Which is the best Visa Signature card?

The best Visa Signature card will be the one that matches your spending profile, has redemption options that make sense for you personally (or for your business), and has an annual fee that you’re comfortable paying. With that said, any of the cards mentioned in this article could be a good choice for receiving the majority of Visa Signature benefits.

What is the difference between Visa and Visa Signature?

The difference between Visa and Visa Signature cards is the level of benefits provided with the card, with Visa Signature having greater benefits. Core Visa benefits include roadside dispatch, car rental insurance, and emergency card replacement/cash disbursement. Visa Signature cards have additional benefits including a minimum $5,000 credit limit, extended warranty coverage, travel and emergency assistance, and access to the Luxury Hotel Collection benefits. In addition, the card issuer can choose to add other Visa, Visa Signature, or Visa Infinite benefits.

Do Visa Signature cards come with lounge access?

Generally no, Visa Signature cards issued in the U.S. do not come with lounge access. Lounge access via Priority Pass Select membership is a Visa Infinite benefit. However, a card issuer could choose to add a lounge access benefit to a Visa Signature card. The United Explorer card, for example, comes with 2 United Club passes each year.

Which is better, Visa Signature or Visa Infinite?

The Visa Infinite collection of benefits is broader than the collection of Visa Signature benefits. An example of a Visa Infinite benefit would be Priority Pass lounge access, an airline incidentals statement credit, or the Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection benefits.

Top 10 Visa Signature Credit Cards and Benefits [2023]

When it comes to credit card payment processing networks, Visa stands out as one of the largest and most widely accepted. The Visa network is a key link that facilitates payments between millions of merchants worldwide and the financial institution that issued your credit card.

Visa also serves another important role in your credit card’s functionality: the role of providing benefits options. The financial institution selects the combination of Visa benefits that will be offered on each credit card the bank issues. In addition to the Visa benefits the bank selects, the bank will also add its own card benefits.

Today, in our article, we’re going to focus our attention on the menu of benefits that Visa provides, talk about which may be the most valuable, and look at the best cards available in the Visa network.

Let’s move forward to explore the top Visa Signature benefits and the cards that offer these perks.

Table of contents

Top 10 Visa Signature Benefits
Best Visa Signature Credit Cards — Summary
Visa Benefit Levels Overview
Finding the Best Visa Signature Cards
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Best Business Visa Signature Cards
Additional Personal Visa Signature Cards
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Card
The Best Airline- and Hotel-branded Visa Signature Cards
- United℠ Explorer Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Top 10 Visa Signature Benefits
Best Visa Signature Credit Cards — Summary
Visa Benefit Levels Overview
Finding the Best Visa Signature Cards
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Best Business Visa Signature Cards
Additional Personal Visa Signature Cards
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Card
The Best Airline- and Hotel-branded Visa Signature Cards
- United℠ Explorer Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Final Thoughts

Top 10 Visa Signature Benefits

Kimpton Seafire Resort and Spa — One of the best Visa Signature benefits is premium hotel benefits. Image Credit: Visa Signature Luxury Hotels Collection

There are a large number of Visa Signature benefits you might find on any Visa Signature card. And, while not all of these benefits are guaranteed to be offered on any specific Visa Signature card, the best Visa Signature cards will have many — if not most — of what we consider to be the 10 top benefits.

Here are some of the best Visa Signature benefits available:

Car rental insurance (primary coverage being superior over secondary coverage)
Trip interruption and trip cancellation coverage
Trip delay coverage
Product protection such as extended warranty and purchase protection
Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection benefits
Baggage insurance
A minimum credit limit of $5,000
Cell phone protection
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement
Shipt Delivery Service

Bottom Line: Premium travel rewards cards with premium-level benefits can also come with high annual fees. Visa Signature cards that offer most of these top 10 benefits may still be able to provide a valuable package of benefits but on a card that charges a lower annual fee than the higher-level Visa Infinite cards.

Best Visa Signature Credit Cards — Summary

We’ll expand on some of the benefits of the best Visa Signature cards shortly, but first, let’s look at how the number of top Visa Signature benefits can differ by card.

Visa Signature Card	Number of Top Visa Signature Benefits
Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Card	8
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card	7
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	8
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card	9
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card	6
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card	7
United℠ Explorer Card	9
United℠ Business Card	8

Note: this is a comparison of key Visa Signature benefits for illustration purposes and not all card benefits are included.

Bottom Line: The number of actual Visa Signature benefits that are included on any given Visa Signature card is determined by the issuing bank. As a result, not every Visa Signature card comes with the same level of benefits.

Visa Benefit Levels Overview

Visa offers a multi-level collection of benefits that can be found on traditional Visa cards, Visa Signature cards, and premium Visa Infinite cards. We refer to the list of benefits as a “menu” because the financial institution that issues your card can pick and choose which benefits it wants to include, or not include, on a specific card.

Here are some of the Visa and Visa Signature benefits you’ll find, at some level, on every Visa Signature card.

Visa Signature Benefits	May Be Found on These Cards
Emergency card replacement and cash disbursement Rental car insurance (secondary or primary, depending on the card) Roadside dispatch	Visa cards Visa Signature cards Visa Infinite cards
Cell phone protection Extended warranty Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement Luxury Hotel Collection benefits Minimum $5,000 credit limit Purchase protection Return protection Shipt delivery services Travel and emergency assistance Trip cancellation/interruption/delay coverage, baggage insurance Visa Signature shopping discounts and offers	Visa Signature cards Visa Infinite cards

Depending on the card issuer, you could receive any combination of Visa and Visa Signature benefits listed above on a Visa Signature credit card.

In addition, a card issuer could choose to include its own collection of benefits on a specific card.

Now, let’s look at an example of some of the best Visa Signature cards and a sampling of the benefits that come with those cards.

Bottom Line: Expect to see a variety of benefits from the Visa Signature benefits menu on any particular level of Visa card. Think of the list of Visa Signature benefits as a menu from which the card issuer can select the benefits it will offer on its Visa card. Knowing this can help you find the best possible card with a broader collection of benefits and ultimately more value.

Finding the Best Visa Signature Cards

Some of the best Visa Signature cards provide a nice collection of benefits yet charge a lower annual fee. One of the best examples of this combination is the Chase Sapphire Preferred card — let’s look at why we selected this card as one of the best Visa Signature options.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card comes with standard Visa Signature benefits such as roadside dispatch, emergency card replacement, and cash disbursement. However, Chase has packed the card with additional valuable benefits.

Let’s look at the additional benefits that come with this Visa Signature card.

Primary Car Rental Insurance — Use your card to reserve and pay for your car rental, decline the agency’s collision damage waiver coverage, and receive primary car rental coverage. Primary car rental protection covers theft, damage, valid loss-of-use charges, and reasonable towing charges.

Roadside Dispatch — Cardholders pay 1 flat fee for a service call that can include:

Jump-start and lockout service
Towing services up to 5 miles
Changing a flat tire with an inflated spare
Fuel delivery of up to 5 gallons; cardholder is charged for the fuel
Standard winching

Trip Interruption and Trip Cancellation — Receive up to $10,000 per claim, $20,000 per trip, for qualifying non-refundable expenses when your trip is interrupted or canceled for covered reasons, a maximum of $40,000 per 12-month period.

Trip Delay Reimbursement — If your trip is delayed more than 12 hours, you would receive up to $500 for each ticket for eligible expenses.

Baggage Insurance — If your baggage is delayed more than 6 hours, you could receive up to $100 per day for 5 days. Lost, stolen, or damaged luggage coverage is up to $3,000 per covered person, per trip.

Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection — Enjoy these elite-style benefits during your stay, just for being a cardholder:

Complimentary breakfast for 2
Late checkout when available, on request
An upgraded room when available
$25 food and beverage credit
Free Wi-Fi
VIP guest status

Extended Warranty — For manufacturer’s warranties of 3 years or less, you’ll receive an additional year on qualifying items purchased with your card.

Purchase Protection — Your eligible purchase could be covered for theft, damage, or accidental parting for up to 120 days from the date of purchase, $500 per purchase, maximum of $50,000 per account.

Shipt Delivery Service Membership — Receive 3 months of free Shipt delivery membership and an additional 9 months at 50% off.

Emergency Card Replacement and Cash Disbursement — If you lose your card or need emergency cash, Visa can help get you a new card and emergency funds.

Minimum $5,000 Credit Limit — Visa Signature cards are issued with a minimum $5,000 credit limit; for this reason, you must have a good to excellent credit score to qualify.

Travel and Emergency Assistance — Receive 24/7 assistance when traveling for services such as emergency transportation, translation services, medical referrals, and much more (cardholder responsible for actual services).

Travel Accident Insurance — 2 levels of coverage are provided with benefits up to $500,000 for death or serious covered injury during your travels and when on a common carrier.

Bottom Line: The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a good example of one of the best Visa Signature cards because it not only offers core Visa Signature benefits but also valuable additional Visa Signature benefits that Chase has chosen to include. The card also has a lower fee than most premium Visa cards.

The Best Business Visa Signature Cards

businessman paying with credit card — The best Visa Signature business cards align with your business spending and provide benefits you can use. Image Credit: Monkey Business Images via Shutterstock

Business credit cards that offer most of the top Visa Signature benefits are widely available. Additionally, card issuers such as Chase make sure the cards are loaded with elevated bonus-category earnings, flexible redemption options, and additional benefits your business can utilize.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

In addition to offering some of the same benefits as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, the Ink Business Preferred card offers 9 of the top 10 Visa Signature benefits, including valuable cell phone protection.

Cell Phone Protection — After paying a $100 deductible, you could receive up to $600 for the involuntary and accidental parting of your cell phone, accidental damage, or theft (police report required). There is a limit of 3 claims per 12-month period. Terms apply.

United℠ Business Card

If you want Visa Signature benefits plus flight benefits on United Airlines, the United Business card offers both with an annual fee that won’t break your business budget.

You can expect Visa Signature benefits such as trip and baggage insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, and elite-style benefits with the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection.

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

You’ll find plenty of Visa Signature benefits on the Ink Business Cash card including primary car rental insurance when using the car for business, trip interruption/cancellation/delay coverage, roadside dispatch, purchase protection, and extended warranty coverage. You’ll also enjoy access to Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection benefits.

Bottom Line: When selecting a Visa Signature business card, choose a card that earns elevated rewards on your most frequent business purchases, has redemption options that fit your preferences, and offers benefits your business can use.

Additional Personal Visa Signature Cards

Hertz Car Rental — Rental car insurance that comes on your Visa Signature card can save you money. Image Credit: Hertz

Now let’s continue with a look at some additional personal consumer Visa Signature cards that score high at providing Visa Signature benefits.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Known for its simple earning structure and flexible redemption options, the Capital One Venture card comes with several Visa Signature benefits:

Secondary car rental insurance
Lost luggage coverage
Roadside dispatch
Purchase security
Extended warranty
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement
Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection benefits
Travel assistance service

Hot Tip: Get answers to these FAQs about the Capital One Venture card, and all the reasons to consider this Visa Signature card, in our informative overview.

Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Card

While the Bank of America Premium Rewards card is a solid earner for travel and dining purchases, you’ll find it also offers several redemption options and a good collection of Visa Signature benefits.

You can expect to find travel insurance benefits such as secondary car rental insurance, trip protection benefits, and baggage insurance included on the card. You’ll also find shopping protections such as purchase protection, return protection, and extended warranty.

The Best Airline- and Hotel-branded Visa Signature Cards

United Airplane Newark New Jersey New York NYC — Co-branded Visa Signature cards come with even more hotel- or airline-related benefits. Image Credit: Tim Gouw via Pexels

If you frequent a particular airline or hotel brand, a branded card may provide airline or hotel benefits plus plenty of Visa Signature benefits.

Let’s look at an example of each co-branded Visa Signature card.

United℠ Explorer Card

You’ll find several Visa Signature benefits on the United Explorer card including primary car rental insurance, trip interruption/cancellation/delay coverage, baggage insurance, and access to Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection benefits. The card also offers Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement in the form of a statement credit of up to $100 every 4 years.

We also like the fact that the United Explorer card offers United travelers flight benefits that include a free checked bag, priority boarding, and additional United flight benefits.

Hot Tip: Learn more about the best cards for United flyers in our overview.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

Marriott Bonvoy loyalists will find tremendous value in the hotel-centric benefits offered with the Marriott Boundless card in addition to a long list of Visa Signature benefits.

The card comes with Visa Signature benefits that include secondary rental car insurance, trip delay coverage, baggage insurance, and shopping benefits such as purchase protection and extended warranty coverage.

Hot Tip: If you’re a Marriott Bonvoy fan, you’ll want to learn about all the best cards for Marriott Bonvoy loyalists.

Final Thoughts

The best Visa Signature card for you will be the one that adds value for you personally or for your business.

However, benefits are just one of the criteria you’d want to review before selecting a credit card. You’ll also want to look at how earning and redemption options match up to your spending priorities and redemption preferences.

Additionally, it can be prudent to consider the level of annual fee you’re comfortable paying.

Fortunately, Visa Signature cards tend to have a balance of provided benefits commensurate to the level of annual premium you’ll need to pay. This balance makes it easy to find an affordable Visa Signature rewards card.

The information regarding the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

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Top 10 Visa Signature Benefits & Best Visa Signature Cards [2023]

Top 10 Visa Signature Benefits

Best Visa Signature Credit Cards — Summary

Visa Benefit Levels Overview