In addition to the points and miles available through many cards, to the perks that come with
airline branded cards, travelers can unlock a world of benefits through their preferred spending methods.
Airline branded cards offer the most perks including free checked bags, lounge access, priority boarding, early check - in and a variety of other amenities.
This could be in the form of
an airline branded card for flights, a hotel branded card for free nights and an annual fee card such as American Express Platinum for perks like that card's $ 200 a year in airline credits, lounge access, faster trips through customs and instant Starwood Gold status.
Not exact matches
If you routinely shell out for extras, the annual fee on an
airline -
branded credit
card may quickly pay for itself, said Continenza.
The Virgin
brand tells you that using this credit
card is rather like using this
airline, which, in turn, is rather like using this health club or staying in our hotels.
Cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Starwood Preferred Guest, and the Platinum Card from American Express each offer more flexibility than most airline or hotel branded c
Cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Starwood Preferred Guest, and the Platinum
Card from American Express each offer more flexibility than most
airline or hotel
branded cardscards.
With these
cards, you earn loyalty points with the
card's
airline or hotel
brand.
Unlike
cards tied to a specific
airline or hotel
brand, you can use the Chase Sapphire Preferred ®
Card's rewards in many places.
Co-branded travel rewards
cards are linked to a particular
airline or hotel
brand, and you're awarded loyalty points to redeem with that
brand.
Co-branded
cards are linked to a specific
airline or hotel
brand and you earn loyalty points to redeem with that
brand.
While the United miles you earn can only be used to book flights with United and other Star Alliance members, Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (earned with the Chase Sapphire Preferred ®
Card) can be transferred to 11 partnered programs, including both hotel and
airline brands.
Korean Air, the other major
airline of South Korea, also has its own
brand of credit
cards called SKYPASS; the Korean Air SKYPASS Visa Signature Credit
Card is its flagship product.
Their eGift
Card selection includes more than 90 offerings from
brands in the United States and Mexico (with more countries to come), including Hotels.com, American
Airlines, Regal Entertainment Group, and CVS Pharmacy.
All guests who are Wyndham Rewards ® members can earn Wyndham Rewards points, which can be redeemed for complimentary hotel stays,
airline tickets, name -
brand merchandise and dining and shopping gift
cards, among other options.
These rewards
cards are co-branded with a specific
airline or hotel chain and allow you to earn loyalty points with that
brand.
Often, while a travel,
airline, or hotel
card may offer a discount on a particular
brand of products a consumer desires, using a cash back
card for the purchase may in fact produce a better net value.
There are two major types of
cards, each with differing levels of perks and flexibility: Traditional travel
cards, embossed with an
airline or hotel
brand, tend to have the best perks but the least flexibility.
Bottom Line: If you travel frequently and value lounge access you will benefit greatly from having the one of the premium
airline branded credit
cards that charge a $ 450 annual fee.
Travel rewards
cards that don't tie you to a particular hotel
brand or
airline give slightly higher returns than cash back
cards.
However, by not using a United
branded credit
card, you'd be giving up
airline - specific perks, such as checked baggage fee waivers and priority boarding.
The advantage of a regular, non co-branded
card is that you can redeem your rewards on any
airline, any hotel
brand, or any other travel expense — and there won't be blackout dates or other restrictions on redemption.
An analysis of over 200 credit
cards from the nation's top banks revealed that hotel
branded offers actually outperform
airline and cash back credit
cards in several key categories.
If you choose a co-
branded credit
card, you'll earn rewards for purchases at the specific
airline or hotel the
card is
branded with, and you'll be able to redeem your rewards there.
If you get a
branded credit
card, which is usually affiliated with a certain
airline or hotel chain, you can get up to 7 % cash back when making purchases through that
airline or hotel chain.
With hotel - and
airline -
branded cards, you can redeem for those specific
brands and sometimes their partners.
If you travel often with a favorite
airline, a
branded card might be a good option.
If, on the other hand, you fly often and are interested in building
brand loyalty and elite status with an
airline carrier such as United, Delta or American
Airlines, your best bet is to opt for a credit card with one of these a
Airlines, your best bet is to opt for a credit
card with one of these
airlinesairlines.
The original type of
card was a
branded card, used by a specific
airline or hotel, that offered rewards for making purchases with that company.
When choosing between an
airline co-branded
card and general - purpose travel credit
cards, keep in mind that
airline cards will be most beneficial for travelers who fly often with a single
airline, and have built up
brand loyalty.
Airline credit
cards differ in their focus on loyalty to a single
brand.
Most major
airline credit
card programs give cardholders 2 points or miles for each dollar spent on
airline -
branded purchases and related travel expenses, but then only 1 mile or point per dollar spent everywhere else.
Airline credit
cards incentivize
brand loyalty by offering you higher rewards for spending with them or their business partners.
The downside of using the Chase Sapphire Preferred ®
Card over a Southwest
branded one is that you will miss out on all the
airline perks the latter comes with — including things like free checked baggage, and elite qualifying miles.
Note: You don't have to have an
airline's
branded credit
card to earn miles.
For example,
airline - and hotel -
branded credit
cards may not have multiple
card levels.
Also, if you have co-branded
airline card or hotel credit
card, you can only earn bonus points when using their
brand.
The best
cards for
airline miles may not be
branded by an
airline at all.
The United
Airlines -
branded credit
card actually has three different tiers, so you could downgrade within that family of
cards.
While the United miles you earn can only be used to book flights with United and other Star Alliance members, Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (earned with the Chase Sapphire Preferred ®
Card) can be transferred to 11 partnered programs, including both hotel and
airline brands.
Chase Bank takes yet another spot on this list by providing this credit
card branded with an
airline.
Since recurring
airline customers are guaranteed to spend thousands on air travel, it makes perfect sense to pick up a
branded airline credit
card and build up benefits with that
airline company.
Some travel
cards reward you for a variety of spending that you can use on a number of
airline and hotel
brands.
Airline -
branded cards can make sense for frequent fliers — if you check a couple of bags on a couple of flights, you'll often offset the annual fee.
Hotel points and
airline miles
cards are a great fit for you if you like to stick to one main
brand on your travels.
Avid travelers — especially those loyal to a particular
airline or hotel — may want to consider a rewards
card linked to that specific
brand.
With these
cards, you earn loyalty points with the
card's
airline or hotel
brand.
Furthermore, «if you're not loyal to a specific
airline, then it's worth considering ditching your
branded airline frequent flier
cards,» adds Tran.
As with most
airline cards, the Frontier
Airlines card is best for people who frequently use the
brand.
Filed Under: Daily Investing Tip Tagged With: company
brand image, Investing, Investing Tips, stock picking Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit
card issuer,
airlines or hotel chain, or other advertiser and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
With so many
airline -
branded, hotel -
branded and general travel rewards credit
cards out there to choose from, you might be wondering where to start.