The only thing that trumps cheap airplane tickets or cheap vacation packages is free travel using accumulated miles or points. Given how difficult it has become to redeem frequent flier miles for free travel, and the fact that many credit card companies now offer customers the ability to purchase tickets without any blackout periods, or limiting the number of seats that can be purchased with points, its time for travelers to reconsider whose credit cards they should be using.
While airlines offer credit cards that earn miles on their frequent flier programs for all purchases made with that card, another advantage of using a card that earns points vs. miles is because those points can usually be redeemed on many different airlines vs. airlines miles which must be used with that specific airline, or sometimes one of its partners.
To make their airlines credit cards more attractive, Chases Continental cards and American Express Delta SkyMiles card have recently introduced an additional benefit by allowing their cardholders to check bags for free.
Travelers should select reward cards based on their specific spending and flying habits. People who fly frequently on the same airline may benefit from concentrating their spending using a card affiliated with that airline. Often airlines allow customers unrestricted use of their frequent flier miles if they use double the normal amount of miles (usually 50,000 vs. 25,000) to purchase tickets for domestic travel. Other travelers may benefit more from using a card that awards points that can be redeemed for flights on multiple airlines.
Credit card users that typically carry a balance on their cards should be trying to use a credit card that offers the lowest fees and rates.
www.cheapfares.com