Travelling offers a great opportunity to alleviate stress and get a breather. The joy of experiencing different cultures, mouth-watering cuisines, new destinations, different landscapes and people is simply unparalleled. To enhance your travelling experience and manage your finances better, consider getting a travel credit card online.
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These cards offer several exciting features and benefits, like cashback, money-saving offers, and complimentary airport lounge access, to name a few. Choosing the right kind of travel credit card is key to making smart travel choices.
Read on for some great tips for choosing the perfect travel credit card.
Assess Your Travel Habits and Preferences
The foremost step in choosing the right kind of card for your travel is understanding your travel habits, needs and preferences. Only then can you know what is best for you. Everyone has different reasons to travel; some mostly travel for fun and leisure, while others may travel for work.
Also, whether most of your travel is domestic or international affects your decision-making process since some cards offer more benefits within India and some overseas. Not to forget, you should give equal importance to your lifestyle.
Jot down whether you are looking for luxury and trying fine dining restaurants or if budget-friendly travel is more your style. All this will help you zero in on a travel credit card that matches offers with your needs.
Look for Welcome Rewards and Offers
The selling point of most credit cards is the welcome points they offer when you join. These offers and discounts include:
- Hotel and airline membership vouchers
- Complementary airlines meals
- Discounted stays at various hotel chains
- Free cab services to and from hotels or airports
Therefore, you must compare various options and choose the one with the best welcome rewards. However, it is important not to get carried away and apply based on just the welcome benefits. Remember to check the fees and other features of the card before moving ahead.
Check the Associated Fees and Charges
With every credit card come charges, such as:
- Joining fees
- Late bill payment fees
- Cash withdrawal charges
- Annual maintenance fees
Awareness of these charges is key to making a smart decision since they can significantly increase your financial liability. These charges can sometimes even outweigh a travel credit card’s benefits. So, remember to compare them and then choose the right card for yourself.
Check if the Card is Globally Acceptable
Another essential factor that you need to look for while getting a travel credit card is if it can be used stress-free all across the world. The card must be acceptable at:
- Most countries
- Restaurants
- Hotels
- Airports
- Malls
- Stores
If that’s not the case, it can be difficult for you to manage your finances abroad if you don’t have an alternate way to pay. So, remember to check if the card is acceptable globally or not to ensure a seamless payment experience.
Compare Regular and Co-Branded Travel Credit Cards
Apart from applying for regular travel credit cards online, you can also explore co-branded credit cards. These cards are a result of partnerships between the credit card company and:
- Specific hotels
- Travel companies
- Airlines
With these co-branded cards, you enjoy perks like:
- Special deals on hotel and airfare charges
- Reward points
- Sign-up bonuses
- Festive offers
- Travel Insurance
- Priority boarding at airports
- Companion flight tickets
Understand the Reward Points System
Yet another exciting feature of credit cards is the reward points they offer. On every transaction you make using your travel credit card, you earn reward points. Therefore, whenever you use your credit card, these reward points keep getting accumulated for your future use.
With these reward points, you can get:
- Discounted flights
- Free hotel stays
- Activity packages at discounted rates
- Other products and services
- Cashback or valueback that you can use to pay bills
Check the Foreign Currency Markup Fee
Due to the differences in exchange rates of different countries, you need to pay a currency markup fee whenever you’re abroad. This can be a high amount since it generally applies to every transaction you make using your travel credit card. So, the best way to avoid this charge is to look for a travel credit card with a lower foreign currency markup fee.
Selecting a travel credit card online is no easy task, especially with so many options available. If you’re looking for a credit card that offers complete control, 100% transparency and loads of offers and perks, get the One Credit Card.
You get benefits like no joining or annual fees, a durable and premium metal card, 5X rewards on top two spending categories and a convenient way to plan your international travel and set limits all on the powerful One Credit Card App. Apply online now!
