Airline mile credit cards are ones that some people have not heard of before but they have the most flexible terms for using miles. The trade off is that some of them may not have other types of merchandise that you will be interested in so be careful before you buy.
When you use an airline mile credit card it will offer you points towards frequent flyer miles and other travel related products. They are more flexible because you can use them not only with the primary carrier but also with their partners.
This gives you more opportunity to book flights when you have a free ticket and some will let you take the miles you earn on their cards and transfer them into your frequent flyer program. This is something to check into when you are first looking at these programs.
Some of the cards with American Express will give you this offer. Some Airline mile credit cards also give you benefits like full travel packages, free car rentals or free hotel stays. This can be a tremendous help as you are accumulating your points for the right program.
When you first start looking at these offers it is a good idea to ask some questions to make sure you are getting the most benefit:
- How many points will you get for spending? Some companies will give you dollar per dollar points towards your goal and others will give you extra points if you buy certain merchandise. This is something to check into to make sure you get the best deal for your wallet.
- Do you have to wait a long time before you get a free flight? Most companies make you wait awhile by accumulating outlandish amount of points. Others will make sure that you gain the points as quickly as you can. As an example, airline mile credit cards that give you a free ticket after 15,000 miles is better than one that says you must accumulate 25,000 miles before you get your first ticket.
- What happens if you do not use all of your points right away? Most credit card companies expect that you will use the card and this is why they issue it. They may require that you use the card over time in order to get the benefits. If you do not use your card within a certain amount of time after issuance your points can expire.
- What types of fees are involved? Will you have to pay annual fee for this privilege or not? Also do you have to accumulate your points within a year or is this ongoing credit? Is there a limit to the amount of points you can earn? These are all important to whether this card is the right one for you.
Some people just pick the card that looks good but it is a better idea to decide what you need then look for a card that will fit your needs so that you will use it.