How Can I Make Travel Cheaper with a Credit Card?

Credit cards are a necessity for most travelers. Best of all, having the right card in your wallet can actually save you money. Heres how:

Get an airline card. Many airline cards offer bonuses that are big enough to earn a free flight as soon as you sign up. They usually come with additional benefits too, such as free wi-fi and discounts for checked baggage and airport lounges. Some cards also offer occasional low-cost companion fare specials.
Sign-up for a hotel card. These cards usually offer sign-up bonuses that are instantly good enough for at least one or two nights at a premier property. Most also offer an additional free night every year, whether you use your card or not. Other perks may include free breakfasts, and room upgrades.
Take advantage of the insurance perks. Many credit cards will protect you from potentially costly travel troubles including canceled trips and lost bags.
Use a card that waives foreign transaction fees. When traveling outside the country, you can save up to 3% on your credit card bill by using a credit card that doesnt charge a foreign transaction fee. For example, Discover is one company that usually waives those fees.

Photo Credit: GotCredit

Karen E Kinnane says

Golly Len, this is one of my favorite subjects! I’M IGNORING THE PANDEMIC AT THE MOMENT AND THINKING TO WHEN THINGS ARE BACK TO THE NEW NORMAL AFTER A VACCINE / CURE. Everyone who likes to travel ought to get a United Airlines credit card if they want to visit far away places inexpensively. First of all open a UA frequent flyer account which is free. When applying for the ff card DON’T SIGN UP TO LET THEM SEND YOU EMAILS. Get the UA credit card in your name and you get a bonus of 30,000 or more miles. DO NOT PUT YOUR SPOUSE / SIGNIFICANT OTHER ON YOUR CREDIT CARD. After a few weeks UA will offer you 500 or so miles to let them send you a weekly email. THEN YOU SIGN UP FOR EMAILS AND GET THE EXTRA FREE MILES. They will also offer bonus miles to put another signer’s name on the card and then you put on spouse / significant other’s name and get more free miles. Put all your recurring bills on the UA card. You’ll be amazed at how many free miles you get every month this way. Pay your occasional bills with the card also. If you pay by check, or from a bank account you get nothing plus every check costs 55 cents to send and you might incur late fees by forgetting to pay on time, having check lost in mail. Before you know it you’ll be going to Europe with miles round trip for about $180. in taxes. You get a free bag if you’re a UA card holder which is a savings. For every dollar spent buying a UA ticket you get 2 miles per dollar spent. There are occasional promos where for a set period you get double miles for a certain category like groceries.
You join the free UA dining club and get free miles for dining at places you would eat anyway. THE CREDIT CARD WILL HELP YOU TRAVEL CHEAP AS LONG AS YOU LOG ON ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH AND PAY OFF THE OUTSTANDING BALANCE IN FULL. If you spend more than you have or you are lax about paying in a timely manner don’t get a card for miles. The card is free the first year, and after that $85. per year but they give you a lounge pass every time you pay the $85. which is a lovely way to spend the time before your flight instead of on hard seats among restless children at the gate. The lounge pass costs $55. if you want to buy one, and the food in the lounge is complimentary so you’re not shelling out $30. for food before your flight. If you have a spouse he / she can do the same thing with signing up for a ff miles card and then a credit card, doing the same no emails, no spouse name on card until there is a miles bonus for doing so. Your spouse can cancel the credit card after 11 months and keep the 30,000+ miles without incurring the renewal fee.

Comments

1

Karen E Kinnane says

Golly Len, this is one of my favorite subjects! I’M IGNORING THE PANDEMIC AT THE MOMENT AND THINKING TO WHEN THINGS ARE BACK TO THE NEW NORMAL AFTER A VACCINE / CURE. Everyone who likes to travel ought to get a United Airlines credit card if they want to visit far away places inexpensively. First of all open a UA frequent flyer account which is free. When applying for the ff card DON’T SIGN UP TO LET THEM SEND YOU EMAILS. Get the UA credit card in your name and you get a bonus of 30,000 or more miles. DO NOT PUT YOUR SPOUSE / SIGNIFICANT OTHER ON YOUR CREDIT CARD. After a few weeks UA will offer you 500 or so miles to let them send you a weekly email. THEN YOU SIGN UP FOR EMAILS AND GET THE EXTRA FREE MILES. They will also offer bonus miles to put another signer’s name on the card and then you put on spouse / significant other’s name and get more free miles. Put all your recurring bills on the UA card. You’ll be amazed at how many free miles you get every month this way. Pay your occasional bills with the card also. If you pay by check, or from a bank account you get nothing plus every check costs 55 cents to send and you might incur late fees by forgetting to pay on time, having check lost in mail. Before you know it you’ll be going to Europe with miles round trip for about $180. in taxes. You get a free bag if you’re a UA card holder which is a savings. For every dollar spent buying a UA ticket you get 2 miles per dollar spent. There are occasional promos where for a set period you get double miles for a certain category like groceries.
You join the free UA dining club and get free miles for dining at places you would eat anyway. THE CREDIT CARD WILL HELP YOU TRAVEL CHEAP AS LONG AS YOU LOG ON ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH AND PAY OFF THE OUTSTANDING BALANCE IN FULL. If you spend more than you have or you are lax about paying in a timely manner don’t get a card for miles. The card is free the first year, and after that $85. per year but they give you a lounge pass every time you pay the $85. which is a lovely way to spend the time before your flight instead of on hard seats among restless children at the gate. The lounge pass costs $55. if you want to buy one, and the food in the lounge is complimentary so you’re not shelling out $30. for food before your flight. If you have a spouse he / she can do the same thing with signing up for a ff miles card and then a credit card, doing the same no emails, no spouse name on card until there is a miles bonus for doing so. Your spouse can cancel the credit card after 11 months and keep the 30,000+ miles without incurring the renewal fee.
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  Len Penzo says
  
  Wow … that’s very helpful, Karen! And yes, it’s obvious you enjoy this topic. 😀
  
  Thanks for the tips!