Planning a trip? Free is a good
price!
Travel rewards have now become
the grease that lubricates the sales of companies like Visa, MasterCard
and American Express. We North Americans have
many choices of credit cards for our spending needs.
Card options
are based on interest rates, bank affiliations and travel rewards or
points. The most common of these is the travel
rewards credit card. There are three types , the
airline points card, the hotel points card and the gift reward cards,
such as gas cards for your vehicle, which
are a combination of the first two, and may include rewards of
retail
gifts
such as home electronics.
Choosing a travel rewards credit card,
just makes good common sense for people who love to travel! However
you should ask
yourself some important questions before you apply
for a credit card. What fees are charged per
year and why? How widely accepted is the credit card I am applying
for? Does a gold card convey more status in the eyes of
the merchant who is accepting it from me? Is it airline points,
hotel stays or a host of travel rewards in general that I want?
Maximizing your travel rewards
You can do yourself a huge favor by increasing your credit card spending so as to
maximize your travel rewards. Many savvy rewards collectors flush all their bills and expenses
through their credit card,
including grocery shopping, recreation, clothing, home, car expenses
and repairs etc. This maximizes your collection of travel reward
points while keeping a detailed book on your spending habits. Even
more importantly, pay it off every month. That is
the key! Pay your credit card off each month. Use the card,
instead of cash, keep the cash in the bank, then pay off your card. Get
used to budgeting in this way and your travel rewards will grow
fast, allowing you the luxury of free flights, free hotel stays,
and cruises just by using your card.
Using this simple method of collecting travel rewards, my wife and I
have enjoyed
dozens of free flights, free
hotel stays and even a free cruise. Besides enjoying our own free
travel, we have flown our family of four across the continent, at
least three times.
Two years ago, we convinced our son to use the same
techniques during his time as a student in university. He recently booked a
cruise for his upcoming honeymoon, including first class flights to
Florida, using his reward miles. His tuitions were flushed through
his travel rewards credit card as well as all expenses including travel, car, entertainment, food etc. He graduates this year and will travel in
September. In essence, he obtained two "first class
flights" in two years of collecting points using his visa card.
Using the right credit card properly is the key to
gaining maximum travel rewards.
Editor
net