The Benefits of Travel Rewards Credit Cards
A travel rewards credit card is similar to an airline credit card in that you receive rewards points per dollar spent. With travel rewards cards, though, you can use your points for more than air mileage. For example, the coveted travel rewards cards associated with upscale hotel chains, like Starwood Resorts and Hotels, Marriott and Hilton let you redeem accumulated points for free and discounted hotel accommodations worldwide.

It’s more expensive to stay in a hotel or resort than it is to fly there, a discrepancy people routinely overlook when booking a trip. Depending on your needs, a travel rewards card can be a great alternative to an airline credit card.

Earn flights or nights
If you still want to earn airline mileage, take heart. Many travel rewards cards let earn either "nights" or "flights" with your points. This gives you the flexibility to use your points to suit your needs, whether you want air travel or free hotel accommodations.

Three BIG reasons travel credit cards make sense:
1. Accumulated points are redeemable at hundreds of hotels (such as the Westin, the St. Regis, the W Hotel) and can also be transferred to a variety of major airlines.
2. You can still rack up frequent miles and even get bonus miles when you transfer them to an airline's frequent flyer account.
3. The flexibility of travel rewards cards makes them a smart option for vacations and work-related trips.

Great sign-up bonuses with our Applications
Travel rewards cards come with great bonuses that reward you just for signing up or for shopping. For example, the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express (see description below) gives you 6,000 Starpoints in your first year of membership.
American Express® Rewards Green Card awards you double points when you make purchases at supermarkets, gas stations, drugstores, the U.S. Postal Service, and even for your wireless phone bill.

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Here are three “best of category” travel rewards credit cards to consider:
1. Starwood Preferred Guest American Express:
This spectacular travel rewards card has been voted “Hotel Frequent Guest Program of The Year" by business travelers for six years running. By far, the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express gives you some of the best options and rewards.

You can book a room for just 2,000 points and transfer points to your favorite airline. For every 20,000 points transferred, you will receive a 5,000-point bonus—that means two free nights at hotel in the Starwood family. With 140 reports, 38 luxurious spas and 250 golf courses throughout the world, this card lets you live like a king—without spending like one!

Other benefits include:
• No initial annual fee; $30 thereafter.
• More than 30 airline partners.
• $1 spent equals one point
• Starwood Preferred Guests earn free nights at 725 hotels and resorts in 80 countries
• No blackout dates or availability restrictions on free night awards
• Cash and points options.

You can opt to purchase Starpoints for your employees and customers as incentives, like:
• Sales Incentives
• Employee Recognition
• Customer Promotions
• Fund raising for non-profit organizations

2. Hilton HHonors Platinum Credit Card from American Express:
This travel rewards card lets you earn points twice as fast by using your card at the grocery store, gas station and post office. You can receive an upgrade to the Gold VIP tier in the Hilton HHonors program when you spend $20,000 or more per calendar year. A nice sign-up bonus of 10,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points will get you off to a rewarding start.

More benefits include:
• No annual fee
• Enhanced VIP and Platinum privileges
• No mileage or points caps
• HHonors bonus points for every eligible dollar spent
• HHonors bonus points for every eligible dollar spent at Hilton Family hotels
• 5 HHonors bonus points for every eligible dollar spent in select categories
• Bonus points for booking online

3. American Express® Rewards Green Card:
This card awards you with points redeemable for retail shopping, entertainment and a many other exciting travel-related rewards.

More benefits include:
• Guaranteed online fraud protection.
• More than 30 airline partners.

More great travel rewards card to keep in mind:
• American Express® Rewards Gold Card
• Hilton HHonors® Visa® Card from Citi®
• Marriott Rewards Visa® Signature Card from Chase®

What's the bottom line?
With its flexible options and array of practical rewards, a travel rewards credit card be the most rewarding card you carry.

* For more information about travel rewards cards, read our detailed side-by-side card comparisons. Once you find the right travel rewards credit card for your needs, you can apply for it online and be approved within minutes.

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Maximize Your Travel Rewards Credit Card
A travel rewards credit card will "reward" you with points, incentives, discounts and rebates when you use them to charge purchases and expenses.

Today, nearly all financial institutions and banks have partnered with major companies like airlines, hotel chains, car rental agencies, restaurants and retailers to offer travel points and rewards via credit cards.

To find the travel reward credit card that best fits your needs, you need to full understand your lifestyle and spending habits. The first step in choosing a travel rewards card is thinking about how you will use it. If you always pay off your balance in full and use credit cards as rewards tools, a travel rewards credit cards is a great way to earn while you spend.

Do your homework
Be sure to look at the numbers and always read the fine print. While most travel rewards cards pay one point per dollar spent, redemption options can differ from card to card. Become an informed consumer—-read our in-depth credit card reviews and side-by-side comparison charts before you select a travel rewards card.

Leverage your rewards
To earn rewards points, you have to charge purchases to your travel rewards card as much as possible. Obviously, the quickest route to the more travel rewards and points is through frequent spending. In addition to big-ticket items, try charging daily and monthly expenses to rack up points. Follow these tips to get the most out of your travel rewards card:

• Get a companion travel rewards credit card for your spouse.
• Pay for groceries with your travel rewards card--a frequent expenditure that will quickly add up.
• If you can, put charge your rent or mortgage payment to your travel rewards card. Just be sure that you can pay off the balance each month or you'll earn finance charges instead of rewards points.

Be sure to check out our FAQs and “best in category” travel rewards credit cards. For the qualified customer, they offer enticements like low introductory and ongoing APRs, top-tier rewards, big sign-up bonuses and rapid points accumulation and redemption.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Travel Rewards Credit Card Applications
The following are the most frequently asked questions about travel rewards cards:

Q: What is a travel rewards credit card?
A: A travel rewards card is similar to an airline credit card in that you receive rewards points per dollar spent. Travel reward cards let you earn points toward free hotel stays. Many also allow you to redeem points for airline mileage.

Other rewards include car rental discounts and cruise vouchers. Some travel rewards cards can be used for non-travel related rebates at restaurants, theme parks or shopping centers.

Q: Do travel rewards credit cards charge annual fees? What about intro APRs?
A: Unlike airline-specific frequent flyer credit cards, travel rewards cards usually don’t have introductory annual fees associated with them. Likewise, they usually offer low introductory APRs. For more information about fees and APRs, check out our detailed comparisons of the top travel rewards card.

Q: How do I earn points or rewards?
A: You earn points or rewards whenever you charge purchases to your travel rewards card. Many travel rewards credit cards offer sign-up bonuses and bonus points with your first purchase. The more you spend, the more you earn.

Q: Why do I need a travel rewards credit card?
A: A travel rewards card gives you practical reasons to charge purchases. Each time you use it, you earn valuable rewards. Anyone with good credit and a desire to travel can benefit from a travel rewards card. If you travel frequently, it will repay you with major savings in travel costs. For others, a travel rewards card is a great way to fund your annual family vacation or leverage travel opportunities you might not otherwise have.

Q: What factors should I consider when choosing a travel rewards card?
A: As with any credit card, read the fine print when selecting a travel rewards card. It’s important to “do the math” and be able to answer these questions:

• How many points are earned per dollar spent?
• How are points converted into miles or dollars towards other rewards?
• Does it have an annual fee, and/or an introductory interest-free rate?
• Are cash advances available?

Some travel reward credit cards may be specific to airline travel, to one specific airline or to a hotel chain. Other travel cards are or bank issued. Before you decide on one, assess your lifestyle needs to find the type of travel rewards card that makes sense for you.

Q: I’m a small business owner. Should I consider a travel rewards credit card?
A: Absolutely. Travel rewards credit cards are especially advantageous for small business owners, who tend to be frequent credit card users. With the right travel rewards card, you can turn your business expenses into big savings on your next trip.

Q: How will a travel rewards card help me when I’m traveling?
A: Some travel reward credit cards offer cash advances—a helpful service when traveling. They can also provide travel insurance that includes worldwide emergencies such as medical evacuation, lost luggage and emergency expatriation—all of which are nearly impossible to resolve without adequate preparation and pre-purchase of coverage.

In addition, hotel-specific rewards credit cards are ideal for travelers because points can be used for free hotel stays and other unique benefits.

Q: What are the requirements for a travel rewards card?
A: Good credit and the financial means to make timely payments. Using your travel rewards credit card often will help quickly earn the rewards want.

Q: How do I apply online for a travel rewards credit card?
First read our travel rewards card comparison charts and in-depth reviews and then select a card. Follow the “apply” links to quickly and easily apply for a travel rewards credit card online.

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Kezia Pearlman, Analyst, Frankford Financial ©2008