You have a Travel Rewards Card but you don’t seem to be getting much out of it. Do not despair – here are some helpful pointers that will get you more bang for your buck!
Get a card that suits you – there is no point in buying things that you would normally never buy, just to earn points. So find a card that suits you and your lifestyle. Don’t break your budget or completely overhaul your lifestyle trying to fulfil a minimum spending requirement on your Card.
If you travel frequently on work, you can charge all your expenses on your Travel Rewards Card. And then have it reimbursed from the company. Everything will get paid for and you earn Reward Points in the bargain.
You need to find a card that earns you more points than what the Card costs you (yearly fees and other charges). If that is not the case, you need a different card.
Start small – even a couple of trips a year can slowly add up to a free holiday. So sign up for travel rewards with hotel chains, airlines, car rentals, etc. and then focus on using these as often as you can.
Several cards offer sign-on bonuses. But they could come with a catch. They might ask you to spend a certain amount on your card before a stipulated time. Please make sure that this is something that you can afford. Don’t over-spend just to get Reward Points.
Use your Travel Rewards Card for everyday expenses. And you will see that the points will start adding up slowly.
Check to see if there are any bonuses offered when you book and grab them. Some are limited-time offers, others are based on how much you charge on your card, how you spend your points, or where you travel. Check them all out.
Look for offers of Reward Points and make sure you scoop them up as you go. You could get them from your airline, the hotel, car rental, restaurant, retail store, etc.
Look at all the literature to find names of merchant partners signed up with your Travel Rewards Card. You could get bonus miles or rewards if you buy from them. Or you might be able to get double or triple the Reward Points, if you use a particular vendor or service during a certain time period.
You can get several travel perks that come with your Travel Rewards Card – airport lounge access premium seating, upgrades, late check-outs, better rates, etc. apart from free flights or hotel stays. Use them too! Read all the literature carefully. You might be paying for some of these services. If you find that some of these services are not particularly those you might use, but are still paying for them, it might be a good idea to unsubscribe from them.
It is a lot better to redeem your Travel Reward Points for things pertaining to travel. If you would rather spend the points on online shopping, it might be better to get a different type of credit card instead. It makes sense to redeem these points for travel-related things, as that this is more profitable.
Ensure that you redeem your Rewards before they expire. A lot of the Reward programs have an expiry date.
And when you do redeem them – do it wisely. No fun using a “Free Airfare” on a short inexpensive flight, or your “Free Hotel Night” at a small budget hotel.
And never spend more than you normally would, or spend more than you can pay off every month, just to earn extra points. Paying a lot of interest eats away any value you might get from the Reward Points.
Still using the travel card that never complements your lifestyle? Then get a Travel Credit Card that brings meaning to your travel by maximizing rewards and offers.
