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Finding The Best Travel Credit Cards
By: Morgan Hamilton
While many airlines offer enticements of frequent flier miles, there is a second
prevalent option - travel credit cards - for discounting your airline travels.
There is a very solid reason that these travel credit cards are so popular for
avid travelers.
These travel credit cards - i.e., those with a feature that lets you earn air
mileage discounts as you make purchases with your travel credit card - offer a
double dipping opportunity. What this means, simply, is that you now have two
ways to earn mileage discounts with the same trip - if you use your travel
credit card to book the flight. You can earn credit not only towards your
flight, but also towards an auto rental or a hotel room. You can also get
mileage credit for purchases with your travel credit card that are not
flight-related, such as meals and shopping from retailers.
Many credit cards work as travel credit cards, offering miles or points for your
purchases with the card. There are four types of travel credit cards to
consider. You might want to choose a credit card that has partnered with a hotel
chain or specific airline. This may well be a good choice if your travel
destinations are consistent, and you use the same airline continually; or if you
have a preference in hotel chain. You might choose a common brand of travel
credit card, such as American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Discover or Diners
Club. Your local bank, or another reputable banking firm might issue its own
credit card with a program that offers travel rewards. You could also choose a
debit card that acts as a travel credit card.
It's difficult to say in general which are the best travel credit cards. So much
depends on individual need. Most folks new to travel credit cards start with
what are known as co-branded or affinity travel credit cards - those
specifically tied to the frequent flyer offering of a certain airline. So, let's
look at a couple of those.
American Airlines, for instance, has a partnership with Citibank, offering the
AAdvantage mile program. With this American Airlines travel credit card, the
traveler card user earn one AAdvantage mile for each dollar she or he charges on
the travel credit card.
United Airlines has a similar travel credit card offer, called Mileage Plus
First Card, and Delta Airlines has an American Express Optima mileage frequent
flier travel credit card. Northwest's travel credit card is called the
WorldPerks Visa. Most affinity travel credit cards are MasterCard or Visa, Delta
being the most notable exception.
While travel credit cards certainly offer great mileage perks to those who fly
the friendly skies often, they also have the disadvantage of comparatively hefty
annual fees, however. The fees can range anywhere from $25 to $125. Besides
credit history, the other factor that determines your travel credit card annual
fee or your annual percentage rate (APR) is your choosing a standard, a gold or
a platinum level card. APRs are high for travel credit cards as well. You'll
usually end up paying 15 to 18 percent.
About the Author:
Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects
concerning Credit Cards. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting
http://www.Find-Cards-Now.com
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