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Credit Cards With Air Miles

With Credit Cards With Air Miles You Need To Compare The Features


Credit cards with air miles can be an excellent choice for frequent flyers. However, there are two questions you need to ask before you submit your credit cards application:

1. Are the credit card's air miles reward program points redeemable by a major airline that meets most of my travel needs?

2. Of the credit cards with air miles available, which one lets me earn free air miles the fastest?

Air Miles Credit Cards Sponsored By Airlines

Since a credit card sponsored by an airline focusses its benefits on that airline, you need to make sure that most of the routes and destinations supported by that airline meet your air travel needs and that you can easily connect from an airport in or near your area. If so, such a card will be both convenient and cost saving.

For frequent travel, be it for business, or vacation, the best air miles credit card can offer real benefits. You can use it when making all your purchases, and you will be awarded rewards points which you can collect and later redeem for air miles. The air miles can be used to book free or discounted flights with the sponsor airline to any destination you choose.

Airline credit cards sometimes award bonus air miles when you shop at designated stores or book a flight or vacation package to specified destinations. For instance, you could be given extra air miles for purchasing a new leather flight bag or a ticket to Rome during special air miles travel promotions.

As a rule, both airline credit cards and the credit cards with air miles sponsored by banks come with a quantity of bonus air miles points when you first apply for the cards.

Air Miles Credit Cards Sponsored By Banks

Bank sponsored air miles credit cards often come with more freedom for the cardholder. They permit you to spend your accumulated air miles on a number of participating airlines, not just one. If your local airport has no single airline that offers the destinations you frequent, a bank sponsored card might be of greater benefit to you.

There is another advantage to consider. Compared to airline rewards credit cards, bank sponsored credit cards with air miles often set lower minimums on the number of air miles you can redeem for travel. But, be careful. Bank cards come with tons of fine print, and you will need to read it all carefully before making any choices.

Compare The Features, Then Decide

All credit cards are not equal. The top credit cards companies offer an array of standard, gold, and platinum credit cards with air miles, and the membership and annual fees can vary significantly between the different cards. The better the features, the greater the fees you pay; and the extra fees can accumulate rather quickly, especially with gold and platinum cards.

Always compare the features offered and pick only the ones you really need. Never be pressed into getting a platinum credit card when a cheaper standard card with a good air miles rewards program will do.

Though air miles credit cards offer good advantages to the traveler, there are some disadvantages to consider.

To attract your business, most of the major credit card companies promote introductory zero interest credit cards with air miles. Realize, however, that once the special introductory period ends, often within six months, you will likely be paying rates anywhere from 18% to 24% per annum, or more.

As a rule, an airline miles credit card tends to have a higher rate of interest than other cards, and this can add to your expenses if you don't plan on paying off your card's total balance on a monthly basis. If you routinely run a monthly balance and if high interest rates are a concern, you might be better off with a different card.

As mentioned, some credit cards offering air miles have preset the minimum number of air miles points you need to collect before you can start redeeming air miles. So always read the fine print on the application carefully. You need to understand all the terms and conditions. True, fine print is never fun to read, and it can get bewildering, but by gritting your teeth and wading through it you can often save yourself some grief later.

Also, you have to firmly resist impulse buying. There is sometimes a tendency for cardholders to use their cards for collecting air miles by making unnecessary purchases. Like other types of credit cards, credit cards with air miles need to be used wisely if their full benefits will be realized.


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