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Navigating the Impact of Trade Wars: Choosing the Right Credit Cards in 2025
In the face of evolving trade wars, understanding which credit cards offer benefits that can help mitigate the impact of rising prices is crucial. Here are some key strategies to consider.
Target Premium Travel Cards with Travel and Dining Benefits
Cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® are a wise choice, offering generous sign-up bonuses, such as 100,000 points plus a $500 credit, along with ongoing multipliers on travel and dining—categories often affected by tariff-driven price changes. These cards also provide annual travel credits and statement credits toward dining, which can offset cost increases related to flights, hotels, and restaurants.
Leverage Cards Providing Broad, High-Value Credits
The AmEx Platinum Card, for example, delivers a large welcome bonus and credits that can offset rising prices on airfare, hotels, Uber, and luxury retail—all areas sensitive to tariffs and supply chain costs.
Focus on Credit Cards Offering Perks on International Data or Roaming
As trade wars can lead to increased costs in telecommunications and technology, Visa Signature or Infinite cards that provide gigabytes of free international data and discounts on data plans via partners like GigSky can yield significant savings. Visa Signature cardholders receive a free 15-day plan with 1 gigabyte of data and a 20% discount on other GigSky plan purchases annually, while Visa Infinite cardholders enjoy a complimentary 15-day, 3GB data plan yearly and a 30% discount on all plan purchases.
Monitor News and Expert Reviews for Evolving Offers
Websites like View From The Wing and Kiplinger regularly update best deals emphasizing categories prone to price inflation due to trade disputes, highlighting which cards currently provide the best value and relevant benefits.
Consider Cards with Flexible Points That Can Be Redeemed Across Multiple Categories
This flexibility allows mitigating inflation by redeeming points for goods or services that have increased in cost due to tariffs or trade-related price shifts.
Insurance Benefits
Several credit cards offer insurance benefits that can be valuable in certain situations. The American Express Platinum and Gold cards, Capital One Venture and Venture X, Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve provide primary coverage for auto rental insurance, superseding coverage from personal auto insurance policies. These cards also offer auto rental insurance for theft and accidental damage. The Capital One Venture and Venture X cards provide insurance for auto rental and cell phone, while the Chase Sapphire and Sapphire Reserve cards cover flights, even if paid with miles earned through Chase's rewards program. Trip delay insurance is a benefit offered by some credit cards, such as the Capital One Venture X, American Express Platinum, and United Club cards, and can help cover expenses like food and accommodations when airlines are responsible for delays and cancellations. Coverage for cell phone insurance typically comes with a $50 deductible and excludes cosmetic damage.
In summary, prioritising credit cards with strong travel and dining rewards, high-value credits that offset common inflation hotspots (flights, hotels, transportation), and benefits mitigating international usage costs, all of which are highly susceptible to price rises amid an evolving trade war environment, can help consumers navigate the challenges posed by trade disputes. Monitoring curated expert lists monthly will also help you catch timely deals aligned to these priorities.
In the heavy impact of trade wars on personal-finance, selecting credit cards with travel and dining benefits, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, becomes a savvy move, as they offer generous rewards and credits that can help offset increasing costs in these sensitive categories. Moreover, keeping an eye out for credit cards that provide high-value credits on areas susceptible to inflation, such as the AmEx Platinum Card with its airfare, Uber, and luxury retail credits, can offer relief during tariff-driven price changes.
