Las Vegas is an adult playground that offers something for just about everybody. While the city is most famous for its casino hotels on the Strip, you can also attend a concert, sporting event, or conference.
Some even use the city as a base camp when exploring the Southwest or to enjoy the mild winters.
However, getting to Las Vegas can be expensive despite being an easy place to reach through discount airlines and travel packages. As tourism dominates the local economy, service fees and premiums can also be commonplace.
Thankfully, the best credit cards for Las Vegas can help defray certain costs. Some offer built-in travel perks such as elite loyalty status, statement credits, and lounge benefits which can help you save money or qualify for complimentary upgrades.
Table of Contents
- What are the Best Credit Cards for Las Vegas?
- Best for Luxury Travel and Airport Lounge Access: The Platinum Card® from American Express
- Best For Travel Redemption Bonuses: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Best for Earning Amex Points on Meals and Flights: American Express® Gold Card
- Best For Flexible Point Redemptions: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
- Best For MGM Resorts and Casinos: MGM Rewards™ Mastercard®
- Best For Dining and Entertainment Rewards: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards
- Best For Premium Travel Benefits: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Best for Hyatt Hotel Rewards: World of Hyatt Credit Card
- Best For Hilton Honors Members: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
- Best for Southwest Airlines: Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
- Best For Citi ThankYou Points: Citi Premier® Card
- Best For Cash Back: Capital One Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card
- The Bottom Line
What are the Best Credit Cards for Las Vegas?
If you’re travelling to Las Vegas, a travel rewards credit card will likely be your best option. The most flexible rewards programs offer many opportunities to earn and redeem rewards for various expenses, including flights and hotels. If you’re loyal to a particular hotel brand or airline, a co-branded card from your preferred loyalty program is better.
Best for Luxury Travel and Airport Lounge Access: The Platinum Card® from American Express
The Platinum Card® from American Express offers luxury perks that can come in handy when flying, getting a hotel room, or booking a rental car.
Key features include:
- Up to $200 in airline fee credits per year
- Up to $200 in Uber Cash per year ($15 monthly plus a $20 bonus for December only)
- $200 back on per year on qualifying hotel and resort stays
- Hotel elite status (Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Honors Gold)
- Free airport lounge access (Centurion, Priority Pass, Delta Sky Club, and others)
- Earn up to 5x Membership Rewards on purchases
- 1:1 point transfers to participating airlines and hotels
As this card has a $695 annual fee, you must be a frequent flyer or routinely use its upscale benefits to make the Amex Platinum worth it.
Read our American Express Platinum Card Review to learn more.
Best For Travel Redemption Bonuses: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
For several reasons, many consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card the best travel credit card with an annual fee below $100 ($95 for the primary and $0 for additional cards).
The Sapphire Preferred offers a variety of benefits and has valuable redemption options that can make it the best overall choice for constant or casual travelers.
Its best perks include:
- Travel Redemption Bonus: Your points are worth 25% more (1.25 cents) when booking award travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
- 1:1 Point Transfers: Convert your points to airline miles or hotel points at a 1:1 ratio. Participating programs include Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, United Airlines, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.
- 10% Anniversary Points: You can earn up to 5x Ultimate Rewards on purchases. At each renewal, you receive a bonus deposit equal to 10% of your annual earnings.
- Hotel Statement Credits: Up to $50 in annual hotel statement credits for stays purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
- Trip Protection Benefits: Enjoy a handful of complimentary travel insurance perks such as trip cancellation and interruption (up to $10,000/person and $20,000/trip), trip delay reimbursement, and primary auto rental collision damage waiver.
The Sapphire Preferred is one of the best Chase credit cards for travel, although you can read our Chase Sapphire cards comparison to see if a premium product can help you get more mileage from your credit card points.
Learn more with our Chase Sapphire Preferred review.
Best for Earning Amex Points on Meals and Flights: American Express® Gold Card
For some, the best American Express credit card for Las Vegas will be the American Express® Gold Card, which offers dining and travel perks. In addition, its annual fee is only $250. However, the premium Amex Platinum is still the better option for luxury travel as you get elite travel status, airport lounge benefits, and more statement credits.
The following perks can come in handy during your trip:
- $10 in Uber credits per month
- $10 in dining credits per month (at participating restaurants)
- $100 experience credit on qualifying stays through The Hotel Collection with American Express Travel
- Earn 4x Membership Rewards on dining worldwide.
- Earn 4x points on flights booked directly from the airline or at amextravel.com
Learn more with our American Express Gold Card review.
Best For Flexible Point Redemptions: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Consider the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card for a flexible, budget-friendly premium travel credit card. This card has a $395 annual fee and free additional cards.
The most valuable benefits include:
- Annual Travel Statement Credits: Your first $300 in travel booked through Capital One Travel is reimbursed annually.
- Earn Up to 10x Miles on Travel: You can also earn up to 10x Venture Miles on travel purchases and redeem your miles as a statement credit or transfer at a 1:1 ratio.
- 10,000 Miles Anniversary Bonus: Receive 10,000 bonus miles on each card anniversary. This bonus is worth $100 in travel rewards.
- Airport Lounge Access: This card offers complimentary access for the cardholder and two additional guests to Priority Pass Select, Plaza Premium, and Capital One Lounge locations. Even secondary users have this benefit despite not paying an annual fee.
- Free Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Enjoy up to $100 in application fee credits every five years for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
Learn more about the Capital One Venture X Rewards.
Best For MGM Resorts and Casinos: MGM Rewards™ Mastercard®
The MGM Rewards™ Mastercard® is your best bet if you like to stay at one of the 14 MGM-managed casino resorts in Las Vegas. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but the possibilities include the Aria, Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, New- York-New York, Luxor, and Excalibur.
Some of the benefits at your fingertips include:
- MGM Rewards Pearl loyalty status (free parking and 10% bonus points)
- Earn up to 3x points and tier credits on purchases
- Priority hotel check-in at MGM Rewards Destinations
As an extra benefit, you won’t pay an annual fee or a foreign transaction fee. Unlike most credit cards, you must be at least 21 years old to apply.
Learn more about the MGM Rewards Mastercard.
Best For Dining and Entertainment Rewards: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards
The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards for Good Credit makes it easy to earn an above-average number of points on dining and entertainment. Further, there’s no annual fee or foreign transaction fee.
It’s easily one of the best Capital One credit cards for dining and entertainment.
You will earn an unlimited 3% back on the following purchases:
- Dining
- Entertainment
- Grocery stores
- Popular streaming services
The SavorOne also earns 8% back on Capital One Entertainment purchases and 5% back on hotels and car rentals through Capital One Travel. All non-bonus spending earns 1% back.
For a limited time, Uber and Uber Eats purchases earn 10% back, and cardholders can enjoy one year of complimentary UberOne membership (through November 14, 2024).
Learn more about the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards card.
Best For Premium Travel Benefits: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers several premium travel perks that reimburse your travel purchases yearly and enjoy a 50% travel redemption bonus.
These benefits will help you arrive in Las Vegas with more money in your wallet:
- $300 Annual Travel Credit: The first $300 in travel purchases are reimbursed annually.
- 50% Redemption Bonus: Each point is worth 50% more (1.5 cents) when booking flights, hotels, car rentals, and experiences through Chase Ultimate Rewards. This redemption value can be more valuable than the 1:1 point transfers that cardholders enjoy as well.
- Airport Lounge Access: Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership with unlimited lounge visits.
- The Luxury Hotel & Resort CollectionSM: Complimentary on-site amenities at participating hotels and resorts worldwide.
- Trusted Traveler Programs: Application fee reimbursements for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or Global Entry.
- Travel and Purchase Coverage: Trip cancellation/interruption, primary car rental coverage, trip delay reimbursement, and emergency evacuation and transportation.
In addition to these travel perks, you can also earn up to 10x Ultimate Rewards on travel purchases (after exhausting the $300 travel credit each year).
These benefits are impressive, but the annual fee is $550 for the primary card and $75 per additional card.
If you want premium benefits, glancing at our Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Platinum comparison helps you choose the better option. Whether you wish to earn Chase points or Amex points is also a deciding factor.
Read our Chase Sapphire Reserve review for more.
Best for Hyatt Hotel Rewards: World of Hyatt Credit Card
The World of Hyatt Credit Card lets you earn some of the most valuable hotel points when you stay at Hyatt hotels and MGM Rewards casino hotels such as Aria, Bellagio, and NoMad Las Vegas.
The card provides several World of Hyatt benefits:
- Automatic World of Hyatt Discoverist status
- MGM Rewards Pearl status match
- 5 qualifying night credits per year (plus 2 credits per $5,000 in annual card purchases)
- Earn up to 4 bonus points per $1 on purchases
- One free anniversary night at a category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort on each renewal
- Earn a second free night award after spending $15,000 in a calendar year
This card’s annual fee is $95.
Related: 9 Major Hotels with Free Breakfast
Best For Hilton Honors Members: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Hilton has several luxury properties in the metro Las Vegas area. Prime examples include the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas, Hilton Grand Vacations Club Flamingo, and Hilton Vacation Club Polo Towers.
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is arguably the best overall premium hotel credit card, regardless of your favorite loyalty program. It offers luxury benefits and savings for hotel stays and airlines:
- Annual Free Night Reward (at account opening and renewal)
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status
- $250 Hilton Resort statement credit each year
- $100 property credit (on qualifying stays)
- Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership
- Annual $250 airline fee credit
- Earn up to 14x points on purchases
This card’s annual fee is $450, but it can be well worth it if you can balance the hotel and airline rewards.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, you can consider the Hilton Honors American Express Card with a $0 annual fee and complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status. Unfortunately, this fee-free card doesn’t provide the opportunity to earn free night rewards.
Best for Southwest Airlines: Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
Southwest Airlines may offer the cheapest flights to Las Vegas from your home airport. In addition to saving on airfare with competitive fares and two free checked bags, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card provides these perks:
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® per year
- Earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) per $10,000 in annual card spend.
- 25% back on in-flight purchases
- Annual 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost (once per year)
- 6,000 bonus Rapid Rewards on each card anniversary
Additionally, you will earn up to 3x Rapid Rewards on purchases. These earnings and your signup bonus count toward the Southwest Companion Pass requirements, which lets one travel companion fly essential for free (from $5.60 each way) when you buy a seat with money or points.
Find out more about the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card.
Best For Citi ThankYou Points: Citi Premier® Card
The Citi Premier® Card lets you earn 3x ThankYou Points on these categories:
- Air travel
- Hotels
- Gas stations
- Restaurants
- Supermarkets
All remaining purchases earn 1 point per $1.
This card is also an enticing option for saving on a multi-night hotel stay. One of its signature benefits is the $100 annual hotel savings benefit which shaves $100 off of a single hotel stay costing $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) that you book on thankyou.com.
You can redeem your points for award travel through the Citi ThankYou travel portal or transfer at a 1:1 ratio to participating airlines and hotels.
The annual fee is $95 and one of the best travel credit cards.
Best For Cash Back: Capital One Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card
For some, a flat-rate cash rewards credit card is the best option. The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card earns 1.5% back on all purchases plus 5% back on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel.
There are no redemption minimums so you can redeem your cash back balance as a statement credit or to cover a purchase at any time.
Cardholders can also receive six months of free Uber One membership (must enroll by 11/14/2024). You won’t pay an annual fee or a foreign transaction fee.
Learn more about this card and the other best cash back credit cards.
The Bottom Line
All of the cards on our list can add to your Las Vegas experience, but the best card for you is the one with rewards that most closely align with your Vegas spending habits.
If you’re travelling to Vegas in the near future, you should pick up at least one of the cards on our list so that you can unlock rewards and earn bonus points as you see the sites, grab a bite to eat, or simply have fun.
To ensure you pick the best product, take some time to compare the rewards and benefits for your preferred carriers and activities.