pathfinder Rewards American Express Card offers a solid path to get an annual $100 travel credit and Global Entry or TSA Precheck covered each year. With no annual fee to pay, these benefits alone could make signing up for the card worth it.


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Holly Johnson

Holly Johnson

Holly Johnson is an award-winning writer and the author of Zero Down Your Debt. Johnson writes for publications such as the Indianapolis Star, The Simple Dollar, Frugal Travel Guy, and U.S. News and World Report Travel. She also runs her own blog, ClubThrifty.com.

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