With credit card companies desperately vying for the attention of prospective customers, there have never been more rewards credit card offers available on the market. Fortunately, the majority of rewards credit cards provide some form of benefit or discount which can be extremely advantageous when one is planning for or is enjoying a vacation. The following are five ways that a rewards credit card can save money on a vacation.
1. Gasoline Discounts
Some credit cards, commonly known as gas rewards cards, provide a specific rebate percentage for each gasoline purchase. At the end of the rewards period, a check or certificate is mailed to the cardholder for the total amount of all of the rebates applied to the account during that year. Other cards may provide these rewards in the form of a balance credit, while others may send out rebate checks on monthly basis rather than annually. Using one of these cards to purchase gasoline while on vacation can save anywhere from 3% to 10% of the total gas expense.
2. Airline Miles
Many airline companies partner with credit card issuers to provide airline miles reward cards. These cards operate based on a points system, in which each purchase made with the card adds a couple of points to the cardholder’s total. The points can be redeemed for airline tickets based on the amount of points that have been earned by the cardholder. By using such credit cards throughout the year it may be possible to earn enough airline miles to pay for one-way travel expenses.
3. Hotel Reservations
Some credit cards offer a reward-based point system in which the cardholder can redeem their points on a variety of benefits, including free hotel reservations for 1 to 4 nights. Is it important to note that in order to redeem these points the cardholder must call both the hotel and the credit card company in advance.
By using credit cards which offer hotel reservations as one of their rewards system benefits, it may be possible to completely eliminate hospitality expenses during a vacation.
4. Free or Discounted Cruises
Many credit card companies have partnered with cruise lines to provide a new benefit to their rewards programs, in the form of free or discounted cruises. In general, this benefit is usually part of a more comprehensive package, and is offered as an alternative way to redeem reward points. By utilizing such a card for between six months to a year before the planned cruise date, it may be possible to earn a completely free cruise.
5. Vehicle Rentals
Many travel rewards cards allow cardholders to redeem their points with various vehicle rental services. The length of the vehicle rental usually depends on the amount of points the cardholder can redeem, however some cards offer a set amount of free car rental days once a certain amount of points are reached.
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