Sunday, 23 February 2020
Bon Voyage, Happy Journey is what we say to our loved ones when they travel.
But I believe that instead of saying Happy Journey letās ask them- Do you have your Happy Airline Credit Card? (Why HAPPY you ask? Well, read below and Follow!)
Itās like getting something extra, itās like getting something for FREE when youāre already going to spend anyway.Ā And all of these Earned Air Miles and Bonuses come at play when there is no scope for discounts.
Thereās a reason why more thanĀ 70% of consumers in the U.S.Ā have at least one credit card:
Credit cards offer consumers a convenient way to put more money back in their pocket every time they use them.Ā Such points can then be spent on a myriad of things including groceries, merchandise, fuel, and even travel.
There are dozens of different types of Airline credit cards available that can make choosing just one a bit confusing.
And also, there are certain factors that should be considered before applying for a specific card, the reward program is one of them.
So, if youāre an avid traveler, an airline credit card might be the ideal option for you. Simply read on and pick the card that suits you the best.
TheĀ best airline credit cards work similarly to other rewards-based cards.Ā For every purchase you make, you earn a certain number of points.
Once you accumulate a specific amount, you can redeem them in the form of airfare to a destination of your choice.
However, credit cards that offer airline miles work somewhat differently than most general rewards credit cards.
With an airline credit card, you would accumulate a certain number of miles based not only on the amount you spend on your credit card but on how far you fly. These miles can then be used to buy tickets.
The āmilesā accumulated are like points in a typical rewards program. Every airline credit card will specify the required number of miles accumulated to earn a free return flight from point A to point B.
Essentially, you can earn miles by actually booking flights with the airline or through specific purchases.
Airline miles are basically like any other type of credit card rewards program. You get points for making purchases, and you can eventually earn enough points to get a free flight.
Many airline credit cards also offer additional perks that the averageĀ general travel cardĀ doesnāt offer, including:
So, to understand all of this in a better way, scroll down and check out the Best Airline Credit Card available which are pocket-friendly and provide you with a lot many other perks as well.
But first, letās understand what the Best Airline Cards are most preferred for?
1. Capital OneĀ® VentureĀ® Rewards Credit Cardā Best airline card with 10 miles per dollar on Hotels.
2. Chase Sapphire PreferredĀ® Cardā Best for Flexible redemption and sign-up bonus
3. Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Cardā Best for Alaska Airlines and this is the Best Domestic Airline Card
4. American Airlines AAdvantage MileUpā Cardā Best for No Annual Fee and Good Rewards
5. CitiĀ® / AAdvantageĀ® Platinum SelectĀ® World Eliteā¢ MastercardĀ®ā Best for American Airlines
6. Gold Delta SkyMilesĀ® Credit Card from American Expressā Best for Delta Airlines and best-checked bag benefit
7. Southwest Rapid RewardsĀ® Plus Credit Cardā Best for Southwest Airlines for people with Good Credit
8. Southwest Rapid RewardsĀ® Premier Credit Cardā Best for Southwest Airlines
9. Unitedā Explorer Cardā Best for the United States
10. Barclaycard Arrival PlusĀ® World Elite MastercardĀ®ā Best airline card for a 70,000-point sign-up bonus.
11. Discover itĀ® Milesā Best airline card with 1.5 miles per dollar.
12. British Airways Visa SignatureĀ® Cardā Best for High Rewards and Miles
13. JetBlue Plus Cardā Best airline card for JetBlue flyers.
If youāre looking for the best credit card for airline miles, consider any one of the following:
Initial APR
Ongoing APR
Annual Fee
Regular APR: 15.24% ā 25.24% variable
Intro Bonus: 50,000
Annual Fees: $0 Intro Annual Fee, then $95
Credit Score Required: Excellent, Good
Why to Pick this Card: Capital card offers the flexibility to redeem your rewards to cover the cost of any flight on any airline at any time.
This card also offers you the flexibility to transfer your miles to 12 travel partners, this means that you might be able to make your rewards go even further than by simply redeeming them to cover a single travel purchase.
Rewards: There are various rewards that you receive from this Card.
Extra Perks: You can earn50,000 bonus miles when you spend $3,000 on your new card within the first three months after opening up your account.
This amount is worth up to $500 in flexible travel or you can also transfer those miles to one of the 12 travel partners and you can possibly make the rewards go even further.
Initial APR
Ongoing APR
Annual Fee
Regular APR: 18.24% ā 25.24% Variable APR
Intro Bonus: 50,000
Annual Fees: $0 Intro Annual Fee, then $95
Credit Score Required: Excellent, Good
Why to Pick this Card: This is the best card for Flexible Travel Redemption, it offers a balance between Reasonable Cost, Valuable and Usable Travel Rewards, and Perks.
Rewards: There are various rewards that you receive from this Card.
Extra Perks: You can earn 50,000 points right after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening up your account.
This sums up to $625 worth of travel when you redeem the same through Chase Ultimate RewardsĀ®.
Initial APR
Ongoing APR
Annual Fee
Regular APR: 17.24% ā 25.24% Variable APR
Intro Bonus: 30,000
Annual Fees: $75
Credit Score Required: Excellent, Good
Why to Pick this Card: This is a great choice of Airline Card for those who can fly the airline regularly.
This cardās users companion fare makes it well worthy of the $75 annual fee and a valuable choice for anyone who flies an Alaska Airlines with a companion at least once a year.
Rewards: There are various rewards that you receive from this Card.
Extra Perks: You can get 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 or more within the first 90 days after opening up your account.
On top of this, each year on your account anniversary you get a Companion Fare from $121 ($99 plus taxes and fees from $22), this offer is valid on all Alaska flights booked from alaskaair.com.
Initial APR
Ongoing APR
Annual Fee
Regular APR: 18.24% ā 26.24% Variable APR
Intro Bonus: 10,000
Annual Fees: $0
Credit Score Required: Excellent
Why to Pick this Card: No Annual Fee Airline Reward cards are a bit rare.
Rewards: There are various rewards that you receive from this Card.
Extra Perks: You can earn 10,000 American Airlines AAdvantageĀ® bonus miles and also, you get a $50 statement credit after spending $500 in purchases within the first 3 months of opening up the account.
Initial APR
Ongoing APR
Annual Fee
Regular APR: 18.24% ā 26.24% Variable APR
Intro Bonus: 50,000
Annual Fees: $0 Intro Annual Fee, then $99
Credit Score Required: Excellent, Good
Why to Pick this Card: American Airlines have an extensive partnership which makes these miles quite valuable.
Rewards: There are various rewards that you receive from this Card.
Extra Perks: You can earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantageĀ® bonus miles after you spend $2,500 on your card in the first three months after you open your account.
Initial APR
Ongoing APR
Annual Fee
Regular APR: 17.99% ā 26.99% Variable APR
Intro Bonus: 30,000
Annual Fees: $0 Intro Annual Fee, then $95
Credit Score Required: Good, Excellent
Why to Pick this Card: They offer you priority boarding, facility of a free checked bag, a nice welcome offer and a lot more so you can consider this card if youāre a frequent Delta Flyer.
Rewards: There are various rewards that you receive from this Card.
Extra Perks: You can earn 30,000 bonus miles after you make a purchase of $1,000 in the first 3 months and you can earn a $50 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase within the same time frame of first 3 months.
Initial APR
Ongoing APR
Annual Fee
Regular APR: 18.24% ā 25.24% Variable APR
Intro Bonus: 40,000
Annual Fees: $69
Credit Score Required: Excellent, Good
Why to Pick this Card: This card offers almost the same benefits as compared with its Premium card option and also requires a lesser Credit Score to open up an account and the annual fee is also lesser.
Rewards: There are various rewards that you receive from this Card.
Extra Perks: You can earn 40,000 points right after you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening up your account.
Initial APR
Ongoing APR
Annual Fee
Regular APR: 18.24% ā 25.24% Variable APR
Intro Bonus: 40,000
Annual Fees: $99
Credit Score Required: Excellent
Why to Pick this Card: If we keep the Annual Fee aside then this card is a great option for travelers who are flying domestic routes, as this card offers various perks for them.
Rewards: There are various rewards that you receive from this Card.
Extra Perks: You can earn 40,000 points right after you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening up your account.
Initial APR
Ongoing APR
Annual Fee
Regular APR: 18.24% ā 25.24% Variable APR
Intro Bonus: 40,000
Annual Fees: $0 Intro Annual Fee, then $95
Credit Score Required: Excellent, Good
Why Pick to this Card: This card delivers great value for Unitedās Loyal User and valuable extra bonuses for anyone who wants to become a member.
Rewards: There are various rewards that you receive from this Card.
Extra Perks: All the new cardholders can earn 40,000 bonus miles after they spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after they open an account with United.
Also, there is a facility of Free Checked bag for you and a traveling companion can save some good amount of cash if youāre a regular United guest.
Initial APR
Ongoing APR
Annual Fee
Regular APR: 18.24% ā 25.24% Variable APR
Intro Bonus: 70,000
Annual Fees: $0 Intro Annual Fee, then $89
Credit Score Required: Good, Excellent
Why to Pick this Card: This card offers a good amount of Bonus Miles and perks and all you need to attain them is maintain a good credit score.
Rewards: There are various rewards that you receive from this Card.
Extra Perks: You can earn 70,000 Bonus Miles right after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening up your account.
Initial APR
Ongoing APR
Annual Fee
Regular APR: 14.24% ā 25.24% Variable APR
Intro Bonus: Up to 60,000
Annual Fees: $0
Credit Score Required: Excellent, Good
Why to Pick this Card: This is a simple Airline card with NO Annual Fee and good rewards.
Rewards: There are various rewards that you receive from this Card.
Extra Perks: This card will match the rewards that youāve earned at the end of your first year, this means that if youāve earned 30,000 Miles in your first year then you get 60,000 Miles which is worth $600 towards Travel.
Initial APR
Ongoing APR
Annual Fee
Regular APR: 18.24% ā 25.24% Variable APR
Intro Bonus: Up to 120,000
Annual Fees: $95
Credit Score Required: Excellent, Good
Why to Pick this Card: British Airways Avios are valuable and the welcome bonus opportunity means that you can rack up a great amount of bonus miles in your first year itself, as a card member.
Rewards: There are various rewards that you receive from this Card.
Extra Perks: Along with the enticing Welcome Bonus of Avios you can earn a Travel Together Ticket for 2 years if you make purchases of $30,000 per year on your British Airways card.
Initial APR
Ongoing APR
Annual Fee
Regular APR: 18.24% ā 27.24% Variable APR
Intro Bonus: 40,000
Annual Fees: $99
Credit Score Required: Excellent
Why to Pick this Card: This is a great card for a Frequent Flyer as it comes up with huge bonuses for a loyal flyer.
Rewards: There are various rewards that you receive from this Card.
Extra Perks: You can earn 40,000 Bonus Points after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 Months on opening up the account and after paying up the annual fee.
Goodā Credit Score should be 690 and Above
Excellentā Credit Score should be 850 and Above
This score requirement can be different for various Airline Credit Cards, and there might be a leverage point which you can earn by knowing more about the card you want to apply for.
Note: Intro Bonus for each Airline Credit Card is different and the criteria in order to earn these miles is also different.
Please go through the in-depth analysis of all the cards to get better information about the same. You will know for sure once you apply for these cards.
Airline credit cards might offer rewards that can help pay for the flights you take, but theyāre not always free of flaws. Even the best airline credit cards might have a few snags that consumers should be aware of.
Your award flights could be subject to restrictions in dates and destinations. Just because you may have accumulated enough points to cover the entire expense of a flight doesnāt necessarily mean that you have complete freedom to pick and choose when and where to apply those points.
Many airline credit card programs impose certain restrictions and blackout dates that can leave consumers flustered.
These types of credit cards work best for those who are flexible with their travel plans. If you have some wiggle room with the dates of travel and have an open mind about where youāre headed, such a drawback wonāt affect you.
Taxes might still be applicable. While you might be able to get the airfare for free by paying with your accumulated points, you might be unpleasantly surprised to find out that you might still be stuck paying taxes on your flights.
Many times, the taxes are next to nothing, especially for domestic flights. But if youāre planning to book something international, you could be faced with tax amounts in the hundreds of dollars.
Itās not unusual to pay an annual fee for credit cards, and airline credit cards are no exception. Some cards might let you go without a fee for a few months as a sign-up incentive.
But after youāve enjoyed the rewards for a while, youāll have to start paying an annual fee as high as $120 for a premium credit card.
Whether or not you should apply for an airline credit card depends on how often you travel with a specific airline. If you rarely take a trip, airline cards may not be the most beneficial for you.
Even if you do travel often, they still may not be worth it if you tend to take any airline thatās offering the best deal. In this case, just a general travel reward credit card will suffice.
On the other hand, if youāre a loyal customer of a specific airline, then having a credit card that offers you points towards flights with that airline just might be worth it.
In this case, you should be able to accumulate points and recoup your annual fee very quickly.
The type of card you inevitably choose will obviously come down to how you travel. If youāre the type to fly with the same airline every time, opting for an airline credit card would make sense.
On the other hand, if youāre all over the place with your travels, you might want to have a general travel card in your wallet.
Otherwise, thereās nothing wrong with having one of each. That way you can accumulate miles towards flights while using a general card for miscellaneous travel expenses.
Either way, you should do your homework on the types of credit cards out there before deciding on the best airline credit card for you.
If you have any other questions then feel free to drop your questions in the comment section below.
Source: https://www.everybuckcounts.com/whats-best-airline-credit-card/
