Not exact matches
While general points programs like Chase Ultimate
Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards give you the most flexible rewards, some of the best rewards do come from loyalty to one specific airline or hotel
Rewards and American Express Membership
Rewards give you the most flexible rewards, some of the best rewards do come from loyalty to one specific airline or hotel
Rewards give you the most flexible
rewards, some of the best rewards do come from loyalty to one specific airline or hotel
rewards, some of the best
rewards do come from loyalty to one specific airline or hotel
rewards do come from loyalty to one
specific airline or hotel brand.
The last group of
rewards cards are tied to a
specific airline or hotel chain.
You won't find
airline -
specific perks with the Capital One ® Venture ®
Rewards Credit Card.
Unlike cards tied to a
specific airline or hotel brand, you can use the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card's
rewards in many places.
Some cards allow you to earn
rewards toward a
specific hotel or
airline, and other cards earn
rewards that can be used toward any travel expense.
You could come close to that
rewards levels with many other cards, but only if you spent on
specific categories, or by using the
rewards at a particular chain of
airlines or hotels.
Travel
rewards cards have no
specific travel affiliate like an
airline or hotel partner.
While co-branded
airline credit cards offer special benefits to frequent flyers of one
specific airline, general travel
rewards cards can offer more flexibility in redeeming award flights and other travel bookings.
The first step in choosing an
airline credit card is determining whether an
airline card even makes sense for you, especially compared with a general travel credit card whose
rewards aren't tied to a
specific carrier.
Most of the time, the
rewards rates on these credit cards tend to be lower than those of
airline or hotel -
specific credit cards.
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.
These
rewards cards are co-branded with a
specific airline or hotel chain and allow you to earn loyalty points with that brand.
Some
rewards cards require you to book with certain
airlines and at
specific times, it can often be too hard to redeem your
rewards if you use an overly complicated card.
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 third type of
rewards card,
airline cards, allow you to earn miles earned through a credit card, and those are generally tied to a
specific airline's frequent flyer program.
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 a
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 a
Rewards Credit Card and the Barclays Arrival Plus ® World Elite Mastercard ® — but they aren't tied to a
specific airline.
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.
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.
Airline credit cards offer generous
rewards and perks like free checked bags or airport lounge access with
specific airlines.
You can sign up directly via your
specific airline's website and immediately start earning points towards travel
rewards.
While the Sapphire holds no
airline specific benefits, such as VIP lounge access, we find that a majority of consumers will find the other
rewards make up for this fact.
For example, a
specific airline might offer a
rewards credit card that lets you wrack up the
airline points / miles quickly.
Branded
rewards offer points or miles through a
specific hotel chain,
airline or other travel brand.
If you participate in both an
airline and a hotel
rewards program, only consider such transfers if you find yourself falling just short of a
specific mileage goal that will save you more overall.
Avid travelers — especially those loyal to a particular
airline or hotel — may want to consider a
rewards card linked to that
specific brand.
You could come close to that
rewards levels with many other cards, but only if you spent on
specific categories, or by using the
rewards at a particular chain of
airlines or hotels.
Travel
rewards cards have no
specific travel affiliate like an
airline or hotel partner.
Most travel
rewards credit cards also award bonus points or miles for
specific purchases like hotel stays or
airline tickets.
Some travel cards even offer bonus miles or points for stays at certain hotels or if you fly a
specific airline which helps in adding more
reward points or miles.
Some
airline specific cards do have solid
rewards programs.
Although this is a great card for earning Membership
Rewards, the card isn't tied to any one
specific hotel or
airline program, so putting a lot of spend here won't help earn elite status.
If you are not loyal to one
specific airline or you do not travel frequently, you should choose a general frequent flyer credit card so you can redeem your
reward points or miles for a flight with any
airline.
And co-branded credit cards can be especially appealing to cardholders who have a particular affinity for a
specific airline and want a faster way to accrue frequent flyers miles, as these cards typically
reward you with miles for every purchase.
While having the flexibility to redeem your travel
rewards can make planning your next trip significantly easier, credit cards co-branded with
specific airlines can frequently offer exclusive perks and benefits that may offset the limitations for some applicants.
Although your Capital One mileage balance will add up fast, any spend you put on this card won't help you earn elite status since your
rewards aren't tied to any one
specific airline or hotel chain.
Lindsay, as Dan mentioned, cards that earn
specific miles or hotel points keep them in that program, whereas AMEX Membership
Rewards and Chase Ultimate
Rewards are flexible programs that hold points that you can transfer out to various
airline and hotel partners.
For example, people who travel will want the
airline discounts and miles, some might want gas card
rewards if they have a long commute to work and others may want the cash back option if they are saving for
specific purchases or trying to maintain a tight budget.
While none of the travel
rewards cards below allows you to earn, redeem or transfer points to
specific airline or hotel programs, they all offer the opportunity to redeem points for free travel.
If your past travel patterns show that you don't pick
airlines and hotels based on brands, such travel
rewards credit cards will better for you, compared to brand -
specific cards.
For one, few
airline rewards programs can offer the same
specific perks provided by branded frequent flyer programs, which often include things like free checked bags or access to airport lounges.
Unlike cards tied to a
specific airline or hotel brand, you can use the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card's
rewards in many places.
You won't find
airline -
specific perks with the Capital One ® Venture ®
Rewards Credit Card.
That means that you can fly on a
specific airline and earn
rewards, which you can use to pay for a ticket.
Airline cards are great for
rewards if you have
specific carriers you prefer, or already have points in one of the
specific loyalty programs.
While there are dozens of co-branded business
rewards cards for those dedicated to
specific airlines or hotel chains, unaligned businesses can often get the most value out of a travel
rewards card with flexible points or miles that can be used free of brand restrictions.
Most
rewards cards only offer a bonus for
specific categories of purchases, and very few
airline cards offer any bonuses besides purchases made directly from the carrier.
Some of these cards are co-branded by a
specific airline or hotel, while others are part of a network that allows points to be transferred to
airline or hotel loyalty programs, such as Chase Ultimate
Rewards, Citi ThankYou and Amex Membership
Rewards.
Generic miles card vs.
airline - specific rewards: Know when to use each — Either a generic rewards card or an airline specific card could be best, depending on your schedule, the flight and its cost... (See Airline r
airline -
specific rewards: Know when to use each — Either a generic
rewards card or an
airline specific card could be best, depending on your schedule, the flight and its cost... (See Airline r
airline specific card could be best, depending on your schedule, the flight and its cost... (See
Airline r
Airline rewards)
-- Our expert breaks down the differences between
airline -
specific miles and generic miles
rewards, from how they're earned to how they're redeemed and beyond... (See Generic miles vs.
airline miles)
Travel
rewards cards are either co-branded with an
airline or hotel chain or have
rewards programs where points can be redeemed toward travel, but aren't limited to a
specific airline or hotel (think Capital One or American Express).