The Friday Feature: Air Miles Awesomeness Part 2
Travel for Free, Get Free Hotels, or Just Have a Better Trip
If you missed Part 1, read it here:
Understanding Travel Credit Cards
I want to avoid recommending specific cards. Here are the rules for finding useful cards, and I will include two examples.
First, a real travel card that maximizes air miles is connected to an air miles program or an airline. Many of you might have a card from your bank that has a rewards program, these are not the same.
Second, a high-value card is rarely free. Normally there is an annual fee, which is only worth paying if you have been building into the program with miles paid for by your benefits package. Occasionally the membership fees get you a couple of lounge passes every year. Depending on how you travel these can be worth more than the fee. Lounges have free food and other benefits. For those who may need to manage a 6+ hour layover, lounge access will be a game changer.
Here is an example:
