Travel credit cards come with vast possibilities, and if you love to travel, they might be your new best friends! People cannot get the most value of their cards and points as earning and redeeming them the right way could be a little daunting. Do you find it complicated? Want to travel for free? Don’t worry, We’ve got you covered.
The Uthrive App offers unique features to its users that maximize their credit card travel rewards. It lets you monitor your rewards while guiding you to choose your best card for every purchase. Here are five tips to help you through the process of optimizing your credit card spending to earn the most travel reward points and miles.
1. Know your Travel Goals and Loyalty Programs
Do you aspire to travel to a faraway tropical location? Or do you wish to pay for your stay at the lavish hotel with your points? You may be surprised, but many of your travel plans can be fully or significantly funded just by your credit card rewards. Learning about the Loyalty Programs relevant to your travel goals is crucial while accruing points and miles on your credit card spending. The sooner you understand the basics of these currencies offered by your credit cards, the better you are positioned to travel to your favorite places while saving a lot of money.
These miles and credit card points make your travel goal a reality. Each program has a different set of benefits. It might not be so easy to pick a program, but the rewards are going to be worth it. For Example – If you dream of flying to a faraway destination, credit cards like Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card may be your best choice. There are even more premium cards, such as the American Express Platinum Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card. They offer significantly higher points on flights, albeit with higher annual fees.
2. Make sure to Use the Right Credit Card
To use your travel cards strategically, ensure that you know what works for you most efficiently. Stop overspending to earn credit card reward points. Also, the credit cards in your wallet must match your spending habits and travel preferences. There are several credit card options to choose from that reward more of your purchases and offer points redeemable on diverse types of travel (flights, hotels, rental cars). The cards in your pocket must fit your lifestyle.
Various cards offer extensive bonus points after spending on a specific category like- Bank of America Premium Rewards & Chase Sapphire Preferred Card gets you bonus points on travel and dining at restaurants. For Example- You can get your hands on a flexible travel rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card to shop while you earn more of the best travel rewards.
Also, co-branded cards with particular airlines or hotels earn reward points redeemable with the airline or hotel partners- the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard assists you in procuring a lot of miles on American Airlines Flights.
3. Utilize the Welcome Bonus on your Credit Cards
Many credit cards offer bonus points or miles after spending a minimum amount on your first card. You must qualify for the welcome bonus on your credit card to earn maximum points. Some cards also offer special incentives that get you discounts on selected purchases and make you earn extra reward points. The signup bonus can fetch you as high as 100,000+ points depending upon the offer of your card, which may be valued upwards of $1,000. This welcome bonus offered by credit card companies is an excellent way of rewarding the customers while they use their products.
If you are thinking of getting a new credit card, make sure that it fulfills the purpose of boosting your rewards and allows you to travel for ALMOST FREE! For Example- The Wells Fargo Active Cash Card is the Best Credit Card Bonus for a new cardholder as it offers a high reward rate and a $200 cash reward bonus after spending $1,000 in the first three months with NO ANNUAL FEE.
4. Pay-Off your Balance in Time
First Things First: Make sure to pay off your credit card dues in full every month. It is the most significant way to earn travel rewards from your credit cards. Paying-Off the balance in time also improves your overall credit card score. It is necessary to steer clear of paying unnecessary charges to avoid losing your traveling perks, earned points, or miles. You must strive to spend only what you can afford to pay off each month.
Make full payment for your credit card as it helps to maximize your travel credit card rewards. For Example- Citi Double Cash Card pays a total of 2% to those who pay for their minimum due on time.
5. Maximize Credit Card Rewards by Spending Everyday
Apart from receiving rewards from the welcome bonus, earning miles and points by spending every day is one of the easiest ways to maximize travel rewards. With the abundance of credit cards in the market, many cards provide double, triple, and even quintuple points for specific spending categories. You might come across some cards that allow you to handpick a bonus category like the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card. It lets you earn 3% cashback in the eligible categories of your choice, 2% at grocery stores, and an unlimited 1% on all other purchases.
You can maximize your credit card rewards more efficiently by spending every day. To reach your travel goals faster, remember the bonus categories of your credit cards to earn the most points. For Example- The American Express Gold Card provides 4 membership reward points per dollar at restaurants (including takeout and delivery), 4 membership reward points at U.S. supermarkets, 3 membership reward points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airlines, and 1 dollar each of all other qualified purchases.
Bottom Line
If you have a clear travel goal, you can work towards it without saving for it. Uthrive App offers the best credit card services that help you optimize your rewards. Getting the best rewards credit card for travel doesn’t have to be as challenging as it may sound. It is more of an art than a science, which becomes very easy with the super-personalized advice of our experts at Uthrive.