By FlexMedStaff
***This article was written June 2022
It is wise for each practitioner venturing into the life of locum tenens to evaluate the best credit cards for this unique way of life. For those practitioners that do a significant amount of locum tenens travel, it is prudent to look at which credit cards offer the best benefits. So which credit card is best for a locums practitioner?
It is impossible to suggest that one credit card is better than another. Each practitioner must weigh their lifestyle to the benefits of each credit card. Many factors go into choosing one credit card over another. For example, do you fly only one airline, or do you fly multiple airlines? Is it a priority for you to have lounge access at an airport, or is it more critical to have status with a hotel chain?
We preferentially selected five credit cards that offered great travel benefits and protection/insurance for traveling practitioners. We looked at benefits related to flights, hotels, rental cars, meals, and other items relevant to traveling practitioners. We also looked at credit cards that allow for easy transfer of points to airlines or hotels. Instead of selecting credit cards endorsed by one hotel chain or airline, we selected credit cards that could be used to make purchases at any airline or hotel chain. Each practitioner must gauge their interest in one of the credit cards selected here vs. other market options depending on their unique situation.
Practitioners must also consider if they want to use a personal credit card, which these are, vs. a business credit card. Business cards generally do not provide as many perks for a solo practitioner.
We looked at the following factors and benefits of each credit card for traveling locums practitioners:
- Credit card annual fees
- TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or Clear
- Hotel credit and status
- Airline credit and status
- Airport Lounge
- Rental car credit and status
- Rental car insurance
- Lyft / Uber credit
- Store credit
- Restaurant credit
- Fitness credit
- Other advantages
** Priority Pass membership includes access to free airport lounges, $26 credit toward select airport restaurants, and discounts on other items at the airport.
*** Some credit cards offer rental car insurance when the rental car is purchased with the credit. Knowing if the credit card offers primary or secondary rental car insurance is important. Primary insurance means that the credit card will cover the cost of the rental car up to a specific value. Secondary insurance from a credit card means that the credit card will only provide some monetary coverage after the user’s primary insurance coverage has been utilized.
The following credit cards are not in any specific order. Its best the weigh the pros and cons of each credit card. Remember that not all benefits offered are listed here, nor is the specific language applicable to each benefit made available for each credit card. Please do your research and select the credit card that best fits what you are looking for.
Now, let’s get straight into the best five credit cards for traveling locums practitioners. This article is based on information available as of June 2022.
Amex Platinum Credit Card
The Amex Platinum is one of the best credit cards for traveling locums practitioners if you are willing to face up to the hefty $695 annual fee. If you take advantage of all the benefits offered by the credit card, you should come out on top.
This card is best for practitioners who fly to their destinations and stay at a lot of hotels. You get 5X points at any hotel and on any airline! They have many airline and hotel partners to transfer your points to.
Sign up now and receive 100,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first six months. If this card is attractive to you but concerned about the annual fee, check out the Amex Gold.
Here is what we love about the Amex Platinum for traveling practitioners.
-Airport Access: $189 worth of CLEAR credit per year. Also includes Global Entry and TSA precheck credit.
-Airport Lounges: Access to Amex Global Lounge Collection (Centurion) and free membership to Priority Pass
-Airline: $200 credit per year and 5X points on all airlines
-Hotel: $200 credit on limited hotel collection and 5X points on all hotels
-Rental Car: Free membership with Avis Preferred, Hertz Gold and National Emerald
-Rental Car insurance: Secondary coverage
-Rides: $15/month for Uber rides or Uber Eats
-Fitness: $300 worth of Equinox gym credit per year
-Other: Walmart membership included. $20 credit for select streaming services
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card
Each practitioner that does a significant amount of traveling for locums should consider the Chase Sapphire Reserve. There are significant benefits to this card that likely outweigh the annual fee of $550.
This card is excellent for locum practitioners that spend a significant amount on airlines, hotels and rental cars. Users earn 3X points for booking directly on travel. Although the benefits of this card can be amazing, there is one major downside. To maximize your travel benefits with the Sapphire Reserve, you must book your travel accommodations on the Chase Ultimate Rewards platform. If you do this, you can get 5X points for airlines and hotels and 10X points for rental cars. There have been mixed reviews about booking thru the Chase platform. Even without booking thru the Chase platform, this credit card still offers great points, benefits and rewards. Lastly, this card offers the ability to transfer your points to many of their airline and hotel partners.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve $300 travel credit per year can be spent on hotel, flights, or rental cars. If this card is attractive to you but concerned about the annual fee, check out the Sapphire Preferred.
Sign up today and get 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.
Here is what we love about Chase Sapphire Reserve for traveling practitioners.
-Airport Access: $100 credit per year for TSA precheck or Global Entry
-Airport Lounges: Free Priority Pass Select Membership
-***Travel credit of $300 per year includes flights, hotel, and rental car.
-Airline: 3X points on all airlines (5X points if booked on Chase platform)
-Hotel: 3X points on all hotels (5X points if booked on Chase platform)
-Rental Car: 3x points (more thru Chase platform) and free membership with National Emerald club
-Rental Car insurance: Primary coverage
-Rides: 10X points on Lyft rides until March 31, 2025
-Restaurants: 3X points on dining and free DoorDash membership (it may expire after 1 year)
-Fitness: credits with Peloton
-Other: up to $900 toward travel when redeemed thru Chase online platform
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
This credit card is Capital One’s first step into the premium travel card market, and it impresses with a slew of unique benefits for travelling practitioners. It provides the standard advantages that you expect from other, well-established credit cards.
Locums practitioners can take advantage of Capital One lounges and Priority Pass lounges. Additional benefits include a reward of 10,000 miles annually, which adds up to a $100 value. Between this $100 value and $300 annual travel credit, this card can easily be worth the $395 fee. The only catch is that you’ll need to make trip arrangements through the Capital One portal to maximize your statement credits and the number of miles rewarded. Venture X is a good option with low complexity to enter the premium travel card market at a lower price point. This card is best for those willing to book travel thru their online booking platform.
Sign up today and get 75,000 points when you spend $4,000 in the first three months.
Here is what we love about the Capital One Venture X for traveling practitioners.
-Airport Access: $100 credit per year for TSA precheck or Global Entry
-Airport Lounges: Access to Capital One lounges and free Priority Pass Membership
-***Travel credit of $300 per year includes flights, hotel, and rental car when booked thru Capital One online platform.
-Airline: 5 miles per dollar when booked thru platform
-Hotel: 10 miles per dollar when booked thru platfrom
-Rental Car: 10 mile per dollar when booked thru platform and complimentary Hertz President’s Circle status
-Rental Car insurance: Primary coverage
-Other: 10,000 miles annual which is a $100 value
U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card
The Altitude Connect is a lesser-known credit card but not a bad option for those locums practitioners that do a decent amount of travel. Unfortunately, U.S Bank’s premium travel card, the Altitude Reserve, is only available to those that bank there. Thus, the Altitude Reserve was not included on this list.
The Altitude Connect is an inexpensive option with excellent benefits and rewards. It is free for the first year and then $95 annual.
Traveling practitioners and anyone who drives gas-guzzlers will like the Altitude Connect from U.S Bank. This card provides 4X points on traveling, which includes flights, hotels, rental cars, and gas. If you drive an electric vehicle, then you also get 4X points on a recharge. Get even more points (5X) when you book a hotel or rental car on the bank’s online rewards center. Even more exciting is that you can get 2X the points on groceries, dining, food delivery, and streaming services. One thing to recognize is that this card does not provide credit for TSA precheck or Global Entry like other cards discussed here. Although you can redeem points for travel, this card has no airline and hotel partners in which you can transfer points to.
Sign up today and get 50,000 points when you spend $2,000 in the first three months.
Here is what we love about U.S. Bank’s Altitude Connect for traveling practitioners.
-Airline: 4X points on any flights
-Hotel: 4X points on all hotels (5X points if booked on bank’s platform)
-Rental Car: 4x points (5X points if booked on bank’s platform)
-Restaurants: 2X points on dining, groceries and food delivery services
-Other: 2X points along with $30 credit per year for select streaming services
Citi Premier Travel Credit Card
The Citi Premier Travel Credit Card is another great option for those looking for low annual fees, less complexity and excellent benefits. With an annual fee of $95 this card is worth checking out.
With a low annual fee, the Premier Travel card offers simple benefits for traveling practitioners with low complexity. With 3X points on travel, gas, dining, and groceries, it’s a decent deal. The annual fee quickly pays for itself because once a year, the bank credits your account $100 for any single hotel stay that costs over $500.
Although you can redeem points for travel, this card only has a few airline and hotel partners to which you can transfer points.
Sign up today and get 60,000 points when you spend $4,000 in the first three months.
Here is what we love about the Citi Premier Travel card for traveling practitioners.
-Airline: 3X points on any flights
-Hotel: 3X points on all hotels
-Rental Car: 3x points on all rental cars
-Restaurants: 3X points on dining and groceries
-Other: $100 credit once per year for a single hotel stay over $500
Runner-Up Credit Cards for Travelling Locum Practitioners
-Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card
-Amex Gold Credit Card
Final Takeaway
We have mentioned some of the best credit cards for traveling practitioners, which provide the best return on points, credits, and rewards. After going over their features and perks, you have probably concluded that these credit cards are highly beneficial for those practitioners that travel for locums work. We implore you to do some of your own research about annual fees and credit card benefits to select the best card that suits your locums lifestyle.
| Credit Card | Amex Platinum | Chase Sapphire Reserve | Capital One Venture X | US Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature | Citi Premier Travel |
| Annual Fees | $695 | $550 | $395 | $0, then $95 | $95 |
| Airport Access | CLEAR credit, TSA precheck and Global | TSA precheck or Global Entry credit | TSA precheck or Global Entry credit | N/A | N/A |
| Hotel | $200 (limited) & 5X points | 3X points | 10 miles (portal) | 4X points | 3X pints |
| Airline | $200 credit & 5X points | 3X points | 5 miles (portal) | 4X points | 3X points |
| Lounges | Amex Lounges & Priority Pass | Priority Pass | Capital One & Priority Pass | N/A | N/A |
| Rental Car | National, Avis, Hertz | National, Avis | Hertz | 4X points | 3X points |
| Rental Car Insurance | Secondary | Primary | Primary | N/A | N/A |
| Lyft / Uber | Uber $15/month | 1 year DoorDash | N/A | 2X on food delivery services | N/A |
| Stores | Walmart Membership | N/A | N/A | 2X points groceries | 3X points groceries |
| Restaurants | N/A | 3X points | N/A | 2X points | 3X points |
| Fitness | $300/year Equinox credit | $120 toward Pelaton | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Other | $20/month streaming services | $300 travel credit per year. Greater travel points and credits thru the Chase online platform | $300 travel credit and all miles benefits are to be obtained thru online platform. | $30 credit per year on streaming services | $100 credit/year for a single hotel stay over $500 |
