How Credit Card Benefits Help Me Travel Like a Rich Person

• Wealthy people use money to make traveling more enjoyable and resolve any issues on the road.
• I don’t have millions in the bank, but I’ve enjoyed similar perks with some of my best credit cards.
• My favorite experiences include a Vegas penthouse upgrade and a helicopter ride from JFK to NYC.

Like most people, I don’t come from generational wealth. My parents are immigrants, I attended a public university, my net worth is significantly shy of $1 million, and I’ve never owned a new car.

But my life feels rich in many ways, thanks to various financial decisions I’ve made through the years. Since I travel throughout the year, I splurge on premium credit card annual fees for luxury airline and hotel benefits.

Helicopter commutes from the airport

I frequently travel to New York City, and flying into any of the three regional airports is only half the battle. Whether I take a bus, cab, or subway, traveling between the airport and the Big Apple during rush hour is the part of the trip I dread most.

The ultra-wealthy don’t share my woes since they have many alternative options, including private planes and limousine transfers. While I’ve never entered the city by either method, one of my most memorable commutes involved a decidedly bougie experience: traveling from JFK Airport to Hudson Yards in just five minutes, courtesy of a Blade helicopter ride.

Bilt Mastercard® cardholders with top-tier Platinum status get one complimentary Blade flight each year between NYC and JFK or Newark airports. I didn’t have this card at the time so I had to pay for my chopper ride, which didn’t come cheap at $195. But now I have an additional incentive to earn my way up the Bilt status ladder for an easier commute.

Free checked bags and waived airline fees

The wealthy don’t think about how much it costs to upgrade a flight or check a bag when they travel. And thanks to the right travel benefits, neither do I.

Many of the best airline credit cards offer a free checked bag for cardholders. I have several of those in my wallet, including the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card and the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®
. But one of my cards, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, offers even more generous reimbursement benefits.

The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Amex Business Platinum Card both offer annual credits of up to $200 for airline incidentals on a single airline of my choice. I activated this benefit by choosing an airline from a short list of Amex partners. After that, eligible charges from my chosen airline automatically trigger a statement credit from Amex when I pay with either of these cards, on up to $200 a year each. Terms apply.

I don’t get reimbursed for flights. Instead, this credit applies to expenses such as checked bags, change fees, seat assignments, priority boarding, and more. This benefit — and several others like it — are what make the Amex Platinum worth it for many people.

Complimentary hotel upgrades and other perks

Rich people can stroll into a resort and go straight to their villa for chilled champagne, greeted by respectful staffers who know them by name and assistants who iron out all the details in advance.

Meanwhile, most of us have to muddle our way to the check-in desk, juggling our bags as we try to pull out our credit card and ID, then wait in line or in the lobby until our rooms are available.

Holding the right credit card doesn’t automatically grant me celebrity status, but it often allows me to cut the hotel check-in line. Premium cards like the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
give me top-tier hotel elite status, which has allowed me to check in as early as 9 a.m. and check out as late as 5 p.m. on occasion. Terms apply.

Hotel elite status also comes with a slew of benefits such as complimentary room upgrades, cocktails or similar treats, or even spa treatments like massages. Thanks to privileges conferred from the best hotel credit cards, I’ve been able to enjoy a penthouse suite in Las Vegas with a bathroom larger than my old apartment in New York City.

Unlimited airport lounge access membership

Airport lounges used to be exclusively reserved for high rollers and bigwig executives who earned frequent flyer status through expensive travel. These days, many lounges are open to a wider range of travelers. But you’ll often have to shell out for a day pass unless you have membership.

I can’t stop singing the praises of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card despite its $395 annual fee, because this card provides airport lounge memberships for myself, my parents, and two of my siblings.

Priority Pass members can enter over 1,500 airport lounges worldwide. Lounges allow travelers to relax and refresh themselves in busy airports, enjoying complimentary food and beverages in quiet spaces instead of crowding with other travelers by the gate.

Regular Priority Pass membership would cost $469 a year, plus $35 per additional guest per visit. But Capital One Venture X Rewards cardholders get a complimentary membership package that includes two guests per visit.

Better yet, the Capital One Venture X Rewards allows me to add up to four authorized users — family members who get their own credit cards linked to my account with no additional annual fee. In turn, each of my cardholders gets their own complimentary Priority Pass membership.

Several other credit cards that offer complimentary airport lounge access allow authorized users who also get lounge privileges. However, they typically charge an additional annual fee for each cardholder: the Chase Sapphire Reserve costs $75 a year per authorized user, and the Amex Platinum Card costs $195 a year per additional cardmember (rates and fees).

I used to pay $925 a year in Chase Sapphire Reserve annual fees to gift my family Priority Pass membership through authorized user cards. Now, I can do the same through the Capital One Venture X Rewards for less than half the cost.