Thinking About Taking A Travel Cards: Consider These Points

Posted by Bhavna Singhal on June 12th, 2019

Everyone has to travel either today or in the future; some people are frequent travellers and some travel due to professional reasons. Travel is not a cheap affair; some time a trip can cost a lot and drill a hole in your pocket. So, what is the solution?

How can you cut down your travel expenses or get benefits from your travel expenses?

The answer is entirely predictable, travel credit cards. These travel credit cards have become an excellent tool for frequent and business travellers. These help you in earning high benefits on travel-related swipes and also allow the accumulated travel points to be redeemed for hotel stays and air tickets.

A travel credit card enriches your travel experience. It offers complimentary airport lounges access, additional baggage allowance, dedicated concierge service, priority check-in at airports, and more.

There are numerous benefits of using a travel credit cards. In case, if you are planning to take one, then make sure to keep these things in mind:

Brand loyalty: Travel credit cards are available in both co-branded and non-co-branded varieties. The co-branded travel credit cards offer higher reward points on transactions done at all the partner travel brands.

For instance, Jet Privilege HDFC Diners Club Credit card gives 8 JPMiles for each transaction of INR 150. The credit card credits 24 JPMiles on tickets booked on www.jetairways.com for the same amount.

So, if you will use this travel credit card to book air tickets from any competitor airlines, then you will earn 8 JPMiles per INR 150 spent instead of INR 150. Moreover, you can only avail of all the benefits of the credit cards at the partner brands for selected merchandise, hotel stays, air tickets, etc.

Even the brand-neutral travel credit cards offer great benefits on all your travel expenses.

For instance, Citibank PremierMiles Credit card offers 10 Miles (reward points) for every INR 100 spent on booking hotel stays and air tickets via the PremeierMile’s website. The same reward point is applicable on booking air tickets directly through counters and websites of all airlines.

Renewal and Joining Fees and Benefits: It is a fact that travel credit cards have a higher joining and renewal fees than other credit card types. While the renewal fees of the travel credit cards can go up to INR 5,000, the annual fees can go up to INR 10,000.

Therefore, always perform a cost-benefit analysis of travel credit cards and make sure to choose the one whose benefits in terms of discounts, cashback, reward points, etc exceed its cost by the widest margin.

Many of the travel credit cards offer free reward points and travel vouchers as joining and renewal benefits.

For example, Axis Bank Vistara Signature Credit Card charges around INR 3000 as renewal and joining fees. For paying such joining and renewal fees, the credit card owners get 1 complementary domestic air ticket.

Additional Benefits: Just like any other credit card, a travel credit card also offers benefits like free movie tickets, fuel surcharge waiver, dining discounts, etc.

For example, Jet Airways ICICI Bank Coral Credit Card offers an instant 15% dining discount at over 2,500 partner restaurants, 1+1 movie tickets on booking tickets via www.bookmyshow.com or bookmyshow mobile app.

Such additional benefits can increase the utility of your travel credit cards, and on the other hand, it will reduce the necessity of availing an extra credit card for such expenses.

Therefore, always choose a credit card that suits your non-travel spending habits as well.

Rewards point expiry: Just like any other credit card, travel credit card’s reward points also have an expiry date. However, Citi PremierMIles Card is an exception as the airmiles in this card never expires.

So, always keep in mind and check the expiry date of your reward points. In case you don’t have any travel plans, then redeem your reward points to buy other merchandises and services before the expiry date.

Final Words,

You should take a travel credit card only if you incur considerate traveling costs. If you will select the card carefully and use it wisely, then it can reduce your overall travel cost through discounts, reward points, cashbacks, complimentary air tickets, free travel vouchers, etc. Also, make sure to redeem the reward points before their expiry date.