Credit Card Rewards: Get Free Travel
Article by iEzine
Everyone loves the idea of free travel–that’s why hundreds of air mile credit card offers are spilling over online and elsewhere. Finding the right offer can take some time and effort, but ultimately, doing the math results in a deal that will give you free travel miles with minimal drawbacks.
Telling Good Deals from Bad Deals
Be cautious and always hold out for the best offer possible. There are many great offers to choose from, so don’t be afraid to walk away from a deal that seems less than ideal.
How it Works
Typically, you earn an air mile for every dollar you charge to the card. The amount charged on your card is automatically added to your frequent flier number. You also have opportunities to earn extra miles when you use your card for airline partners and affiliate companies, which might range from hotel and taxi agencies to office supply stores.
Some Costs to Consider
Airline credit cards have one major drawback to think about: their prices. Annual fees can range from to 5. Their interest rates also tend to be higher than average. Because of the high interest rates associated with these cards, it is not advisable to carry over a balance while using them.
Weighting Airline Cards versus Generic Air Mile Cards
If you’d rather opt out of an airline credit card, there are many other options to consider if you’re set on free travel. Countless generic air mile cards offer customers with the incentive of a free-round trip ticket that can be used on any airline.
Flexibility is the key advantage of using generic air miles, since they can be used on any airline. They also have lower fees and interest rates than airline credit cards.
However, the disadvantage of these cards is that they don’t have any agreement or continuity with your frequent flier account, which means that you cannot combine your flier miles with the miles you earn on the card–all your miles must instead be earned on the card.
In addition, many generic cards might not take you to all destinations. For example, they might not be ideal for international destinations. Do your research before racking up miles and read the restrictions on destinations.
Summary
Settle on a few places you’d like to travel, and research cards that will help you get there with the least amount of money. Remember: if your credit card charging habits are minimal, the added cost and increased interest rate of an air card may not pay off for you–just get a regular card with a low APR and save up your money instead.
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