Using Credit Cards for Travel: Making Your Miles Multiply Quicker

If you are one of the thousands of people who use their credit cards for travel to accumulate miles, you may be disappointed by the slow rate they seem to accumulate. Of course, it is the nature of credit cards to appear to offer more than they can deliver, but there may be ways that you can increase your cache of free miles.

Some Basic Rules

You need to be a certain sort of credit card user if you are going to get the best from any card travel rewards. You should:

* Pay off your bill in full every month.

* Have a good credit score.

If those don’t apply then there are other types of credit card that will be more useful to your travel. Check a good advice site to find out how to decide which is best for you.

Choose the Right Credit Cards for Travel

Before you choose your credit card, it pays to decide what you are saving towards. It gives you an incentive to do all the work that follows, and it will also steer you in the right direction to select the rewards program that will most appeal to you. For instance, it might suit your plans better to have hotel or car hire points rather than air miles.

Choose your credit card based on the following:

* Does it build up points in the program you are interested in?

* Is there an annual fee? If so, is it waived in the first year?

* Is there a bonus for using the card in the opening months? If so, can you realistically afford that amount of buying?

There may be several suitable cards, but don’t be tempted to apply for them all in one go. You might damage your credit score, and you may not be able to take advantage of all the offers.

Use Your Credit Card

It is easy to sign up for a card on a whim and then to neglect to take advantage of it. So when you have your card, make sure that you use it. This is especially important during those crucial early months if there is an introductory bonus to be earned.

Make a point of using the card for every purchase you can. Small things can add up to make a difference. Find out if there are retailers who offer rewards on the same program; then you can double your points, getting them from both credit card and retailer for the same purchase. Join a dining program for the same reason.

Stay on top of your spending and pay your bills regularly. Don’t cancel cards as soon as you have earned the introductory bonus—you want to build a long-term relationship with the bank.

A Profitable Hobby

Your main hobby may be to travel, but some people manage to build a secondary hobby out of saving travel rewards. Once you start to explore the possibilities seriously, you may discover that finding new ways to earn miles can make you using your credit cards for travel even more rewarding. – Travel Feeder

About The Author

Cecil Lee

The author is an avid traveler and photography hobbyist who loves to share with others his travel and photo-taking experience in many popular tourist destinations around Europe, Asia and Australasia. Read the exciting stories with many photos captured on his journeys.