Finding the Best Airline Miles Credit Cards

by Willard Roberts

Deciding what qualifies a card to be one of the best airline miles credit cards can be difficult. This is because everyones needs and lifestyles are different, giving them a different idea of what qualities to look for in airline credit cards. Therefore, it requires taking a close look at yourself, your spending habits, and your traveling habits to decide which card is best for you.

Interest Rate

One of the characteristics of airline miles credit cards you should consider is the interest rate. Airline credit cards tend to have higher interest rates than cards that do not have rewards programs. If you are the kind of person who carries a balance on your credit card from month to month, airline miles credit cards may not be the best choice for you. This is because you might end up spending more every year in finance charges than you receive in benefits. If you do carry a balance on your card but still want to get an airline credit card, be sure to find the one with the lowest interest rate. Many have special introductory periods with lower interest rates, as well. These cards may be the best choice for you.

Travel Habits

If you travel frequently, airline miles credit cards may be a great choice for you. If, however, you travel only once every few years, it might not be worth it for you to have one of these cards. You also need to consider what is important to you when traveling because different airline miles credit cards provide different additional benefits. For example, if you frequently travel with a companion, airline credit cards that offer free companion tickets will be particularly valuable to you. On the other hand, if you generally travel alone, this perk does not benefit you at all.

Some airline miles credit cards also offer free upgrades to cardholders. If you enjoy the added luxury an upgrade provides, then you will love this benefit. If, on the other hand, you are fine riding in lower class seating area, this benefit may not be important to you and to your lifestyle. Instead, you might be better served with a card requiring less points to receive free air travel.

Spending Habits

In addition to your travel habits, you also need to consider your spending habits. Some airline miles credit cards provide points to cardholders for all purchases they make, while others only give the cardholder points for specific purchases. If you only receive points for purchases made through a specific website, and you dont frequently use that website, then the card is essentially worthless to you. Make sure your usual spending habits coincide with the program offered by the airline credit card.

Similarly, some credit cards place maximum restrictions on the number of points you can earn in a year. If you spend more per year than you can receive in points back, then you are not receiving benefits for every dollar you spend. In this case, you might want to consider other airline miles credit cards. Or, spread your spending out on more than one card and only spend up to the amount you are rewarded for on your airline miles credit cards.

On the other end of the spectrum, you need to analyze your spending habits to ensure you spend enough to gain benefits from your airline miles credit cards. For example, if you need to spend $15,000 in one year in order to receive free airline travel, but you typically spend only $10,000 per year on your credit card, your spending habits are not a good match with the card. Instead, you will find yourself paying annual fees and higher finance charges only to never receive benefits.

For more information on finding the best airline miles credit cards, Willard Roberts recommends that you visit CreditCardAssist.com.

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Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Airline and Air Miles Credit Cards.

by Margaret Phillips

Before applying for an airline credit card, you need to ask yourself two questions:

1. What benefits are available from the largest airline in my area?

2. Which airline credit card would let me reap the greatest benefits quickly?

A credit card sponsored by an airline usually only allows you to collect points to use on that specific airline. That will be convenient, efficient and economical for you if that particular airline controls the majority of the destination routes from your area. On the other hand bank sponsored credit cards allow you more freedom, in that the bonus point you earn on them, could usually be used on a wide range of airlines. If theres no dominant airline in your area, then a bank credit card will be more beneficial to you. Something else to consider is that a bank credit card will often require a lower number of air miles before you can use them for travel. However, use extreme caution in reading the fine print on a bank sponsored credit card.

Air miles credit cards can be very beneficial to those that travel frequently for business. With these types of credit cards you accumulate rewards in the form of points that can be redeemed for air miles. Simply use your credit card to purchase your airline ticket, and all the other necessary goods and services, and youll be able to collect a lot of miles. With airline credit cards you usually get extra points for paying for your airline ticket with the credit card. You can then use the air miles to get future free or discounted trips to the destination of your choice. As an added incentive, airline credit cards often offer bonus air miles at selected stores, or on specific travel destinations. Usually, both airline and bank sponsored cards give bonus air miles when you sign with their company.

Just about every major credit card company have different levels of air miles credit card offers, something like standard, gold and platinum. Airlines and air miles credit cards usually have a membership or annual fee that varies greatly depending on the type of credit card. Which means that the better the option and benefits to you, the higher the fee would be. You can get a high credit limit with gold or platinum credit card, but of course the membership and annual fees will also be higher and these add up quickly.

You can very often get introductory offers for 0% APR air miles credit cards. They do that simply because they want your credit card business. But those interest rates go up quickly after the introductory period, so if interest rates are of concern to you, an air miles credit card might not be the right choice for you, since the interest rates tend to be very high. Many air miles credit cards also have a minimum number of miles that have to accumulate before you receive a free or discounted trip. Be sure to read the fine print and make sure that you understand all of the stipulations.

There are some disadvantages to having an air miles credit card. As we mentioned earlier, these credit cards usually have much higher interest rates than standard credit cards, which can add up quickly if you dont pay off the entire balance each month. And unfortunately it is always tempting to use the air miles credit card for unnecessary purchases in order to accumulate points to be exchanged for air miles. As with all credit cards, air miles credit cards have to be used responsibly in order for the cardholder to reap the benefits.

Magaret Phillips is a regular contributor for the Credit Card Guide and Information Pages

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Comparing Travel Rewards Cards

by Adam Goldman

By using travel rewards credit cards you can actually earn a free ticket to any destination, as long as you can clock in an average of 24000 miles to your card, that is. All you have to do is to charge purchases to your travel rewards card: every dollar earns you one mile. In addition to this pre-requisite for travel rewards card, there are also other benefits to using travel reward credit cards. Its best that you evaluate these elements when deciding the travel reward card that will best fit your needs.

0% Annual Percentage rate

One of the most common rewards offered by credit cards is the 0% annual percentage rate. This means that you will not be charged any interest on your outstanding balance. However, these 0% offers are only available for a short period, usually between 6 and 12 months. The APR after the period may be relatively high as compared to other travel cards.

Travel-related benefits and privileges

Some rewards come in the form of travel accident insurance, travel assistance and delivery of emergency cash. Other rewards allow you to redeem your mileage points with any airline affiliated with your card company. In addition, affiliations of these credit cards with major hotels, car rental companies and selected restaurants allow you to gain more airline miles from purchases made here.

First purchase bonus miles

Some companies offer an immediate award of 5000 to 17500 miles upon the first purchase you make with the card. However, these immediate awards are usually limited to just a single airline. Also, be wary of blackout or expiry dates for you to redeem your mileage points.

More miles per dollar

That 24000-mile goal may be harder to achieve than many would realize. Thus, it is a good thing that some card companies make it easier by allowing their users to earn up more for each dollar. Card users can earn up to twice as many points at certain affiliated stores while others can earn up to 6 miles per dollar spent at restaurants.

Other fantastic rewards

Due to the competitive nature of the credit card industry, certain credit card companies offer other fantastic rewards such as class upgrade certificates, reduced mileage rewards, bonus miles awarded upon online approval, half-off on companion ticket upon card approval and also service fee waivers for the first year.

Adam Goldman recommends Find Credit Cards to compare travel rewards cards.

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