Most other hotel cards work
like airline cards — you accumulate points based on purchases then use them for upgrades.
Like the airline cards, these cards have pretty good sign - up bonuses.
Like airline cards, hotel cards can be a great resource for credit - savvy consumers who know how to game the system, but getting the most of these products starts with choosing the one that's best for you.
Like airline cards, they come with annual fees.
Hotel credit cards,
like airline cards, pair a travel brand with a bank, encouraging loyalty.
Like airline cards, hotel cards that offer freebies normally come with an annual fee.
Not exact matches
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.
«
Airlines have started to charge for more things, but with an
airline rewards credit
card, you can get things
like your first bag checked free and priority boarding,» says Erik Larson, president and founder of NextAdvisor.com, which provides consumer - oriented research on credit
cards and other products.
Some credit
cards are starting to offer statement credits toward
airline fees,
like baggage charges or seat selection.
Travel expert Gary Leff, author of the View from the Wing blog, recommends checking your
airline credit
card for benefits
like early boarding.
In addition to a shiny
card, the club hosts networking events in cities around the globe and offers deals from
airlines and hotels
like Virgin Atlantic and St. Regis.
Here's how it works: You opt in to available offers through your credit
card issuer or a third - party service
like Trim, Dosh or an
airline dining program.
The downside is that even though you can transfer miles to
airlines, it's not at a 1:1 ratio
like with other issuers»
cards.
Airline specific cards often include perks like priority boarding, free checked bags, and credit towards airline status for free up
Airline specific
cards often include perks
like priority boarding, free checked bags, and credit towards
airline status for free up
airline status for free upgrades.
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.
However, if you have a tier two Chase
card,
like the Chase Freedom Unlimited ®, your points can be transferred to a number of different
airline and hotel partners.
With an
airline credit
card, for example, you can take advantage of things
like priority boarding, seat upgrades and companion passes for your friends and family members.
Travel rewards
cards have no specific travel affiliate
like an
airline or hotel partner.
Airline loyalty programs
like AAdvantage differ from bank - established points programs (
like Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards) because you don't need an affiliated credit
card to start earning miles right away.
Finally, consider getting a hotel
card like the Starwood Preferred Guest ® Credit Card from American Express, which also partners with airli
card like the Starwood Preferred Guest ® Credit
Card from American Express, which also partners with airli
Card from American Express, which also partners with
airlines.
All the
card's features make the Barclays Arrival Plus ® World Elite Mastercard ® one of our «editor's pick» in categories
like Best Rewards Credit
Cards, Best
Airline Credit
Cards and Best Hotel Credit
Cards.
Hotels, just
like the
airlines, also have many great credit
cards that you can sign up for to earn large point bonuses that can be used to redeem free stays.
A simple example is a hotel chain,
airline, or credit
card reward system, where points earned offer customers perks
like free rooms, flights, or upgrades, or other amenities.
If your local airport is dominated by a single
airline —
like Atlanta's is by Delta, for instance — then that
airline's
card might be your only practical option.
Some travel
cards come tricked out with lots of bells and whistles
like free checked bags or annual
airline fee credits.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred ® is a great general travel rewards
card, but it doesn't offer benefits
like free checked bags and priority boarding, which some
airline specific
cards offer.
For frequent travelers looking for a generous rewards rate — 5x points per $ 1 spent on airfare purchased directly from
airlines or booked through American Express Travel and on hotels booked on amextravel.com — as well as high - end perks
like $ 200 a year in credit to offset
airline incidental expenses, a 60,000 point welcome bonus, and Gold status at Hilton and Starwood hotels, the Platinum
Card ® from American Express is a card that should definitely be on your ra
Card ® from American Express is a
card that should definitely be on your ra
card that should definitely be on your radar.
Other
cards,
like the Discover it ® Miles and the Barclays Arrival Plus ® World Elite Mastercard ®, award users what they call «miles» but are functionally more
like points — that is, they can be redeemed for more things than simply flights with that
airline.
Like airline credit
cards, hotel credit
cards are those co-branded with a particular chain of hotels and resorts.
Most
airline cards that offer financial benefits
like free checked bags charge an annual fee.
JetBlue Plus credit
card is a must for frequent travellers who prefers (or
likes) to travel with JetBlue
airlines, spends a lot on groceries and dining out.
For example, one benefit of credit
cards is rewards offers,
like cash - back or
airline points.
For general credit
cards,
like the Chase Sapphire Preferred
card, and
airline - specific
cards like the Citi AAdvantage, the best time to sign up to maximize your reward points is in November.
The Alaska
Airlines card is pretty good if you
like to travel.
Like many of the other top hotel
cards, Hyatt points tend to be a little more valuable per point than
airline or generic awards.
Other
airlines (
like American, United, and Delta) thrive on the elite status benefits and other luxury offering
like airport lounges, so their
cards have benefits that cater towards these offerings.
You'll also earn great Rewards with options
like airline tickets, hotel stays, gift
cards, and merchandise.
Just
like the Venture
card, it offers miles and is not tied to a specific
airline, the redemption process is also the same.
If you are looking for travel credit
card with benefits
like airport lounge access, Global Entry redemption, or
airline fee waivers, you need to explore other options.
Most big credit
card companies offer exclusive deals you won't know about unless you look, and booking a trip directly through your
card's website often comes with perks
like double
airline rewards miles.
Nobody
likes paying
airline baggage fees, and with some credit
cards and
airlines, you don't have to.
Travel rewards
cards that earn you miles —
like the Capital One ® Venture ® Rewards Credit
Card and the Barclays Arrival Plus ® World Elite Mastercard ® — but they aren't tied to a specific
airline.
The Platinum
Card ® from American Express comes with all the other trappings one might expect from a premium card, like lounge access, Global Entry fee reimbursement, and airline fee cre
Card ® from American Express comes with all the other trappings one might expect from a premium
card, like lounge access, Global Entry fee reimbursement, and airline fee cre
card,
like lounge access, Global Entry fee reimbursement, and
airline fee credit.
UFB Direct, a division of BofI Federal Bank
like Bank of Internet, offers an
Airline Rewards Checking that gives you a mile or a point for every $ 3 you spend from debit
card purchases.
To further break down these differences, an
airline card may look
like more cost upfront, because you typically have to pay an annual fee.
Airline credit
cards offer generous rewards and perks
like free checked bags or airport lounge access with specific
airlines.
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.
If you're interested in a
card that combines a ton of bonus miles with amenities like club passes and special treatment at hotels and resorts, then you may want to take a peek at the Continental Airlines OnePass Plus C
card that combines a ton of bonus miles with amenities
like club passes and special treatment at hotels and resorts, then you may want to take a peek at the Continental
Airlines OnePass Plus
CardCard.
And while these cardholders also earn flexible travel reward points that can be transferred to
airline miles, the main reason to consider a
card is for its perks
like airport lounge access, personal concierge assistance, and more.
A credit
card offered by an
airline like United or Delta will allow you to check one bag for free, saving you some additional cash with each flight.