CardsWithRewards : Airline and Travel Reward Credit Cards

Airline and Travel Reward Credit Cards

Travel reward credit cards can give you great rewards like free flights, hotel bookings, auto rentals, and many other benefits. There are three main types of travel reward credit cards:-

1) Airline Credit Cards are not limited to one airline but can be used to obtain free tickets on 250+ major airlines. With these credit cards you may also be able to redeem your miles against free hotel bookings, auto rentals and more. Click here for more details.

2) Frequent Flyer Credit Cards allow you to earn frequent flyer miles on your favorite airline or their partners. Click here for more details.

Travel Reward Credit Cards let you earn free hotel stays and may offer other travel-related benefits, and they may also offer airline miles and frequent flyer miles options. Click here for more details

 

Hotel Reward Credit Cards let you earn free hotel stays at specific participating hotels. e.g. Starwood & Hilton Hotels. Earn points on successful application and ongoing purchases. Use points for free nights or upgrades and it may also be possible to transfer points to Air miles.

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The Benefits Of Airline Mile Credit Cards

Air Mile Credit Cards give you the most flexibility for redeeming the points you earn, when compared to the other types of travel-related reward cards. But the earnings for some of these cards are typically less attractive than for Frequent Flyer Credit Cards, so be sure you understand the actual savings your card offers before you sign up.

Airline Mile Credit Cards award you points for dollars spent and these points can be redeemed for free flights and various other, usually travel-related, rewards. As the points can be redeemed with more than one carrier, you are not as restricted when booking your free flight as you are when using frequent flyer miles. However, some Airline Mile Credit Cards also allow you to convert the points you earn to miles and then transfer those miles to many airline frequent flying programs.

In some cases you can also redeem points for other benefits as well, such as free stays at hotels, travel packages, or car rentals. Some cards also offer cash back rewards, either in the form of a credit that you can use with their shopping, dining or entertainment cards or, in some cases, in the form of an actual cash back credit to your account.
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What To Look For When Choosing An Airline Mile Credit Card

When comparing Airline Mile Credit Cards these are some of the things you should consider:-

• Usually you will earn one point for each dollar you spend, but some cards give you extra points for dollars spent on certain types of purchases, for example in supermarkets, gas stations and drugstores. many points you earn per dollar spent. So find out how many points you earn per dollar spent.
• Some cards may require you to accumulate as many as 50,000 points, while others will award you a free flight with as little as 24,000 points. Make sure you know this before you decide on a card. You may have to call the card issuer to get the information if it is not listed in the advertising material. So find out how many points are needed to get a free flight.
• Many cards require you to have some type of account activity-either purchasing a ticket or redeeming miles-at certain intervals, such as every three years, in order for your points to not expire. So find out if the points expire if you don't use the card within a certain time period.

You will also want to consider many of the points listed in the section on Frequent Flyer Credit Cards, such as the annual fee on the card and whether there is a limit to how many points you can earn in a year, etc.

Finding the right Air Mile Credit card for you may take a little research. However, since the right card can offer considerable benefits, it is worth your while to spend the time. To see our reviews of the best Air Mile and Travel Reward Cards click here.
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The Benefits Of Frequet Flyer Credit Cards

Frequent Flyer Credit Cards add miles to your frequent flyer account(s) with your card's associated airline so you can usually earn a free flight quicker. Each time you make a purchase with your Frequent Flyer Credit Card, you are awarded miles with the carrier associated with the card.

Many Frequent Flyer Credit Cards come with great introductory offers. On some cards the introductory bonus miles or points are enough to qualify for a free ticket—so you can get a free trip just for signing up. (Special rules usually apply, so always check the terms of each card.)

While a free flight might seem like a good reason to sign up, there are other important thins to consider when choosing a Frequent Flyer Credit card.
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What To Look For When Choosing A Frequent Flyer Credit Card

When comparing Frequent Flyer Credit Cards these are some of the things you should consider:-

• Some cards offer enough bonus miles for a full free ticket, other cards offer smaller mileage bonuses, perhaps enough to get you one quarter or half way to an award flight. So find out if the sign-up bonus get's you to a full free ticket or only part the way there.
• Whilst you may be tempted to go with the card with the highest introductory offer, you also need to consider whether you can actually use the miles. This is particularly the case for cards associated with smaller, more regional airlines. If you live in a place not served by the airline, the free miles may not much use. So find out if the frequent flyer miles be used on the routes where you want to fly.
• A lot of frequent flyer cards let you use the miles you earn with other airlines (including the major carriers). This gives you a much wider choice in how you use your miles when you book your ticket. However, the bonus miles tend to be redeemable only with the carrier associated with the frequent flyer card, so again, you need to make sure that carrier covers the routes you plan to travel the most . So find out if the miles you earn be used with partner airlines.
• Many cards award you one mile for each dollar spent, some cards offer more miles per dollar and some cards offer a smaller reward, such as one mile for every two dollars spent. Howeve, the latter also usually come with a smaller or even no annual fee, so if you won’t be using your card too much, you might be better off opting for the card without an annual fee. A few cards allow you to earn double miles on certain purchases, for example in supermarkets, gas stations, and drugstores. So find out how many miles you earn on your purchases.
• Most Frequent Flyer Credit cards apply a limit to the mumber of miles you can earn in a year. If there is a limit, these are typically so high (e.g. 100,000 miles) that they don’t apply to most people. However, if you will be charging enough each year to exceed the card limit, you may consider a different card or simply get more than one card. So find out if there a limit to the number of miles you can earn in a given year.
• Many cards require you to have some type of account activity—either purchasing a ticket or redeeming miles, within a certain period, such as every three years, in order for your miles not to expire. So find out if the miles expire.

If you don’t plan to make a lot of purchases, it makes sense to choose only one Frequent Flyer Credit Card and stick with that. Or, you could select one of the many Airline Mile Credit Cards, which allows you to transfer miles into a frequent flyer account of your choosing.
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Travel & Hotel Reward Credit Cards

Travel Reward Credit Cards usually allow you to earn points toward free hotel stays and other travel-related benefits, such as car rentals, travel packages, and other travel-related purchases. In addition, some also allow you to redeem points for air miles.

If you stay in hotels a lot, a hotel credit card affiliated with a specific hotel chain can be an attractive option. Many cards come with a sign-up bonus, and some give you an annual bonus award of 50% off a hotel stay.

Converting your points , however, may be more limited than with other types of travel related reward cards. On the other hand, if you do prefer a specific hotel chain, an affinity hotel card can save you money by earning substantial discounts or free stays.
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Alternative Reward Credit Cards

Alternative Reward Credit Cards offer Flexible Rewards Programs: Earn points Per Dollar Spent. Redeem for Your Choice of Cash Back, Merchandise, Travel or Gift Cards or even unique entertainment or sport experiences. Some even offer monthly Jackpot Draws!
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