The 50 best airports in America
The 50 best airports in America
July 3, 2025 | 2:48 PM GMT
What makes an airport special? We analyzed what passengers love most for our own definitive ranking.
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Forbes
39 minutes ago
- Forbes
This Travel Card Is Outsmarting the Competition—Here's Why I Keep It In My Wallet
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. When it comes to selecting the best travel rewards credit card , it's easy to get overwhelmed by the options available. Two of the top contenders in recent years, however, have been the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card, which charge annual fees about as large as their lofty reputations. After all, you get what you pay for. With recent changes to the Chase Sapphire Reserve , including a significant overhaul to its benefits structure and a steep hike of its annual fee to $795 (as of June 23, 2025), the Venture X card has eked out a glorious win over the CSR as the superior travel card in my eyes. Here's why. As the cardholder of over a dozen credit cards and counting, knowing that the Venture X sits in my wallet front and center gives me a sense of security and satisfaction. And that's because I sleep well at night knowing that even before counting the rewards that I've racked up, the card more than pays for itself. While an annual fee of $395 (rates & fees) is difficult to swallow every year, the feeling becomes an afterthought thanks to the beneficial combination of its $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel and the 10,000 bonus miles each account anniversary (worth $100), which has me coming out ahead before factoring in any other perks. Here are some of the other perks of the Venture X: Welcome bonus: 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening $300 annual travel credit (must be used through the Capital One Travel portal) Access to Capital One lounges and Priority Pass™ lounges after enrollment $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit Hertz President's Circle status Rental car protection Trip delay insurance Trip cancellation and interruption insurance Lost luggage reimbursement Travel accident insurance Up to four authorized users at no additional cost No foreign transaction fees In my first year of holding the Venture X, I was able to maximize my earnings between the welcome bonus and strong earning structure on flights and hotels. In fact, I was able to earn more than $2,000 worth of Capital One miles . The card's access to lounges proved to be extremely valuable, offering a space where I could rest and grab a free meal before a flight. The additional range of insurance saved me hundreds on primary insurance for car rentals and helped reimburse me when an airline lost one of my bags on a trip. All in all, the Venture X offers up-front value with little extra effort required. For that reason, it's a staple in my wallet, and even with changes to other premium travel credit cards, it's still my go-to. In June, Chase unveiled sweeping changes to its premium travel card, the Sapphire Reserve. More than just a bump of the annual fee to $795, making it one of the most expensive credit cards available on the market, the card's revamp ushered in a slew of changes that aren't necessarily for the better. The card offers the following: Welcome bonus: 100,000 bonus points, plus a $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening Access to Chase Sapphire lounges and Priority Pass™ lounges $120 Global Entry, Nexus or TSA PreCheck application fee credit Rental car insurance Trip cancellation and interruption insurance Trip delay insurance Lost luggage reimbursement Roadside assistance $0 foreign transaction fee Previously, the Chase Travel portal provided the bank a formidable edge in point redemptions, as Ultimate Rewards® points redeemed by Sapphire Reserve cardholders were worth a flat rate of 1.5 cents apiece. Unfortunately, Chase's move away from flat-rate redemptions for Sapphire Reserve cardholders has taken that advantage away. In its stead, Chase is offering a new redemption system called Points Boost , where Sapphire Reserve cardholders can redeem points at a value of up to 2 cents apiece on select flights and hotel stays. However, getting maximum value is tricky, and on bookings not eligible for Points Boost, the redemption value drops to 1 cent per point. Find the best travel credit card for your travel needs. On top of the new changes, the Reserve includes other benefits that can make the card worthwhile, depending on the person and their day-to-day spending. Are you interested in a Peloton membership? Do you eat out a lot? Do you regularly buy concert tickets through StubHub? These are all conditions as to whether or not the card would be worth the cost for you and whether, most importantly, they're valuable to you in a travel card. Additional Sapphire Reserve perks: Up to $300 in credit at restaurants in the Sapphire Reserve Exclusives Table program in the form of two biannual $150 credits Up to $300 statement credit for StubHub, in the form of two biannual $150 credits Up to $250 toward Apple TV+ and Apple Music subscriptions Up to $120 in credit towards a Peloton membership $120 in Lyft credits ($10 a month) $300 annually in monthly DoorDash promos and a complimentary DashPass membership worth $120 annually Complimentary IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status through December 31, 2027 Up to $500 in credit for The Edit℠, Chase's luxury hotel portal, in the form of two biannual $250 credits Fee of $195 per year for each additional user added to the card If you spend over $75,000 on the card in a year, you can unlock the following perks: Southwest Airline benefits: Receive $500 Southwest credit and Southwest A-List status when booked through Chase IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite Status $250 in credit for Chase's shopping platform, The Shops In my eyes, these new changes take the card from what was previously a strong travel option to a shell of its former glory. Despite the expensive $795 price tag, the travel benefits offered by the more affordable Venture X beat Chase's offerings, whose additional perks create a complicated web of research and bookkeeping for you to keep track of. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, users with high spending thresholds may earn more perks, but the Venture X card has a much lower threshold, making it accessible for all travelers—from those who take one vacation a year to seasoned digital nomads. I like that you don't need to worry about hitting high spending targets in specific categories to earn premium rewards with the Venture X. Conversely, for a luxury card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is asking too much of people who don't want to dedicate hours to memorizing card benefits. To me, the Venture X rewards a more straightforward approach, which makes it an ideal card for people who want premium perks without the need to chase bonus categories. It offers a competitive welcome bonus, lower annual fee, lucrative perks, travel protections and a solid customer service team. What more can you ask for? For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply. Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
With Fourth of July weekend here, can you still find cheap travel with a tight window?
With Fourth of July weekend here, can you still find cheap travel with a tight window? With Fourth of July weekend here, can you still find cheap travel with a tight window? With Fourth of July weekend here, can you still find cheap travel with a tight window? The Fourth of July weekend is here, which means your time to plan a summer getaway is starting to run out. So, can you still find cheap travel with a tight window? CBS News Miami went hunting for some deals. Illiett Ojeida said she travels about six times a year, often with little planning. Spontaneity is her guide, and she doesn't always go to tourist traps. "Sometimes, honestly, the most spontaneous trips have been short-planned," Ojeda said. "Very adorable, and we have the best experiences." She told CBS News Miami she's learned how to navigate these trips through scouring social media, reading travel blogs from other moms, and even using AI. "I love just hidden gems that we have to kind of just figure out how we're going to get there," Ojeda said. Her family's most recent trip was to Arizona for Memorial Day. Ojeda found out that flying to Las Vegas and driving to their destination cost less than flying directly to Arizona. "Going to Vegas, making something special about that stop and then driving over part of the road trip experience — it made a huge financial difference," Ojeda said. Richie Massa, the managing partner of the Lorraine Travel Agency, said you likely won't find many deals this late in the summer if you want to go to international destination spots like Greece or Italy, but added you could get more for less if you go to some place less popular, or a place in the offseason. "That could be the Caribbean and more specifically a lesser-known Caribbean island," Massa said. "These places, nonstop flights from Miami. They're gonna provide immediate value compared to more in season." Massa said a place like Portugal can be 30-40% cheaper compared to Italy or France this time of year. And he said outdoor enthusiasts can save up to 50-60% if they go to Canada compared to Aspen in the summer. "They're not the place that the usual traveler thinks of. Less tourists, better value," Massa said. If you're looking for deals online, Amazon has travel deals for Prime Day. You can save on gas, rental cars, cruises and select hotels. Some of those deals are available now. Ojeda said when you're done exploring and need a place to crash, she usually finds better prices on Airbnb compared to hotels. "I feel like the gem of being in an Airbnb gives that whole personal experience," Ojeda said. Massa says if you want to save money traveling internationally, you should go to a place that has better currency exchange rates. That means countries like Japan, Canada, Argentina and Peru, your dollar is worth more in these countries than it is in the United States.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
After a week of unsettled weather, families ready to celebrate Fourth of July at Jersey Shore
On a practically picture-perfect day in Margate, New Jersey, families filled the beach near Washington Avenue to soak in the sun and sand. "It's so much fun, always sitting on the beach, looking out over at the fireworks, just chillin', so much fun," said Samuel Magliari, who came down the shore with his family. From playing volleyball in the water to a game of spike ball on the sand, or even a trip to the top of the iconic Lucy the Elephant, for many people, celebrating July Fourth down the shore is a tradition. "It's so fun and it makes me happy and I love it," Lily Kaplan said. "We'll probably just come to the beach all day and watch the fireworks at night," Mackenzie Vesotsky said. "As I got older, I feel like I really enjoy the peacefulness of it, and the people, and this is my beach of choice because it's close enough," said Ron Choice, who drove through the heavier-than-normal traffic on the Atlantic City Expressway Thursday. Choice has a loaded itinerary and plans to make multiple stops to ring in the Fourth of July. "Going to meet with my girlfriend in AC, we're staying at the Golden Nugget and we're going to do that and have dinner, then we are going to head out tomorrow to Wildwood and we are going to come back to Margate spend the rest of the weekend here," he said. Mother Nature is cooperating, which is good news for restaurants and other small businesses. Wednesday may have been gray and rainy down the shore, but there was hardly a cloud in the sky Thursday and the nice weather is expected to continue. "If you don't think all the businesses down here were counting the seven out of the first 11 warm weekends were rainy, I assure that they were. So this is a huge impact on what they do on a day-to-day basis," Ed Berger, the president of the Margate Business Association, said. One of the main draws in Margate on July Fourth is of course the fireworks show. They are set to go off around 9 p.m. at Huntington Avenue.
