How To Choose The Right Air Miles Credit Card

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

Frequent fliers can certainly use the benefits that you can get from having an air miles credit card. Of course, the credit card itself makes it easier to book your travel arrangements, but other features on the card even make it more interesting. Here are some tips about how you can choose the right air miles credit card for your needs.

Look At Free Miles Last

Probably a number of you thought that you should look at the number of miles being offered as the main thing - actually it is not. You need to look at other features of the card before you let the number of air miles sway you into getting the card. This is advertising at its best - you were grabbed by the large number of air miles and almost forgot about the small print - possibly the part that they did not want you to see.

Consider The Type of Card

There are two types of issuers of air miles credit cards. The airlines offer them, and so do a number of banks. The airlines cards will focus on the services of that particular airline. Its discounts apply to it and the air miles can only be used on their airline. This could be great for you if that airline can easily be used from your location and from most of the places you travel to. On the other hand, a bank issued air miles credit card can be used on most airlines that takes your card and the air miles are also applicable to just about any airline.

Rate For Air Miles Earned

This feature will vary quite a bit on your air miles card. Some cards will only give you one air mile for every twenty dollars charged to the card. Other cards will give you one air mile for every dollar. If you use this credit card a lot - one obviously makes more sense than the other. You will also want to see how you can use your air miles. Find out if you must apply them only to airline tickets or can they also be used as points toward the purchase of things from the credit card stores? Also find out how many miles you need to accumulate in order to get your first free trip, and see how long before you air miles expire.

Balance Transfers And Other Goodies

This feature is really necessary, especially if you have a balance on other credit cards. With it, you can put your balances on the new card and pay 0% APR interest for the life of the introductory offer. Some cards may even allow you to enjoy the 0% APR for balance transfers for the life of the transfer. Make sure, though, that there is not a balance transfer fee attached to the air miles credit card for doing this.

Other Options You Want to Look For

Ask yourself what is the rate of interest on the card. Remember that the introductory offer (if it has one) only lasts for a while - as much as 15 months, and some as few as three months. Some air miles credit cards will also give you discounts towards hotels, car rentals, cruises, restaurants, and more.

Now, you can look at the air miles offered. Then, after you have looked at all of the above, compare it with five or six other cards, and see which one will best suit your needs, and give you the most.