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Travelling is in everyone’s bucket list but the costs associated with this hobby can be intimidating. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. With a travel points credit card, you can accumulate points and later redeem them to earn free flights and other additional perks.
To get you started, here’s a simple guide on travel points credit cards.
Earning Rewards
Each card comes with its own rewards structure. However, one thing remains standard and that is you’ll earn points for every purchase you make using the card. While the structures may vary from one card to another, it’s in your best interest to understand how your card’s structure works in order to maximize your rewards.
Nevertheless, if you want to accumulate points as fast as possible, then the best way is to use your card on all purchases. Not only on Travel-related purchases but also on your bills and groceries as long as you won’t incur any extra fees.
Sign-Up Bonus
Almost all credit cards offer new customers with a massive sign-up bonus. However, there’s a caveat to bagging this bonus. You’ll have to spend a certain minimum amount on credit card purchases within a set period after taking out your card.
For example, the American express ba premium offers their new customers with 25,000 Avios points if you spend a minimum of £3,000 within the first 90 days of taking out your card.
Note that cash advances and balance transfers don’t count in the signup bonus. You also have to attain a certain minimum net spend meaning your refunds and returns will be deducted from the purchase amount.
Merge with Other Programs
Various hotels and airlines offer loyalty programs to their customers where you can earn points every time you stay at the hotel or fly with their airline. You can also transfer your points from your credit card and redeem them at partner hotels and airlines.
This way, you’ll receive more free flights and even elevate your loyalty status. Some credit cards don’t have airline or hotel partners but this doesn’t stop you from maximizing your credit card. You can book all travels with a single airline using your credit card to stack more rewards and earn more flyer miles with the airline.
How to Qualify for a Suitable Credit Card
To get the best credit card, you must have a stellar credit score. Therefore, before you can take out any credit card, it’s best for you to know your score to find out whether you qualify for a certain type of credit card.
It’s also important to go through your credit reports since this is what reporting companies use to come up with your credit score. You can get a free report every year from the three reporting companies. This means you have e references to help you get a clear picture.
How to Redeem Your Travel Points
After accumulating points on your credit card, it’s time to redeem them and use them for a trip. For this, you’ll have several options to choose from. One is by using the in-house booking tool which allows customers to use their points and plan for their trip.
While redeeming your points, you want to check the redemption rate to ensure you get the best deal. For example, you can get sweet deals by redeeming points with travel partners although this may come at a price which includes flight availability and scheduling your trips around blackout rates.
You can also redeem the points as a statement of credit for the Travel purchases you made on the credit card. This means you must book a trip before you can redeem the points.
A travel points credit card is a handy tool for a traveler thanks to its loyalty programs which can help you cut down on travel costs such as flights and hotel stays. In addition, you can benefit from additional perks including travel insurance.
