4 of the Worst Mistakes With Travel Rewards Cards

If you like to travel, it makes sense to get a travel credit card. All these cards have perks that help you save money or have a better time on your trips. They also earn rewards that you can use to help cover expensive travel costs.

The downside with travel cards, at least compared to cash back cards, is that they have more of a learning curve. Because of that, mistakes are common with this type of credit card. And some of these mistakes could end up costing you quite a bit of money.

1. Not spending enough to earn the welcome offer

Travel credit cards tend to have the largest welcome offers, which are introductory bonuses for new cardholders. A cash back card might offer a $150 or $200 welcome bonus. But a travel card could offer a welcome bonus worth $500 to $1,500 or more.

A bigger welcome offer also normally comes with a bigger spending requirement to earn that bonus. For example, some travel cards require you to spend $3,000 to $4,000 in the first three months. If you don’t spend enough, you miss out on all those bonus rewards.

Before you open a travel credit card, make sure you can spend enough to earn the welcome offer. Once you get your card, keep track of how much you’ve spent. Some card issuers include a bonus tracker in your online account, but if not, you can always call or chat with customer service to double check.

2. Using your travel rewards for cash back

Depending on your travel card, you may be allowed to redeem your points for cash back — but it’s probably not a good idea. You almost always get less value when you use travel rewards this way.

It’s not a small difference either. With certain cards, you can get $0.01 to $0.02 per point or more if you use your rewards for travel, compared to just $0.006 per point if you use them for cash back. If you have 100,000 points, you’d go from $1,000 to $2,000 in value to just $600.

When you have a travel card, try to always use your rewards for travel expenses. If you think you’ll want to use rewards for cash back, you may be better off getting a cash back card instead.

3. Transferring rewards to a travel partner without having a plan for them

Some credit cards have transferable rewards. These are points or miles that you can transfer to any airline or hotel partnered with the card issuer. After you transfer your points, you can use them with that airline or hotel’s loyalty program to book a trip. For example, if you transfer points to United, they’d become United miles that you can use to book a flight.

Transferable travel rewards are extremely valuable because of how flexible they are. But transfers are a one-way deal. You can’t transfer rewards back once you’ve sent them to a travel partner.

For that reason, figure out what you want to book before you transfer your rewards. Don’t transfer 100,000 points to United because you think you’ll fly with it at some point in the future. Wait until you want to book a flight, see how much it costs in miles, and then transfer over the number of points you need.

4. Getting a travel card with features that are hard to use

The features a travel card has depend largely on its annual fee. Higher-priced cards tend to have a lot more to offer. Benefits may include spending credits, airport lounge access, and elite hotel status.

It’s easy to convince yourself to pay a sky-high annual fee because of all the features a card has. But before you do, think carefully about how well those features fit your lifestyle and your travel habits. Don’t spend more for perks that you’ll have a hard time using.

To sum it up, you should always spend enough to earn the welcome offer after you get a travel card. Review your options before redeeming your rewards, and make sure not to redeem them for cash back. Last but not least, pick a travel card that works for you, not one that has a bunch of flashy features you don’t need.

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