Baggage fees, security lines and lost luggage have many consumers seeing red. For some time now, airlines have been offsetting some of those inconveniences with more generous rewards on their credit cards.

That's been a boon for consumers, but with more choices comes more confusion. Once you've got your new credit card, you don't want to get buyer's remorse a few weeks later if you find a different card that offers even better rewards for a lower annual fee, for instance.

Fortunately, for those who want an airline card but can't quite get off the ground, CardRatings.com has surveyed and sifted the current crop of airline credit card offers to present what we think is the very best that the airlines have to offer.

And the winner is…

You! Because here are all your choices side by side. And while we'd love to just name an absolute best credit card and be done with it, that's almost impossible to do. All these cards have something going for them, but the question is always whether a particular credit card offers what you want.

For instance, you might balk at the $175 annual fee (introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year, then $175) on the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card, but if you spend enough to offset the annual fee with the card's 2 points per dollar on groceries spent at US supermarkets, 2 points per dollar at US gas stations and 3 points per dollar for flights booked with airlines, you may just change your mind. Or, if you what you want most is a low APR credit card, the next person won't care about that because they don't plan to ever carry a balance.

Still, if you want a quick snapshot of the best rewards credit cards for frequent travelers right now, here's what's out there.

Best signup bonus offer: Give a hand to the Chase Sapphire Preferred, with its 40,000 bonus points, provided you spend $3,000 on your card during the first three months from account opening. Even better, you get 20 percent off travel if you redeem travel through Chase's Ultimate Rewards, and at the end of the year, you'll collect a 7-percent annual points dividend on all new points earned on purchases.

Best points/miles per dollar: This is a tough one because there are some other excellent airline cards out there, a couple of which we'll give a nod to in a moment, but we have to give this to the American Express Gold Card. They offer one point on virtually all purchases. In addition with this card American Express offers access to perks such as baggage insurance, extended warranty and return protection.

Honorable mentions for best points/miles per dollar: The PenFed Premium Travel Rewards American Express Card offers 5 points per dollar on airfare purchases, 1 point on all other purchases. 

Best APR: No contest. Simmons First Visa Platinum Rewards has a variable purchase and balance transfer APR of only 9.25 percent and no annual fee. The only other card with a purchase APR this low, for those with excellent credit, is Iberiabank Visa Platinum, also with no annual fee.

Best CEO: No, we didn't really check this out. But we had you going for a moment, didn't we?

Best annual fees: Obviously, the card with the best annual fee is no annual fee, and happily, there are several cards that fit that bill, and so this could be quite a list, but here are the top-rated cards in this category:

Honorable mentions for annual fees: We'll also tip our hat to the following top-rated cards that offer an introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year, then the annual fee starts after the first year:

So those are the main features to look for when you're looking for the right airline credit card to be your travel companion. Just be sure to look at the fine print before you apply. No airline credit card is in the business of making their customers mad, but there's always something in the fine print--like needing to use the card at least once within 18 months--that you as a consumer should be aware of. The airline credit card skies may be friendlier than ever, but they can still be difficult to navigate.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we can not guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying. Check our credit card database for updated terms and conditions.

This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express.  Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express.  This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by Chase.  Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of Chase, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Chase.  This site may be compensated through the Chase Affiliate Program.

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Disclaimer: Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the Discover online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards.