In recent years, credit & debit card companies have been trying to co-brand with airlines which gives the flyer all the more rewards with every spending he/she makes. With each sign-up, the cards offer great incentives and bonuses. With these incentives, a flyer can buy airline tickets and many more.
The points you earn depend directly on the class of the airline seat, the amount of distance traveled, and the amount paid for the ticket. Some flights reward flyers with fixed points regardless of the distance and these points vary as per the class of the seat and whether the flight is a domestic one or an international one.
Benefits & Perks
These credit cards offer the following benefits when it comes to flying:
- Air miles: All the flyers that fly frequently stand to benefit from the credit card by getting extra reward points. These reward points can later be redeemed at dining places, groceries, entertainment or for buying the flight tickets. Each and every credit card offers cash back or some additional points, which can be redeemed as against the air travel.
- Airfare discounts: The cards help a flyer get great discounts even when he/she is not using his/her miles or points. With some cards, one stands to get great discounts just for using them. Note that these discounts are only available for that privileged cardholder.
- Airline privileges: Certain credit card holders offer great privileges to its customers who fly. Amongst others, some of the privileges which the cardholder enjoys include free checked baggage, early boarding, dedicated check-in lines, seat upgrades, inflight purchase discounts, free meals, etc. The cards sometimes also provide the flyer with access to airport lounges, while offering free snacks, beverages, workspaces and internet access.
- Travel perks & protections: Few credit cards also waive off the transaction fees the customers may incur on purchases made on foreign land. Along with waiving off these charges, they also offer perks such as lost baggage insurance or trip cancellation insurance along with emergency assistance. It may also offer concierge services for booking certain restaurants, selecting certain gifts or planning the travel.
How to Choose the Best Flyer Credit Card
While choosing the most rewarding flyer credit card, you need to take into consideration the following questions:
- Is the reward program right for you?
- What is the earning potential?
- What would be the signing bonus?
- How well would be the redemption value?
- What would be the annual fees?
- What would be the travel benefits?
Is the reward program right for you?
There are two types of cards- co-branded cards and travel reward cards. Co-branded cards offer great benefits towards airfares and the related purchases. Travel reward cards do not offer the same level of benefits towards the airfare but the category of rewards is greater. So, if one flies frequently with the same airlines, co-branded cards make sense. Else, it is wiser to use travel rewards cards.
What is the earning potential?
Depending on the type of card and the seller, with every dollar spent, one gets to earn 1.5x–2x points. And this also depends on where the purchase has been made. There are a few cards which offer these 2x reward points on buying of air tickets, but there are also a few cards, which give these 2x points on spending at certain restaurants while on a business trip. So depending on the requirement, one needs to select the card.
What would be the signing bonus
Signing bonus offered by cards is amazing, provided certain conditions are met. For eg: Companies offering 40,000 bonus points on spending 2000$ in the first 3 months. So depending on what the bonus is and how much would you be spending, you need to select a card.
How well would be the redemption value
Redemption value is what every point is equivalent to. Most of the times, a single point is equivalent to 1 cent. However, depending on the cards, this value might change.
What would be the annual fees
You need to take out the annual fees from the potential earnings that your card stands to provide, to actually understand its benefits. It might happen that for a card, the annual fees are high, but the benefits it offers offsets the cost.
What would be the travel benefits
Many cards offer certain travel benefits like:
- Foreign transaction fee waiver
- Free luggage
- Priority boarding
- Trip cancellation insurance
- Lost baggage protection
- Access to airport lounges & many more
Depending on the benefits which you need, you can select the card.
Top 10 Flyer Credit Cards
Here are the 10 best flyer credit cards:
- Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card
- Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard
- Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Card
- Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card
- Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Virgin Atlantic World Elite Black MasterCard
- Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite MasterCard
Stay Safe
Aside from choosing the flyer credit cards, you should also take care of your safety when traveling in a foreign country. With hotel security issues and terrorist attacks having become a big worldwide concern, it’s very important to do everything on that will ensure your security.
Below, you can find some tips on how to stay safe when traveling:
- Check out thoroughly the airline you will be flying with
- Apply for travel insurance for cruises
- Grab an additional business card in your hotel
- Keep your money close
- Keep a schedule
- Do not draw attention to yourself
- Don’t be flashy – avoid wearing fancy jewelry around your neck and using expensive camera
- Avoid visiting tourist attractions at peak hours
- Get local – Learn a few phrases, chat with shopkeepers, desk clerks, taxi drivers, and waiters
Even though you’ve done everything on your side, it doesn’t mean the accidents won’t occur for certain. Unfortunately, many people experience the car accidents and injuries when traveling. This is where personal injury lawyers come in. If you’ve been injured by a company or another person, contact an attorney and get full compensation for your injury.
