Whether you are traveling for leisure or for business, volatile ticket prices open the doors for extra expenses and possibilities of going over budget. But you must have wondered about those who travel using credit card points without burning a hole in their pocket.
As per reports by American Express, 89% of travelers use travel hacks like using credit card points for saving money. In this article, we’ll be discussing some of the ways to travel smart with credit card points. You can explore how to maximize the usage of your credit card points for first class incentives, prizes, and experiences, ensuring a comfortable and rewarding travel.
Credit Card Points are a Travel Companion
If you travel frequently or plan to have such a lifestyle, getting a credit card that offers travel rewards makes a lot of sense. You can enjoy the benefits, not limited to earning points or adding extra miles. When choosing the best travel credit cards Canada, compare the value of rewards against annual fee as well as the interest.
When used smartly, they can earn you extra miles or points that can be easily redeemed for hotels, flights, or any other travel related expenses. Many credit cards even offer additional benefits like free checked bags, or lounge access. So make sure that you do your research before choosing the right travel reward credit card.
Ways to Travel Smartly using Credit Card Points
Here are some of the ways in which you can enjoy maximum benefits of your credit card points for traveling effectively.
- Try to utilize your points for international business class tickets as these tickets usually offer higher return for your miles. Also, if you typically find business or first class expensive, this could be the only way to access the travel opportunity.
- Live in luxury by booking high-end hotels. They also offer better return on your points. Stays at luxury hotels can cost a lot and the same can be said for their food and transfers. Here the points can help cover the cost without you having to pay anything out of your pocket.
- Traveling during peak season? Chances are prices of everything will be skyrocketing. Well, this can be your opportunity to offer a comfortable vacation to your family using the points. Usually, the award pricing increases during the peak season. So, it’s important to compare the rates of redemption in comparison to the cash prices.
- A lot of hotels offer loyalty programs offering fifth nights free. This usually happens when you book your stay for consecutive nights. So, this way you can stretch your points to a larger extent.
- You can redeem them for gift cards from restaurants, cruises, plane tickets, and hotels. You can also transfer points to your airline partners. This way you can use them with your partner’s loyalty program for award bookings.
Conclusion
When it comes to traveling smart with credit card, the only thing that can help you is strategic planning. By choosing the right credit card and optimizing the points redemption, one can have a luxurious travel experience at half the cost. Some of the top travel cards include the American Express Gold Card, and Chase Sapphire. They both offer unique perks and potentials to earn points. Happy Travels!
