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Airline Credit Cards
Updated: April 10th, 2012 by Timothy James -- We will cover two areas... Firstly, how to choose the most suitable Airline Credit Card for your personal circumstances - and secondly, what the best Airline Credit Card offers are for the current week. Read the guide then compare the cards! Alternatively, if you want search for other card types, you can go to the main credit cards page.
Read The Guide...
This guide
will give
you
important
information
you should
know before
applying;
such as:
How this
type of
credit card works.
When, how and who should use them.
Tips, tricks and card
advice.
Top 10
Airline
Credit Cards
Compare The
Cards...
Looking for
the best
offers for
Airline &
Travel credit
cards?
>>
Here's our
top 10
Recommended:
Most popular credit card in this category.
Airline Credit Cards - What are they
& how do they
work?
Airline
credit
cards
usually
offer
free air miles
as
a reward
for
using
the
card.
Airmiles
you
accumulate
can
then
be
redeemed
when
booking
internal
and
international
flights,
thus
saving
you
money
on
airfares.
Of
course,
car
issuers
offer
other
travel
related
perks as well
- such as vacation vouchers, travel rewards, travel insurance benefits,
lounge
access, hotel points and the list goes on.
Note:
If
you
are
looking
for
cards
that
focus
on
hotel
benefits,
here
is a
list
of
credit
cards
with
hotel
rewards.
The majority of airline and travel credit cards usually offer an introductory bonus in the form of airmiles. For example, one credit card issuer might offer 30,000 airmiles when you spend a total of $750 in the first four months of being a card holder. Another may only offer 20,000 bonus miles but they might have a slightly lower interest rate.
The key to choosing the correct card is to weigh up the offers that we have listed further below and see which one is best for your individual circumstances.
Is an Airline
credit
card suitable
for you?
The
person
who
would
be
able
to
derive
the
most
benefit
from
this
type
of
credit
card
is a
frequent
flyer
who
is
a)
able
to
use
the
card
to
make
everyday
purchases
so
that
their
airmiles stack up
and
b) pay off the balance
of
the
card each month before the interest becomes payable.
This
way
the
air
miles
will
actually
free
and
will
not
cost
them
(in
interest
payments)
to
accumulate.
Essentially,
the
more
you
spend
and
the
more
you
travel,
the
more
suitable
an
airline
and
travel
credit
card
will
be
for
you.
Important
points to take
into account
before choosing
a card.
Like
I
just
mentioned,
always
pay
off
the
balance
in
full
each
month
or
the
negatives
will
outweigh
the
benefits.
If
you
are
looking
to
borrow
money,
apply
for
a
0%
APR
credit
card
instead;
especially
if
the
realistic
scenario
will
be
that
you
will
only
make
the
minimum
monthly
payment.
Also
bare
in
mind
that
some airline cards will only let you redeem airmiles
against
their
own
flights.
For
example
a
Delta
credit
card
may
award airmiles in the normal way (i.e. when the credit card is used)
...BUT you may only be able to redeem these airmiles against Delta flights.
In
other
words,
choose
your
provider
carefully. (Please note: this
may
not actually be the case with Delta, it is just an example to demonstrate the point.)
In
addition,
most
airline
cards
require
an
good
to
excellent
credit
score
in
order
for
them
to
approve
your
application.
If
your
credit
score
is
not
in
this
range,
it
may
be
best
not
to
apply
for
one
of
these
cards
and
return
to
the
main
credit
card
section
and
choose
a
card
type
that
is
more
suitable
for
you
-
such
as a
credit
card
for
bad
credit.
You
don't
want
to
have
your
application
disapproved
or
it
will
negatively
affect
your
credit
report
and
score.
Important tips if you are a frequent traveller...
1:
If
you
travel
outside
of
the
United
States,
whether
it
be
for
business
or
pleasure
(or
a
lil'
bit
of
both),
always
remember
to
tell
your
card
issuer
which
countries
you
will
be
visiting
so
they
won't
block
your
card
if
the
unusual
geographic
transactions
are
flagged.
2:
It
may
be
worth
applying
for
two
credit
cards
if
you
have
an
excellent
credit
score.
If
you
travel
frequently,
a
back-up
card
can
always
come
in
useful
in
case
their
are
issues
with
your
primary
card.
3:
If
you
usually
travel
within
the
US,
then
this
won't
be a
problem,
but
some
card
issuers
charge
huge
foreign
transaction
fees
when
you
use
your
card
abroad.
If
you
travel
frequently
outside
of
the
United
States,
it
will
be
worth
checking
what
these
fees
will
be
before
you
apply
for
the
credit
card.
The best Airline Credit Card offers for the current week...
Whilst
other
finance
websites
usually
list
vast
numbers
of
available
credit
card
offers
on a
single
page,
in
our
view,
all
that
does
is
create
confusion
(and
a
lot
of
research
work)
for
you,
the
consumer.
We've
done
all
that
work
for
you.
The
top
cards
in
our
opinion
are
each
marked
with
5
stars.
Remember,
credit
card
companies
change
their
offers
all
the
time
and
the
below
information
is
correct
at
the
time
of
writing.
Be
sure
to
double
check
the
terms
of
the
offer
on
the
provider's
website
before
completing
an
application.
You will get 50,000 bonus Avios after your first purchase
25,000 bonus Avios after you make $10,000 in purchases within the first year of account opening
Plus an additional 25,000 bonus Avios after you make an additional $10,000 in purchases within the first year of account opening
That's enough Avios for one roundtrip business class reward ticket
New: Smart Chip Technology allows you to use your card for chip based purchases in Europe & beyond, while still giving you the ability to use your card as you do today at home
Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad
Earn 2.5 Avios for every $1 spent on British Airways purchases
Earn 1.25 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
Every year you spend $30,000 on your British Airways Visa card, you'll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years
Regular APR
Annual Fee
Balance transfers
Credit Needed
15.24% Variable
$95
Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Earn up to $250 in travel rewards--1,000 Bonus miles every month you make a purchase for the first 25 months
Double Miles on every $1 you spend
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 6 months, then the variable standard purchase APR of 10.99% - 16.99%*
No restrictions on travel--fly on any airline, book any hotel or car, with no blackout dates
Flexible redemption options like travel credits, merchandise, gift cards or cash
Travel Insurance benefits, including primary car rental, lost or damaged luggage, travel delay, and trip cancellation when you book with your Escape by Discover card
Discover is ranked #1 in customer loyalty--16 years in a row! (2012 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index report)
*Click apply to view rates, fees, rewards, limitations and other important information
Regular APR
Annual Fee
Balance transfers
Credit Needed
10.99%-16.99% (Variable)*
$60*
Yes*
Excellent Credit*
#7 -
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Starpoints® Bonus: 10K with your first purchase and another 15K when you spend $5k within 6 months - enough for up to 6 free nights at a category 1 or 2 hotel
Free nights, free flights: Redeem Starpoints with over 350 airlines through SPG Flights and more than 1,000 hotels and resorts worldwide. No blackout dates
2011 SmarterTravel® Award for "Best Travel Rewards Card"
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $65
Regular APR
Annual Fee
Balance transfers
Credit Needed
15.24% - 19.24% variable
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $65
Yes*
Excellent Credit*
SwitchSave™ Identify which balance transfer credit cards will save you the most money. Try now.
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