Avoid Paying A Fortune By Using An Airline Credit Card

If you have taken a trip on a plane recently, then you know just how expensive airfares are these days. According to FareCompare.com, the average price for the cheapest round-trip ticket is around $350. One way to cut down the cost of your airfare is to use a credit card offer that rewards you for you spending by earning points or miles towards airfare. It’s not easy to figure out which airline credit card to choose, but there are some steps you can take to simplify the process and make sure you are getting the best card. There are essentially two types of airline cards: cards offered by the airlines and the typical rewards cards that are not airline specific. Once you can identify the difference between the card types you can figure out the benefits of each. To get you started, we have a brief description of the difference between the card types.

Rewards Cards

Travel Rewards cards allow you to earn points through your spending and you can cash those points in for airfare if you choose. With these cards you aren’t restricted to only using your points for a certain airline, but as a trade off you can’t combine your earnings with the miles you fly. Typically, you can find APR’s as low as 12% and often times these cards don’t have annual fees. It’s common to be able to earn on certain purchases with these cards, like 5% on gas purchases. You might be familiar with the Capital One Venture Card or the Discover More, both of which fall into the travel rewards category.

Airline Sponsored Cards

With an airline sponsored card you earn through your spending and your airline spending along with their partners. The APR’s usually start out around 14%, which is a bit higher than the travel rewards cards. These cards often have annual fees, but these cards will also offer good bonus offers. You will also see offers that give double points on purchases, bonus points for your spending and free airline tickets. The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card that gives 3,000 points each year on your anniversary. You will find special perks like free checked baggage like with the American Express Delta Reserve that offers free checked bags for up to 9 companion flyers.

How To Choose

1. Look At the Numbers: First and foremost, look at what the cards offer in terms of the Rates and Annual Fees. This is also a good time to figure out if you are going to be paying your balance off each month or not. If not, then there is a good chance you won’t reap any of the extra benefits the card offers because you are going to be wasting it away with the interest you are paying.
2. Review The Perks: Look at the perks each card offers, like free checked baggage. If you have a family of 5 and all of you get your baggage checked for free that perk alone might be what you need to come out on top.
3. Consider The Bonus Offers: Consider if it’s best for you to earn a cash back bonus or an offer that gives miles. Depending on your situation you might be better off to take the cash or save those miles for a trip you are planning. Or, if the bonus offer is a free flight that might be the offer you need.
4. Find Out How You Earn: One of the most important things when it comes to rewards cards is to understand how you earn your rewards. For example, if a the card offers rewards for restaurant purchases and you don’t eat out then that card is not for you. Similarly, if a card offers miles for a particular airline and it’s an airline you don’t use the that card would not be a good option either.

Cards Featured In This Article

Capital One® Venture(SM) Rewards Credit Card


• 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, then the variable standard purchase APR of 10.99% - 20.99%*
• 5% Cashback Bonus® in categories that change like gas, restaurants, department stores and more. Limitations apply*
• Up to 20% Cashback Bonus at popular retailers when you shop online through Discover.com
• Discover is ranked #1 in customer loyalty--16 years in a row! (2012 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index report)
• 24/7 access to a U.S.-based Account Manager within 60 seconds
• $0 Fraud Liability plus automatic mobile and email fraud alert options
• Great rewards with no annual fee, no rewards redemption fee, and no additional card fee
• *Click apply to view rates, fees, rewards, limitations and other important information

Discover® More® Card


• Money® magazine's "Best Rewards Card if you aim to rack up airline miles"
• 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
• Redeem your miles for ANY travel expense
• 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months
• No limit on the miles you can earn and miles won't expire
• Fly free on any airline, any time with no blackout dates
• No foreign transaction fees
• First year's annual fee is on us

American Express Delta Reserve


• Earn MQMs: Earn up to 30,000 MQMs - which you can keep or gift to friends or family members - each calendar year with Miles Boost(SM).
• Delta Sky ClubTM Access: Enjoy complimentary Sky Club access for you and two guests.
• First Bag Free: Get a free checked bag for up to nine people in your reservation - a roundtrip savings of $50 per person.
• First Class Companion Certificate: Earn a free* Economy or First Class Companion Certificate each year upon renewal.
• Concierge Services: Receive complimentary, 24-hour a day access to American Express® Concierge Services

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
[showoff template=cc_bullets offer=ncs22035883]