Choosing the best credit card
You have purchased airline tickets, hotel reservation and car rental. But have you completed the credit card?
As the credit card companies vying for a privileged position in the portfolios of clients, they are pitching seductions travel news, renounce foreign transaction fees that can add up to 3 percent for purchases abroad to collect fees for checked baggage. Earlier this month, for example, American Express removed the transaction costs of 2.7 percent on foreign purchases for international licensees Platinum Card, and added two new benefits Travel - Select the Priority Pass access to airport lounges in over 300 cities worldwide and free membership in Global Entry, which provides expedited security clearance for pre-approved travelers entering the United States.
British Airways and Chase brought a promotion they had used two years ago - an impressive sign-on bonus of 100,000 miles (the equivalent of two bus tickets to and from North America to London) those who enroll for the British Airways Visa Signature Card, which has an annual fee of $ 95, May 6 and spend $ 2,500 in the first three months. And Citigroup dropped foreign transaction fees on two of its new ThankYou rewards cards that were introduced earlier this year and allow users to redeem points for flights, hotels, cars, travel packages and activities.
But travelers should pay close attention to the fine print when comparing card offers to make sure the benefits outweigh the costs. For example, the American Express Platinum card comes with a significant annual fee of $ 450. The range of benefits that will be included with the $ 200 peryear for the cost of air travel as checked baggage or in-flight meals, access to Priority Pass lounges Select airport (normally $ 249 for 10 visits), and zero foreign transaction fees. If you're a road warrior who spends more time in airports and aboard aircraft in your own home, it may be worthwhile. But this is probably not the best card for casual flyers. "If you receive the waiver only for currency conversion, you'll probably give them more than that back when you pay the annual fee," said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com, a financial research Website .
To the annual fee course ", look for a card travel insurance as additional replacement baggage, emergencyfund (in case of lost or stolen card), insurance and rentalcar insurance cancellation, "said Carmen Wong Ulrich, author of" The true cost of living, "which speaks from experience. After hanging for a rentalcar while driving along rough roads and hilly St. John's, "all we had to do was spend 10 minutes on the phone with AMEX, fill out a little paperwork and we never seen a bill for repairs, she said. "Well worth the annual fee of $ 125" for the Gold card.
Also consider what types of benefits are most valuable to you, and how much you spend to pay for rewards programs. "The most important part of choosing the best credit card is to find one that best suits your personal needs and lifestyle," said Amber Stubbs, editor at CardRatings.com, noting that it likes Venture Capital One Rewards Card, which was introduced last year and allows users to earn and redeem miles for any travel purchase whatever the airline, hotel or cruise line. "However, for someone who attends an airline," she added, "it's not a bad idea to get a card specific to that company."
To help you decide what to put in your portfolio, here is a list of some of the best maps for travelers, none of which is linked to a specific company.
As the credit card companies vying for a privileged position in the portfolios of clients, they are pitching seductions travel news, renounce foreign transaction fees that can add up to 3 percent for purchases abroad to collect fees for checked baggage. Earlier this month, for example, American Express removed the transaction costs of 2.7 percent on foreign purchases for international licensees Platinum Card, and added two new benefits Travel - Select the Priority Pass access to airport lounges in over 300 cities worldwide and free membership in Global Entry, which provides expedited security clearance for pre-approved travelers entering the United States.
British Airways and Chase brought a promotion they had used two years ago - an impressive sign-on bonus of 100,000 miles (the equivalent of two bus tickets to and from North America to London) those who enroll for the British Airways Visa Signature Card, which has an annual fee of $ 95, May 6 and spend $ 2,500 in the first three months. And Citigroup dropped foreign transaction fees on two of its new ThankYou rewards cards that were introduced earlier this year and allow users to redeem points for flights, hotels, cars, travel packages and activities.
But travelers should pay close attention to the fine print when comparing card offers to make sure the benefits outweigh the costs. For example, the American Express Platinum card comes with a significant annual fee of $ 450. The range of benefits that will be included with the $ 200 peryear for the cost of air travel as checked baggage or in-flight meals, access to Priority Pass lounges Select airport (normally $ 249 for 10 visits), and zero foreign transaction fees. If you're a road warrior who spends more time in airports and aboard aircraft in your own home, it may be worthwhile. But this is probably not the best card for casual flyers. "If you receive the waiver only for currency conversion, you'll probably give them more than that back when you pay the annual fee," said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com, a financial research Website .
To the annual fee course ", look for a card travel insurance as additional replacement baggage, emergencyfund (in case of lost or stolen card), insurance and rentalcar insurance cancellation, "said Carmen Wong Ulrich, author of" The true cost of living, "which speaks from experience. After hanging for a rentalcar while driving along rough roads and hilly St. John's, "all we had to do was spend 10 minutes on the phone with AMEX, fill out a little paperwork and we never seen a bill for repairs, she said. "Well worth the annual fee of $ 125" for the Gold card.
Also consider what types of benefits are most valuable to you, and how much you spend to pay for rewards programs. "The most important part of choosing the best credit card is to find one that best suits your personal needs and lifestyle," said Amber Stubbs, editor at CardRatings.com, noting that it likes Venture Capital One Rewards Card, which was introduced last year and allows users to earn and redeem miles for any travel purchase whatever the airline, hotel or cruise line. "However, for someone who attends an airline," she added, "it's not a bad idea to get a card specific to that company."
To help you decide what to put in your portfolio, here is a list of some of the best maps for travelers, none of which is linked to a specific company.
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