If you're a frequent flyer looking to maximize your rewards, general travel credit cards may look better
than airline cards because they're generally more flexible and offer more rewards earning options.
Rewards card ninjas have long loved hotel rewards cards because the associated loyalty programs tend to be a lot more generous and easy to use
than airline cards.
Travel Rewards credit cards provide higher value, on average,
than airline cards.
So if you spread your flying among several airlines or don't fly that much, a general travel card may be a better choice
than an airline card.
While it is nice that these cards give you basically cash back to redeem on flights, their value is much less
than an airline card.
Not exact matches
The government appears to have backed away from rumoured new regulations for the
airline industry and, rather
than regulating credit
card fees, will instead compel more transparency.
Hotel and vacation rentals are higher - margin businesses
than selling flights, as
airline commissions have shriveled and carriers try to drive more traffic to their own websites, where they also offer co-branded credit
cards and vacation packages.
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.
If you are looking for a great
airline credit
card, then look no further than British Airways Visa Signature ® C
card, then look no further
than British Airways Visa Signature ®
CardCard.
Starpoints earned with this
card can also be transferred to more
than 30
airline loyalty programs, increasing the flexibility of your travel options.
If you're booking an economy class ticket and you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve ℠
Card, you might be better off booking through the Chase travel portal
than transferring to an
airline partner.
While miles can be redeemed at any SkyTeam member
airline (including Delta), the benefits which make this
card better
than average are locked to AeroMexico
Airlines.
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.
On Wednesday, the
airline announced it is ending its more
than 30 - year tradition of including printed
cards with short Bible verses during meal service.
The mean rewards rate for a travel credit
card is 1.9 % - slightly higher
than the 1.7 %
airline cards give.
On average, cash back
cards will provide rewards which are higher
than both
airline and travel rewards.
For most consumers, if an
airline card has a rewards rate lower
than 2 %, a cash back
card is almost always the better choice.
Most of the time, the rewards rates on these credit
cards tend to be lower
than those of
airline or hotel - specific credit
cards.
If a particular
airline, hotel, or travel
card you are interested in offers anything less
than 1.5 % back on general spending, or a specialized category, you should consider going with a cash back
card instead.
Dedicated American
Airlines customers are better off sticking with the Citi ® / AAdvantage ® Executive World Elite ™ Mastercard ®, rather
than The Platinum
Card ® from American Express.
And general travel
cards tend to be simpler
than airline - specific credit
cards.
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.
Note, that this
card has three APR tiers, and the highest one (25.74 %) is much higher
than APR of most of other
airline credit
cards.
That's because the annual fee you pay for any of these premium
cards will be less
than a one - year lounge membership in either the Delta Sky Club, American
Airlines Admiral's Club or the United Club.
While it can be argued that the annual fee for the Propel World credit
card is effectively lower ($ 175 annual fee - $ 100
airline incidental benefit = $ 75)
than the Sapphire Preferred's ($ 95), it has fewer and lower point opportunities.
Travelers looking for an
airline card with great short - term rewards won't do much better than the Iberia Visa Signature ® C
card with great short - term rewards won't do much better
than the Iberia Visa Signature ®
CardCard.
Whither it's a co-branded
airline card or a
card with transferable points, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve, getting a sign - up bonus will boost your points balance faster
than any other strategy.
Like many of the other top hotel
cards, Hyatt points tend to be a little more valuable per point
than airline or generic awards.
Travel rewards
cards that don't tie you to a particular hotel brand or
airline give slightly higher returns
than cash back
cards.
While significantly lower
than what is available through the Alaska
Airlines credit
card, the Capital One ® alternative allows users to simply swipe and receive statement credit on travel purchases.
NerdWallet values IHG points redeemed for IHG hotel stays at 0.7 cents each, much more
than when redeemed for
airline miles or gift
cards.
For most consumers cash back credit
cards will provide more value
than a standard
airline miles credit
card.
The Hilton Honors Ascend
Card from American Express is better for consumers who don't care about airline incidentals and spend less than $ 60,000 on their credit card per y
Card from American Express is better for consumers who don't care about
airline incidentals and spend less
than $ 60,000 on their credit
card per y
card per year.
It's important to point out that the Platinum's $ 200
airline credit is far more limited
than similar credit provided by other premium credit
cards.
And around one - fifth, or 20 percent, of
airline credit
card holders carry a balance month to month, earning less in
airline loyalty rewards
than they pay in annual credit
card fees.
Lisa Gerstner, contributing editor at Kiplinger's Personal Finance Favorite
airline card: Alaska
Airlines Visa Signature card «With an annual fee of $ 75, the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card folds in a host of enticing benefits for flyers at a lower price than similar cards from other airlines, which often charge about $ 95
Airlines Visa Signature
card «With an annual fee of $ 75, the Alaska
Airlines Visa Signature card folds in a host of enticing benefits for flyers at a lower price than similar cards from other airlines, which often charge about $ 95
Airlines Visa Signature
card folds in a host of enticing benefits for flyers at a lower price
than similar
cards from other
airlines, which often charge about $ 95
airlines, which often charge about $ 95.»
Even if you fly on Alaska
Airlines only once or twice a year, this $ 75 - annual - fee
card will more
than pay for itself if you ever need to check bags.
For the most part, you'll be awarded miles faster when making purchases with a participating credit
card than with the
airline or hotel's loyalty program directly.
Other travel benefits of this premium
card include a $ 200 annual
airline fee credit, $ 75 hotel credit, fee credit for Global Entry program or TSA PreCheck, complimentary Hilton Honors and Starwood Preferred Guest Gold Status, and complimentary Wifi at more
than 1,000,000 hotspots worldwide with Boingo.
For example, if you are often travel by air, a co-branded
airline credit
card might be better
than the general purpose one.
Points can be redeemed for travel on more
than 150
airlines with no blackout dates, or for merchandise, gift
cards, and statement credits.
Unless you'll be flying on United
Airlines more
than once a year, some of this
card's best features will leave you unimpressed.
Unlike many other co-branded
airline cards, you can actually earn more
than 1X mile per dollar spent on all other purchases: the United MileagePlus ® Club
Card allows you to earn 1.5 X miles per dollar spent.
The fact that it has no annual fee, pays a little more
than the one mile per dollar
than many other
cards offer, and offers the ability to redeem miles on any
airline or hotel purchase really makes it stand out among rewards
card
While miles can be redeemed at any SkyTeam member
airline (including Delta), the benefits which make this
card better
than average are locked to AeroMexico
Airlines.
You'll earn even more miles
than what the
airline credit
cards offer!
The
card comes loaded with travel benefits, including an annual
airline fee credit, complimentary lounge access, and special benefits at more
than 900 hotels and resorts worldwide.
If the cost of your
airline ticket is more than your Airline Travel Reward, you can pay the difference with your USAA Rewards ™ credit card or any other method of payment ac
airline ticket is more
than your
Airline Travel Reward, you can pay the difference with your USAA Rewards ™ credit card or any other method of payment ac
Airline Travel Reward, you can pay the difference with your USAA Rewards ™ credit
card or any other method of payment accepted.
Perhaps you're spending longer hours at the office and have less time for travel, then you'll need a
card that provides more
than just
airline miles.
You can also earn HawaiianMiles by using the Hawaiian
Airlines credit
cards or making purchases with other partners, like Avis Car Rental and more
than 30 hotels.