A travel credit card can be invaluable for frequent and vacation travellers. With the right travel card, you can earn generous rewards, take advantage of valuable travel protections and perks, and make the most of every trip. However, with hundreds of travel credit cards on the market, choosing the right one and using it strategically takes some research and planning.
Read on to learn insider tips and tricks for earning more rewards faster and securing travel perks when using your travel card.
Understanding Travel Credit Cards
Travel credit cards allow cardholders to earn rewards points and miles on their spending, which can be redeemed for travel purchases. You earn accelerated points or miles on these transactions when you use a travel credit card to pay for flights, hotels, rental cars, or any trip-related expense.
Typically, you earn 2-5 points per Rs. 100 spent on travel and sometimes higher. Many cards also give points for spending on dining, entertainment, grocery shops, etc. These earned reward points get credited to your card statement routinely. You can then redeem accrued points to pay or partly pay for more flights, hotel stays, and holiday packages in the future.
Hence, each rupee spent using your travel card ultimately returns a much higher value to fund your next vacation. This cycle makes future trips more affordable. Travel credit cards also offer additional perks like lounge access and travel insurance, which benefit frequent travellers.
Tips for Maximising Your Travel Credit Card
Follow these innovative strategies to squeeze every bit of value from your travel credit card:
- Pay All Trip Expenses with a Card
For maximum rewards points, usually multiplied above ordinary expenditures, use your travel credit card as the payment method when making reservations for hotels, flights, vacation packages, or any other travel-related spending. The accelerated earnings from these travel transactions will mostly cover your subsequent vacation expenses.
- Channel Daily Spends for Extra Points
Use your travel credit card rather than a debit card, net banking, or cash to pay for your monthly electricity bills, mobile recharges, broadband or cable TV payments, online shopping transactions on Amazon/Flipkart, etc. Adopting this habit helps you consistently earn additional reward points on routine household and digital goods expenses.
- Clear Dues Promptly Each Billing Cycle
Never miss clearing your credit card bill payments before the due date because late fees lead to penalty charges, high-interest costs, and lasting credit score damage, severely impacting loan eligibility. Be diligent by setting payment reminders, or auto recharges to clear card dues on time during every billing cycle using online banking or card swipe transactions.
- Be Alert, Review Statements Regularly
Make it a habit to thoroughly scan credit card statements and review real-time SMS alerts regularly to track category-wise spending analysis and promptly identify any unauthorised usage or transactions you need to recognise.
If you spot suspicious activity with wrong merchant names or unfamiliar locations, immediately call the card issuer’s customer care to report disputed transactions and freeze your card to prevent any further fraudulent charges or cash theft by cybercriminals.
Choosing the Right Travel Credit Card
As you explore different travel credit cards available, compare them on these aspects to shortlist the best options:
- Lucrative Welcome Bonus
A high sign-up bonus accelerates initial points accumulation. To enter rewards nirvana quicker, prefer cards offering 10,000 or higher bonus miles/points.
- High Ongoing Rewards Rates
The card should provide accelerated value on travel and dining. Higher multipliers increase the earnings potential from everyday card usage.
- Domestic & International Lounge Access
Complimentary airport lounge visits during transit offer excellent value. So, check for cards that provide multiple domestic lounge visits and at least one international lounge access yearly.
- Robust Insurance Cover
Look for comprehensive travel insurance covering flight delays, trip cancellations, lost luggage, etc., so you can vacation stress-free.
- Low Foreign Transaction Fees
When swiping a card overseas, low or zero foreign exchange markup fees save tons over the 3-5% other cards charge.
- Flexible Reward Redemption
Top travel cards allow redeeming points not only for flights and hotels but also for online shopping, dining certificates, fuel, and much more. Go for flexible redemptions.
Choosing the best credit card closest to the above criteria ensures you extract the maximum joy from your card during trips and daily life.
Conclusion
Travel credit cards allow cardholders to earn substantial rewards and unlock premium travel perks by spending strategically. Choosing a card well-matched to your expenses, redeeming points cleverly for outsized value, and using built-in amenities can save thousands of rupees yearly on getaways.
Hence, travel cards enable more frequent and comfortable vacations and let users create priceless memories. You can unlock the world of privileged adventures with the right travel companion card in your wallet.
