One of the best perks of using your credit card is earning the points to pay for your next vacation. During our last family vacation we traded in our airline miles for 4 domestic round-trip flights, used airline fee credits to cover the cost of our checked baggage, discounts at one of the hotels we stayed at, and a travel card to get a much needed rental car upgrade. Without these travel card benefits, the trip simply wouldn’t have been in our budget.
Airline Miles: it’s easier than you think to accumulate enough miles for your next trip. Some cards offer sign-up bonuses or free domestic flights that can make your airline travel completely free.
Airline Fee Credits: these days, airlines increasingly charge fees for baggage, wifi, and inflight meals. To help offset these costs, travel cards may provide credits towards these fees.
Airport lounge access: access to the airport lounge is not only a nice perk, but can save you money. If you take advantage of the free food and beverages in the lounge, you can forgo the cost of purchasing these on the plane.
Concierge Services: credit card issuers may provide assistance in making travel arrangements, booking restaurant reservations or buying event tickets.
Discounts at hotels and resorts: whether you use the credit card’s concierge services or make the arrangements yourself, your credit card may offer significant discounts at certain hotels and resorts.
Rental Car Upgrades: if your credit card offers free rental car upgrades, you can save money by renting a car at a reduced rate.
Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption Insurance: under certain circumstances such as illness or bad weather, if a trip is cancelled or interrupted some credit card issuers will reimburse cardholders for trip expenses such as airline tickets, hotel reservations, and event tickets.
Trip Delay Protection: if your trip is delayed you could be reimbursed for reasonable lodging expenses, meals, toiletries, and other personal use items.
Rental Car Insurance: the daily cost of a car rental can be much higher if you have to purchase the rental car company’s insurance. To save money, read the fine print of your credit card to see whether it provides automatic rental car coverage. Tip: be sure the amount of the coverage is adequate and also be sure you have used that credit card both to reserve and pay for the rental card.
Travel Accident Insurance: although it’s always a good idea to investigate whether additional travel insurance is needed, some credit cards offer travel insurance for travel accidents when you pay for the airfare with your credit card.
Baggage Loss or Delay Insurance: if your baggage is lost and you purchased your airline ticket with your credit card, the card may reimburse you for the lost baggage and its contents. If your baggage is delayed, you could be reimbursed for purchases of essential personal items such as clothing, toiletries, cell phone charging cables, and more.
Waiver of Foreign Transaction Fees: if you routinely use your card internationally, this is a benefit that can really add up. When travelling, be sure to use a credit card that waives foreign transaction fees.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
With a 60,000 point new cardmember bonus when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months of having the card, plus 2x points on travel and at U.S. restaurants — all for a $95 annual fee — this card is one of the top rewards card values available. Chase points are transferable to 9 airlines and 4 hotels, giving you the option of booking directly via these loyalty programs for some massively lucrative award redemptions in first & business class or at 5-star luxury hotels & resorts.
