With all of the different types of credit card reward programs out there, how can you tell which ones are really worth participating in. Airline credit cards make up some of the more popular types of credit card reward programs where consumers can save money or earn points to be redeemed for goods or services.
Before deciding on a particular airline credit card program, it’s worth doing a little bit of research. Some reward programs and special credit cards have higher interest rates than typical credit cards.
For the most part airline credit cards are simply not for those who carry a balance on their credit card(s) from month to month. That said, these can be an excellent way to save money on airfare for those that travel frequently.
The British Airways Visa card is affiliated with American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. This card offers a 15,000 bonus mile reward for the first purchase made with the Visa card. Though the interest rate son this particular airline credit card is somewhat lower than many of their competitors, rates have risen some in the last year. After the five month long introductory period Chase Bank USA charges a variable 16.74% APR for all unpaid card balances. This card also carries an annual fee of $75 and is not open to non-US citizens.
The Delta American Express SkyMiles card has an annual fee of $55, though the first year is free. The APR is 17.24% and users earn a 10,000 mile reward upon completion of their first purchase using the card. One drawback to this card is that American Express is not accepted I nearly as many common places as Visa or Mastercard. Users receive double miles rewards for all purchases from Delta.
Northwest Visa is one of the most popular airline credit cards, with different strata of membership. This card has both ‘signature’ and ‘platinum’ programs. With either program users receive 10,000 miles when they make their first purchase. The APR is 17.5%. The most unique thing about this card is that users can earn miles beyond $10,000 per month.
The Citi platinum Select American Airlines AAdvantage World Mastercard is a more recent program that teams the huge banking giant with one of North America’s biggest airlines. Users get 15,00 miles when they make their first purchase. The ‘Platinum Select’ has an APR of 17.5%.