When you are in search of a credit card with airline miles rewards you will find it is in your best interest to do your homework. With so many credit cards that offer travel rewards you need to compare several offers to get the card that best meets your needs.
Start your search for a credit card now with the FREE credit card chaser now!
While there may not be one credit card considered to be the best for airline miles you can find the card that is best for you if you take the time to understand your options and what you need based on your lifestyle.
Who can benefit from an airline miles credit card?
Anyone who travels by plane at least every few years can benefit from an air miles credit card provided you do not typically carry a balance on your card or have difficulty making payments on time.
If you end up paying a lot of extra money in interest, the rewards will not make up for the extra money you have had to pay.
When you charge purchases to the card, you accumulate points for each dollar spent. These points can then be turned in for airline mileage leading to a free airline ticket when you have enough points. Airline miles credit cards are offered by specific airlines, as well as, traditional bank owned credit card companies. While points accumulated with bank credit cards can typically be used with any airline, airline credit cards offer points that can only be used with that carrier.
What should I investigate while comparing airline miles credit cards?
When comparing credit cards you ask several questions in order to make sure the card you are considering will meet your needs and not cost you more than you earn in rewards. The following questions should be considered when you are researching credit cards:
- How many points do you need to get a free trip on the airline of your preference?
- Is there a limit on the number of points you can earn each year?
- Do the points/airline miles expire and if so when?
- What is the interest rate on the card? Is it a fixed credit card APR considering you make all of your payments on time?
- Are there any annual fees for having the card?
- Is the company offering any introductory incentives for signing up?
- Are there any ways to earn extra points or variations in the points you can earn depending on your spending habits?
Where should I compare credit cards offering airline miles?
A good place to start is the internet because you can research any credit card within a matter of minutes and compare card information side by side. You also should consider saving any offers you receive in the mail. While some of these may have hidden fees or restrictions, others may actually be offering some decent incentives that are worth taking advantage of.
SmartMoney.com, recommends comparing cards on multiple internet sites to make sure you are not limiting yourself to the cards one particular site promotes. This article also suggests you consider a cash back card and use the money you get back to pay for your airline tickets. This way you will not have to deal with any of the restrictions in terms of blackout dates, advance purchases of tickets, or limited seats that often come with airline rewards cards.
What should I do once I have narrowed down my options?
Now is the time to make sure you read all of the fine print and fine-tune your negotiating skills. The FDIC, states that you can often negotiate with credit card companies to get the best interest rates and offers if you have offers from their competitors that you can refer to. You also need to make sure you know what is written in the fine print and do not simply jump on an offer that sounds too good to pass up.
Make sure you look into:
- Any restrictions the card places on the use of your airline miles
- The terms of the interest rate
- The billing cycle for the credit card so you do not accidentally miss a payment
- Any hidden fees the card may come with
- Limits on the amount of points you can earn in a year
Credit cards offering airline miles can be very beneficial for those who travel by air and do not carry a balance on their credit cards.
If you are considering one just make sure you do your homework first and get the card that best meets your needs. While there are many decent cards available that offer airline miles you want to make sure you find the card that is best for you.
Begin to look for your airline miles credit card now using our FREE credit card finder tool!
