Travel Tip-Which Reward Card is Best for You?

Traveling can get exhausting, so any perks that you can rack up while you’re on the road makes being away from home a little more rewarding. We get a lot of questions from Consultants on which credit card offers the best rewards program. There are a lot of options out there, but finding the right fit often depends on how you would like to use your points. Nerd Wallet does great card comparisons every year. They compare them in a number of ways and here are a few informative write ups to help you select the card that is best for you.

After reading last year’s report, I settled on the Capital One Venture Card, and I have to say so far I love it! They offer two points per dollar spent, an introductory mileage bonus, and the $59 yearly fee is waived for the first year. Also there are no foreign transaction fees with this card.  I have found their online system to be very user-friendly. You can use your points to erase purchases that you’ve made up to 90 days later; which eliminates the hassle of trying to figure out how to use your points. The fun perk with this card is that you can upload any picture to personalize the front of the card. I have a picture of a vacation with my husband and I constantly get compliments on how cool it is! Capital One lets you change out the picture as often as once per month with no extra charge. Seeing that picture whenever I use my card helps remind me that every time I have to spend money, at least I’m getting points towards vacation! Here is a great article comparing The Capital Venture Card with its closest competitor, The Chase Sapphire Preferred. http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/compare-credit-cards/capital-venture-rewards-chase-sapphire-preferred/

You may prefer a loyalty rewards card that is specific to airlines and hotel chains. Here is an article from The Points Guy that compares those options as well. http://thepointsguy.com/2014/01/top-5-credit-cards-for-travel-rewards/ The Points Guy has several other articles and tips on how to get the most out of your points and miles.

Happy Traveling!

Contributed by: Katie Stewart, Consultant Services Coordinator