--- title: Travel Rewards Are Now an ‘Essential’ Part of Americans’ Vacation Budgets description: About a third of travelers enrolled in credit card loyalty programs see them as a crucial part of their budget, according to new poll data. authors: - name: Julia Glum role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/julia-glum/ bio: Julia Glum joined Money in 2018 and specializes in covering financial trends that affect everyday Americans' wallets. She also writes Dollar Scholar, a weekly newsletter that teaches young adults how to navigate the messy world of money. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2018 articles: 453 covers: - Credit Cards - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - Newsweek - International Business Times - CBS News - Good Morning America - WUSA9 - Pix 11 - The New York Times - Mashable - The Washington Post - CNBC - Politico social: - https://x.com/superjulia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-glum editors: - name: Brad Tuttle role: Senior Editor url: https://money.com/author/brad-tuttle/ bio: Brad Tuttle is a former senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals. education: Columbia University School of Journalism, MS at_money_since: 2014 articles: 366 covers: - Credit Cards - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://twitter.com/bradrtuttle - https://linkedin.com/in/brad-tuttle-834b225 former_staff: true published: '2024-05-21T18:13:25.000Z' modified: '2024-05-21T18:13:25.000Z' section: Credit Cards tags: - News word_count: 563 canonical: https://money.com/credit-card-travel-rewards-essential/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Photo Collage of a hand holding a credit card with luggage and an airplane in the background](https://img.money.com/2024/05/News-Travel-Credit-Card-Rewards.jpg) It's no secret that people love travel rewards programs. But now, we know exactly how much. According to [survey results](https://cards.barclaycardus.com/content/dam/bcuspublic/left-rail-images/Barclays%20US%20Consumer%20Bank%202024%20Barclays%20Travel%20Rewards%20and%20Loyalty%20Report.pdf) released Monday by banking giant Barclays, 37% of travelers enrolled in loyalty programs see them as a crucial part of their vacation budget. Another 76% said they'd have to "significantly" change their travel habits without these benefits, and 4% said they wouldn't be able to afford to travel, period. "The findings show that rewards programs are an essential part of helping Americans travel for business and leisure," Doug Villone, head of U.S. cards and partnerships at Barclays' U.S. consumer bank, said in a news release. ## Planning on taking a trip soon? ### Make sure that your trip is covered with Travel Insurance. Click your state to get coverage. [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/f4d78f1a1ce6?ap_referrer=%2Fcredit-card-travel-rewards-essential%2F) Travel has bounced back in a big way from the dark days of the pandemic: The United Nations' tourism arm [said](https://www.unwto.org/news/international-tourism-reached-97-of-pre-pandemic-levels-in-the-first-quarter-of-2024) Tuesday that more than 285 million tourists took international trips in January, February and March of this year. That's 20% more than the same period in 2023. Still, inflation continues to pinch Americans' wallets. Although airfare and hotel prices have fallen, the costs for everyday essentials like groceries and rent have surged, meaning consumers' disposable income is particularly precious. These factors are all combining to influence folks' travel plans, especially heading into summer. As a result of increased demand, Barclays — which, to be clear, issues [credit cards](https://money.com/best-credit-cards/) and therefore has a vested interest in promoting them — says "loyalty programs with travel rewards have moved from a nice-to-have perk to an absolute must." ## Credit card rewards are beloved — and under fire The Barclays poll, which included responses from about 1,000 travelers, comes amid a multi-pronged political debate about the future of credit card rewards in the U.S. For one, there's a bipartisan bill called the Credit Card Competition Act lingering in both the House of Representatives and Senate. The act, abbreviated as CCCA, is aimed at decreasing the swipe fees paid by merchants every time a customer uses a credit card. There are very enthusiastic (and very vocal) lobbyists on both sides of the issue. CCCA proponents say that introducing more competition into the space could save businesses a lot of money, which could potentially lead to lower prices for shoppers; critics argue that it would so drastically eat into profits that companies would be forced to slash their credit card rewards, which are clearly coveted by customers. At the same time, White House officials are starting to investigate what they allege is a lack of transparency around airline credit card rewards programs. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and CFPB Director Rohit Chopra have teamed up to scrutinize fluctuating point values, high interest rates, aggressive marketing, "bait and switch" scams and exclusive deals between airlines and card companies. In [prepared remarks](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/prepared-remarks-of-cfpb-director-rohit-chopra-at-the-joint-hearing-on-airline-and-credit-card-rewards-programs/#:~:text=More%20recently%2C%20we've%20seen,massive%20role%20in%20this%20market.) delivered earlier this month, Chopra admitted that airline and credit card rewards can be incredibly valuable for families looking for ways to bring down the cost of a vacation. But they're also "a multibillion-dollar currency market where credit card companies and airlines buy, sell, convert and issue miles and points throughout sectors of the economy," he said, ultimately making them "major assets and competitive weapons." Determining how best to wield those weapons is key for travelers, businesses and legislators alike. ### Quote, compare, and buy in minutes—best price guaranteed ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/28840/medium_dca16b05-03f8-4766-b735-a167b0e7c79d.png) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/ec3bec8814bb?bidid=4086023899&pmeta=p129-c539-u24443&ptid=667932766&ptoken=a18f5421fc4a02d73768742370900c48) ### Fast Claims & 24/7 Travel Support ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/24823/medium_475a7712-9b54-4b36-af8f-1ea2de63eb95.png) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/0bc260d8ac8c?bidid=4086023906&pmeta=p129-c539-u24443&ptid=667932766&ptoken=4e1b74873aaf05ecd8c85c47ce4a606f) ### Travel concierge services with premium plans ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/37203/medium_ccee2cd0-9a93-479b-9b91-e6556173f7a6.webp) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/8273ee847231?bidid=4086023898&pmeta=p129-c539-u24443&ptid=667932766&ptoken=97550b715061ea1142d951b8fe14559d) ### Cancel-For-Any-Reason Coverage Options ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/37199/medium_f907be5a-b72c-4349-a7b7-3777f2c8ebcb.webp) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/593d07b4c485?bidid=4086023901&pmeta=p129-c539-u24443&ptid=667932766&ptoken=99c63299a5dbe9ce4bef6dd6c9993092) ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/36540/medium_81b9bfac-0870-4abf-a1d5-f86d60d3c8e0.webp) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/3dd8068f0d58?bidid=4086023903&pmeta=p129-c539-u24443&ptid=667932766&ptoken=09e49cecb3604bacacc338bdfb1d2b3f) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/28840/medium_dca16b05-03f8-4766-b735-a167b0e7c79d.png) Enjoy your trip worry-free with the help of Travel Insurance [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/v76af457ef6b?ap_referrer=%2Fcredit-card-travel-rewards-essential%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/credit-card-travel-rewards-essential/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Credit Cards", "item": "https://money.com/credit-cards/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rewards Credit Cards", "item": "https://money.com/rewards-credit-cards/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Travel Rewards Are Now an ‘Essential’ Part of Americans’ Vacation Budgets" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/credit-card-travel-rewards-essential/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/credit-card-travel-rewards-essential/", "name": "Travel Rewards Are Now an ‘Essential’ Part of Americans’ Vacation Budgets", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2024-05-21T18:13:25.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/credit-card-travel-rewards-essential/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/credit-card-travel-rewards-essential/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-05-21T18:13:25.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "Travel Rewards Are Now an ‘Essential’ Part of Americans’ Vacation Budgets", "articleSection": "Credit Cards", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2024/05/News-Travel-Credit-Card-Rewards.jpg", "width": 3000, "height": 2000, "caption": "News-Travel-Credit-Card-Rewards" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Julia Glum", "url": "https://money.com/author/julia-glum/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/julia-glum/#author", "description": "Julia Glum joined Money in 2018 and specializes in covering financial trends that affect everyday Americans' wallets. 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