Travel credit cards can be very advantageous for people who travel or want to travel, because the rewards you earn let you enjoy great travel perks for free. Typically, what sets travel credit cards apart from other types of rewards cards is the fact that you can choose to reap your rewards from airlines, hotels or even in the form of restaurant meals. The flexibility of travel credit cards means that you work towards that dream vacation you’ve been wanting; but if reality or a shaky economy gets in the way, you can still use your rewards for other very useful and necessary purchases.
Different Types Of Travel Credit Cards
There are a wide variety of travel reward cards available. Many of these specialize in helping you collect points to use with a particular travel company, such as an airline, hotel chain or even a theme park. Such cards may also allow you to redeem points for alternate rewards, but often at a lower rate of return.
Some of the specific cards of this type include:
- American Express Delta Skymiles® credit card
- Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express
- Disney Rewards® VISA® card
Other travel credit cards are much more open and reward travelers much more equitably. The manner in which to accumulate reward points is the same from company to company. Usually, you get bonus rewards if you purchase from any airline or restaurant and lesser rewards for other purchases. When you redeem your points from this type of card you also get more choice in terms of where to do so. You are not stuck selecting from just one airline or just one hotel chain. These open-style travel credit cards are becoming more and more popular, and not surprisingly so.
Credit cards that offer this type of travel rewards include:
- Discover Open Road cards
- Miles by Discover card
- Capital One Orbitz Visa
- HSBC Mastercard with Fly Rewards
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
Terms And Conditions Of Travel Credit Cards
While many of the details associated with travel credit cards are similar to those of other rewards cards, there is still a great deal of difference from card to card. Even though many of the cards have no annual fees, certain travel credit cards charge several hundred dollars yearly for the privilege of using their card. Introductory offers are common and many such cards offer 0% financing on transfers and purchases for the first 6 months or so. However, it is not uncommon to find cards which offer no such incentives. Often travel credit cards offer joining incentives in the form of a lump sum of bonus points when you make your first purchase with the card. Flexibility in how to use your rewards also varies greatly from card to card.
The Ideal Person To Carry A Travel Credit Card
A travel credit card is a great type of rewards credit card for most individuals and businesses. Most people enjoy traveling and even those who do not enjoy doing so, typically have occasion to do so. Therefore having a travel credit card can, in fact, be quite practical. If you travel regularly for business or spend a substantial amount of money on restaurants, you can even accumulate rewards points more quickly and easily than you would otherwise. If you have the intention to travel anywhere for any reason, your travel credit card rewards will be extremely valuable to you as you save money by redeeming your rewards for things like flights and hotels.
All credit cards should be used wisely, payments made on time and limits respected. However, there is another aspect to the proper use of a rewards-based travel credit card. If you carry balances on your credit card, you are paying interest and fees to the credit card company that may be outweighing any benefits you receive from the rewards card. Therefore, to get the most from the use of your travel credit card, be sure to pay it off completely every month. If you possess the discipline to do so, you are definitely the ideal person to carry a travel credit card.
Compare Your Travel Credit Card Options Now!
If you are trying to save for that dream vacation, afford a yearly trip home want to go to a friend’s wedding, or just want a romantic weekend getaway then a travel credit card might be the right choice for you. In order to get the perfect travel credit card for your needs, check out the free credit card chaser you see on this page. Its whole purpose is to find the ideal card to match your credit, your purchasing habits and the kinds of rewards you want to earn in no time flat!
