Monday, July 27, 2009

Picking a Travel Credit Card


Travel cards offer a great opportunity to earn free points that can be redeemed for airfare, hotels or cold hard cash. Traveling costs money- there is no way around it but there are many ways to help reduce costs. The best way to do that is to get a travel rewards credit card. People use credit cards all the time to pay for things. If you are going to use credit cards for every day purchases, you might as well get some free stuff if you can. There are many travel reward cards out there and the one that is best for you will depend on your travel needs.With so many options to choose from, it’s hard to know which card is the best out there. And the truth is that there is no perfect travel card- they are offer different benefits. But no matter card you pick in the end, it’s important they have the follow things, otherwise it will take you ages to get any of the free rewards:up bonus. Most cards offer sign up bonuses of points/miles. Don’t join one that doesn’t otherwise it will take you ages to get a free flight.Special rewards. Join a card where you have the opportunity to gain extra points. A majority of credit cards offer 1 mile for every dollar spent. However, many cards partner with retailers that allow you to gain extra points by shopping at their preferred stores. Additionally. you should try to get cards that give you extra points for gas or food. These bonus points will help you gain miles quicker.Usability. I’d like to define this as the ability to use the card anywhere. Many cards, especially those who are specific to an airline, limit your ability to use your points with certain retailers, airlines, or merchants. You don’t want to be tied to a specific airline, hotel, or certain travel dates. Get a card that will let you use those earned points anytime, anywhere.High conversion rate. Make sure you get the most from your card by making sure they give you a good conversion rate . dollars to miles! For example, Capital One gives you for airline rewards but only . percent for cashback. Citi gives a about now if you book online but you can get better deals by calling their hotline. However, there cash back rate is higher than Capital One. Whether you choose, Citi, Capital One, or Amex, make sure you work out the math to see what rate you are really getting on the kind of rewards you want the most.No one likes paying annual fees for credit cards. Many of the fees for credit cards range from 0 dollars. I pay an annual fee. For those who travel a lot and fly a lot, I think it is worth it to get a card with a fee. Fee cards give you a better rewards scheme. You can have access to first class lounges, discount tickets, increased conversion rates, and other bonuses. If you are loyal to one airline, make sure you get the airline’s reward card.Capital One may have a higher rate but it also takes longer to gain points on the card. Citi has a lower percentage but more opportunities to gain points. Discover gives you less bonus miles but is also easier to get points. All cards have their pluses and minuses study them all before you pick!All of these cards offer travel insurance and you should get a card that offers it.Watch out for fees! When you use your card overseas, credit card companies except Capital One and Discover will charge you a currency conversion fee.So which card should you get? A hotel card? A general points card? An airline card? To answer that question, think about how you travel. Are you loyal to one airline? If so, you should get a premium rewards card for one airline. You will accrue miles quicker as well as elite qualifying miles that will get you access to lounges and upgrades. Not only that, you specialty status will transfer over to other airlines.If you are on the road for business a lot, then getting a hotel card, like the Starwood card, would be perfect for you. You would get a lot of hotel points, free nights stays, discounts at other retailers, and you could also transfer those points to airlines for free flights.For those who only care about price and not brand loyalty, a general card would be best. You will still get points for free flights and discounts as well as cash back but you wouldn’t get any of the elite benefits. However, by getting a general travel rewards card you would have access to a wider range of brands and companies than if you had a brand specific card.

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